Lexus Sipping Too Much Oil?

[E910]

I've used Mobil 10w40 and the problem did persist.

I think you've missed the point, that is still only a semi-syn (mainly mineral oil), I said try a decent 100% synthetic 0w40/5w40 or 10w30 like Mobil1, Motul or Redline etc

At the end of the day all you need to do is take the car into your Lexus dealer & get them to document the oil usage. If it's excessive then they can go back to Lexus AU to see if they'll cover it under goodwill. From what we've found here in NZ the problem is with the oil not the engine.

[GT1]

Don't use Penright, it's average at best. Try something like Mobil1 0w40 (or if you want something a bit cheaper Shell Helix Ultra 5w40) next service & see if the problem persist. These engine require decent oil, something with a low NOACK

Hi Carl,

What do you think of Castrol Edge 5W-30?

Does it have a low NOACK?

Do you think it is a good choice for the IS350?

Cheers.

[E910]

Edge 5W-30 is okay but I don't think it's a good choice for the IS350. Edge 0W-40 A3/B4 would be better suited IMO

I think if you guys want a decent oil for the 4GR/2GRFSE then look for something with BMW LL-01 approval

[elite06]

Having the oil light come on as well. Sounds like a common problem with everyone in between servicing. Would love to know if the 80 viscosity that saphire used has helped with this problem

btw my car shakes at idle occasionally as well

[Chip51]

Guys,

After owning a TT soarer (1JZ)...brilliant!

A GS 300 (2JZ)...Excellent!

And an IS250 with the high oil usage problem, flawed internal deign, and a transmission which Is unserviceable, I've had enough and am finished with the brand!

WELCOME NEW MAZDA 6...got a good trade in.

I still can't believe the Japs did not detect the IS250 piston problem for so long, as I said in a previous post...UNFORGIVABLE!

Cheers

Edited December 30, 2013 by Lexus Nerd
Removed profanity

[Lexus Nerd]

... an IS250 with the high oil usage problem, flawed internal deign, and a transmission which Is unserviceable, I've had enough and am finished with the brand!

WELCOME NEW MAZDA 6...got a good trade in.

So, you had a car with a defect that requires you to put in $25 of oil between 15,000 km services. And you replaced it with a car that requires logbook servicing twice as often. Okay ...

Edited December 30, 2013 by Lexus Nerd

[wrxhoon]

Guys,

After owning a TT soarer (1JZ)...brilliant!

A GS 300 (2JZ)...Excellent!

And an IS250 with the high oil usage problem, flawed internal deign, and a transmission which Is unserviceable, I've had enough and am finished with the brand!

WELCOME NEW MAZDA 6...got a good trade in.

I still can't believe the Japs did not detect the IS250 piston problem for so long, as I said in a previous post...UNFORGIVABLE!

Cheers

Mazda 6 is a nice car, has a nice in line 4 as well its a little on the guttless side for my liking though but don't even try to compare it with a Lexus IS. How can you compare a FWD to a RWD? Ever tried going hard in to a corner on a FWD? She will understeer and go straight. A RWD with some grunt will oversteer with a bit of play with the steering you will go around. Of course FWD is cheaper to produce, lighter and will use less fuel all else being equal.

You mean you sold her because she was using to much oil? At least Lexus have rebuilt engines with high oil consumption, other brands will tell you it's normal to use oil and it is to some extend. Any engine will use oil and when you don't have to change it for 15 k k's I can guarantee the oil level will go down on any car.

You never checked the oil for 7000km? Just because it's a Lexus it doen't mean you don't need to do normal routine checks, have you read the owners manual? If you did you will find there are several checks you should carry out on a weekly or at least monthly basis, one of the many is check oil level.

As for the tranny sealed for life , thats a plus i would think but you can always have it serviced if you want. You will find all new cars are going that way with trannies now, they all use WS oil ( very expensive ) both Jap and Euros are sealed for life, what's more you will find the Maz has the same Aisin 6 speed as your old Lexus. Mine has the 8 speed Aisin , very smoth box but I have to say I prefer the ZF that my old BMW had because the converter was always locked, almost like driving a manual.

