For the most part, I try to change oil every 3500 miles, even though Acura recommends changing it every 5000 though. My car has around 51,550 miles now and I am the original owner. I used to change it every 3000 miles and the last few years have changed it around every 3500 miles. There may have been one time where I let it go to almost 4000 miles but never over that. I also try to find coupons for oil changes when I bring it to the dealer since oil changes without a coupon run close to 40 dollars. Other places charge less, but for some reason I just feel comfortable bringing it to Acura for oil changes.

How often do you change oil and what kind of oil do you use?

Thanks.

 

~5000mi
Mobil1 Synthetic Oil Filter
Lubro Moly Full Synthetic 5W-30 or AMSOIL Full Synthetic 5W-30

I have to add oil in between changes though since some seems to just disappear!

 

How many quarts do you usually put in for each oil change?

 

As close to 4.5 quarts as I can. I try to remember to check the dip every 25-30 days after a change to see when it's getting too low. I mostly don't though and the light reminds me once or twice a year. I keep a spare quart in the trunk for that.

 

Thanks. I'm not sure if I'm imagining this, but why does it feel that the car always run a little bit smoother immediately after an oil change and then towards after about 3000 miles it doesn't feel as smooth as it did when the oil is brand new? For me, the car seems to run somewhat smoother immediately after changing the oil. Could it possibly be because some oil is lost? I may take this advice and check the dip in between oil changes. I usually just bring it to the dealer every 3500 miles and have it changed.

 

I would bet that feeling is due to the oil consumption. More oil helps insulate sound. There are multiple threads regarding oil consumption in Acuras and you'll see a range of reasons that people list for what causes it.

 

I change the oil and filter at around 7500 miles, and have been using Quaker State full synthetic 5W-30 with Purolator PureONE or Honda OE filters. The Honda recommended change interval for my 05 is 10K miles (and if you can believe it, 20K miles for the filter). The car has always been driven on the highway, so I feel the normal change intervals are appropriate. All that said, I had the used oil analyzed intermittently and found that 7500 miles is a very conservative interval (Blackstone has been adamant about my being able to go longer without issue). Changing your oil and filter at anything less than 5K miles is a waste of time, energy, oil, and money (IMHO), but if it makes you feel good, then do it. 50 years ago, a 3K mile interval was probably appropriate given the technology of engines, oil, and filters. But we've come a long way, and though old habits die hard, some of us have embraced the ability to change our oil and filter less often.

Oh, my 05 has 175K miles on it, and wife's 07 is at around 167K. My 05 uses no oil between changes, and the 07 may need 1/2 a quart after 4K miles or so. We're the original owners, and I feel confident that my schedule has been successful.

 

Thanks for you response. I see you are using synthetic oil. I've only used regular 5W-30 which is one reason why I am changing oil around 3500 miles.

I am thinking about switching over to synthetic oil.

Does the car run better when using synthetic oil?

Thanks.

 

I bought my car in August and it was running on synthetic oil. I did an oil change with some Shell Rotella (Motomaster Formula 1 synthetic in Canada) with a Fram XG (really good reviews) oil filter and noticed that the car accelerated more smoothly off the line and in the mid range. 2 months later, it's still smoother than when it was running on conventional oil. When I say smooth, I mean to say that I could feel less vibration and harshness through the accelerator pedal.


Acceleration was the same, although I feel with synthetic, the car seems to rev quicker! But a key deciding factor in me picking synthetic oil is that it is much easier for your car to start in cool/colder weather (mid October-April for me). The engine is not starved for oil on cold starts like it is with regular oil, which gets congealed (flows less willingly) when very cold. Using synthetic oil will also put less wear on your starter and starting system during colder weather as well.


Above all, synthetic oil can be had cheap nowadays (unless you want the high end stuff if you race your car - Royal Purple/ Amsoil).

I stocked up on synthetic oil (5 liter bottles) when it was $16 a jug. Try getting it on sale, and you'll be glad you did.

Credible websites online like 'bob is the oil guy' have shown synthetic oil to increase HP and torque by a very marginal amount, and to increase fuel efficiency between 1 and 4 %. Not bad.

I change my oil twice a year (every 6,000 miles) on synthetic. On previous vehicles, I would change it every 3500 miles on regular oil.

As you can see, using synthetic oil CAN be cost effective, if you get it on sale. Anything under $25 for a 5 liter jug is a pretty decent deal

 

Thanks.

This is exactly how I feel a few months after a regular oil change. Seems like the car doesn't ride quite as smooth as when I first had the oil change. It's not a huge difference, but there seems to be more harshness through the accelerator pedal. Think I might try synthetic oil during my next oil change. Sounds like a good idea.

