pickler

so i've read that you dont need to change your oil for up to 15,000 miles with this oil. i was wondering if the rdx maintainance reminder system tests the oil viscosity or is it just timer based? also if i use this oil does anyone knows how long i can drive on this oil both time and mileage wise. thanks

mau108

Wont work with the RDX without doing an oil analysis. Also the EP formula is not HTO-06 certified so it is not recommended for the RDX.

Use either regular M1 synthetic, Pennzoil Platinum or Ultra and follow the MID you should be good.

It isn't difficult to change the oil on the RDX so don't get lazy.

XLR8R

The Maint Minder logs: cold starts, warm starts, outside temp, oil temp, oil pressure, engine rpm, run time and a few other things. It calculates the life of an HTO-06 oil based on these measurements.

It doesn't measure viscosity, contamination or do any kind of analysis. It doesn't know what kind of oil is in the engine. In fact, if you reset the MM without changing the oil, it will start over as if the oil was new.

M1 EP is not HTO-06 approved; probably because no one has bothered to test it (and Honda may not want to encourage extended drain intervals). I've used it a few times. It ran fine, but I wouldn't use it for an excuse to run over the MM change interval.

russianDude

HTO-6 certification costs a lot of money, no manufacture will do it unless they are certain they can capture a large number of drivers.
1) Not that many RDXs on the road to make it worth while
2) Majority of RDX owners will continue using Mobil1 even if other oils have this certification.

So its a really bad investment for them.

friesm2000

iTrader: (4)

your engine, and your turbo do what you please.......


and lets just look at another car brand for a sec....
ie: look at Subaru turbo cars, and how many turbo failures they have had from a lack of oil changes (plugs up a little screen, given enough time)

pickler

ok thanks for the responses. i guess ill stick to dealership oil for now!

Kaze66218

+1
Not gonna kick mobile 1 around it's good oil but I find it funny quaker state/ penzoil/castrol/mobile 1 have all been official sponsors of NASCAR, and I have used every one. I love rp & uoa's from other sites com back it with outstanding wear and particle analysis. It does carry a heavy price tag, but it's used by lots of engine builders and carries it's own warranty, iirc. Fwiw I think rp is the same if not better than m1

If my turbo blows up it's cheaper to get bigger turbo (my preludes precision was 1100; t3t4) than to go thru Acura for oem... So if my oil fails (which it won't 47000 miles on it), turbo blows, I take it up with rp get a new turbo or at the very least I pay out of pocket for one.

Instead of speculation why don't we ask redline, amsoil, Lucas, rp, etc as to why, some I don't know their rep, they don't have a hto-06 rating? More likely hto-06 rating is "monster cable (digital HD interconnects)" of oil.. I will do a uoa at 52000. i hate how much rp costs so the monster cable goes the same at rp price.

friesm2000

iTrader: (4)

rereading my post, i don't mean so much you gotta stick to dealer oil, but more of keeping on regular oil changes (along with using a higher quality oil), and not pushing the ABSOLUTE limits of the oil



and just for reference....


http://www.2ndgen.info/DIY/ServiceNews/2006/B060700.pdf


and personally i don't like mobil 1, i prefer Schaffer's oil

http://schaefferoil.com/supreme_9000.html

and if anything the engine could use a bit more protection from a slightly heavier weight oil, then the 0 weight shit


you do know the turbo is unique to the rdx, especially with the variable geometry system on it..... so GL with fitting an aftermarket turbo onto the manifold....

pickler

i was told that my dealership oil is mobil full synthetic. so i don't see the point of paying more for mobil 1 or any other synthetic oil. dealer oil is good enough and has worked well for my car. also since its a turbo i don't like to mess with its food. i have heard lots of horror stories about turbo engines xD

as for my other cars they all get castrol gtx high mileage and dealer oil for the beamer (also mobil). my favourite synthetic is castrol edge but i'm not sure wether i should switch my 135 and RDX to it since the manual asks for mobil 1 (kind of).

Kaze66218

Don't get me wrong I like mobil 1 & Penz platinum but being fed that Mobile 1 is the only sause the rdx can have is rubbish, all because of a turbo????

Unique I the fact that the compressor is spun by exhaust gasses? Friendly post, here...Unique it has a coolant vein? Still friendly ... Turbo- log mani's like the one on our rdx is really not that hard to replicate with a new t3 flange or what not. Love to have a Ram horn mani back there, just to say I have one and the benefits that come with it.

Variable flow turbo schmarger is hype for Acura innovation. But really these turbos aren't hard to replace.

Anyway,
But the point of my original post was that just because an oil doesn't have the hto-06 cert, doesn't make it anyless better(some are better) than ones that do have the cert.