Good luck with your MAZ , it's a new car you will like it but it's NO Lexus .

Edited December 30, 2013 by Lexus Nerd
Profanity removed from quote

[Tony1234]

I think the higher than normal oil consumption in some Lexus' may have something to do with the long service intervals.I'm changing my oil every 6 mths.(I've already changed it already it's relatively easy) just to be on the safe side.I'm still not comfortable with leaving ANY oil in an engine for 12 mths/15K.

[Chip51]

Another problem I encountered was that the Lexus of Adelaide (LOA) used car salesman obviously did not want to trade my 250 on anything! Here I was willing to trade on a 2011 or 2012 IS in the $40 to $50k, or even an LS in this range. After being generally disgusted with the BS from this clown I went straight into Subaru and immediately was quoted another $4k trade in on a BRZ. (I did not mention the oil problem to the LOA man as I new my base model would be passed on through the trade anyway). This better price on my trade in continued with other 'test cases' until I finally settled on the Mazda where I got a $6k better trade than the LOA price. Understand that the trade in price was not my only consideration, I actually think the 6 is bloody brilliant!...you guys should test drive one, you maybe surprised,

You talk of oil but have you seen the cost of the 90k service for the IS?

In the end I considered the risk of keeping the 250 unacceptable and after calling a number of lexus service service departments around the country, and getting different storied about what was covered out of warranty for this problem! I just didn't want the rebuild hassle, so I decided to move on.

About the FWD vs RWD discussion, all I would say is that in this State with its broke labor government there is no point in trying to get into an exciting drive as the cops will smash you to collect the outrageous indirect taxes to keep the moribund government in existence. The other problem here is our fractured and patchwork roads where you are constantly hitting sunken drain covers which ruin the drive of the best sports, or even luxury cars.

BTW my IS was a bit twitchy driving in a straight line, probably due to the 16 inch rims.

Best car in driving and engineering terms I have ever owned was my Soarer.

Have fun.

[wrxhoon]

I think you came across a normal old school used car salesman, there are still some around but I didn't think they would be any in a Lexus dealership, then again I wouldn't buy a used car form a dealer.

The $6 k extra the Mazda dealer offered you, some of it ( probably most) would be disquised discount on the new car you bought.

Your choice and your opinion on FWD versus RWD for me only RWD or AWD ( true AWD or with RWD bias) never FWD, however FWD cars are much cheaper to build, use less fuel and have more internal space for the same weight and size.

Twitchy in straight line?? Are you sure you don't have a turbo or supercharger under the bonnet? Nothing wrong with 16" wheels for that car, I'm not a fan of huge wheels unless I have huge brakes and I need the big wheels to clear the callipers.

Like I said nothing wrong with the big Maz but don't be surprised if you have to add oil between services, make sure you check it regularly, all cars will use some oil.

Nothing like a new car enjoy.

[I CU2]

Of course FWD is cheaper to produce. At least Lexus have rebuilt engines with high oil consumption, other brands will tell you it's normal to use oil and it is to some extend.

Sounds like an Audi to me. The oil consumption on those are horrible and the cost cutting with FWD/CVT transmission on the base models... no other manufacturer makes a compact executive in FWD.

[Stephen Praibin]

Look at the owners manual. Normal consumption is one litre per 1000kms.

The sumps on today's cars, including Lexus, are very small....about 5 litres. So if you don't check the oil regularly it may run very low. Certainly a few times between services to be safe.

[Chip51]

Actually the IS250 sump is relatively large, as I recall 6.3 litres (inc filter) so there is still at least 4 litres left when the reading on the dip stick is 1 or 2 mm from the end.

On the handbook, yes it does say that about oil consumption...interesting, nothing stated in other (older) manuals, eg GS300.

Whatever, this issues no longer 'floated my boat' for Lexus.

Lexus of Adelaide really did not want to sell me a post 2011 IS250 or 350, even a new one. So I got two new cars for the price of one: Toyota Corolla Sport, and the Mazda 6.

