rdxowner2007

The first time, my RDX came up with 15% oil life remaining message, I took it to the dealership for an oil change. The RDX had about 6,200 miles on it at that time.

Now the mileage is about 9,500, and the 15% oil life remaining message has come on again. So this time the RDX is asking for an oil change within 3,500 miles.

I have driven several vehicles so far on the same routes I normally take and I usually get an oil change about every 6,000 - 7000 miles. I have never had any problems as all my vehicles have lasted a long time.

I think the RDX asking for an oil change with less than 3,500 miles since the last oil change is too soon, and too expensive.

a) Is there a problem with the RDX, compared with other cars? I noticed several threads in the forum with people concerned about too frequent oil changes.

b) Are the sensors that sense the need for the oil change, messed up? (The dealer said he does not believe there is any problem with the vehicle, and refused to check for problems either)

c) Can it be a setting that dealers can adjust so that they make you show up for oil change frequently? That's because the first time, I needed an oil change after 6000 miles and after that oil change with the dealer, the next oil change came up in about 3000 miles without any change in driving habits or the driving environment.

d) Is the RDX burning up the oil or leaking the oil (without really dripping on the floor)?

e) Is there a cheaper way to get the oil change? Do I need to go to a dealer and $70 for oil change?

porsherules911

yes DIY FTW I've changed oil at 4400, 8800, 13,000 and each time the oil life was at 0%. It may be a bit frequent but then again my other cars didn't have a turbo either so I'm certainly not complaining...

weeeerd

a) No. Alot of different factors play into the oil life remaining, driving type, city/highway, etc.

b) there are no sensors. see a.

c) there is no setting the dealers can change. again, see a.

d) it could be, however, very unlikely. let it sit overnight, check for leaks. start the vehicle, let it run and check it for leaks. if no leaks, it's possible it's burning it. check the oil once you are at 1500, 2500, 3500. if it's fine on the dipstick, see a.

e) bring your own oil to the dealership. you can buy it at AutoZone, Murrays, Discount, etc. All they should charge you for is labor, oil filter, and a crush washer. Our's works out to be 16 bucks. 16 + 25-30 for oil = 45 dollar oil change.

ACURascal

I asked to speak with an Acura technician about the maintenance of the vehicle before I finalized my decision to buy. One of the things that stands out in my mind was that the tech pulled out a service manual AND an owners manual and showed me a few things about how the RDX Onboard Computer / Diagnostics (OBC/D) and Maintenance Minder system calculate the oil change interval. From the 2008 RDX Owners' Manual:

One of the most convenient and important features of the multiinformation display on your vehicle is the maintenance minder. Based on engine operating conditions and accumulated engine revolutions, the onboard computer in your vehicle calculates the remaining engine oil life.

The tech explained that using strict mileage to calculate engine life is OK as a guideline, but to properly care for the engine, you have to factor in the actual engine revolutions. That way the wear on the engine while idling in traffic, at start, and other times is considered. Factoring oil life based only when the transmission is moving doens't do the trick. Especially for a high-tech powertrain like a turbo-4.

mau108

^ makes sense.

Madison3

I've had three oil changes in the 400 days I've had the RDX, and only when the maintenance indicator came up. The average is 5300 miles/130 days between changes.

Sonomaa

What the Tech told you is true, the pcm calculates the maint. interval based on the types of driving you do. It bases it off the readings taken from the sensors that the PCM uses to run the motor.

The short side of the story is it will adjust to your driving habits.

Max's RDX

I have a 2011 RDX. At 1500 miles, the maintenance minder said I had 5% oil life left. The dealership said it may be normal, but checked it out and just reset the light. At 3800 miles, is said it needed a B1 service, so the dealership charged me $165.00 for a B1 service. The car now has 5800 miles, and yet again, it says 5% oil life, service A1 Now Due. I have called acura USA several times. They said that is normal for that vehicle. Really, a car that is less than a year old needs 3 oil changes with less than 5800 miles. Can someone give me some knowledge for this one!

JCRDX11

I change the oil on my RDX 4 times since I purchase last year. 2011)

It was 12000 miles right now.
Normally I wait until the 10 - 15% remaining oil light.

