Oil brand help

[unatiq]

hello again

About to do an oil change for the first time on my 2004 lx470 with 223,000km/138,000miles. I already got a filter. Just can’t figure out which brand 5W-30 oil to use? I plan on doing conventional oil, was told not to use syenthic.

Anyways where I live I can’t seem to find any esso/mobile 1 5W-30 conventional oil.

I can do an online order or I can go pick up some other brand. I heard valvoline is pretty good if not better then as an conventional oil.

Do brands really matter? If so which brand would you recommend? I live in northern Canada so it does get pretty cold here.

Also once I drain my oil, how much oil do I need to refill the engine? How many litres should I buy?

Thanks

 

[Trunk Monkey]

Why no synthetic? Oil capacities are in the owners manual.

 

[cmck]

Castrol GTX gets my nod, its a synthetic

 

[unatiq]

Why no synthetic? Oil capacities are in the owners manual.

Was told by my local Lexus dealer to avoid it. Saying these engines with this many km’s might leak if I use synthetic. I figured a dealer would always upsell so when he was saying not to use syenthic I kinda took his advice.

 

[cmck]

Well, I have experience with 1 truck only and it has 237,000 miles on it. It leaks not a single drop.

As I said it’s one data point only.

 

[slacker24-7]

Possibly look at synthetic high mileage .. it’s made for your situation. I changed mine from conventional to high mileage synthetic at 210k with no leaks whatsoever

 

[Somebodyelse5]

Was told by my local Lexus dealer to avoid it. Saying these engines with this many km’s might leak if I use synthetic. I figured a dealer would always upsell so when he was saying not to use syenthic I kinda took his advice.

As my good friend @Kleen60 says..."There are people who know what they are talking about, and people who don't"

Don't go messing around, use Mobil1 synthetic. If you care about it, you use synthetic, end of story.

 

[bucfl]

What type of oil and oil filter for my car? | Mobil™ Motor Oils

 

[97 AZ LC]

Was told by my local Lexus dealer to avoid it. Saying these engines with this many km’s might leak if I use synthetic. I figured a dealer would always upsell so when he was saying not to use syenthic I kinda took his advice.

I think your dealer is a wise and honest man and you should listen to him, at least on this point. He may screw something else up later.

 

[suprarx7nut]

Always synthetic. Always. Not a blend, not conventional. Always synthetic. Regardless of miles, regardless of condition.

Brand isn't a huge deal, but I prefer Castrol Edge or Pennzoil Platinum. Mobil1 is also great.

Your dealer is ill-informed, IMO. The synthetic oil causing leaks thing is a myth 95% of the time. The only time a synthetic oil will cause a leak is if you have an already worn out seal that's about to leak and your conventional oil is causing sludge to seal it up or is allowing old debris to stay in place, miraculously holding the seal. I believe that's incredibly rare in reality.

I have ~265k miles on my 99 and always run full synthetic oil on ~12 month/10-15k mile intervals with a filter change mid-way through (if I remember).

I also run 0-40 or 5-30. For you in Canada, I'd look for 0-40. It'll be thinner upon startup which is good for getting initial lubricant flow when it's cold. It'll also be thicker for full temp protection which is generally a good thing on higher mileage engines. 5-30 is just easy to find and likely cheaper, but I think 0-40 is better in every application that calls for 5-30.

 

[JayM]

Many documented very high mileage 100's that have only used conventional oil.

Some thoughts from my experiences. I like the advantages of synthetics and try to use them when the application warrants it. For the engine oil in the 100 I would not use it. That's not to say that others should not. It depends on use of the motor.

Synthetic benefits:
1, Extended drain intervals. If you drive more than 10k a year you can cut out one full service or more with the extended drain interval. With the extra capacity of the 100's oil system you could easily go 10k plus on a service. If you run synthetic I recommend pulling a sample and sending in to blackstone labs when you do your change to get an idea on how long you can go. I've seen 15k on a change.
2. Extreme conditions performance. Always towing, high heat, extreme cold, etc. Let's face it this is not a high performance machine, most would not need it based on performance conditions.
3. Better lubrication and wear properties. There is no doubt that synthetic out performs conventional but most would never realize the benefit in the 100 as lubrication issues are very seldom noticed and at 300k you will have other stuff to worry about, your engines lubrication won't be one of them.
4. Piece of mind. Can't overlook this one. We just feel better knowing the good stuff is in there. Toyota/Lexus has built a name on reliability. The only reason they have made the switch to synthetic was to increase drain intervals, lowering maintenance cost for the Toyota care program and consumers. It had nothing to do with needing synthetic in their motors. Funny thing is people love the synthetic idea, but still don't trust the 10k drain interval.