Have a good new year guys

Cheers

Edited December 30, 2013 by Lexus Nerd
Removed profanity

[wrxhoon]

Look at the owners manual. Normal consumption is one litre per 1000kms.

The sumps on today's cars, including Lexus, are very small....about 5 litres. So if you don't check the oil regularly it may run very low. Certainly a few times between services to be safe.

Definitely not normal consumption 1lt per 1000 km, if any of my new cars were using that much oil under normal driving conditions ( not racing at full rpm around the track) I wouldn't be happy and I would be asking for another car. However one lt per 5-10 k k's is normal.

The reason car nanufacturers say up to 1 lt per 1000 km is to cover themselvesfor the above conditions.

Chip 51,

If you want you can buy up to 8 cars for the price of one IS350!!

Not everyone wants to drive a Rolla ( nothing wrong with them) or a Hyundai I 20, Suzuki Alto etc... some people pay $100s of thousands for one car, others pay $12 k, each to their own.

[Peter G]

I bought my dad a 97 LS400 VVT model with 260000KMS and can say that it will still outlive a Hyundai, Daewoo or Kia. I will stand by Lexus engineering any day.

[st87]

Hi folks,

Glad there is an existing post about this..
My 07 IS250 just gave me another warning light, so I might change back to Castrol Edge 5w30.
I'm not an expert, so please go easy on me. Here is what I found:

20/07/13, 155,755km 115,755km: Oil changed, filter was not changed to Nulon 5w30 full synthetic (first time changing oil. Thought belt type universal oil wrenches would do the trick after draining old oil out). Old oil was Castrol Edge 5w30. Since last oil change: 14,826km, 10 months (NOTE: this was achieved on an oil purchase of 10L, and after filling up the car, the remaining oil was topped up).
21/11/13, 120,598km: Oil and filter changed, again using Nulon 5w30 full synthetic. Since last oil change: 4,843km, 4 months.
08/02/13, 123,689km: Now hunting for oil again. Since last oil change: 3,091km, under 3 months.

On average, it seems that Nulon is only giving me around 662km/Lt only, compared to 1,483km/Lt offered by the Castrol.

I'm going to try Castrol again, and if I still get that problem, there might be something terribly wrong with my car =(

[wrxhoon]

Hi folks,

Glad there is an existing post about this..

My 07 IS250 just gave me another warning light, so I might change back to Castrol Edge 5w30.

I'm not an expert, so please go easy on me. Here is what I found:

20/07/13, 155,755km: Oil changed, filter was not changed to Nulon 5w30 full synthetic (first time changing oil. Thought belt type universal oil wrenches would do the trick after draining old oil out). Old oil was Castrol Edge 5w30. Since last oil change: 14,826km, 10 months (NOTE: this was achieved on an oil purchase of 10L, and after filling up the car, the remaining oil was topped up).

21/11/13, 120,598km: Oil and filter changed, again using Nulon 5w30 full synthetic. Since last oil change: 4,843km, 4 months.

08/02/13, 123,689km: Now hunting for oil again. Since last oil change: 3,091km, under 3 months.

On average, it seems that Nulon is only giving me around 662km/Lt only, compared to 1,483km/Lt offered by the Castrol.

I'm going to try Castrol again, and if I still get that problem, there might be something terribly wrong with my car =(

Your maths don't add up, obviously you made a mistake with the k's on 20/7/13, my guess 105 755 km ? So you change the oil after 14826 km I assume you used the balance of 10lts for top up right? Assuming you used 5ltrs? on the change you added another 5 in 15 k ks that to me means you used 1lt per 3000 km. Not an unresonable ( a little high) consumption.

On the last oil change you done 3000 ks and the level is down by 1-1.5 lts again consistant with the previous use.

Sorry to say but going on your maths I'm not sure you filled it to the correct level, did you check?

My observations, you think that there is no oil in the engine when the oil light goes on hence your opinion she used one lt per 662 km. WRONG, if there is no oil in the engine she will not last one minute!!!