First time - I brought it to a gas station and was charge +$70 for it.
Afterward I purchase a jack, oil pan, oil wrench and learn from this forum the DIY oil change.

Change the last 3 times myself - it is super easy and quick.
Can't believe I paid $70 something for someone to do it.

Now it cost me $32-$36 to do my own oil change including the filter. (Both mobil 1)

hhrdx08

Do you reset the oil life to 100% by pressing and holding onto the button at the oil-life screen? TIA

JCRDX11

Yes - I drive mostly highway miles and everyday so maybe that is why I need to change my oil sooner.

Carbon2008RDX

It seems the Maintenance Minder ticks at 10% increments approximately once a month regardless. I drive way less miles than a lot of you guys but still within 10 months at most I'll be at 15% oil life remaining or less.

dcmodels

Without knowing the specific conditions under which your vehicle is being driven, there is no way to determine if the service intervals you have stated are 'normal' or not.

1500 miles for the first oil change could be perfectly 'normal' for your own driving habits. And I cannot believe that the dealer would reset the MID and allow it to 'count-down' again before changing the oil.

From my own personal (actually wife's) '09 RDX:

1) first oil change at 3900 miles at 15%. At about 1800 miles the MID was 40%, yet did not hit 15% until 3900 miles. WHY? well, from 100% down to 40% was only city driving under 40mph, approximately 1 hour per trip. From 40% down to 15% was highway driving at 60-75mph, mostly non-stop. So that was 1800 miles for the MID to drop 60% (100-40% = 300 miles/ 10%), and then 2100 miles to drop 25% (40-15% = 840 miles/ 10%).

2) my RDX is 99% driven less than 10 miles per trip, and 50% less than 2 miles per trip. It consistently hits 15% between 3500 and 4000 miles. That is over 3 years and 22K miles. So I know that the MID in my own vehicle is very consistent, because the driving conditions are very consistent.

3) My RDX has been on a couple of 2000 miles trips, mostly highway driving. And yes, under those conditions, after 2K miles the MID will only drop 20%, which means it would hit 15% around 8,000 miles if all of the miles were highway.

4) Lots of city idling will also cause the MID to trigger sooner. Remember that the algorithm considers number of engine revolutions.

5) Lots of TURBO usage will also cause the MID to trigger sooner. My wife, who primarily drives the car, pays no attention to how or when the turbo is engaged. Perhaps you do not either. For example, there is a small hill, about 200 feet high, two blocks from home. There is a traffic light at the bottom of the hill, and it is almost impossible not to spool-up the turbo to maximum just climbing that hill, beginning from a stop at the bottom (at the light).

6) If every time you leave a traffic light the turbo spools-up, and you do a lot of city driving, the MID is going to hit 15% MUCH SOONER than if the turbo is rarely used.

CONCLUSION:
With my own RDX I have noticed that a 10% drop in the MID reporting, can occur after only 200 miles. That would be 1700 miles down to 15%.

And a 10% drop in the MID reporting, can occur after 850 miles. That would be 7225 miles down to 15%.

It just depends upon how the vehicle is driven (and whether I am driving or my wife is driving), and whether the weather is very hot or very cold, and whether the trips are very short or very long, and whether the average speed is slow (stop and go) or constant highway speeds.

So sure, the oil change intervals that you have reported could be perfectly reasonable, depending upon _your_ driving habits.

QUESTION:
The '1' in your MID code means rotate the tires, and the last one you say occurred at 5800 miles after a previous code at 3800 miles. That is a tire rotation after 2K miles.

If the MID can really determine lots of 'twisty' driving, e.g., lots of curves at high speeds, than I must assume that you are driving the RDX fairly hard. That also might account for low mile oil changes. Is that your driving style? heavy throttle and high speed turns? just wondering.

---eof

MMike1981

lol what am i missing ... car needs an oil change every 3-4k? sounds just about 99% normal for the RDX, or a vehicle of its type with a turbo. the RDX is NOT a 6k/oil change vehicle. not sure who may have told u that or why you may believe that, but whatever your other car was is NOT the RDX, and it sounds perfectly normal. i would NOT start messing with calculations or resetting the MID just because you may think you dont need to change the oil. setting up for more problems.

freddieb

I consistently get 12000 kms between oil changes. I drive 200 kms a day down farm roads. I use Pennzoil Platinum and Mobil One filters. I was expecting the maintenance for this car to be a lot more than my honda accord and that is not the case because I get twice as much between oil changes. I looked at HTO-06 oil ratings and Mobil One was not necessarily the best.

