bradykp

just take nyc alone. 99.9% of the drivers in nyc drive in severe conditions every time they go somewhere. and yes, just because they live around a metro area doesnt mean the are in a sever commute, especially when you're talking about your situation in st louis, but philly and new york are certainly severe commutes, as are many other metro areas.

and most people take short trips, that's just a fact, quick trips to the grocery store. lots of starting and stopping. i think it leans more towards 75%+. maybe 90% is an exaggeration, but i don't think it's insane. i'd love to see any research on it. must be something out there (probably performed by the oil companies though!)

STL

And they do that precisely because they are ignorant. A lot of people never check their tire pressures either, but that does make it "correct".

Actually you said he knows he doesn't need to change the oil that often, so in that respect we agree. What I can't fathom is why someone would change their oil so often when they know it's a waste of time (and oil). So does he use a syntheic for those 2k oil changes?

bradykp

he knows it's not necessary, but he thinks it is better. which you cannot say definitively that it is not, without some real examples. i can't speak for him entirely, so i can't argue his point either. the bottom line is, he likes cleaner oil in his vehicles, so he changes it more frequently. he does not use synthetic. bu point back to the main point, i do not fully trust the MM, so i will change my oil most likely at regular intervals (such as every 5k or so), rather than wait for mr MM to tell me when.

here's some other opinions on the matter:

http://www.cars.com/go/advice/Story....=&aff=national

http://www.fivecentnickel.com/2006/0...oo-frequently/

March 2, 2006
Don’t Change Your Oil Too Frequently

Here’s a money saving tip for you… Don’t change your oil any more than necessary. The idea of changing you oil every three months or 3,000 miles has been pounded into our heads by the oil change industry for years. But is it really necessary? Maybe, maybe not. But many people buy into the idea that frequent oil changes are “cheap insurance,” so why not do it?

While changing your car’s oil too often won’t hurt it, doing so is a waste of money. And besides, if you go to one of those Quicky-Lube places to get your oil changed, do you really want a minimum wage grease monkey messing with your car any more than is absolutely necessary?

According to Tom and Ray Magliozzi (a.k.a., Click & Clack of Car Talk fame), a general rule of thumb would be to change your oil and filter every 5,000 miles. They do, however, recognize that this will be too soon for many people, and a bit late for a few.

As far as I’m concerned, the best approach is to check your owner’s manual. While some cars still need to have their oil changed every 3,000 miles, others can safely go as far as 10,000 miles between changes. Keep in mind that most manufacturers recommend a shorter interval between oil changes if you drive under ‘extreme conditions’ such as extremely high temperature, exceptionally dirty/dusty operating conditions, regularly towing a load, or frequent short trips in cold weather. If you’re concerned, err on the side of the extreme driving conditions. But there’s no need to blindly follow the 3,000 mile rule of thumb.

STL

I still that that's an exaggeration. For the most part, it really depends on where the live in relation to where they work. I know people who live in NYC and almost exclusively use they cars for long trips (on weekends).

What you don't realize is that for some people a "short trip" is over 5 miles up the road too. It pretty clear you have "big NE city" bias, but there is A LOT more to america than just them!

bradykp

i live in northeast pennsylvania for 18 years near scranton. then in bethlehem pennsylvania for 4 years of college. both small cities, less than 100,000 people, and surrounded by rural areas. all driving on my college's campus was severe, because it was either in very cold weather, very hot weather (+ humidity), and was almost always less than 5 miles.

living near scranton, any time i took a trip to scranton, it was more than 5 miles, usually on the highway, but trips to the grocery store were 3-5 miles, trips to the video store, trips to the post office, etc etc etc.

and that's a small town. so i don't have big city bias (yet).

and your friends who take long trips on the weekends out of NYC, please ask them, because there's millions of people in the area who would love to know how they manage to get anywhere on I80, I95, garden state parkway, lincoln tunnel, holland tunnel, various bridges, and various other roads, without being in "severe" conditions (i.e. insane traffic).

this traffic is virtually all hours of the day. so please, tell them to share their secret! (point is, they are in severe conditions too)

STL

That is odd; if he so worried about having good oil, then you'd think he would be using a synthetic. Although with him changing it so often it'd be even more of a waste to using a synthetic. I am begining to think he just enjoys doing oil changes. Maybe that's his excuse to get out of the house (assuming he married).

I agree with you here, but I'm on the other side. I think the MM system is erring too far on the conservative side. I'm going to follow it for the first oil change (or two) but then I might switch to that the '04/'05 owners manuals says.

bradykp

synthetic is not necessarily better (depending on the vehicle), so that's not 100% factual.


so you're take on it is every 7,500 miles? i forger what the 04/05 schedule is. i'm comfortable with every 5,000 miles (but that's also with about 40% nyc metro driving).

STL

I don't understand why anyone would want to live in NYC. Further thought reminded me that they lived in Boston (and they've since moved back to St. Louis).

STL

True really old cars don't always responed well, but I thought we were talking about more modern cars.

http://www.acura-tsx.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24744

It's actually 10k miles. If I want to get conservative I might split the difference between severe and normal and do 7,500 miles. I also plan to use the larger S2000 oil filters. It'll be easier for me to just have one filter type for both cars, and that larger filter can't hurt.

bradykp

there's ups and downs, the traffic sucks though. salaries are nice.

bradykp

well the mechanic is also towing things, and probably mostly severe driving. in his defense. hahaha.

SodaLuvr

Most filters will last 7500-10000 miles.

Synthetic oil may keep your engine a bit cleaner during longer drains of > 7500 miles.

Otherwise, contamination plays a equal role in determining oil life, so stating that using synthetic oil alone can automatically extend your oil change interval is preposterous.

offset_98

I'm at 2500 miles and at 60% (51-60) so I'm on par to hit my first oil change at 5000 miles too.

Sonnychad

The MM on my '06 MT, showed the "Service soon.." at about 3500 miles with 15% oil life. My daily 20 mile round trip commute is all city driving. The MM seems to accurately reflects the type of driving I do most of the time.

The biggest question I have is where to take it for that first service. Should I take it back to the Acura dealership where I purchased the car (about 30miles away)? A dealer closer to where I live? Or to my local mechanic where I had 94 Accord serviced for the past 4 years?

...BTW - That Accord has over 202K miles ... and the oil/filter was faithfully changed every 3-5k miles.

bradykp

i'd vote for the mechanic. i got ripped off at acura....$150 for service B1. if nothing else, go to honda instead of acura, as honda's prices are lower.

bbdc

MM indicates 15% and B1 when i hit 5500 miles. 90% highway driving. this is my first oil change and it skips A1. seems strange but i will trust MM. if you don't trust acura design, don't buy an acura.

bradykp

mine skipped A1 as well. guess it's not so strange.

2006CGPTSX

I only have done 1 oil change, but I have decide to follow the MID.