Service Intervals/Requirements
12-22-17, 12:29 PM
#46
Absolutely Right ! On my MB they recommended brake fluid change every 2 years regardless of mileage, the reason being is that air contains moisture (water) and the fluid is hydrophilic so it absorbs water and we know that water = rust, so we don't want any rust on the precious sensors of the braking system (ABS) if we want it to work properly.
12-31-17, 07:41 PM
#47
brake fluid info
Just to add to the conversation, brake fluid is highly hygroscopic, which means the fluid absorbs moisture from the air. When reading your brake fluid specs their are specs for dry and wet boiling points(3.7% moisture). this is the additional component that must be considered when selecting a change interval. If your fluid contains too much water, it will not be as effective in high heat situations such as prolonged or heavy braking. This could create mushy pedal feel or worse, cause the fluid to boil in extreme situations.
I suggest going to wikipedia and reviewing the brake fluid page. In general, I have seen DOT4 recommend 2 year change intervals and DOT3 recommend 3 year intervals for street use (non-racing or track applications). Brake Fluid is dirt cheap, so I would recommend a bleed as recommended, but as others have said - depending on your humidity and driving style you 'could' go the entire life of the car without noticing much difference.
I suggest going to wikipedia and reviewing the brake fluid page. In general, I have seen DOT4 recommend 2 year change intervals and DOT3 recommend 3 year intervals for street use (non-racing or track applications). Brake Fluid is dirt cheap, so I would recommend a bleed as recommended, but as others have said - depending on your humidity and driving style you 'could' go the entire life of the car without noticing much difference.
Last edited by mdr2001; 12-31-17 at 11:46 PM.
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mcomer (01-03-18)
03-06-18, 01:14 AM
#48
Driver School Candidate
Brake fluid.
In the good old days, standard brake fluid was referred to a Dot-3. Later came Dot-4. Both of these were glycol based and were hygroscopic. That is they absorbed moisture out of the air and did deteriorate. They lost viscosity, overheated easily and did cause corrosion of brake system components. Modern cars use Dot-5 type brake fluid. It is silicone based and is not hygroscopic. And does not cause corrosion of brake system components. Anybody trying to convince you to spend money to change your brake fluid either does not know what he is talking about. Or more likely, is just trying to scam you with fake horror stories about brake system corrosion, reduced boiling points and brake failure or fade causing you to crash. Aka, fear mongering. Don't fall for it.
Last edited by Mikenunb; 03-06-18 at 01:18 AM. Reason: Additional,thoughts.
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Oldfart (03-08-18)
03-06-18, 08:37 AM
#49
In the good old days, standard brake fluid was referred to a Dot-3. Later came Dot-4. Both of these were glycol based and were hygroscopic. That is they absorbed moisture out of the air and did deteriorate. They lost viscosity, overheated easily and did cause corrosion of brake system components. Modern cars use Dot-5 type brake fluid. It is silicone based and is not hygroscopic. And does not cause corrosion of brake system components. Anybody trying to convince you to spend money to change your brake fluid either does not know what he is talking about. Or more likely, is just trying to scam you with fake horror stories about brake system corrosion, reduced boiling points and brake failure or fade causing you to crash. Aka, fear mongering. Don't fall for it.
03-06-18, 11:23 AM
#50
Driver School Candidate
Error, error, error!
I can not believe this! My 1994 and 2003 Harley motorcycles use dot-5 brake fluid. Surely Lexus would keep up with that basic a mechanical improvement. To confirm my response I dug out the owner's manual this morning for my 2017 RX350 F-sport, and searched for fluid requirements in the self performed maintainance section. THEY USED DOT-3 BRAKE FLUID in these supposedly technologically advanced vehicles. Why???? I can think of no other reason than to save $4 on the manufacture of each car AND extract more revenue from customers on maintenance. That is absolutely unbelievable coming from a company that is supposedly in the forefront of automotive technology and customer satisfaction. To sum it up, that really sucks Lexus. You should totally be ashamed of yourselves dudes!
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ericsan13 (03-06-18)
03-06-18, 08:11 PM
#51
I can not believe this! My 1994 and 2003 Harley motorcycles use dot-5 brake fluid. Surely Lexus would keep up with that basic a mechanical improvement. To confirm my response I dug out the owner's manual this morning for my 2017 RX350 F-sport, and searched for fluid requirements in the self performed maintainance section. THEY USED DOT-3 BRAKE FLUID in these supposedly technologically advanced vehicles. Why???? I can think of no other reason than to save $4 on the manufacture of each car AND extract more revenue from customers on maintenance. That is absolutely unbelievable coming from a company that is supposedly in the forefront of automotive technology and customer satisfaction. To sum it up, that really sucks Lexus. You should totally be ashamed of yourselves dudes!
