What Engine Oil?

[Abbas]

Hi,

140k on the clock now, lots of short journeys living in a tiny city anywhere to anywhere in 10 mins. A lot of cold starts, i am looking for the best possible protection from my engine and performance. I guess thats what we all aim for.

Currently it has 10w 40 SJ/CG4 (according to the paperwork) done 6k with this oil. I am not convinced this is the best oil to use as it drives beuatifuly when its warm but poor when cold. It takes a while for the engine to warm up when its sat for a few hours.

Looking to change asap, there are no leaks within the engine and the colour of oil is always good when checked.

IS200 SE manual.

Any suggestions/opinions pls.

[Abbas]

Anyone know of a good oil to use, research is giving me mixed answers so not sure on fully synthetic then there's the choice of grade?

[atce4]

Just had my car serviced at a Lexus dealer and they have used Shell Helix Ultra 5W-40 fully synthetic oil. Bit pricey though at £16 a litre but looking at other forums it seems to be a popular choice.

[Abbas]

Just had my car serviced at a Lexus dealer and they have used Shell Helix Ultra 5W-40 fully synthetic oil. Bit pricey though at £16 a litre but looking at other forums it seems to be a popular choice.

Great just the sort of answer i needed, what sort of mileage do you have as I have read lots about it not being a good idea to use fully synthetic oil in a high miliage engine as it can start leaks in places? I am not really convinced this is true and don't think 140k is high mileage for a Toyota engine but does leave some doubts in my head and I need to be sure..

Also I don't mind paying good money for engine protection and performance.

[T7RY B]

High Mileage Oil

Try this link.........Here...

[atce4]

Great just the sort of answer i needed, what sort of mileage do you have

Mines only done 41k, maybe Shell Helix is not the right oil for your car...

Could try a Lexus dealer for advice perhaps?

[Abbas]

Great just the sort of answer i needed, what sort of mileage do you have

Mines only done 41k, maybe Shell Helix is not the right oil for your car...

Could try a Lexus dealer for advice perhaps?

You know what that's not a bad idea at all...

[Abbas]

High Mileage Oil

Try this link.........Here...

Thanks I have contacted them for advice...

[dazz32]

Had mine serviced at Lexus they used Shell Helix 5-40 fully synthetic.....same as atce4 ...very good oil but mega expensive......was also looking at maybe changing in the future if i keep my car seems that alot of people seem to use MILLER`s OIL...

[KnightUnit]

I use Motul 8100 Emax Ester based fully synthetic 5w-30, very good oil, one of the very few true ester based fully synthetic oils. Can tell the difference over the old magnatic I used to use, the engine pulls better at low end rev range and runs smoother.

Got it from Opie Oils online.

My IS200 also has 140k on the clock.

[KnightUnit]

Synthetic motor oils damage seals:

Complete Nonsense! Any oil seals made after 1975 or thereabouts will be entirely compatible with any type of synthetic engine oil. (The same goes for synthetic gear oils and transmission oil seals.) It must be understood that everything associated with lubrication is thoroughly tested. The major oil manufacturers do not make oils that attack seals; seal manufacturers ensure that their products function correctly with modern lubricants.

[Abbas]

I think I will go fully synthetic 5W 30 or 40 just got to choose a brand now...

[KnightUnit]

Motul, Fuchs Silkolene are the better brands.

[ormi]

Synthetic motor oils damage seals:

Complete Nonsense! Any oil seals made after 1975 or thereabouts will be entirely compatible with any type of synthetic engine oil. (The same goes for synthetic gear oils and transmission oil seals.) It must be understood that everything associated with lubrication is thoroughly tested. The major oil manufacturers do not make oils that attack seals; seal manufacturers ensure that their products function correctly with modern lubricants.

as a tech for toyota we use 5-30 semi synthetic oils.

[atce4]

Had mine serviced at Lexus they used Shell helix 5-40 fully synthetic.....same as atce4 ...very good oil but mega expensive......was also looking at maybe changing in the future if i keep my car seems that alot of people seem to use MILLER`s OIL...

Wouldn't happen to be Lexus Hatfield would it? They charged me £14 a litre from their bulk oil store and left a sealed 1 litre container on the passenger seat and charged me £16 for it whether I wanted it or not. If it's because synthetics aren't interchangeable between manufacturers then they could just have easily told me and I could have bought some a bit cheaper myself.

[Abbas]

I am looking into purchasing some Amsoil 5w - 30 fully synthetic oil, it seems to be rated well in all the reviews i have read so far. Need to start looking at the oil filter next...

