Syntec 5w30
Zina Perko
We have a 2009 SE purchased with 37,000 miles on it. We wouldl ike to use synthtic - we used castrol syntec in our caravan, The car requires 5W20. If we use synthetic, how often do we change it? the manual states every 6000 miles or 6 months- that seems long enough to me even with synthetic. or does the SE also have this oil change warning I see others posting about?
I use synthic oil in my journey and have gone 8000 miles before the change oil notice came up on my dash. probably go longer it=f i had just changed filter at 5000. when i bought it, it only went 4500 miles on factory oil before it gave me the notice on my display.
Chrysler for warranty purpose told me (the service tech) no more than 6500 mile. That is what is stated in the book. You probably can get more out of the synthetic, but if you have a warranty, do not go over 6500 mile. Do not just take my word for it, call and ask Chrysler dealer.
I have never heard of blowing a engine because you miss a oil change (on a regular car). I would think if it does come up, you could just say you change your own oil. They could still say prove it, but then you could say prove the problem was caused by a lack of a oil change.
Dilbert had a funny cartoon one time. It basically said they make a product and then give it some high maintenance intervals so they don't have to honor the warranty. They said they were "using the law to fight off justice".
Well, I am just passing along what I was told. Besides I use synthetic oil and then I take it to the dealer and even with the tire rotation it is still cheaper than if I used their synthetic oil alone. Keep records to cover your butt, then there are no questions.
SPeaking of synthetic oil, I got my oil changed and they put in 5w30 castrol systhetic in, while the oil cap sayw 10w30. I asked the dealer and he told me castrol synthetic 5w30 is the same as convetional 10w30. Not sure what is true and hoping to get input. also the dealer says they did not carry 10w 30 .
Zac........I would not worry about using 5w30 in our climate. I always change to 5w30 for the winter anyway. With our temperatures as low as -30 to -40 in winter the 5w30 gives you better cold starting and once it is warmed up then you have the protection and lubrication of the 30w.
Hi, reading through posts and notice that there are discussions about 5w20 and 5w30, there was a TSB in 2006 to switch to 5w20 for some cars, but then the 2009 were produced later and the manual still saids to use 5w30. I have read other posts claiming certain dealers are putting either 5w30, 5w20, or even 10w30. Now I was wondering which is right and has Lexus actually came out and told us exaclty if the new oil should be 5w20 or 5w30, also how much does this really effect gas mileage, engine, etc? Any official word as I would like to change the oil myself and am now confused as to which I shoudl be using.
It doesn't make a huge difference. My sister's 08 has 106,200 on it now. I put in Pennzoil High Mileage 10W-30 (March-October if I have it around), Pennzoil High Mileage 5W-30 (most of the time) and Motorcraft 5W-20 (if available, it's a Ford brand oil and one of the best values around). I like the HM due to the high mileage and in hope to keep the seals in check. I use all the oil for 6,000 miles and change out the OEM Toyota filter every other oil change. No difference in gas mileage and no more particulate by doing the filter every other change. I always overfill by 0.5 quart. I stopped using synthetic a year or so ago because I don't really use any benefits of it...extreme climates, tracking the car and long intervals. I rather change it out at 6K than go longer on synthetic...I ended up changing it at 9K anyway, so it's cheaper to use conventional aka dino oil. I've read all the UOAs etc and visit bobistheoil guy a few times a week and imho find synthetiic a waste for me. Just for reference I was a huge synthetic fan as I probably used up about 250 quarts (everything from Amsoil, Pennzoil Platinum, Castrol syn, Rotella T6 5W-40, Valvoline synthetic, Supertech synthetic) in the last 6 years or so in multiple cars and found no real benefit. Syn only came in handy when I was doing 10-12K oil changes on my sister's 04 Accord Coupe for about 120K then I went with the routine above. I sold it at 196K due to transmission issues as the engine was running like a champ with redlines every single day of its life. As for different weights...I use Mobil 15W-40 "diesel oil" in my 05 G35 coupe and see no mpg difference from various 5W-30 weights.
The TSB about the use of 5w20 was for the 3MZ-FE engine (the 3.3 V6 in the RX330/400h). The RX350 uses the 2GR-FE engine (the 3.5 V6) so that probably explains why the later model's manuals state 5w30. However, in 2010 models (which still use the 2GR-FE engine) Lexus specifies 0W20 oil only. Now, did Lexus spend all sorts of money retooling the engine building plant to make tighter tolerances in the engine so 0w20 could be used, or did they just do some (cheaper) research and discover that 0W20 would be fine in the 2010 without making any changes to the engine from 2008 and 2009? Or did they switch to 0w20 for some small improvement in fuel economy?
This was my reasoning,. the 1UZ-FE is tigher spec than the newer V8 engines, I feel it would be unwise to run thicker oil in the 1UZ-FE than 5W30 in any case (but I have heard of it and they claimed no issues), and if Lexus is spec'ing 0W20 in the new engines, that should be MORE than accecptable in the 1UZ-FE. Here are the clearances... :
Best Answer: I'm not sure what the car comes with from the factory, but at the dealership they use castrol syntec 5w30 synthetic blend. Its good for 5000 miles. The "Best oil" is really personal preference. Some people like to spend a lot on royal purple or Lucas racing, others swear that the cheap stuff is just as good. Its all up to you, but just make sure that there is always oil in the car and that you change it regularly and you will be just fine.
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