Engine oil

[kellogsj]

Hi everyone, the car it’s due it’s service, so looking for the right oil. My mates a mechanic and he said on the database from he’s garage it’s saying 5W30 semi synthetic between 2005-13 then 2013 onwards it’s 5W30 fully synthetic. I’ve always used Toyota 5W30 fully synthetic which I buy from the main dealer. Any help here would be greatly appreciated. Thanks,

John.

 

 

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[madasahatter]

Just use what you normally use. I use fully synthetic on all my changes.

[Grant moss]

The cost between fully and semi is so small I always use fully synthetic, it's worth keeping an eye on shops like Halfrauds or Euro car parts as they have regular sales on oils, and I stock up then

[kellogsj]

Just use what you normally use. I use fully synthetic on all my changes.

Is there a difference between the two. Also is the Shell Helix ultra AG as good or better than the Toyota one.


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[kellogsj]

The cost between fully and semi is so small I always use fully synthetic, it's worth keeping an eye on shops like Halfrauds or Euro car parts as they have regular sales on oils, and I stock up then

Thanks


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[iSalajee]

I have a Lexus IS250 2007 and I use Mobil Super 3000. It meets the Toyota specs

[kellogsj]

I have a Lexus IS250 2007 and I use Mobil Super 3000. It meets the Toyota specs

Thanks.


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[J Henderson]

According to the handbook, 0w20 is the recommended grade for a MY2011 car, and that's what it leaves the factory with. 5w30 is listed as an acceptable, but apparently temporary, substitute.

Strangely, my Lexus dealer (Edinburgh) uses neither during servicing. They always fill with Castrol 0w30. 

[kellogsj]

The main dealer in Liverpool says it’s 5W30. Mine is also 2011 plate. Now I’m confused.

 

 

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[johnatg]

0W-20 is the ILSAC spec. It's specified for fuel consumption reasons. If you want to squeeze the ultimate fuel consumption figure from your car, you would use 0W-20 (less resistance to engine rotation). If you want to protect the engine, you would use 5W-30.

The difference in fuel consumption between the two is probably in the order of tenths of an mpg. But that matters in the fuel consumption wars in the showroom.

And there's no reason to use anything other than fully synthetic in an IS250 - or any other vehicle for that matter, IMHO. I use 5w-30 fully synthetic even in my lawnmower, for example. I don't understand the people who say you shouldn't use fully synthetic in various, usually older, vehicles. I have never found any disadvantage with using fully synthetic - sometimes people say it's too thin and causes oil leaks - but 'thinness' or 'thickness' is in the viscosity spec - ie the 5W-30 bit.

[kellogsj]

0W-20 is the ILSAC spec. It's specified for fuel consumption reasons. If you want to squeeze the ultimate fuel consumption figure from your car, you would use 0W-20 (less resistance to engine rotation). If you want to protect the engine, you would use 5W-30.
The difference in fuel consumption between the two is probably in the order of tenths of an mpg. But that matters in the fuel consumption wars in the showroom.
And there's no reason to use anything other than fully synthetic in an IS250 - or any other vehicle for that matter, IMHO. I use 5w-30 fully synthetic even in my lawnmower, for example. I don't understand the people who say you shouldn't use fully synthetic in various, usually older, vehicles. I have never found any disadvantage with using fully synthetic - sometimes people say it's too thin and causes oil leaks - but 'thinness' or 'thickness' is in the viscosity spec - ie the 5W-30 bit.

Thanks very much mate. Is there any difference between the 2 I’ve mentioned in the original post. Thanks again.


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[J Henderson]

 

 

 

The difference in fuel consumption between the two is probably in the order of tenths of an mpg. But that matters in the fuel consumption wars in the showroom.

IIRC, It's about 2mpg according to the official figures. Enough to put a 2011 car into a lower tax bracket.

 

 

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[ColinBarber]

9 hours ago, J Henderson said:

IIRC, It's about 2mpg according to the official figures. Enough to put a 2011 car into a lower tax bracket.

There were other changes that contributed to the improvement in mpg, 

[ColinBarber]

16 hours ago, johnatg said:

sometimes people say it's too thin and causes oil leaks - but 'thinness' or 'thickness' is in the viscosity spec - ie the 5W-30 bit.

really just a myth. Conventional oil can clog a small gap, which when 'washed' away with synthetic oil will start to leak, but that relies on there being a faulty seal in the first place that would have leaked a bit before the conventional oil clogged in the first place.