I don't know about your car but in most cars the oil light is not oil level warning its low oil pressure warning, its there to warn you to stop the engine so you won't stuff it, you can have full oil and the light goes on ( not saying this is your case) i=f there is a problem and the pressure drops, in your case the pressure dropped because the level is low, very dangerous .

If you read your ownwers manual you will find it tells you you have to check the oil level regularly and top up when the level drops on the low mark on the dipstick, usually 1-1.5 lts between the two marks ( I don't know what it is on your car, I don't even know the oil capacity for your car, I know my 350 is over 6 lts, yours could be the same?).

I make sure my cars oli level is always at the top of the dipstick or very close to it, I also know the usage on all my cars so I don't even need to check the oil every week. You should do the same check every week and top up as soon as she goes halfway down between the high and low mark.

[st87]

Your maths don't add up, obviously you made a mistake with the k's on 20/7/13, my guess 105 755 km ? So you change the oil after 14826 km I assume you used the balance of 10lts for top up right? Assuming you used 5ltrs? on the change you added another 5 in 15 k ks that to me means you used 1lt per 3000 km. Not an unresonable ( a little high) consumption.

On the last oil change you done 3000 ks and the level is down by 1-1.5 lts again consistant with the previous use.

Sorry to say but going on your maths I'm not sure you filled it to the correct level, did you check?

My observations, you think that there is no oil in the engine when the oil light goes on hence your opinion she used one lt per 662 km. WRONG, if there is no oil in the engine she will not last one minute!!!

I don't know about your car but in most cars the oil light is not oil level warning its low oil pressure warning, its there to warn you to stop the engine so you won't stuff it, you can have full oil and the light goes on ( not saying this is your case) i=f there is a problem and the pressure drops, in your case the pressure dropped because the level is low, very dangerous .

If you read your ownwers manual you will find it tells you you have to check the oil level regularly and top up when the level drops on the low mark on the dipstick, usually 1-1.5 lts between the two marks ( I don't know what it is on your car, I don't even know the oil capacity for your car, I know my 350 is over 6 lts, yours could be the same?).

I make sure my cars oli level is always at the top of the dipstick or very close to it, I also know the usage on all my cars so I don't even need to check the oil every week. You should do the same check every week and top up as soon as she goes halfway down between the high and low mark.

Hey there, thanks for replying!

Terribly sorry! I did mean 115,755km.... My bad.

And yes, the 250 also takes 6.x L, including the filter. And I have also verified the Low Oil Level warning on the dip stick and it does sit quite close to the low mark.

To explain in detail the time where I was using the Castrol Edge: Back then, that was the time when I relied on my mechanic to do the oil changes as part of the service. I see him on a one year service interval and I give him 10L (if it makes any difference, 2x5L bottles) of Castrol Edge sport. The oil change takes around 6.5L (he goes a bit over the full mark) and I take home the remaining oil.

Somewhere like a few months before the next service/year is due, I get a Low Oil Level warning. I then pour the remaining 3.5L of oil as a top up to my car. This will survive until the service is due without giving me another Low Oil Level warning.

The last time my mechanic changed my oil for me was at 100,929km on 22/09/12, which was 10 months and 14,826km prior to me changing oil for the first time and using Nulon. (Don't be alarmed.. I still take the car up for service. I just let him know my oil was changed so he needn't bother with the oil.)

I'm not sure if my math is logical here, and please correct me if I'm wrong, but I'd say that year, my car survived on a total of 10L of Castrol Edge 5w30 over a span of 14,826km in that 10 month (service booked early) period (and then some, since there was enough oil remaining for it to not complain).

As with the deal with me using Nulon... Well they came in 6L packs which I found to be quite convenient. It doesn't exactly go past the full mark. It's close.. but not all the way up, but I would expect that amount to last me at least 6,000km. The reason why the first change (where I couldn't get my filter out) lasted a little longer (4xxx Km) may be because there would be some old oil left over inside, where the second time I actually was able to get the filter out, and so I really was only running 6L of oil, which only lasted around 3,000km in 3 months.

