monarch

I think that website - like virtually all the synthetic & specialty oil promoting websites - grossly misleads the public and especially Asian car owners. The website says: "We accept that for most people in most cars, regular old "dinosaur juice" mineral-based motor oil will work just fine. We have seen plenty of cars run beyond 150,000 miles and 200,000 miles using regular old "dinosaur juice" mineral-based motor oil stuff as long as the oil is changed regularly. However, not everyone is content with "good enough". Some consider 150,000 miles to be broken-in, and seek to double or triple that vehicle service life." That statement is grossly misleading because it fails to inform the public that countless numbers of Toyota and other Asian car owners have driven 500,000 - 650,000 miles using conventional oil changed every 3000 - 5000 miles: http://www.saber.net/~monarch/cole2.JPG Toyota, of course, knows its engines are engineered to run 600,000 miles on conventional oil and that is likely one reason Toyota says the benefits of synthetic are marginal and not worth the extra cost.

I didn't say "all syn oil is junk" and neither does corporate Toyota / Lexus. Corporate Toyota / Lexus just says the engine wear benefits of synthetic in Toyota / Lexus vehicles are too marginal to justify the extra cost. Lexus dealers are run by Americans with the same profit ahead of quality mentality as your local Buick / Chrysler / Lincoln car dealer. So the service recommendations and practices of a Lexus dealer are not necessarily consistent with the quality ahead of profit philosophy of Corporate Toyota / Lexus.

I agree with SWO3ES. Genuine Toyota / Lexus pads and rotors are specifically engineered NOT to squeak / squeal even in humid weather and even when brand new. The right way to break in new brakes is to simply brake GENTLY with light pressure for the first few hundred miles as if there was an egg between your foot and the brake pedal. I brake gently all the time and get up to 200,000 miles on a set of Toyota pads. I would try to verify whether or not the Lexus dealer used Genuine Toyota / Lexus pads and rotors or used more profitable aftermarket imitations. Another possibility is the tech who changed the pads / rotors did a rushed job and neglected to follow factory manual procedures like using a special grease on the anti-squeal shim (if required) or installed the pad support plate incorrectly, did not bleed the brake correctly or made some other goof along those lines.

If Yugo's came with synthetic oil straight from factory and a had a recommended change interval of 10,000 miles, would that be justification for a Toyota / Lexus owner to disregard the advice of the Toyota engineers and: a) Switch to synthetic oil before the first recommended oil change interval? B) Exceed Toyotas 6 month, 5,000 mile oil change interval if using synthetic? Mercedes automobiles, like other European makes, do not have a reputation for exceptional reliability and durability so I don't think it's reasonable for an Asian car owner to follow the car care advice of other car makers with lower reliability and durability standards. Historically the Asian car makers have recommended more frequent service intervals than the Americans and Europeans and they have always gone to the trouble and expense of equipping their engine blocks, transmissions, rear axles with convenient drain plugs. Planned obsolesence, not reliability and durability, is a priority of the American and European and European car makers.

Easy solutions to the oil dripping on the manifold problem are: 1. Use the Toyota 08922-02011 oil filter. 2. Let engine oil drain at least 3 hours or overnight 3. Use a cap wrench connected to a 3/8" ratchet to unscrew the oil filter from above (no need to remove the engine under cover) You'll find virtually no oil drips out of the 08922-02011 filter when you remove it if the engine oil has been allowed to drain at least 3 hours or overnight. I have not tried the Toyota YZZD1 oil filter yet using this technique. Since the YZZD1 has a paper filter element like the 08922-02011 it may work just as well. How well does the 08922-02011 filter protect a Toyota engine from wear? Over 450,000 miles and still counting in my case http://www.saber.net/~monarch/smog92.jpg

Control arm bushing is mostly a cosmetic thing. You could drive 500,000 miles even with cracked bushings. Rear main seal can wait until the day (if that day ever comes) the leak actually gets bad enough to leak on the ground. That day may not come for several years or several hundred thousand more miles. Timing belt can wait until 120,000 miles unless you or the former owner have an especially aggressive, boy racer type driving style. Air filter is a more urgent matter- change it every 10-15,000 miles for optimum engine life and fuel economy. Your owners manual may have instructions for replacing the rear taillight.

The hesitation issue doesn't affect the Canadian emission standard RX models. Therefore the root cause of the hesitation has to do with the USA emission system design and programming I'm from California and we have had to deal with and accept the reality of emission system related drivability issues for over 30 years because of our extra tough emission standards.

