My ES 350 has 17,500 miles on it and I'm considering using Auto-Rx. I currently use Mobil 1 synthetic oil and have religiously changed the oil ever 5k miles. For the basic application, do I have to go back to using regular dino oil? Do I add one full bottle? Can I still use the Mobil 1 or switch to any of the synthetic oils listed in Group III? Can I run the cleaning phase for 5k miles? Once the cleaning phase is complete and the oil is changed again, do I run the oil for another 5k miles (with no RX) and then start a maintenance dose? I know these are a lot of questions but I want to do the best for my car. Any suggestions are appreciated.
Use Pennzoil Yellow Bottle or Platinum with the appropriate viscosity, and add a full bottle of Auto-Rx. Run the clean phase for 5,000 miles and run the rinse for 10,000 miles.
You're probably not in a bad situation with 17k for an 08 in terms of condition. You could probably just switch to a group III oil ..add a full bottle and do your normal OCI ..then a rinse with the same Group III oil (same length of service) ..then start the maintenance dose for all future oil changes with whatever you choose.
The only reason I say this is due to the relative newness of the machinery and the mileage. It would be unusual ..exceptional even, for you to have substantial deposits (as in SEVERE). A treatment will assure that you're cleaned up and any formations are arrested early.
Frank has no idea what condition your engine is in. That means he has to apply sensible limits for consumer usage. This is a professional grade product where a service technician acquainted with it could assess how long to leave it in ..how much to use, but for consumer usage it requires more generic instructions.
I actually callled the contact number and spoke to someone that I assume is Frank. I was informed that I could still use the Mobil 1 but I would need to add 4 oz of Auto-RX per quart of oil. I assume my car uses 4-5 quarts of oil. With that being the case, I'm a little gun shy about adding i.e. 20 oz of Auto-RX to my oil. I'm okay with adding one bottle. He also stated to run the cleaning phase for 5k miles.
Double the mileage for the rinse phase. I.e. if you're running 5k miles in the clean phase, run the rinse phase for 10,000 miles. Pennzoil Platinum is an excellent choice for this, being a Group III synthetic.
You did talk with me (I invented the chemistry and am patent holder) the application ratio I gave you is correct for running synthetic oil. Thats your choice. Since Auto-Rx is not a solvent or a petroleum based chemistry it is not going to over fill your oil or change the chemistry or viscosity of the oil.
That engine holds 6+ quarts of oil, so that would be 2 bottles, going with Frank's instructions. I would rather use the group III Platinum Pennzoil for 5k clean and then 5k rinse. I would NOT go 10k miles with Pennzoil Platinum in that engine, which has been shown capable to degrade oil faster than other makes. Amsoil does not even recommend more than 7500 miles in that engine, IIRC.
Amsoil's issues with those engines were in regard to the filters and not being able to offer their blanket 1year warranty over ALL types of service. The severe was still one year, but only 15k in mileage. It won't work for a user that does all short trips and produces too many insolubles per mile. The longer mileage users weren't so plagued. That has to be one filthy warm up cycle on those engines.
That said, they're intolerant of neglect with most oils.
-- Edited by geeaea on Saturday 12th of December 2009 12:23:41 AM
Thank you for the correction on Amsoil's position on these cars. I would tend to error on the side of safety, knowing that they have singled out Toyota/Lexus for special, more conservative limits on oil filter use.