I recognize that right now, there is still some oil inside that's allowing my car to run, otherwise I'd imagine to hear some ungodly rattling and screeching somewhere... However, just looking from a very novice POV, I was able to do quite a bit more km using 10L of Castrol Edge in one service interval (10 months back then) than the two oil changes using 12L (combined) Nulon within the 7 month period before I got the warning lights.

In hindsight... I'm really comparing apples and oranges here, aren't I? In the case of the Castrol, I am just simply topping up (usually goes all the way back to the high mark), while in the case of nulon, I empty the remaining oil and I replace it with only 6L of oil. But still, we are talking about a difference of twice the milage...

Sorry for the extremely tedious post and please do tell me what you think...

Also I'm tempted to try out the Penrite Enviro+ GF5. Seems like a much more affordable alternative to Castrol, which costs 50% more. Again, please share your valuable input. :)

[wrxhoon]

The only sure way to tell how much oil you are using is this:

Park the car on a level ground say in your garage, turn the engine off, wait 10 minutes, pull the dipstick out and wipe it, put the dipstick back in pull it out and check the level. Should be right on the full mark , if not add oil to bring it to the top mark.

Do the same again after you do say 1000 km and note the difference, keep doing this every 1000 km, when the level goes down halfway between the low and high marks add half a lt and see if this will take it to the full mark, if not add a little more until it gets to the full mark. This is the only way to measure oil consumption ( or fuel for that matter).

NEVER wait for the light to go on regardless if it measures oil level as well as oil pressure, doing so you are living dangersously, I'm sure if you read the owners manual it will tell to regularly check oil, thats normal with all cars. It's a sad fact these days that some cars don't have a dipstick and rely in electronic means to measure oil level ( more and more as time goes on) because of lazy owners/drivers.

Some people never lift their bonnets, some don't even know how to), they wait for the annual service to get their washer bottle to be topped up!!

Whats more some cars have 25k k's service intervals !!!

Years ago we never had any oil consumption issues because we had 2000 km service intervals, then 5000, then 10000 and so on, suddenly we have oil consumption issues.

As to the brand of oil you use, it makes no difference its more the viscosity and quility of oil you use and most manufacturers have all.

[st87]

As to the brand of oil you use, it makes no difference its more the viscosity and quility of oil you use and most manufacturers have all.

Thanks for the tips, Jerry. On that note... I recently received a reply from a Penrite rep when I asked them the suitability of their "Enviro+ GF-5" oil (it's also a 5w30 full synthetic).

He responded with the following:

"Do not use any oil from our Enviro+ range: these are mainly low ash oils and are only to be used when called for. The best oil is Racing 10w-40 as it uses the highest categories of base oil in its fomulation. However, HPR5 (SAW 5w-40, full synthetic) would also be a good choice."

I thought low ash oils were more ideal to put in your car...?

[Lexus Nerd]

Your maths don't add up, obviously you made a mistake with the k's on 20/7/13, my guess 105 755 km ? So you change the oil after 14826 km I assume you used the balance of 10lts for top up right? Assuming you used 5ltrs? on the change you added another 5 in 15 k ks that to me means you used 1lt per 3000 km. Not an unresonable ( a little high) consumption.

On the last oil change you done 3000 ks and the level is down by 1-1.5 lts again consistant with the previous use.

Sorry to say but going on your maths I'm not sure you filled it to the correct level, did you check?

My observations, you think that there is no oil in the engine when the oil light goes on hence your opinion she used one lt per 662 km. WRONG, if there is no oil in the engine she will not last one minute!!!

I don't know about your car but in most cars the oil light is not oil level warning its low oil pressure warning, its there to warn you to stop the engine so you won't stuff it, you can have full oil and the light goes on ( not saying this is your case) i=f there is a problem and the pressure drops, in your case the pressure dropped because the level is low, very dangerous .

