Lexus IS Oil Change: IS 250, IS 300, IS 350 and IS 500

The IS is the rear-drive Lexus sport sedan, and it has carried more engines than any other car in the lineup: a 2.5-liter V6, a 3.5-liter V6, a 2.0-liter turbo four and, in the IS F and IS 500, a 5.0-liter V8. The grade changed over the years too. That is why an IS oil change starts with the model year and the badge, not with whatever 0W-20 is closest to the pit.

At a glance

• 2011-2014 IS 250 and 2014 IS 350: 0W-20, 10,000 miles (Lexus Tech Tip L-TT-0142-13)
• 2010-2013 IS 350 and IS F: 5W-30, 5,000 miles (same tech tip)
• 2016-2021 IS 200t and IS 300 2.0T: 0W-20, about 4.9 qt with filter
• 2022 and newer IS 500 F SPORT Performance V8: 5W-30, about 9.6 qt

What each IS generation takes

The tech tip rows come straight from Lexus. The newer rows are from a compiled reference that says its figures were taken from owner's manuals, so we treat them as a guide and check the cap and the manual on every car from 2016 on, especially the V8, which wants a heavier oil than the rest of the family.

The 10,000-mile rule only applies to 0W-20 cars

This is the point most owners miss. Lexus's tech tip says only vehicles where 0W-20 is mandatory were approved for 10,000-mile changes. A car where 0W-20 is just an option to 5W-20 or 5W-30 keeps the 5,000-mile interval, even if 0W-20 goes in. That is why a 2010 IS 350 and a 2014 IS 350 with the same engine family carry different intervals.

The same document keeps the 5,000-mile visit on the 10,000-mile cars: tire rotation and a check of every fluid, oil included. And it sets a hard rule for special operating conditions, meaning dirt roads, towing, repeated short trips under 32 F and extended idling: the oil must be replaced every 5,000 miles regardless of the oil specified.

A rear-drive sedan in a Reno winter

A rear-drive IS on summer tires is a handful in a Truckee Meadows snowstorm, and the Reno airport averages about 21 inches of snow a year with roughly 25 nights at 20 F or colder (NOAA 1991-2020 normals). Owners who keep driving through winter tend to make shorter, slower trips, and repeated short trips under 32 F are exactly what Lexus lists as special operating conditions. An IS that only crosses town from Verdi to the office from December to February belongs on the 5,000-mile change for those months.

Filters, transmission and coolant

• Engine air filter: the 2.0T and the V6 use a panel filter in an airbox we can open in the lane and show you.
• Cabin filter behind the glovebox: summer dust and smoke load it up quickly in the high desert.
• Automatic transmission: sealed units on most IS models; we check for leaks and talk through a transmission fluid service only when the condition calls for it.
• Lexus Super Long Life Coolant: pink, long interval; we check level and protection and top off with the matching type.
• AWD models: transfer case and front differential checked for seepage.

The IS visit

1. Drive in with no appointment at Mae Anne, Longley, College Parkway or US 395.
2. We confirm model year and engine, choose 0W-20 or 5W-30 as the cap and the manual say, drain, replace the filter and gasket, and refill.
3. We check filters, coolant, brake fluid, battery, belts, lights, wipers and tire pressure.
4. We reset the maintenance light and tell you whether your driving fits the 5,000-mile special conditions.