5 Acuras

iTrader: (1)

20K miles in 14 months with 3 oil changes so far using the 15% light as my guide. And I go to the local Honda dealer whose labor rates are less than the Acura dealer.

Vividsi

I am about to switch from the blue honda filter to the Mobil 1 in hopes that it filters better and lasts a little longer due to the difference in materials.

VietNinjaJ30A1

DIY is very easy on the RDX. I don't even have to jack up the car (coming from a lowered Accord). 4.9 qt of Mobil1 (~$26) and a Pureolator PureOne filter (~$6). Beats the ~$80 that Acura wants from me. I also find it ironic that the oil cap says "Use Only Mobil1" but my one oil change invoice from Acura says they use Castrol.

Vividsi

I thought it was 5 quarts even.

JohnK23A1

I change mine everyone 4000km/3-4month. The reason is that i drive in S most of the time, and a lot of short trips.

dc1225

Guys I seem to be having an issue with frequent oil changes. Since Feb 1st I've had 3 oil changes. the service light comes on every 1.5-2 months instead of 3. By mileage, it comes on about 2200 miles after oil change, 1.5 mo prior to being 3 months. I think this is kinda crazy.

I was thinking this could be PCM/ECU issue. Has anyone figured out the issue?

dcmodels

The MID has no clock, so how would it know when 3-months has passed.

The MID does NOT go by mileage, but by engine operational hours, revs, etc. What is the AVERAGE SPEED (mph) correlated to the 2200 miles between your oil change? the slower the average speed, the fewer miles between MID oil change request. There is a big difference in miles between 20mph and 50mph, for the same number of hours of operation.

Tomtwtwtw

Mine averages out to over 7k miles between changes. Really the only way you'd get 2k is by driving only short trips and never shifting out of 2nd gear. I'd say something is wrong with the way it's calculating.

dcmodels

And maybe the commute is simply 1.0 miles, as mine once was - easy to determine if the OP replies with the AVERAGE SPEED. Maybe he spends a lot of time stopped, with the engine idling, also, in winter or very hot conditions. 2K engine oil changes are completely possible - seriously doubt anything is wrong with the MID.

tigersfa8

I drive a fair amount on my vehicle, but the last time I changed my oil was 10/20/14, at 105,000 miles. Currently I have 109,000 miles. I read that it is good to change my oil around 5-6000 miles, or every 4 months, whichever comes first.

So would it be good to change my oil soon even though the MID minder hasn't told me to change my oil now?I believe it is at 30-40%.

I change my own oil, use full synthetic mobil 1, and change out the oil filter each time.

Thanks.

Tomtwtwtw

Curious where you read that? I only ask because I read in my owner's manual I should change my oil when the MID signals for it.

Seriously though, just do your routine oil level checks and go by the MID and you'll be fine.

tigersfa8

So the length of how long the oil sits in the car doesn't matter? Even if it is 6-8 months and the MID doesn't signal for it, it is still ok?

Other older cars they suggest you change the oil every 3 months or 3000 miles, like a camry and such.

Thanks ~

Tomtwtwtw

That should also be covered in the manual. Can't recall exactly what it says, but it should be something to the tune of "change oil at least once per year even if the MID doesn't come on", and "if you're not sure when the last oil change was, get one done pronto".

Kaputnik

This was a big advertising campaign of the quickie oil change companies like Jiffy Lube or Grease Monkey; typically way ahead of what the owners manuals called for.

I even read an article not too long ago about how much oil the 3k/3000 mile myth was wasting in California alone, and possibly outlawing this claim.