As you state, use the correct viscosity and you will be fine.

[kellogsj]

Thanks very much mate. Is there any difference between the 2 I’ve mentioned in the original post. Thanks again.


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Hi mate, what’s the difference between Shell Helix ultra 5W30 AG fully synthetic and Shell Helix ultra ECT C3 5W30 fully synthetic. Thanks [emoji1303]


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[johnatg]

Back to 'is there any difference (between brands).

I reckon that if you use any 5W-30 oil (or whatever is specified) and it is marked with approvals (ie meets the specs) issued by a number of motor manufacturers such as GM, BMW Mercedes, VW etc and you change the oil within the mileage limits specified by Lexus or whatever car you are servicing you will be fine. There may be some quality differences that might show up if you did a controlled back-to-back test and stripped the engine to measure wear after say 100000 miles or if you drained the particular oil and ran the engine until it seized, but those differences would be slight..

So in extreme circumstances there might be differences.

In normal every day use changing oil frequently and more often than recommended by the manufacturer (the single most important thing to do to ensure engine longevity) will ensure that your engine will last for 200 or 300 K miles without problems - at least without problems associated with the oil. And paying more doesn't necessarily get you a better product - a lot of the cost of oil is in the advertising - I shudder to think what all those posters etc at F1 Grand Prix, football stadiums etc cost.

I use Exol Optima LSG 5W-30 - comes in a 20 litre drum for £59.95. I use it in my IS250, MX-5 (which is supercharged and has ecu add-ons which enable it to rev to about 7.5K - way beyond the 6.5K normal rev limit - and it is 28 years old), Seat Mii, Peugeot 208, my lawnmower and any other 4 stroke engine I get asked to service. Probably I wouldn't use it in a Ford because they have some particular requirements that I won't go in to here.

[kellogsj]

Back to 'is there any difference (between brands).
I reckon that if you use any 5W-30 oil (or whatever is specified) and it is marked with approvals (ie meets the specs) issued by a number of motor manufacturers such as GM, BMW Mercedes, VW etc and you change the oil within the mileage limits specified by Lexus or whatever car you are servicing you will be fine. There may be some quality differences that might show up if you did a controlled back-to-back test and stripped the engine to measure wear after say 100000 miles or if you drained the particular oil and ran the engine until it seized, but those differences would be slight..
So in extreme circumstances there might be differences.
In normal every day use changing oil frequently and more often than recommended by the manufacturer (the single most important thing to do to ensure engine longevity) will ensure that your engine will last for 200 or 300 K miles without problems - at least without problems associated with the oil. And paying more doesn't necessarily get you a better product - a lot of the cost of oil is in the advertising - I shudder to think what all those posters etc at F1 Grand Prix, football stadiums etc cost.
I use Exol Optima LSG 5W-30 - comes in a 20 litre drum for £59.95. I use it in my IS250, MX-5 (which is supercharged and has ecu add-ons which enable it to rev to about 7.5K - way beyond the 6.5K normal rev limit - and it is 28 years old), Seat Mii, Peugeot 208, my lawnmower and any other 4 stroke engine I get asked to service. Probably I wouldn't use it in a Ford because they have some particular requirements that I won't go in to here.

Thanks for informative response. I currently do about 4-5k miles each year, and the engine oil is changed once a year when I have it serviced off my mate. I don’t drive like a maniac, but on the odd occasion I put my foot down when it’s safe to do so. Just to give the engine a bit of a blast. Would it be an advantage to do an oil change every 6 months then. The car runs super smooth and is a joy to drive. Thanks.


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[johnatg]

Changing oil at 5K mile intervals or thereabouts is fine. Not worth the expense of doing it more often. Don't leave it for much more than a year and don't approach the Lexus interval of 10K miles - IMHO that's too long but is specified to keep apparent fleet service costs down - but would be OK if you don't care what happens after 7 years or 100K miles or so.

[kellogsj]

Changing oil at 5K mile intervals or thereabouts is fine. Not worth the expense of doing it more often. Don't leave it for much more than a year and don't approach the Lexus interval of 10K miles - IMHO that's too long but is specified to keep apparent fleet service costs down - but would be OK if you don't care what happens after 7 years or 100K miles or so.

Ok, and thanks again for your help.


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