DOT 5 cannot usually be used in vehicles with ABS and if it is used the brake pedal has a more spongy feel which Lexus may not want. Yes your Harley uses DOT 5 which is a common fluid used in motorcycles and some cars like Hummer. A search of oil company websites for the RX 350 even recommend DOT 3 but say you can use DOT 4 (if you want to line the oil companies pockets even more).
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ericsan13 (03-07-18)
03-07-18, 10:46 AM
#52
Driver School Candidate
There is absolutely nothing wrong with using DOT 3 brake fluid - extremely common, this is not a high performance vehicle, it's just a regular road car and the temperature limits of DOT 3 far exceed what's required. You don't go putting racing tyres on the Lexus for the road , same with the brake fluid.
DOT 5 cannot usually be used in vehicles with ABS and if it is used the brake pedal has a more spongy feel which Lexus may not want. Yes your Harley uses DOT 5 which is a common fluid used in motorcycles and some cars like Hummer. A search of oil company websites for the RX 350 even recommend DOT 3 but say you can use DOT 4 (if you want to line the oil companies pockets even more).
DOT 5 cannot usually be used in vehicles with ABS and if it is used the brake pedal has a more spongy feel which Lexus may not want. Yes your Harley uses DOT 5 which is a common fluid used in motorcycles and some cars like Hummer. A search of oil company websites for the RX 350 even recommend DOT 3 but say you can use DOT 4 (if you want to line the oil companies pockets even more).
Last edited by Mikenunb; 03-07-18 at 10:48 AM. Reason: Grammer
03-08-18, 07:20 AM
#53
I can not believe this! My 1994 and 2003 Harley motorcycles use dot-5 brake fluid. Surely Lexus would keep up with that basic a mechanical improvement. To confirm my response I dug out the owner's manual this morning for my 2017 RX350 F-sport, and searched for fluid requirements in the self performed maintainance section. THEY USED DOT-3 BRAKE FLUID in these supposedly technologically advanced vehicles. Why???? I can think of no other reason than to save $4 on the manufacture of each car AND extract more revenue from customers on maintenance. That is absolutely unbelievable coming from a company that is supposedly in the forefront of automotive technology and customer satisfaction. To sum it up, that really sucks Lexus. You should totally be ashamed of yourselves dudes!
03-08-18, 09:46 AM
#54
Using DOT 4 or DOT 5.1 is safe for any advanced ABS car that comes with DOT3 because they're all usually glycol ether based and compatible. And it's totally unnecessary to use DOT4 or 5.1, especially for a RX. GSFRX350 is definitely right, there's no reason to use DOT 4 unless you have a big brake kit and seriously tracking your car. All Lexus, Infiniti and Acura vehicles use DOT3 fluid. Even a performance car like the Subaru WRX STi uses DOT3 as stock fluid. Using DOT4 fluid requires more brake fluid flushes since it absorbs more moisture.
03-08-18, 09:59 AM
#55
Using DOT 4 or DOT 5.1 is safe for any advanced ABS car that comes with DOT3 because they're all usually glycol ether based and compatible. And it's totally unnecessary to use DOT4 or 5.1, especially for a RX. GSFRX350 is definitely right, there's no reason to use DOT 4 unless you have a big brake kit and seriously tracking your car. All Lexus, Infiniti and Acura vehicles use DOT3 fluid. Even a performance car like the Subaru WRX STi uses DOT3 as stock fluid. Using DOT4 fluid requires more brake fluid flushes since it absorbs more moisture.
02-02-19, 01:34 PM
#56
Driver School Candidate
Maintenance Schedule Months vs Miles
Recently purchased a 2018 RX it has 48mo of service with 24K miles. Which maintenance schedule should by followed milage or months of service? Thank you all for your consensus and help. PDM64
02-02-19, 01:56 PM
#57
Moderator
Generally the months or miles issue is do the maintenance when one or the other occurs first according to the maintenance schedule.
I suspect you have a typo on your description of a 2018 with 48 months service.
When did it enter service (was sold new)? 48 months is 4 years. It is barely 2019. How can a 2018 model been sold 4 years ago (January 2015)?
Regarding service I would change the oil, engine air filter, cabin air filter, flush brake fluid, check & rotate tires, inspect and maybe service brakes, check alignment, battery etc. Basically conduct your typical safety check that any good auto repair shop can do. Or your local dealer as you do have a warranty.
Where did you get it from? What warranty did they give you?
Almost all used car sales places do change the oil prior to sale. Some also change the engine air filter, but almost nobody looks at the cabin air filter, which is easy to access through the glove box. Look on youtube.
I suspect you have a typo on your description of a 2018 with 48 months service.
