What Kind Of Oil Does Lexus Use?

[GLM]

Hi, new to the Lexus world, was wondering if they all use synthetic or conventional oil. Thanks.

[monarch]

Since 1989 every Lexus and Toyota comes from the factory filled with Genuine Toyota Motor Oil. Toyota claims Toyota oil is a conventional oil that is specially formulated by Toyota for Toyota vehicles, just like Genuine Toyota Long Life Antifreeze, brake fluid and so forth.

Although most Toyota & Lexus owners have no trouble believing Toyota and Honda build the most reliable and durable cars in the world, they have tremendous difficulty understanding that the underlying reasons these cars are exceptional is because the parts, filters and fluids they are made with are exceptional in quality too.

[mburnickas]

Hi, new to the Lexus world, was wondering if they all use synthetic or conventional oil. Thanks.

Toyota / Lexus is WAY behind in oil times. There oil WAS (ra-badged) Mobil dino but is now made by Nippon. Not starting an oil debate but I would do a search on this. There oil is your typical run of the mill dino oil.I would not use based on VOA.

[GLM]

Thanks guys. Any ideas why they're not using synthetic oil? Or is dino oil better?

[mburnickas]

Thanks guys. Any ideas why they're not using synthetic oil? Or is dino oil better?

No clue but 100 to 1 it is price...

My local stealership, opps dealerships wants $109.95 for an oil change...give me break. Nevermind the 5,000 miles they want you to come in. Also that is with DINO oil! That is why lexus is #1, but the #1 has a price and it is on your back or wallet.

Dino is less the synthetic in every area. From my limited almost 13 years of doing oil testing (on my engines), synthetics are better but it comes down to 2 reasons; people do not want to pay the price or: #2 they are un-educated on the subject. The biggest area (integral to #2) is that people do not test their oil to clearly see the delta in properties. Also oil color has zero to do with it (most times).

Now if you are doing 3K drains (many do), I would use dino oil.

If you are doing longer drains, I would pay the price for a synthetic oil. I pay $15 for Amsoil oil (ASL) and another $3 for a filter. That is $18 for 1 year oil oil. Based on my tests, the oil is able to do this (and have). I am now using Lc20 in the oil. So far the tests are better using this.

So case in point if you are doing short drains, synthetic will only help with resisting varnish and carbon and a few other areas. If going longer, synthetics will help...big time.

[monarch]

Thanks guys. Any ideas why they're not using synthetic oil? Or is dino oil better?

Toyota has explained they use dino because it delivers excellent engine life (500,000+ miles) at a more reasonable cost to the owner than synthetic. Toyota has also sternly warned owners not to extend the length of oil changes beyond the 6 month / 5,000 mile limit when using synthetic oil.

The bottom line is that if you use synthetic you'll spend 3 times as much money on motor oil, but will not any see a measurable gain in engine life or fuel economy.

I subscribe to some semi-truck trade magazines and learned that a majority of the nations long haul trucking companies also do not use synthetic diesel motor oils because it eat away at their bottom line. FedEx and UPS, in fact, use the least expensive motor oils of all: dino oils that have been used, re-refined, then resold.

[mburnickas]

Toyota has explained they use dino because it delivers excellent engine life (500,000+ miles) at a more reasonable cost to the owner than synthetic. Toyota has also sternly warned owners not to extend the length of oil changes beyond the 6 month / 5,000 mile limit when using synthetic oil.

The bottom line is that if you use synthetic you'll spend 3 times as much money on motor oil, but will not any see a measurable gain in engine life or fuel economy.

I subscribe to some semi-truck trade magazines and learned that a majority of the nations long haul trucking companies also do not use synthetic diesel motor oils because it eat away at their bottom line. FedEx and UPS, in fact, use the least expensive motor oils of all: dino oils that have been used, re-refined, then resold.

Not starting a debate again, but Toyota/Lexus wants $109.95 for a dino oil change every 6 months or 5,000 miles (that I have in print in front of me). I pay 83.6% less or $91.95 less for a proven better oil (real synthetic) that will perform better in all areas ...Again not saying toyota is wrong but show me the numbers. I can make my engine run on walfart oil with low oil changes (like they do). But again based on oil tests, toyota oil will fall FAR behind a true synthetic.....

Again being an engineer, most designs are based on the "bean counters", not designer/engineers. I know I want many different vendors that produce parts for the military (various planes) that are great, but the bean counters so "no" based on other items, not quality. Hint, it is based on $$$$ not quality.

[bciesq]

Just tossing in my two cents from the world of air cooled VWs...

One aspect of synthetic vs. dino that often gets ignored is that dino oil transfers heat better then synth. In an air cooled engine the ability of an oil to transfer heat away from internal parts is very important, so in general it isn't a good idea to use synth in an old VW (not to mention that a stock air cooled VW doesn't have an oil filter so you have to maintain a very short OCI which = $$$ with synth).

I'm not knocking synth. I use it in my 1.8t Passat (very hot turbo = coking and sludge with dino) and in my wife's RX330 (not taking any chances with Return of the Sludge Monster Part II), but I've always been curious as to whether Toyota designed their engines to utilize the heat transference properties of dino oil since my understanding is that their motors run at higher oil temperatures.

Finally a question, I'm not a big believer in the ridiculous OCIs that you see in synth marketing, but I don't have a problem using synth for 7500 miles. My concern with the RX330 is the tiny oil filter. Are there any after market filters that are larger?

[Lexusfreak]

This appears to be turning into yet another one of those oil threads.....GLM, my best advice is to do a search to get a better idea here because this has been covered so many times it's a broken record. :whistles:

[dcfish]

This appears to be turning into yet another one of those oil threads.....GLM, my best advice is to do a search to get a better idea here because this has been covered so many times it's a broken record. :whistles:

God knows that there is enough info on oil within these boards.

[steviej]

God knows that there is enough info on oil within these boards.

agreed, search on "synthetic" and open the search up to 1 week ago and older.

thread closed.