Also if people are so worried about their engine's warranty why don't they include a magnetic drain plug for warranty purposes from the factory: tranny and engine oil. Why not do uoa's?

mrgold35

What make Mobil 1 EP extended performance compared to regular Mobil 1?

Additional additives, better detergents, different synthetic structure of the molecules, or just a label on the bottle to sell at a higher price?

I purchase my oil from Wal-Mart to take to the dealership for change. I’m not sure if the Mobil EP is worth the extra $8 compared to the regular stuff. If the EP provided just a little bit more protection, it would be worth spending the extra $16-$24 extra per year for oil changes.

Kaze66218

Here's some food for thought this is Honda enthusiasts discussion on Acura's bs standard.
http://www.honda-tech.com/showthread.php?t=2798449

Now bob is the oil guy had a discussion about m1 hto-06 and I remember somewhere there was meantion of extended performance as well.
http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums...Number=1238058

friesm2000

iTrader: (4)

more the fact that you pay more for dealership oil changes... then even a good quality independent shop


as far as messing with it's food, that's gas.....; oil would be more it's blood with the oil pump being it's heart




and as far as switching the 135 and RDX to castrol edge; i don't really see an issue with that, the biggest thing i see is staying ON TOP of the oil changes, along with using a QUALITY OIL (which castrol is very often); especially with turbo engines putting the kind of heat they can put into the oil and just flatout breaking it down faster then naturally aspirated motors can.... (also a quality filter helps too, to filter out any crap that may get into the oil itself)

also depending on the TL with if it is a Type-S or not, and how you like to drive it,,,,,, might not hurt to put edge in either






btw you partly know why so many cars "recommend" mobil 1.....

it's called marketing, and capturing a market share by branding your name on stuff






and fyi some of the older BMWs actually recommended castrol oil (iirc E46 M3 is one)

friesm2000

iTrader: (4)

fab work of a new mani is easier for some people then others though


as far as electronics wise, not too bad BUT it still have to be a custom map from a Hondata tuner though, due to the flow charistics of every turbo (CEL would also require the tune to be custom too, to turn it off for the specific codes related to the variable part of the turbo, since not alot of other people do turbo swaps on the RDX)
so by the time you pay for a custom tune, the labor to make/mod a manifold, and just getting it to just out right, RUN CORRECTLY; it is easier alot of times to just go buy a stock replacement turbo (or get the current one rebuilt)


but now if you are looking for a bit more power then the stock turbo can provide, thats a different story there....

XLR8R

Well here's my take, based on the BITOG thread cited above.

HTO-06 testing is based on aged oil:
It would be reasonable to asume that the oil aging allowed by the standard is within the limits of the Maint Minder. Oil aged beyond the limits of the Maint Minder would no longer meet the standard for warranty and such.

M1 Extended Performance probably works just fine up to the age limit of the Maint Minder. It might continue to meet the standard for some time beyond the Maint Minder, but how would Honda specify that? The Maint Minder is calibrated for M1, not M1 EP.

So without any means to measure the longer drain interval of EP, there is little point in certifying it. If it must be drained on the Maint Minder schedule, there is no benefit to the higher cost of EP.

pickler

I know it's partly marketing, but still the maintenance reminder is tuned for oem oil right. so I don't see any benifits for running more expensive oil that the engine can't take any advantage of. only benefit for thr extended performance oil I see is longer oil change intervals of 20000km. ofc this is not possible with RDX. it's just like high octane gas isn't it. a corolla doesn't make more power if you fill it up with high octane. secondly I think quality of oem oil is good. back when I was a tank chief engineer we ran the engine on sardine oil during an excersise and it all went fine. I don't think the engine will benifit from ext performance in terms of life if I switch oils. I have run my cars before purly on oem oil, my old Mitsubishi galant did 700,000km before I sold it. my corolla is hitting 400,000 km and doesn't burn a drop, although I have switched to castrol gtx high mileage now just like my TL.

russianDude

Longer drain interval is not equal to better protection. Regular Mobil1 might provide better protection, but only for shorter intervals.

dcmodels

Mobil 1 'regular' 5W30 bottles manufactured since 1 Jan 2011, no longer state APPROVED FOR HTO-06, but RECOMMENDED for HTO-06, which is NOT the same thing. APPROVED means it has been licensed by Honda. RECOMMENDED means it is NOT LICENSED BY HONDA.

The Mobil 1 EP (extended performance) 5W30 bottles (since 1 Jan 2011) also state RECOMMENDED for HTO-06 use, with the exact same language as the 'regular' 5w30 Mobil 1 bottles.

The (only two that I saw) UOAs (on the BITOG site) for RDX Mobil 1 5W30 oil, drained/ changed at the MID time-interval, both showed the oil sheared down to (or near to) 5W20 weight.