[SpokesT]

What's wrong with going to a tyre depot and getting one of their oil and filter changes for under £30? Fully synthetic at that. Genuine question, so genuine answers only please B)

[Abbas]

What's wrong with going to a tyre depot and getting one of their oil and filter changes for under £30? Fully synthetic at that. Genuine question, so genuine answers only please B)

I don't think under £30 will get me the sort of oil and filter change I am after. The tyre depot would only have a small selection of oils compared to what you would have if you purchased your own, on the net maybe? Secondly I don't think I would trust a local tyre depot to do it.

My last oil change was at my local garage I asked him what oil he will use and he replied " whatever is recommended for the vehicle" after the service I checked the paperwork he had used 10W 40 (value of £14). This is not recommend in the manual and looks like they have used some cheap oil too.

[KnightUnit]

What's wrong with going to a tyre depot and getting one of their oil and filter changes for under £30? Fully synthetic at that. Genuine question, so genuine answers only please B)

Same with most things in life, you get what you pay for. Probably will be a cheap oil they use, im sure its fine for the job thought.

But I have noticed a improvement in top end revs and smoothness when switching to a quality oil such as the Motul 8100 Ester Synthetic Oils.

[SpokesT]

Cheers for that. When I got my IS200 I had such an oil and filter change so as to ensure fresh stuff was in the sump, and a year on it is still the colour of honey, so I am fairly pleased. However I will buy my own oil next time and get my top under the arches man on the case for me

[Kazi]

I used Castrol Magnitec 5w30 before the Super Charger and the same oil but 10w40 after my Super Charger was installed. Seems ok stuff, nice and smooth after its service yesterday and its never missed a beat.

[funkey]

I am looking into purchasing some Amsoil 5w - 30 fully synthetic oil, it seems to be rated well in all the reviews i have read so far. Need to start looking at the oil filter next...

I'm a big Amsoil fan too!! B) During a service, the local Lexus dealership poured that Shell Helix into mine (only 32k on the clock then), which was ok for the next 12k miles or so but then I noticed the engine note changed a lot during normal driving, especially during tick over. Sounded as if the oil had broken down and wasn't providing enough lubrication. I did a bit of research and came up with Amsoil too. Settled on 5-30w ASL and I'm stunned by the difference. Sounds even better now than when I first got the car (only 2k on it then)

Got the Amsoil from link

There's a lot of hype about this stuff including the "million mile new york taxi test" using sealed sumps for control! link to the story here

[Abbas]

I am looking into purchasing some Amsoil 5w - 30 fully synthetic oil, it seems to be rated well in all the reviews i have read so far. Need to start looking at the oil filter next...

I'm a big Amsoil fan too!! B) During a service, the local Lexus dealership poured that Shell Helix into mine (only 32k on the clock then), which was ok for the next 12k miles or so but then I noticed the engine note changed a lot during normal driving, especially during tick over. Sounded as if the oil had broken down and wasn't providing enough lubrication. I did a bit of research and came up with Amsoil too. Settled on 5-30w ASL and I'm stunned by the difference. Sounds even better now than when I first got the car (only 2k on it then)

Got the Amsoil from link

There's a lot of hype about this stuff including the "million mile new york taxi test" using sealed sumps for control! link to the story here

I have ordered mine from Opie Oils £54 should arrive in the next couple of days, picking up the oil filter and sump washer tomorrow from Toyota. I was hoping that the oil change will improve the engine note especially on tick over when cold and make the engine smoother.

By the sounds of your post it is not gonna disappoint...

[The Transporter]

Unipart 5w30 synthetic... Good quality oil to manufacturers spec without the overpriced fancy bottle... As long as the quick lube/ tyre bay oil meets manufacturers spec then it will be just fine for an unmodified engine. Engine oil is 9/10ths BS marketing.. An NY taxi engine should be running almost 24/7 meaning that it never gets cold.. good working conditions for oil and engines.. if they need to change their oil at 3k mile intervals, they must be using cooking oil in their engines... NOT a convincing or credible test if you think about it.

If the car takes a long time to warm up, then I would look at the thermostat.... Lots of cold starts, then adjust the oil change periods accordingly as the oil will have to cope with lots of condensation and other contaminants..

[Mike_B]

Americans tend to be a bit obsessive about oil changes - read any US car forum and it seems the general belief is that if you keep your oil more than about 4k miles then you must be some kind of half-wit. They are always stunned when you tell them that many cars here only recommend changes every 20k miles.