If you read your ownwers manual you will find it tells you you have to check the oil level regularly and top up when the level drops on the low mark on the dipstick, usually 1-1.5 lts between the two marks ( I don't know what it is on your car, I don't even know the oil capacity for your car, I know my 350 is over 6 lts, yours could be the same?).

I make sure my cars oli level is always at the top of the dipstick or very close to it, I also know the usage on all my cars so I don't even need to check the oil every week. You should do the same check every week and top up as soon as she goes halfway down between the high and low mark.

Hey there, thanks for replying!

Terribly sorry! I did mean 115,755km.... My bad.

And yes, the 250 also takes 6.x L, including the filter. And I have also verified the Low Oil Level warning on the dip stick and it does sit quite close to the low mark.

To explain in detail the time where I was using the Castrol Edge: Back then, that was the time when I relied on my mechanic to do the oil changes as part of the service. I see him on a one year service interval and I give him 10L (if it makes any difference, 2x5L bottles) of Castrol Edge sport. The oil change takes around 6.5L (he goes a bit over the full mark) and I take home the remaining oil.

Somewhere like a few months before the next service/year is due, I get a Low Oil Level warning. I then pour the remaining 3.5L of oil as a top up to my car. This will survive until the service is due without giving me another Low Oil Level warning.

The last time my mechanic changed my oil for me was at 100,929km on 22/09/12, which was 10 months and 14,826km prior to me changing oil for the first time and using Nulon. (Don't be alarmed.. I still take the car up for service. I just let him know my oil was changed so he needn't bother with the oil.)

I'm not sure if my math is logical here, and please correct me if I'm wrong, but I'd say that year, my car survived on a total of 10L of Castrol Edge 5w30 over a span of 14,826km in that 10 month (service booked early) period (and then some, since there was enough oil remaining for it to not complain).

As with the deal with me using Nulon... Well they came in 6L packs which I found to be quite convenient. It doesn't exactly go past the full mark. It's close.. but not all the way up, but I would expect that amount to last me at least 6,000km. The reason why the first change (where I couldn't get my filter out) lasted a little longer (4xxx Km) may be because there would be some old oil left over inside, where the second time I actually was able to get the filter out, and so I really was only running 6L of oil, which only lasted around 3,000km in 3 months.

I recognize that right now, there is still some oil inside that's allowing my car to run, otherwise I'd imagine to hear some ungodly rattling and screeching somewhere... However, just looking from a very novice POV, I was able to do quite a bit more km using 10L of Castrol Edge in one service interval (10 months back then) than the two oil changes using 12L (combined) Nulon within the 7 month period before I got the warning lights.

In hindsight... I'm really comparing apples and oranges here, aren't I? In the case of the Castrol, I am just simply topping up (usually goes all the way back to the high mark), while in the case of nulon, I empty the remaining oil and I replace it with only 6L of oil. But still, we are talking about a difference of twice the milage...

Sorry for the extremely tedious post and please do tell me what you think...

Also I'm tempted to try out the Penrite Enviro+ GF5. Seems like a much more affordable alternative to Castrol, which costs 50% more. Again, please share your valuable input. :)

You're right; it's comparing apples with oranges. wrxhoon is right to say that the low oil warning light doesn't mean there's no oil left at all. In the 2007 IS 250, there's a difference of 1.5 litres between the full level and the low level on the dipstick. The oil capacity is 6.3 litres, or 5.9 litres without the filter.

With the Edge, you used as little as (10 - 5.9)/(14 826/1 000) = 0.25 litres per 1000 km. Since some oil would have been consumed between the time you made the last top-up and the next oil change, you could have used as much as (10 - 5.9 + 1.5)/(14 826/ 1000) = 0.38 litres per 1000 km.

On the first change you made yourself, the 6 L of oil should have theoretically been enough to reach the full mark, plus 100 mL extra. Assuming the oil light comes on at the same time that the "low" level on the dipstick is reached (ok, big assumption), you've used (1.5 + 0.1)/(4 843/1 000) = 0.33 litres per 1000 km.