 

Every 5000 miles with Castrol Syntec Synthetic Blend

 

People might not share my opinion on this one, but I don't think the K motors should go over 4500 miles between oil changes ( regular of synthetic oil ). I know lots of people have good luck with this motor, but in my experience they don't do well with extended oil change intervals. I have had tons of k24 motors slip timing chains. It is always caused by extended oil change times. Most being under 100k on the odometer. If anyone wants an exact explanation, you can pm me or call me at my shop. For the cost of an oil change, trying to push the interval is crazy. For people worried about the environmental impact of frequent oil change, don't worry about it. My oil ( and every other shops oil ) is recycled. Oil companies pay for the used oil, and resell it to companies like evergreen oil. It is recycled and turned back into useable oil.

 

I change my oil in both my TL and TSX:

Mobil 1 Synthetic: Every 2500 Miles
Transmission Fluid Change: Every 7500 Miles

People say its a waste of money, but its a piece of mind thing for me, but it helps me build a personal relationship with Acura, as they do all of my maintenance work, and if something goes wrong they make sure Corporate hears about it and hooks me up if something goes wrong with my car and I am out of the Warranty period. It has happened a couple of times and Valley Stream Acura has always done the right thing with me.

I have had Acuras since 1997, and had Hondas since 1984, they great cars for the money and as long as you treat them right they will treat you right, just my

 

hondaacurapro:

I have several questions. Thank you in advance for any input.

1) When you say you have had "tons of K24 motors slip timing chains", how many does this mean exactly? 10, 20, 30 cars or more?

2) Of those cars with the K24 motor, how many have been Acura TSX cars?

3) What other Acura and Honda cars have the same same K24 engine as the Acura TSX?

4) Do you believe that the problem of sliping timing chains is caused by extended oil change intervals OR low oil levels? My belief was that TSX cars with oil burning problems also tend to stretch the timing chain if the oil levels gets too low.

In your profession opinion, based on your experience, do you believe that slipping (stretching) of timing chains can occur if the cars have NEVER had oil burning problems and the Oil always stays at the very top of the dipstick hash mark?

Or do you believe that the timing chain can skip only or mostly in cars with extended oil service intervals that also have oil burning problems (as slight as those problems may be)?

5) What happens when a car gets a stretched or slipped timing chain? Is the car going to leave the driver totally stranded or will it still have enough power to limp back home? Do the symptoms of the problem make the car seem as if the car is misfiring and just does not have enough power?

Thanks again for any info.

 

You change the oil every 2500? or 25000?

I thought you could go much longer with synthetic without having to change the oil. If you change it every 2500 miles, why put synthetic and not just regular conventional oil?

I am paying about $5.50 for every quart of regular oil. Does synthetic cost about $10 dollars a quart?

 

Synthetic oil is just better oil. It provides better adhesion for cold starts, has more sheer strength when hot (doesn't break down, and/or lose it's ability to maintain the original viscosity rating), and it may retain it's lubricating qualities longer, but.... it gets dirty just like any other oil. A common myth (or assumption) is that it lasts longer that conventional motor oil. For the most part this isn't true. There are oils (supposedly) specifically formulated for longer use, but again, I drop back to my opinion that the only true way to determine what's going on with the oil (and the engine) is to have the oil tested (consider it a complete blood test for your car's engine, and it costs less than an oil change). I think synthetic is worth the upgrade, but that's my choice. I can usually find the 5 quart jug of Quaker State synthetic 5W-30 at Walmart for around $20.

Discussing oil, filters, and change intervals (here anyway), is kind of like talking about beer. Everyone has their favorites, everyone thinks their's is the best, but hopefully we can agree to disagree when viewpoints are different. I've always used what I consider the best (best enough for me anyway) in my cars. I've tried to base my maintenance practices on reality as opposed to opinion, myth, or old wives tails (the 3K mile change interval for instance). My wife and I have driven our two TSX's to within spitting distance of 200K miles at this point, with pretty much zero problems, so I'm unlikely to change anything. That said, those miles have been almost all highway (like 95%). I realize (and so should everyone else) that this makes a huge difference in many things as far as maintenance is concerned, so take that into consideration when mulling over my comments here (and elsewhere, actually). Oh, merry X-mas!

 

Have followed the maintenance minder since my tsx was new. Have all service done by Honda/acura dealers. Mostly used regular oil with a few syn-blend oil used. Car has run excellent.

 

me here, i change oil myself every 3500miles along with the filter, for a 5L that would cost about 20 bucks or so(another 5 for filter), and its 20mins of my day. i'm running full synthetic so i don't mind going over the 3.5k mark. my car runs excellent as well

edit: In summer i run 10w30, and winter i go back to 5w30. it cold starts better imo