Ed10

How often would you say that i would need to change the oil on my RDX?

mau108

when the car tells you to ? lol

SinCity

They sell cheap torque wrenches @ Harbor Freight. Sure it is not as good as a Craftsman, but you are not rebuilding an engine here. I have been changing oil since the 80s and haven't used a TQ wrench at all and never stripped anything.

russianDude

I agree, but for those of us who are going to change oil first time in their lives, torque wrench might be useful. Its only $20, and I can be certain its done right. Whats interesting, even Acura dealer does not use a torque wrench. When they changed my oil at dealership, the damn bolt was so tight, way over 29 lb-ft... so here is your superior dealer service that costs a LOT... thats another reason to DIY

mau108

remember to put a new crush washer every time you change your oil.

jensen813

I just went the local Pepboys store and they had a special for 5 quarts of Mobile one 5w30 and a Mobile1 oil filter for $29.99 and then you get a $5 mail in rebate making the total $24.99!!! Just wanted to share the news because it is a very big saving!!

russianDude

not sure if you are correct, or its different at your location, here are the terms from pepboys website:

$24.99
5 quart oil and filter purchase* after mail-in rebate thru Aug 9
*oil filter up to 4.99 each
*Not valid with any other offer or discount. No substitutions. Offer only valid on combined purchase. If purchasing an oil filter priced above amount shown, your total purchase price will be the price of the oil change plus the difference between the selected oil filter price and the oil filter price shown with offer. Limit 2 offers per customer.


Typically M1 oil filter is $11, so the whole thing would cost $31. Thats still pretty good

jensen813

It was in Georgia and yes I got the Mobile1 oil filter for $7.50 discounted from $10.99 and the Oil for $4.50each discounted from $6.59each. I guess it is just where you are at.

MMike1981

120 bucks for oil & filter change, tire rotation and balance. 8500k miles

russianDude

The same thing cost me $55.

MMike1981

at the dealer? fuck. lol

thats unreal for the dealer. balance and rotate alone should be 40-50 bucks.

thing is for me.....i retain a lifetime warranty on power train and dent/ding if i service the car with the dealer.....since i plan on keeping my truck for at least 5 years....i figure its worth it for me, never know what could happen

russianDude

I did tire rotation only at firestone for $21 (i saw them using torque wrench), and oil change $30 DIY in 20 min.
tire balancing is not necessary every 7K mile, unless there is a problem. Its good to re-balance tires maybe once in a life time of tires, otherwise its a waste of money.


whats a dent/ding lifetime warranty, never heard of it.
Its not economically viable to service/maintain car exclusively at the dealership. I also have 2001 CL Acura, and I have mostly maintained it outside the dealer or myself. I saved at least 2-3K by avoiding the dealer and their so called "recommended" packages.

MMike1981

Its not recommended service...if u read my post...i get lifetime powertrain coverage while servicing at the dealer. They arent egregiously overcharging me, the avg price for oil changes and like-service is around that cost at an Acura dealer. Maybe some of you have paid less, maybe even more....and the 2-3k u may have saved on your cumlative firestone trips...i may not have to spend if lets say 4 or 5 years down the road the turbo unit in this thing fails and or something happens with the tranny, id rather pay now to save later. I own my RDX. Its peace of mind. I dont want some idiot at some shop touching my Acura, thats how I've been and how I'll remain to be. Just a matter of preference. Lifetime warranty is icing on the cake. If i leased, id be taking this thing to some guy down the street lol.

Dent/Ding coverage is exactly that, coverage for dents and dings that you would otherwise have to pay to get fixed. They contract out and have any exterior issues taken care of.

Id rather let someone else change my oil, and I dont mind paying for them helping my day out, with pick up and drop off.

In terms of whether its smart economics....dealers know who services their cars with them, come deal time when you think you are going to get another car, guess whose more likely to save another few thousand....not the person they havent seen or heard from in a few years. I like building a relationship at the dealer. U never know when you are going to need a favor.

russianDude

Balancing tires each tire rotation is what dealer recommends, not what is required by your service manual.

OK, so you'd rather load your dealer with $2-3K cash over 4-5 years (instead of putting in a bank) just in case you will have problems with your power-train beyond normal power train warranty, which for your information is 6yr/70,000 miles (even if serviced outside the dealer). This is absurd. The reason you are getting life power train warranty is because your are paying for it a lot more than its worth considering the odds beyond 6 years. Look, its your money, do whatever you want with it. I personally have better use for spare couple of Gs.

