luceatlux123

hi guys

my MID still indicates 20% despite having my last oil change in late april of 2011. granted, ive travelled only a total of 4500 miles so far since my last oil change, mostly on hwy driving and have used the vehicle only 1-3x/wk (i travelled a lot last year on wkdays - eg out of the country/state - by plane).

now i inadvertently missed a 6 mos oil change and just realized that it's been close to 11 mos. i did read the OM though and it did state to follow the MID and/or 12 mos for the next oil change, whichever comes first. so, that being said, should i play it safe and change it ASAP or do i just wait for the MID to go down to say, 10-15%, which is when i normally change it anyways? (at this rate, i would prolly change it next month anyways)

thanks for your expertise

BU

Your car always appreciate a fresh 5Qts. of new engine oil.

mau108

Wait for the MID to go down to 10% (0 if you really want to!). You are using synthetic oil, your driving seems to be mostly highway so it's very easy on the oil and better for the vehicle. There has been a couple of used oil analysis done on the RDX's used oil and even at 0% there is plenty of life and acid fighting additives left in the oil.

I say follow the MID and drive your RDX more!

TLtrigirl

iTrader: (1)

i think you'll be ok waiting.

my TL is at 20% right now, and the last oil change was last april as well. i have over 4k mi on the current oil. i've driven the TL less b/c i'm splitting time with my MDX now. also my car was down for almost a month in the body shop (stupid tree branch...yeah i'm still a litte hurt over it). OM says 12 mos or the MID. oil change will be around April at the rate i'm going. finally switching to synthetic...at least on the TL.

pickler

it depends on several factor not just driving speed. Do you live in a cold climate or a place with cold winters? If you do that puts a lot of stress on your oil which your maintainance minder cannot for see. For example here in canada, some synthetics oil almost freeze and become super thick (eg. mobil 1). whether or i drive my car or not the oil is not the same after 90 days of -20 to -30 weather. i highly suggest changing oil at least every 6 months despite the mileage. For cold climates i use german castrol syntec 0w-30 or petro canada supreme 5w-30. they are like water in -30 weather but become very thick at engine operating temperatures to provide protection.

wrestrepo

You are fine following the MID. I make it a point to do it once a year if the MID doesnt come on

spaceboy

dont mean to jack the thread but dont wanna start a new one either...
its been about 2700 miles since my last oil change (11/11/2011), oil life says 60%, but the oil looks pretty dark from looking at the dipstick, I used Castrol Edge Syntec (the black bottle)

So is the MID info correct? 60% means i still got a long way to go but the color of the oil makes me kinda wanna change them at 3K.......what do u guys think? i am planning to try Titanium (gold bottle) for my next oil change...

TLtrigirl

iTrader: (1)

follow MID. change 3k mi is not necessary on newer cars. this has been discussed forever. (see 3G garage, scroll to section pertaining to MID and oil changes). but if you want to make your wallet lighter then go right on ahead. and change it at 3k mi. sorry if this comes off a little harsh, but this has been discussed and debated already.

Kaze66218

First oil change should happen sooner than 3000 IMo.

After that oil life of a synthetic is ALMOST twice that of non-synthetics. Due to today's machining, tolerances are tighter than those from the 80's and early 90's. Iirc syn oil would seep past the gaskets and cork and make their way into the combustion chamber of older cars. Wet clutch motorcycles can't use synthetic either.

Also 3000 or six months (or whatever it is now) is just so you'll bring the car in regularly to keep stealerships service dept in business. Least trusted profession, go fig.

luceatlux123

thanks for all your suggestions people. i will follow MID then. im 99% sure MID will be at 10-15% by march, which takes it to almost 1 yr but not quite. and yes, operate it pretty much on highways and operating conditions wise - no lower than 35F here. this year's been pretty warm too so not unusual to be operating at 45-55F on certain days.

pickler, -20 to -30F??? yikes...

at any rate, just wanted to be sure that acura/honda doesnt ding me for not changing oil every 6 mos should a future problem arise and that the 1 yr OM instruction was not a typo... i love the MID feature of the honda/acura...

corduroygt

I thought the maintenance minder would also track the temperatures the car was driven in (using the ext temp reading you see in the MID) and adjust oil life accordingly. Is that not so?

mau108

Actually the MID will take in to fact the ambient temps the vehicle is operated in as usually the warm up times are longer and the ecu knows that.

This winter hasn't been bad at all, temps without windchill haven't gone down below -20 (windchill does not affect the vehicle btw). Most 5w30 synthetics pour point are rated for -35 and below.

Don't over think this guys!

pickler

MID was never right in any of my used oil analysis tests, sometimes showing 5% oil life while my oil had more than enough TBN left with good viscosity for a thousand or two miles. Other times showing too much life when i had too much silicone, aluminum and fuel. It all depends on how you drive, where you drive (the conditions), etc. If i drive lots of dirt/gravel roads i get it done sooner because of increased silicone particles due to K&N intake. Same with extreme cold temperatures, my car is always outside (MID does not monitor temperatures when car is off nor does it know the air quality index). i get my oil analysed by black stone labs every other time. i managed to set a 6 month or 6-7k mile interval for best results with Pennzoil Platinum. PP is a bit thick though and you might suffer about 1 mpg. A good alternative (but inferior) oil which increased my MPG was quaker state ultimate. Personally i find The MID 'dumb'.

anyway, for an Acura, i would worry more about your ATF, differential fluid and brake fluid. Engine fluid should be the least of your worries as long as u do it regularly.

platinum1

Just follow MID. 1 less thing that you need to worry.