Will a higher mileage motor leak when you put in synthetic? There is no clear answer on this. It is possible. Again, weigh the benefit of synthetic for your application and is it worth it in the long run. Can you do the work yourself if you have a rear main seal start leaking?

What conventional oil to use? What synthetic to use? I won't even recommend other than maybe go to the website Bob is the Oil Guy and look through the data there. Even after you choose your brand that makes you feel good the only way to confirm it works well with your 100 is to pull a sample and send it to Blackstone Labs when you service. From that data you can gauge what is really going on in your motor. Might seem like a bunch of extra work but, if you are planning on running your 100 for 300k+ and considering synthetics it's a good idea.

If I were in your shoes I would pull a sample at your next service and stay conventional until the results come back. You may find your 100 is very happy on the conventional oil and switching to synthetic is just not needed. The collection kits are free and testing is 28 dollars.

 

[Spike555]

I use Shell Rotella T6 5W-40 full synthetic diesel oil. 8qts with filter.

 

[trdcorolla]

The 4.7 is easy on oil, you can probably use any oil safely for 5-10k miles. I run M1 5W30 because it's dirt cheap after rebates.

 

[white_lx]

Since mornings are colder then my freezer 3 months of the year in your area, I would use a synthetic oil only.

 

[MuseChaser]

I'm coming up to my first oil change and will be feeding my LX470 this stuff...

https://www.amazon.com/Liqui-Moly-2041-Premium-Synthetic/dp/B005H2SHS8

I've used their Leichtlauf version specific to German cars in my older BMW and Mercedes vehicles with great results for years. Purely anecdotal, but a good friend who is THE go-to problem solver mechanic for many dealerships in the area strongly recommends this stuff, and also warns that Mobil1 is not the high end oil it used to be. He went on at length why, but I didn't understand any of it... I just trust him.

 

[ibrahim83]

I started with synthetic when i bought mine at 140k, did three changes until i sprung a rear main seal leak.

Now i use conventional Toyota 0w-30. Works just as well.

Maybe it's related, maybe not, but at such low milage, I'm shocked that it's happening.

No need to top off between changes, but there's always a drop of oil hanging between the engine and bell housing. Really irritating.

 

[Spike555]

I'm coming up to my first oil change and will be feeding my LX470 this stuff...

https://www.amazon.com/Liqui-Moly-2041-Premium-Synthetic/dp/B005H2SHS8

I've used their Leichtlauf version specific to German cars in my older BMW and Mercedes vehicles with great results for years. Purely anecdotal, but a good friend who is THE go-to problem solver mechanic for many dealerships in the area strongly recommends this stuff, and also warns that Mobil1 is not the high end oil it used to be. He went on at length why, but I didn't understand any of it... I just trust him.

Mobil 1 is crap now. Used to be top shelf. Now it's cheap always on sale crap.

 

[BK470]

I've heard from all of the mechanics I've asked (toyota dealer near Albany NY, oil change shop in wytheville VA, an Oil and tire place on Coney in BK, Custom shop in Queens, and Top Notch Auto in park slope) that mobil 1 is the best thing I can put in my truck. Yesterday when I was getting an inspection I asked about head gaskets, and the mechanic told me that as long as I do oil/coolant maintenance with quality products regularly there's nothing to worry about. He happened to be standing next to a shelf of Mobil1 and pointed over his shoulder at it while he was talking.

(2004 lx470 with 131600 miles on it, bought it with 115k. Run mostly in the city)

 

[Pyrenees]

Mobil-1 and Royal Purple have been my general choices throughout life, across multiple vehicles. Basically, whichever one of those two is on sale with an included filter at the local auto parts store is the one I buy.

 

[97 AZ LC]

The synthetic oil causing leaks thing is a myth 95% of the time.

You've undermined your own claim there, in one sentence. No one ever said it causes leaks all the time. I don't know what the percentage is. It's a tendency, a proclivity. The jury is not still out on this. It's thin, it pours like water. It can introduce leaks and it can make them worse. If you have a leak it is almost certain to make it worse. I have twice had leaks from converting to synthetic that went away when I converted back to conventional. That's pretty good evidence, at least compared to the counter anecdote - which typically is "I converted to synthetic, and it didn't leak", therefore it must not leak for anyone. Again, no one ever said it always causes leaks.