I own it too, in fact, its already paid off. so what? Just to give you an example, when I took my car for a first (free) oil change to my dealer, the oil drain plug was over-torqued 45-50lb-ft (instead of 29lb-ft), I could barely remove it. My dealer did not even use torque wrench (even though they should have). so are you telling me this crappy service is worth $90 and 1 hour(if lucky) of my time??? Fuk that, I do my own oil change in 20-30 minutes, and I do it right, and the best part, it only cost me 30 buks

This is bunch of crap and you are naively mistaken. Sales and service departments are independent entities. The sales guy is just after his commission, and he could care less if you service this car at the dealership or at Joe Blows garage... They may and certainly will pretend that they will give you a deal of your lifetime because your are the returning customer, but given the right ammunition of information (from internet), anyone from the street could get the same or better deal. Sales is a dirty business, and there ain't any favors for anyone, NEVER, its all about the business and bringing home the bacon.

dc5ville

Im about to change the oil in the RDX, which filter tool are you guys using to take out the oil filter? any better than the other?

thanks,
Roger

MMike1981

1. I elected to balance my tires. Was not part of any service package that I had to complete, they didnt even recommend it, I WANTED IT DONE.
2. I put 20K plus a year on my car...so a 6 yr warranty 70 k miles is a drop in the bucket for me....everyones needs are different...I value having ahem LIFETIME coverage.
3. Whatever your money is worth to you buddy...mines piece of mind...just as if you purchase a service plan for an appliance in your home...u may never need it, but may do it anyways...are you against those as well?

hey good for you you do your oil changes...i wasnt looking to start an argument over dealer vs no dealer or DIY or not...lol but seriously great u spend 30 mins under your car, here is your pat on the back...i could care less. my time is more valuable to me than doing my oil changes.....my dealer put on my front spoiler, running boards and rear diffuser for the bubble, and i bought the parts from ebay.

so maybe being a good customer in NJ doesnt mean shit, but that doesnt mean the rest of the country operates under your same assumptions.

good luck with ur service department if and when something goes wrong and they havent seen ur face in 2 years and you need something done, they may be in sales...but a good salesman remembers their good customers, regardless of slime ball tactics or not.

russianDude

That's right, - I've never purchased those extended warranties they sell in places like BestBuy. Never really needed one, and considering the amount of money saved, I can afford to take a hit once in a while.

That's right, my time is more valuable because it takes me an hour to have oil changed at the dealership vs. 30 minutes when I do it myself. And no, I can't really do *other* things at the dealership, the whole hour is wasted.

If I come to service after 2 years they will still fix it because its under warranty. Don't know about your dealership, but in my dealership sales people disappear like drops of rain, so in couple of months you might not see a familiar face. Not to mention that most of them forget you after you meet them in a hall. And on top of that, my dealership got bought by another dealership, and they reshuffled most of the service people, so building any kind of *relationship* would have been pointless
If I have to fix stuff after warranty, it most likely will not be the dealer, unless I have to because its an exotic problem where only dealer can help.

mau108

Extended warranty from any manufacturer is bogus. I learnt it the hard way, had extended warranty on my honda prelude, took it in for an oil leak problem

1. they drained half my oil and didn't top it up
2. they stripped the head of the drain bolt
3. they charged me 90 bucks to do the above and asked me to come back in

Yes I know Acura is different (they don't charge for warranty inspections if i may call it that). But extended warranty is useless.

Oil change on the RDX is a walk in the park (on my prelude you risk burning your skin, yes its that close to the header/exhaust line)

BTW removing the filter can easily be done if you did it your self, if its overtorqued use a big wrench to squeeze and turn.

XLR8R

Mike, do you have a printed and signed contract on this agreement? Or is it described in a dealer brochure?

In other words; is there detailed verbiage describing covered components and their obligations?

MMike1981

Printed, signed, dated, spelled out.

MMike1981

It is part of buying at this particular dealer...it was not an extended warranty, it does not terminate at a certain time point, it lasts the lifetime that you, as the original owner, have and use the car. It was one of many percs of buying through this particular dealer. Like i mentioned before, dent/ding removal and fix is also part of it.