The Owner FAQ on Toyota's website specifically advises against switching back and forth. http://www.saber.net/~monarch/faq.jpg

The Lexus engineers, of course, have been familiar with oil analysis since before you and mburnickas were even born (both of you are just newlyweds in your 20's right?) yet they still sternly warn against extending oil changes when using synthetic. Common sense dictates the Lexus engineers are aware of serious potential consequences if oil changes are extended when using synthetic. Common sense dictates the Lexus engineers wouldn't waste time giving owners these warnings if they were not real. Historically, however, teens and 20-something year olds won't obey the advice of elsers unless the elders SPECIFICALLY state EXACTLY what the consequences are of doing something risky. So until the day the Lexus engineers explain exactly what can go wrong when extending oil changes when using synthetic, the 16-30 year olds will continue disobeying them.

Below is the advice of the Lexus engineers: Lexus FAQ: Use of Synthetic Engine Oil Question:Can I use synthetic engine oil in my Lexus vehicle during its break-in period? Corporate Lexus's Answer: Synthetic oil can be used at the first scheduled oil change. Please note that the use of synthetic oil does not extend the recommended oil change intervals. Please refer to the Lexus Owner's Manual Supplement for further information regarding the proper maintenance schedule for your specific vehicle. If synthetic oil is used after that time, it should be the same SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) weight specification and meet or exceed the API (American Petroleum Institute) grade specifications listed in the Owner's Manual. Even if synthetic oil is used, we do not recommend longer oil change intervals. Once synthetic oil is used, it is best not to switch back to petroleum-based oil.

Lexus dealers are run by Americans and there's nothing corporate Lexus can do to force us Americans to be honest and ethical; i.e. force American dealerships not to overfill the engine with oil. In all the cases I have seen, the actual amount of oil a Toyota / Lexus needs is 1/2 to 1 quart LESS than the oil capacity figure shown in the owners manual. So in your case if the owners manual says 7.5 quarts, the actual amount needed to bring the oil level up to the full mark is likely only 6.5 quarts or less.

Premium will help. So if the lag really truly bothers you, why not use it? Also, if the lag really bothers you, why did you buy an RX330 to begin with? Is Lexus to blame for your failure to adequate test drive the vehicle?

Agreed. But for long, troublefree compressor life, it is important to run the compressor at least once a month during the winter. Preferably every week or two. This is true of all cars, not just Lexus's

Or you could continue thinking and asking yourself these questions: Are the owners and operators of the nations fleets of cars, trucks, and diesel trucks extremely cost conscious? Answer: Yes. Have these owners and operators been testing and experimenting with synthetic oils on and off for the past 25 years? Answer: Yes. Have a majority of these owners and operators concluded ordinary dinosaur motor oil is more cost effective than synthetic oil? Answer: Yes Have alot of these owners and operators concluded that previously used and re-refined dinosaur motor oil is the most cost effective oil choice of all? Answer: Yes.

Just the opposite is true; i.e. the newer transmissions are immensely complicated and inherently more sensitive to the effects of old, worn fluid than the transmissions of decades past. So regular fluid changes are more important than ever before (for the owner who desires to obtain super long, troublefree transmission life.) Owners with business backgrounds understand the reason why Lexus and numerous other car makers do not recommend regular fluid changes, except for severe service, is merely due to competitive marketing pressures. In other words, car makers know the public will wrongly assume a transmission is weakly designed if the car maker claims regular fluid changes are needed for long transmission life.

Has any* Lexus owner who drained and refilled the transmission oil pan every 15,000 miles had any transmission durability problems? Answer: No Has any Lexus owner who changed the engine oil every 3-6 months or 3000-5000 miles ever had an engine sludge problem? Answer: No Reasonable conclusion: Solutions to potential problems are extremely simple. *boy racers / street racers excluded

you'll know if and when a wheel bearing is going bad because the noise is rather loud and annoying. An example of something that can damage a wheel bearing is driving fast over an extremely deep and sharp pot hole, or driving on a flat tire. Traumatic things like that.

What your 14 year old Lexus REALLY likely needs to survive alot more miles is a new radiator*, spark plugs, spark plug wires, distributor rotors and caps and oxygen sensors. Owner neglect of these other engine systems causes excessive internal engine heat and corrosion which accelerates engine wear by orders of magnitude and synthetic oil will NOT compensate / ameliorate any of this. *due to internal mineral deposits caused by the use of aftermarket antifreeze and / or tap water instead of distilled water.

Historically, Toyotas have not been sensitive to oil weight. They have run 500,000 miles on 5W-30 as well as on 20W-50. In the USA, Toyota recommends 5W-30 for fuel economy (EPA kiss !Removed!) reasons, but down in Mexico and other 3rd world and middle eastern countries where there is no EPA, Toyota and Nissan owners manuals recommend 10W-40, 20W-40 or 20W-50 (at temperatures above freezing).

