Oil - What Kind?

[Mike Floutier]

Hi,

I know this must be a frequent question but only having three letters, you can't use it in the "search" facility.

I have just bought a 2002 Lexus LS 430 with 143,000 miles on the clock. I plan to put a lot of miles on it and my plan is to use 15/40 (the weather here suits that) mineral oil and change it every 3,000 miles. Does that sound sensible?

Thanks

Mike

PS Any known list of links to oil threads would be greatly appreciated.

[Randy&Bonnie]

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[Mike Floutier]

I thought mineral oil was a laxative?

Aaah, I guess you have to blame it on the Atlantic; well let me say "non-synthetic" oil then, would 15/40 non-synthetic oil be ok so long as I change it every 3,000 miles?

Thanks for the language tip!

Mike

[Lexusfreak]

Even if running 'dino' oil....you should still get at least 5k miles between changes. Why not use synthetic & take advantage of the longer drain intervals? What does your owners manual say on the subject?

[Mike Floutier]

Even if running 'dino' oil....you should still get at least 5k miles between changes. Why not use synthetic & take advantage of the longer drain intervals? What does your owners manual say on the subject?

I guess I want to look after the engine as much as possible. I do 60-70k miles a year and I'd like to keep this car til around 600k. I'm used to 3k intervals with my Ford Scorpio and it's really kept the engine sweet.

Do you think it benefits the engine in the long run to change the oil more often or am I just a little paranoid?

Thanks

Mike

[Randy&Bonnie]

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[Lexusfreak]

Agreed....if you go dino oil, change at 5,000 mile intervals (the 3,000 mile is definately overkill in this day & age)......synthetic will last longer so 'down time' will be less as well. It sounds that many of the miles you do is highway.....another reason why using a longer drain interval is better.....highway miles are nothing on our Lexi or the oil. Just something to consider.

[Blayd]

Use synthetic and use high milage oil. And don't be afraid to go above the recomendation number (eg. 5w-30 to 10w 40) as vehicles with high milage tend to have loose bearings and all high milage oil is is a thicker oil in the 1st place