MMike1981

and like i stated previous, my dealer picks up , drops off, washes n vacs and dresses my trim. no down time. right to my office. i do other things like regular work and the last thing on my mind is worry about my car. so again, everyone's dealer and expectations are different, maybe u have a shitty dealer

russianDude

carsense.com gives life time engine warranty, so does not seem like a big deal. Lifetime power-train is nice, but the probability of it happening is not justified by how much it costs. My calculations show 2-3K overpayment over 8 years... and the longer you keep the car the more you pay, so if you pull out 16 years out of it, it will cost you 5K extra by going through the dealer. I bet this power-train is very limited, does it cover all turbo components? It probably only covers the bulk of the engine/transmission, not the electronics/accessories and all other stuff that typically goes wrong.
Chances for properly maintained Honda engine are very small.... I don't think I ever heard of honda engine going bad for properly maintained vehicles.

russianDude

My dealer would do it too, but only if I do some major repair or service, which is so much overpriced that it makes it worth for them. If I had the extra money to pay for all this dealer service crap that you enjoy so much, I'd go with more expensive car instead.

russianDude

got it too, thanks!
looks like its indeed $24 including Mobil1, you only pay extra if you get pureone filter (which I have no idea why anyone would get if you can get Mobil1 for less money)

MMike1981

Russian....u need to back up a bit and stop with the assumptions

1. Have I once said I have paid extra? For Anything? All of what my dealer does (Pick up/Drop off, wash, vac etc) is included WITH service there. For anyone. If you drove up from new jersey and needed an oil change, it would be done.

2. This warranty costs nothing up front....it is part of the purchase of the car. I bought my base 07 in july of 07 and it cost 31k even w/o tax. That was my deal...and with that came the dealers added benefit of the lifetime coverage.

3. Thanks for pointing out what I should look for in the warranty...i sort of do that as my day job (reading contracts)

4. U dont know my past history with vehicles and you certainly cannot determine what my specific needs are. Apparently, we differ, greatly. My first honda, a 95 Accord ex 2 door, transmission went. cost 3k, back then to fix. My 99 Accord EX V6...transmission went, 56k miles. You dont know my personal history, so stop making assumptions about what you think is going to happen, frankly, you and I BOTH have no idea how the RDX will hold up. The car could be good for 300k, or the tranny could drop out at 80, honestly, who knows. And, its a new engine for Honda...its future has a ? until people start putting serious miles on the RDX nationwide.

5. I have serviced all my Honda's and Acuras at their respective dealerships. Routine, regular service. I find no reason to change with the RDX. If you call going to the dealership for an oil change excessive, i can see your reasoning on purely a dollar stand point. However, my service is regular scheduled service. With this particular dealership, regular scheduled service gives me lifetime coverage on a car that I plan to own for a lengthy period of time..if you think thats a waste of money, then, thats what you think.

I am doing nothing above and beyond the regular Acura customer to obtain the percs of this dealer. Im not spending any more money than you on the car at purchase, and Im not going to the dealer for rediculous service checkups that arent required.

If you disagree with going to the dealer for any type of service, thats fine, but that doesnt mean I or people in general are idiots for going to the dealer for service. If you think a dealer is overcharging you...find a new one. sounds like you detest them period. I can understand that as well, alot of good people have bad experiences.

But, when a dealership makes it this easy (for me) and adds alot of value added service for later down the road, frankly, you will have to pose a reallly STRONG argument for me NOT to goto my dealership, regardless every 5k mile oil change costing me 70+ vs 30 bucks.

If you consider regular maintenence a waste of money, then thats where you and I differ. Figure the cost of the oil is 25-30 bucks, add filter, add hand wash, clean, dress + labor, then pick up and drop off. My oil change is not egregious in any way. I'll pay 70 bucks for that process all day.

russianDude

I never said that regular maintenance is a waste of money. its a well known fact that dealer prices for repair/service/maintenance are significantly higher than average repair facilities, often times 2-3 times higher. When I said that I saved 2-3K over 8 years by avoiding the dealer, I still had my maintenance done, but at an independent shop of the mechanic I trust. I saved $800 alone by doing my timing belt outside the dealership. If you have a reputable mechanic you trust, there is really no advantage of going to the dealership. I go to the mechanic who owns the business for many years, so he obviously cares a LOT about the work he does. I doubt that a technician employee servicing your car cares the same way. On top of that, I am saving 50-70% of the cost.