When did it enter service (was sold new)? 48 months is 4 years. It is barely 2019. How can a 2018 model been sold 4 years ago (January 2015)?
Regarding service I would change the oil, engine air filter, cabin air filter, flush brake fluid, check & rotate tires, inspect and maybe service brakes, check alignment, battery etc. Basically conduct your typical safety check that any good auto repair shop can do. Or your local dealer as you do have a warranty.
Where did you get it from? What warranty did they give you?
Almost all used car sales places do change the oil prior to sale. Some also change the engine air filter, but almost nobody looks at the cabin air filter, which is easy to access through the glove box. Look on youtube.
Last edited by Clutchless; 02-02-19 at 02:09 PM.
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PDM64 (02-02-19)
02-02-19, 02:35 PM
#58
Maintenance with just about any make is whichever comes first. Even without accumulating mileage things like fluids, rubber, etc age and need to be serviced.
Don't rely on consensus. Refer to your maintenance schedule. If you don't have a copy you can get it via the Lexus Drivers site:
https://drivers.lexus.com
...and in it you'll find something like this:
Don't rely on consensus. Refer to your maintenance schedule. If you don't have a copy you can get it via the Lexus Drivers site:
https://drivers.lexus.com
...and in it you'll find something like this:
Determining Your Maintenance Interval: Months vs. Mileage
Lexus recommends obtaining scheduled maintenance for your vehicle every six months or 5,000 miles, whichever occurs first.
For example:
Be sure to keep an eye on your mileage so that you obtain maintenance when recommended. If you are a low-mileage driver, mark your calendar to remind yourself to obtain maintenance every six months.
Lexus recommends obtaining scheduled maintenance for your vehicle every six months or 5,000 miles, whichever occurs first.
For example:
- If at six months you have driven less than 5,000 miles, you should obtain maintenance at six months; don’t wait until 5,000 miles.
- If you drive 5,000 miles in less than six months, you should obtain maintenance at 5,000 miles; don’t wait until six months.
Be sure to keep an eye on your mileage so that you obtain maintenance when recommended. If you are a low-mileage driver, mark your calendar to remind yourself to obtain maintenance every six months.
Last edited by takeshi74; 02-02-19 at 02:39 PM.
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PDM64 (02-02-19)
02-02-19, 03:00 PM
#59
Driver School Candidate
Thanks Clutchess,
Yes it was a typo. 2015 is correct and it was a single owner lease. We have the carfax report. The oil was just changed we purchased at a local used car dealer and have a 4 month 5K dealer warranty. We will check over the filters and all your suggested items and start at the 48mo schedule.
Thanks again.
PDM64
Yes it was a typo. 2015 is correct and it was a single owner lease. We have the carfax report. The oil was just changed we purchased at a local used car dealer and have a 4 month 5K dealer warranty. We will check over the filters and all your suggested items and start at the 48mo schedule.
Thanks again.
PDM64
04-14-20, 02:20 PM
#60
Performing Service #2 maintenance on RX350 by myself?
Hi there,
I know there's a lot of posts on this forum already and I apologize, but I'm just wondering what you guys think about performing the Service #2 of my 2016 RX 350 by myself.
I got a few quotes from my local dealerships. The Lexus dealership is looking to charge me $390 CDN before taxes. Surpisingly, my local Toyota dealership is looking to charge me around the same, which came as a bit of a shock to me since all the posts I've read on this forum mentioned a Toyota dealership charging less. For the record, I live in Western Canada.
I don't think that $390 is too expensive or anything for service, but considering how they recommend service every 8000k, it's not exactly cheap either. On top of that, with the whole pandemic situation going on right now, it's just more comfortable for me to stay home and do it myself. I know there's a lot of comments though about not having it in record with Lexus, and being bad for resale, etc. etc.
Just wondering on your general thoughts. It's the first Lexus that I've owned and I want to take good care of it.
I know there's a lot of posts on this forum already and I apologize, but I'm just wondering what you guys think about performing the Service #2 of my 2016 RX 350 by myself.
I got a few quotes from my local dealerships. The Lexus dealership is looking to charge me $390 CDN before taxes. Surpisingly, my local Toyota dealership is looking to charge me around the same, which came as a bit of a shock to me since all the posts I've read on this forum mentioned a Toyota dealership charging less. For the record, I live in Western Canada.
I don't think that $390 is too expensive or anything for service, but considering how they recommend service every 8000k, it's not exactly cheap either. On top of that, with the whole pandemic situation going on right now, it's just more comfortable for me to stay home and do it myself. I know there's a lot of comments though about not having it in record with Lexus, and being bad for resale, etc. etc.
Just wondering on your general thoughts. It's the first Lexus that I've owned and I want to take good care of it.