I have started using EP 5W30 oil, but use the same drain interval that I use with the regular Mobil 1 oil 5W30. I use the EP version because of the increased additive package (over the ‘regular’ Mobil oil). I figure that turbo needs all of the extra oil protection it can get. JMO

I am assuming that the Mobil 1 oil is no long licensed for HTO-06 use as an EXON cost saving measure - licenses cost money. Both the 'regular' 5W30 Mobil 1 and the EP 5W30 version IS licensed for the new GM DEXOS-1 requirement, stating that the oil is APPROVED for this GM oil specification.

Of course, there is always the possibility that meeting the DEXOS-1 spec would not meet the HONDA HTO-06 spec. I wonder how we could know for sure?

russianDude

I think you got it other way around, regular Mobil1 is approved by Honda, but Mobil1 EP meets HTO6 specs as per Exxon own testing. Regular Mobil1 is still the official product for RDX as per Honda, but Exxon is basically saying that they tested Mobil1 EP and it meets HTO-6 as well. Politics aside, both are safe for RDX, but I would not pay extra for Mobil1 EP if you plan to change your oil when MID tells you. IMHO>

dcmodels

No, please read the labels for yourself - neither is APPROVED (licensed) by Honda. Make certain that you are reading a CURRENTLY manufactured label. If regular Mobil1 were approved by Honda, it would state APPROVED on the label, but it does NOT.

I have no problem using either the regular or EP in my own RDX - I am simply pointing out what is stated on the oil labels.

Your choice of course - I simply explained my own choice.

TruckerBomb

Change it every weekend, problem solved.

Philbert

It's interesting that the "original" HTO-06 oil is no longer "approved." Perhaps Mobil figures that with speculation of only one more model year of this engine, and the likelihood that 2012 RDX owners manuals and oil fill caps are already in production with the Mobil 1 logo on them, it no longer matters what the bottle itself actually says. I just picked up a box of the 5w30 from Costco over the weekend, so I'll have to check the bottles tonight.

Regarding EP vs "standard" Mobil 1, the bias is to longevity vs any increase in protection.

I was one of the owners who posted a UOA at bobistheoilguy (and referenced it here) to get a sense of how conservative the oil life monitor is in the RDX.

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums...Number=2157687

Of interest, and also linked in that thread, is a comparison to another RDX owner who had posted his UOA from a couple of years ago. The wear metals were very similar between the two reports (both changed around 5% oil life), as was the TBN (total base number, indicative of remaining additive life) - yet my change covered only about 2,600 miles of short distance commuting over 9 months, while his covered around 6,000 miles of mixed driving.

The take away was confirmation that the OLM does take into account the type of driving you do, in addition to how much, when calling for a change, and overall is somewhat conservative in nature. I wouldn't push too much further with the EP formulation as the OLM won't know what "extra reserve" may be in the oil. I would just save the money and change regular Mobil 1 (or Pennzoil Platinum, etc) when the minder hits 0%.

edit: dcmodels, that last paragraph wasn't directed to you, but to the OP. nothing wrong with running EP and changing when the minder says to, or doing the same with Amsoil 0w30 that is recommended for HTO-06. It would be great if you did a UOA of EP to see what it looks like compared to regular Mobil 1 when both are changed at the recommended time.

Philbert

If it's an Acura dealer, they should be using regular Mobil 1 (which is Mobil's "full synthetic"). I watched my local dealer pull regular retail looking quarts out of a case when doing my change. You'd think they'd get it in bulk... maybe just out that day.

mav238

Get your Penn Platinum from Walmart and change it yourself, only $30.00, including filter. I do this DIY every 3 months, no issues with the oil thus far. Doing it at the dealer is just paying too much for a service you can do yourself. Plus, the RDX is high enough to get under the car and drop the oil.

russianDude

This is from mobil1 website, not sure what is the confusion. It says Mobil1 5w-30 has Honda/Acura builder approvals

Mobil 1 5W-30 has the following builder approvals:
General Motors dexos1™ (license number GB1B0215015) dexos1 logo
Honda / Acura HTO-06


Mobil 1 Extended Performance 5W-30 meets or exceeds the requirements of:
ILSAC GF-5
API SN, SM, SL, SJ
ACEA A1/B1, A5/B5
Ford WSS-M2C946-A
Honda HTO-06

-----------
But 5w30 EP only meets requirements of HTO-6.

dcmodels

Web sites are seldom updated (in a timely fashion) to reflect the latest oil formulations or license agreements. Slow updates of the Mobil 1 web site is not at all unusual. This would hardly be the first time for them.

The only confusion is that you are refusing to READ the labels of the latest oil on sale in the store. So check the date code on the bottle that you read. I do not care what the web site says.

I have only reported what is printed on the latest label. While Mobil 1 5W30 may be licensed for HTO-06, it does NOT state that on the bottle, which is what I reported.

Anyone who wishes can simply read what is actually printed on the bottles.