MMike1981

I meant regular maintenence - at the dealer.

example: you goto pep boys, they do your oil change, 30 bucks your out the door. What happens when some 20 something year old had drained your oil, answered his cell phone, forgot to put oil back in, thought he was done, and gave you your keys...a day or whenever later, your engine is dead (hypothetically)...what do you do? You may sue pep boys, right, but what about your mode of transportation? What recourse do you have? Can Acura get involved? absolutely nothing outside of litigation with Pep boys is going to help you.

I may be playing devil's advocate, but, its happened before, to people everywhere. If you had gotten that oil done at the dealer...its their mistake and their need to rectify, provide you a car or even a new one.

ddb

Thanks to those who pointed out the Pep Boys Mobil 1 deal. 5 qts of Mobil 1 and a Mobil 1 filter for $29.99 is a steal, then you get the $5 rebate on top of that. I purchased two of the "deals" and will be doing my first RDX oil change tonight. Also stopped by local Honda dealership to get several crush washers (the parts counter guy just gave them to me for free).

- DDB

russianDude

Mike1981, you are way too paranoid about bad stuff happening, even considering that you had problems in the past. If you feel that its worth overpaying for dealer maintenance/service rather than having it done elsewhere and save 50-70% of the cost, then by all means, do it! Perhaps they brain-washed you with propaganda like: "Only your dealer knows how to service your Acura vehicle".

And no, I don't approve going to quick oil change places, or chains like PepBoys for maintenance/repair. Places like Jiffy Lube do suck big time. Instead, an independent mechanic you trust is the way to go. I've been going to the same guy for many years, I brought some new customers to him, he knows me when I come in and values me as a customer, whereas at the dealership I get a new face each time I come in, its just another chain... and pretty expensive one... Any reputable place will stand behind their work and will cover all expenses if mistake was on their part.

btw, we are hijacking this thread, its meant to discuss DIY oil changes

XLR8R

The price of oil per barrel has hit record highs.....gasoline is $4/gallon......and they are practically giving away motor oil....WTF?

STLBill

I would like to pick your brains on the oil sucker concept mentioned a while back. I figure I avoid all issues with the draink plug by never removing it - ever. Since I already have an oil sucker from my Honda PWC...

1. This is the only way to change the oil on Honda PWCs. Does that matter at all when changing the oil in the RDX? One could argue if they wanted you to use a sucker they would not have put in a drain plug. The PWC uses a 1.2/1.5L 4-cylinder turbocharged engine, but it is more like a crotch rocket than a car.

2. A common complaint I have heard among do-it-yourselfers is that the quick change places do not get enough old oil out of the engine due to haste. Does the sucker get enough out? I'm betting the drain plug is the lowest point in the system and you may not be able to reach that spot in the pan from the dipstick hole. Searching around with a sucker tube could damage something inside the engine, right?

I value all constructive opinions. Thanks in advance!

-Bill

MMike1981

I get a lifetime warranty, theres no brainwashing, hooks, extras involved....i guess even that cant even impress and or have value to even the most money conscious penny pinching consumers - . You just write off the lifetime warranty like its some free sandwich they give you after a few years lol.

So for every 2-3 oil changes your do a year, i pay the equivalent of 5-6. Honestly, if that makes such an impact on your wallet, maybe you shouldn't be driving an Acura in general.

Without mentioning the benefits I listed in previous posts, servicing at MY dealer is 100% worth it (for me). Maybe not for you because they do it differently in dirty jerz, but everyone is different and has different needs. Yours apparently, is just bottom dollar. Nothing wrong with that, seriously, but dont call me out cuz (GASP) i get my car serviced at a GOOOD dealer w/lifetime coverage. OMG! what am i doing!!???!!!!

and honestly, one thing ive realized about ANY car, expect the worst, hope for the best.

no matter what the brand. and Acura isnt perfect...my 2007 RDX WAS A LEMON!!!!!! I may be a rare case, but out of allll the cars I have owned in the past, I have had 4 cars that turned out to be lemons. Honda, Mazda, Nissan, Acura. So I may be paranoid, all the more reason I goto my dealer.

