09 Rx 350--std Maintenance Schedule

magellan99_98 · March 25, 2009

We just bought a pre-owned 09 RX350 with ~ 10K miles, and it already had its 10K service performed.

In going over the maint. schedule, the next one is @ 15K or 12 months....and it seems the oil&lube is @ a schedule of every 5000 miles or every 6 months, which every occurs first...

Question

All my previous non-lexus cars, generally japan origin the oil & lube maintenace was every 3000 mile or every 3 months which ever occurs first....

Why can the Lexus forgo the above typical schedule and do it only every 5000 miles. what is different about the Lexus that allows this to happen...?

thx in advance

magellan

1990LS400 · March 25, 2009

My perception is that Toyota/Lexus has backed off on its maximum 7,500 mile oil change interval in the U.S. market and is now recommending a maximum 5,000 mile interval on newer models. Please correct me if I am wrong.

This seems odd since so many European auto makers are now recommending far higher oil change intervals -- 15,000 miles on BMW for example. The normal (non-severe service) oil change interval for many cars manufactured in the U.S. has been 5,000 mies or higher for many years.

Recommended oil change intervals for Toyota/Lexus cars sold in other markets are higher than in the U.S. The normal oil change interval for the RX350 in Europe appears to be 9,000 miles or 15,000 km: http://www.lexus-tech.eu/MaintenanceSchedules/rx/Final.pdf

Which Japanese cars have you owned that had a recommended 3,000 mile oil change? Were they older vehicles?

My guess is that Toyota/Lexus backed off the higher oil change intervals in the U.S. due to the oil sludging issues a few years back on their V6 engines. Or maybe dealers complained about the lost revenue. Who knows?

The recommended oil change interval on my 2000 LS400 is 7,500 miles if the car is driven primarily in temperatures between 32° F. and 90° F. and if most trips are 5 miles are longer. A 32°-90° temperature range sounds like Seattle weather to me.

Perhaps it's a waste of money but I've always used synthetic oil with 5,000 mile change intervals in our Toyota/Lexus V6 and V8 engines. Our Camry V6 is at just over 100,000 miles, runs perfectly and doesn't use a drop of oil between changes ... same for our 2000 LS400. I drove a 1990 LS400 from new until 183,000 miles on 5,000 miles synthetic oil change intervals and it is still doing fine with its new owner at over 250,000 miles.