Army, Asian car engines are so well engineered they look and run almost like new after 500,000 miles of running on dino oil. After 500,000 miles they still have high compression, no serious oil consumption problem and no serious wear that can be seen or felt. That's likely the reason why the Asians generally do not recommend synthetic oil (except in a few isolated cases). But, like I said, Asian cars with only 150,000 miles fairly frequently end up in automotive junkyards regardless of the type of engine oil used. Reasons? Owner neglect or modification of the other engine systems: (cooling, ignition, emission, etc) "Modification" = substituting aftermarket parts, filters, fluids and lubes in place of the factory original ones.

Yes, changing the transmission oil is about as simple as changing the engine oil. But it's a bit tricky to get the fluid level correct because tranny oil expands and contracts alot depending on fluid temperature. Therefore the idiotproof method of changing the tranny oil is to first check the fluid level on the tranny dipstick when the engine is fully warmed up to verify it's within the "hot" range. Then drain the fluid and measure the amount drained in a cheap plastic juice pitcher. Then pour back an identical amount of new fluid. Start engine and slowly shift from Park through all the gear ranges ending back in Park. Now check fluid level. It should be within the "Cold" range or between Cold and Hot. If not, add or remove a little fluid as needed. Next drive car normally about 10-15 miles and recheck fluid level. It should now be within the Hot range. It is extremely important not to overfill above the hot range and also extremely important to use the Toyota fluid stamped on the dipstick (either Type T-IV or Dexron II or III - whichever is stamped on your dipstick). If Type T-IV, it's much cheaper to buy it from Toyota dealer parts depts. in 1 quart bottles. You need 2-3 quarts. "Flushing" is not recommended by corporate Lexus, or the older, wiser, experienced Toyota gurus, because there is a small risk of catastrophic ($4,000) transmission failure. Instead, just drain and refill the tranny oil pan 2-5 more times over a period of days or weeks as necessary until the fluid on the dipstick is reddish rather than brownish.

Commercial interests are the ones making you wonder about such a trivial issue as type of oil and brand of oil. Members of the Toyota 400,000 mile club know the choice of oil type, brand and even weight does NOT hardly affect engine life. They know there are thousands of 100,000 - 200,000 mile Toyotas in the nations junkyards that got there even though their owners used synthetic oil. They know other factors besides type and brand of oil are far more important determinants of engine life.

I agree with all these unsatisfied Comfortred Owners: 2004 Lexus LS430 OWNER: "Only one of the 7 tires I tried was round." ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2001 Chrysler 300M OWNER: "I switched from Michelin MXV4+ to the ComforTreds. The tires created a vaugue steering response which I got used to. I could not get used to the vibration, not harsh just annoying." ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2001 Nissan Maxima GXE OWNER: "I bought these after seeing good reviews on the internet and buying into goodyears marketing. my main complaint is the steering. It felt too loose, like I would lose control too easily. It would constantly drift left and right and I would have to keep compensating at the wheel, and bumps seemed to get too easily translated to the steering wheel like a yank." 2001 Volkswagen Passat Sedan 2001 GLS V6 OWNER: "I'm kind of dissapointed in the tire. They seem to transmit all of the imperfections of the road to the driver. They are not any quieter than the OEM Continentals I had on the car" ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2003 HOND ACCORD SEDAN EX V6 OWNER: "I replaced my OE tires to try to find some that were more comfortable and quieter. These are no quieter and they vibrate at speed of over 50 mph. " 1999 BMW 323i OWNER: "Minor road tears can be felt too strongly for a high-rated tire like this" ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2003 Chevrolet Impala OWNER: Tires are great but lost 2-3 MPG over the OEMs that came on the car (Goodyear Eagle GA's) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1992 Cadillac El Dorado OWNER: "very quiet and( but) gas is dropping 3-4 mpg when i see my computer.... absorb moderate holes but not small imperfections on the road." --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Just continue using the same fluids, lubes and filters Lexus originally installed in the car the day it left the factory. Boring? yes, but it's risk free way to maintain your car.

The Comfortreds are almost JUNK in my opinion. I know because I got a set of them about 1 months ago for my '91 LS400. Compared to the factory original Goodyear Eagle GA's, the Comfortreds are a tad quieter and absorb sharp bumps in the road better, but every tiny small bump and road imperfection is now felt which is annoying on long drives. Long drives are also more tiresome because the directional stability of the Comfortreds is inferior and they transmit more road vibration. Finally, the Comfortreds have high rolling resistance so you lose 2 MPG in fuel economy. The Comfortreds will ride more smoothly if aired down to 25 PSI, but then you lose even more MPG because of the even greater rolling resistance. Hey you want a deal? I'll sell you my Comfortreds for only $25 each. They have only a few hundreds miles on them because I put my old Eagle GA's back on the car to restore my car's ride and directional stability.