Motomano

Just found this very interesting thread, the manual ( in Spanish) for my 2007 Base Model says: oil change every 5000 km, use Acura 5W30 Dexos spec or Mobil 1...
Since the PO didn't reset the minder when he performed the oil changes, now the MID shows about half between oil changes, I asked him about, he didn't was aware the Maintenace Reminder should be reset when the oil change is performed, he told me the Maintenance minder showed at certain intervals for NO particular reason and explained how to reset it, then I grabbed the manual and found about, called him again and asked how he was aware of the next oil change, he replied: I used the A trip meter.... So judging by this, the next oil change will be on the next 500 km. And the minder will be reset, I bet for the first time since the oil changes were performed out of an Acura dealer.
Could not find any info on the remaining oil life on the MID menu anyway.

Ckca98

I don't watch the mileage - The manual doesn't say when, I guess I should trust the electronics. I had figured on synth oil every 6 m s/b good. But my 2014 rdx has run totally dry on oil twice - the first time I was a bit late - nearer 7 months, and the emissions light had come on. bONe DRY. Had Acura do the fix. Now it's only 5 months and again bone dry- I poured in a quart and let the car sit. Four hours later I moved it and every warning light came on(except change oil). Both times was barely at 40%. What gives? Mostly I have a short 15km one way mostly highway commute but otherwise mainly city. Now the car drives shaky and sounds odd. Wondering should I have it towed to the dealer?

Tomtwtwtw

Trust the electronics to tell you when to change the oil, trust your eyes and the dipstick to tell you if there's actually oil in the car. Both of these should be routine.

If you're losing more than a few ounces of oil between changes (some will blow by, common on boosted engines), then something is wrong. Considering you have a 2014 (and are technically posting in the wrong forum... )your oil consumption should be nil. Dealer may through some crap about it needing to be more than 1 qt per 1000 miles to be considered excessive consumption, but I'd rather compare it against the vast majority of people who don't lose any measurable oil at all.

DRR98

Ckca98, bone dry? That means if you pulled the oil drain plug no oil would drain out.

Did that happen? Or was it very low, not showing oil on the dipstick.

What do you mean by you changed the oil "a bit late"?

Did you buy this car new?

Did the maint minder go to 0%, or even past that?

If you went past the 0% left, the dealer will see that. And may say you voided the warranty by not changing the oil in time and/or letting the oil go below proper level.

What exactly did the dealer do when as you said "had Acura do the fix? "

Normally the dealer will do an oil loss test. They fill with oil to the correct level, and put a seal over the oil fill cap. Then you return in a specified time period to see if you are in fact losing oil.

Pick a new dealer if they wont help you, but you may have no recourse. You can also petition the zone rep for a good faith repair exception.

The above post mentions blow by on boosted motors. I'm pretty sure the 3rd gen has n/a motor. ; )

Tomtwtwtw

Which is explained by the sentence following the mention of boosted motors. And 2014 is 2nd gen.

Jdrum1

Wow.......Come on, you got to give us an update on this!

My 150k mile '09 doesn't consume a drop; something is majorly wrong.

DRR98

"If you're losing more than a few ounces of oil between changes...

'(some will blow by, common on boosted engines), then something is wrong. Considering you have a 2014'...

(and are technically posting in the wrong forum... )your oil consumption should be nil." (parenthesizes added)

Silly me, I got confused when you used these 2 sentences together.

I'm sorry that's all you came away with from my post.

Well that and the fact that I called the 3rd iteration of RDX (new body and features) with the 3rd gen.

I've got a long way to go to be perfect! Cheers

Ckca98

Ok sorry all - I am tech challenged and could not get logged back in! Also explains my being in the wrong forum - oh well.
Thanks for all the comments and responses - really really appreciate them.
Update - I was not an idiot about the car. Brand new leased car, checked my records and first oil change was on time. Second I got no indicator - just the emission light then the bad news about "totally dry". Towed the car to the dealer and after a week they finally figured out what was wrong. A piston Ring was missing - at assembly.

We are now fighting Acura to replace the entire engine.

Tomtwtwtw

Wow, that is insane! Definitely should get the whole engine replaced. No ring + running dry likely adds up to some ugly scoring on that cylinder wall. I'm honestly amazed that wasn't making a racket once the oil was gone. Good luck on that fight.

DRR98

Wow. QC is that lax?

Hope it works out ok.

stantym

I have Acura RDX 2014. It burns 2 quarts of 0W20 synthetic oil every 3,500 miles. is this normal for ACURA RDX ?