Going to my (Acura) dealer for service did pay off...my 07 RDX turned out to be a lemon with around 6500 miles....At the time of the debacle, the 08's were not out yet, but due out within a month. Acura had no duty to replace my 07 with an 08, they certainly had to replace an 07 with an 07. They had plenty of 07's on the lot, but guess what, my guys got me into a 2008 brand new with no cost to me on the substituton. I wonder if they would have done that for a customer such as yourself with no history at the dealer????????? I took no depreciation hit with my old car, and got a brand new model year car. I hate that damn dealer Criminals i tell u. All of them.

russianDude

My friend had a lemon Nissan Maxima, he never went to the dealership for service, he went to a lawyer, and as part of settlement he got new maxima (his was already 3 years old at the time of settlement).
Oil changes are not the only overpayment, servicing car at the dealer is 2-3 times more expensive in general, if you think its normal than good for you. Glad you are finding excuses that justify your going to the dealer. And yes, lifetime powertrain is not too much valuable to me.

MMike1981

O yea? what did his lawyer cost ?

MMike1981

and uhhhh.... why did he need a lawyer in the first place? if they were going to lemon out his car...u certainly dont need a lawyer to go through the lemon process, so im going to assume that dealer didnt want to fork over a new car. I never had to use myself (lawyer) or my family (other lawyers) to help initiate action on behalf of my cars. These were cost-free transactions...so maybe if he actually went to the dealer..he wouldnt have had to get a lawyer

im not trying to justify anything buddy....keep on rocking the mechanic you have. to me, i dont care what you do with YOUR car, although you seem to care a great deal about what im doing with MINE.

What I've been maintaining throughout this whole discourse is the added BENEFIT for ME, going to MY dealer, and maybe shedding some light for other people about what happens (and doesnt happen) when you get service where you bought your car. There are plenty of people like yourself who wont step foot into a dealer for other than buying the car. Thats FINE. But if you seem to think, especially in my scenario, that there is no benefit of going to a dealer, than you are crazy. Ill pay 50+ bucks more than you per oil change...and enjoy a huge f'ing cushion on the other side of the rainbow with lifetime coverage, pick up, drop off, wash, clean, etc every single time. What that is all worth to someone, in some ways is purely subjective. And as you obviuosly do, you can bring ur car anywhere u want and save some money. Im happy to spend it, and get that good service every single time.

my justification is in my lifetime warranty, as such I dont think you can classify that as an EXCUSE. if you find that insignificant, then lol thats where we part ways.

portwashguy

To service at the dealer or not to is, of course, the age old question. Is there any sane reason to pay more for dealer service than independent service? Russian Dude says no. MMike has some special lifetime warranty, so he says yes. But what about a regular guy like me who has no special deal? Over the years, I have answered this question differently:

First and foremost, is whether you believe that the dealer's service personnel are worth the extra money. For my Mazda, I have answered this question - yes (excluding some mundane stuff like oil changes, tire rotations etc.). The same group of top mechanics have worked there for the past 9 years. They know Mazda's and have provided excellent service. I answered this differently for a Mitsubishi that I also own. So there is no one answer fits all.

Second and of equal importance is how to determine if an independent shop knows what it is doing and has quality personnel. Word of mouth is one way. Length of time in business and lack of turn over of mechanics is another. There are several shops in my town that fit the bill.

Third to me is the nature of the repair. It seems to me that some stuff is not model specific - basic tune up, oil changes etc. But when it comes to some more complex stuff like timing belt replacement, I lean toward the dealer.

I could go on, but . . .

russianDude

lawyer handles everything, you do nothing. As part of settlement there was also a payment, which went to the lawyer. As a client he paid nothing, and got a new car (3 year newer than his lemon, same model). I am sure dealership/Honda will want to settle this without lawyer to give you less.

737 Jock

Sorry for stepping into this Lemon Law thread, but yes, oil extractors certainly do a nice clean job. I always open the drain when the extractor is done and let the grunge trickle out for a while though.

But I don't use it on the RDX.......the RDX dipstick tube has some guides at the bottom to lock the dipstick kinks into place. I carefully pushed in an extractor hose and reached resistance at the guides. I believe it would be a mistake to try to force an extractor in there, the possibility of damage is high, and it might not want to come out.

Rexorg

I see you were using Mobil1 for Truck and SUV. I don't think that oil meets Acura's requirements under the warranty. Look for the Honda/Acura spec on the back of the bottle.