At the time of your next oil change, you changed the oil filter, and you used 6.0 litres when 6.3 litres would have been needed. You would have consumed merely (1.5 - (6.3 - 6.0)) = 1.2 litres before the "low" level on the dipstick would have been reached. That means you consumed 1.2/(3 091/1 000) = 0.39 litres per 1000 km.

There's enough margin of error here, such that you can't really say whether using Castrol Edge or Nulon is making much difference to your oil consumption. But I will conclude with one interesting note.

On the Owners Manual for the 2007 IS 250 for the US market, the following paragraphs appear:

Oil consumption: Max. 1.1 qt./600 miles, 0.9 lmp.qt./600 miles (1.0 L per 1000 km)

If you consume more than 1.1 qt. (1.0 L, 0.9 lmp.qt.) every 600 miles (1000 km), contact your Lexus dealer.

That would indicate to me that your oil consumption of between a quarter and half a litre per 1000 km is deemed by Lexus to be completely normal.

[Lexus Nerd]

As to the brand of oil you use, it makes no difference its more the viscosity and quility of oil you use and most manufacturers have all.

Thanks for the tips, Jerry. On that note... I recently received a reply from a Penrite rep when I asked them the suitability of their "Enviro+ GF-5" oil (it's also a 5w30 full synthetic).

He responded with the following:

"Do not use any oil from our Enviro+ range: these are mainly low ash oils and are only to be used when called for. The best oil is Racing 10w-40 as it uses the highest categories of base oil in its fomulation. However, HPR5 (SAW 5w-40, full synthetic) would also be a good choice."

I thought low ash oils were more ideal to put in your car...?

I'm reading a lot more about oils than I originally ever wanted to know, but I figured it was useful since we could have a lot more pre-2010 IS 250 owners asking about oil consumption in the future - perhaps linking it to the brand of oil they use or a US service bulletin about oil consumption.

Here's my understanding: Low ash oils are good in that they do reduce deposits. Doing what you can to reduce deposits in the IS 250 engine is important, since many direct injection engines have an inherent problem with carbon buildup (this isn't a problem with the IS 350, which also features port injection). But low ash oils don't provide as much protection against premature wear. I guess Penrite is suggesting there are other ways of reducing deposits while maintaining protection against engine wear.

[wrxhoon]

That would indicate to me that your oil consumption of between a quarter and half a litre per 1000 km is deemed by Lexus to be completely normal.

Lance ,

I wouldn't be happy if my 350 ( or any of my road cars) used one lt per 1000 km, that is exessive in my books for a normal road car. If a road car driven normally uses one lt per 1000 km, she has worn bore or rings or both, if she uses exxesive amount of oil from the start of its life it means someone didn't run the engine in and she has glazed bores. I have seen that many times people drive them very easy when new thinking its good for the engine, if you do that the rings will never bed in and you will end up with glazed bores. You need to put the engine under load when new ( not easy with auto tranny) for short periods at a time without going to high RPM.

I very much doubt that his car is using anywhere near that, more like one lt per 3000-5000 km and thats fairly normal and

ecceptable.

I don't know about Lexus IS250 but on most cars when the oil light goes on (if it measures level) the oil level is a little bellow the low mark.

[st87]

Thanks again Jerry, and thank you Lance for pointing out that the difference between the low and the high mark is only 1.5Ltrs. That is quite a critical piece of information that I was missing.

I have to say, the difference I saw was quite alarming at first, but what you say would actually bring the consumption MUCH closer together (not sure if mentioned before, but my mechnic fills my car around 5mm above the high mark).

I have topped up the oil by another litre and it's quite close to the full mark now after driving to work.

[KarlHess]

I just went through this same ordeal with a 2006 IS250 Sport here in NZ. I got a $2500 quote from Lexus of Wellington to take the engine apart (does not include putting it back together or fixing the oil issue). Turns out, my local mechanic, who I went to for a second opinion, found a warranty/recall notice issued to the USA market for all 2006-2010 IS250 models.

The solution is a pricy piston and ring replacement, or keep topping off the oil !@!