Acura743

I changed my car's oil at 105,000 miles ( got the car at 99k miles) and I know that it's recommended to change around 3-4k miles. Since my semester is over and I won't be driving much should I leave the current oil (currently at 108k miles) or change it now and let the new oil sit until next august?

Acura tsx 1st gen 05

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Nicks2001tl

Change it.

Here is everything you need to know about storing a car for an extended period of time.

https://acurazine.com/forums/car-tal...months-957908/

AZuser

No it's not. 2005 Acura TSX owner's manual (page 195) states:

Replace engine oil: Every 5,000 miles (8,000 km) or every 6 months, whichever comes first.

That recommendation is probably based on regular non-synthetic oil. If you're using synthetic and a quality filter, you could double that (i.e. 8,000-10,000 miles or every 12 months). But the only way to know for sure is to get a used oil analysis

Ken1997TL

And check the oil level too!

mrgold35

I have an 06 TSX with +140,000 miles I handed down to my son for his college car with syn oil. He doesn't drive the same amount of hwy mileage like I did; but, a lot more short trip starts/stops. Syn oil does a better job of coating metal parts and causing less wear at start ups. It would be fine to keep the 5K oil change schedule with conventional oil if you drive to normal operation temp a few times a week. I would change the oil with reg or syn if it going to sit until school starts in the fall semester. I would even think about a fuel stabilizer if the car is going to sit for +3 months. A little extra insurance with all the ethanol, detergents, and summer/winter blends that might have different shelf lives.

hanknj

wow, had no idea... I've been getting synthetic since I bought it and always been changing it 5k miles... wish I knew this prior, so I could of gotten more for my $$$$

mrgold35

I use Mobil 1 high mileage syn oil in my TSX and still stick with the M.I.D. 5K oil change interval. I could do 3-4 oil changes per year when I had the TSX as my primary driver. My son might take 10-12 months between changes because he is just running around the campus. I'm fine with waiting for the M.I.D. schedule since I am using syn oil. I purchase my syn oil at Walmart to take to the dealership to change. Bringing my own oil cuts the A1 dealership price for service down to $26; which, includes a multi-point inspection and (half ass) car wash.

I was checking out the new Jaguar F-Pace and it has a 16,000 mile syn oil change interval.

BROlando

Pretty much any semi modern car should be able to go 15K miles or 1 year on a synthetic oil change.

The MID doesn't know or care what type of oil you use. It was desgined to measure oil temps, RPM, and other driving factors and compare them to the life span and drain interval of the oil that is described in the owner's manual - a non synthetic 5W30 from the era when they developed the car's parameters (probably around 04-05).

If you're using synthetic and changing every 5K miles...you're wasting your money. A conventional oil would be fine doing that.

If the car was not developed with synthetic oil as part of the MID's parameters, then the only way to dial in your synthetic oil interval is to do a used oil analysis.

I use 10K mile intervals on my 06 TSX. Probably also a waste. I'm doing a used oil analysis this time around. We'll see if I can stretch to the 15K miles.

FWIW, we also have a 2nd gen TSX. That car was developed using synthetic or synthetic blend. The MID pops up to 15% around 9K miles in summer, and 8k miles in winter.

mrgold35

I don't mind using syn oil and keeping the 5K M.I.D. interval. I'm thinking about the added protection syn oil because:
- smaller molecules to coat/lube engine parts better to help reduce wear at start up,
- keeping the internal parts cleaner with reduced sludge build up,
- less oil break down and acid build-up like you get with conventional oil
- better flow at extreme cold and hot temps (I've gone as low as 10 degrees on a ski trip in Jan to +115 degrees on a trip to Phoenix a few months later using the same oil)

I figure the price difference of only $7-$12 more compared to conventional motor (Walmart, Sam's, or Amazon Prime). Very small $$ compared to the potential long term return to engine health (planning to take the TSX to 200k min).

BROlando

I gotcha. I use synthetic for the same reasons also. It just doesn't need to be changed every 5K is all. No worries if you feel better changing it at 5K.

Since you mentioned the Jaguar needing 15K mile services, I was just pointing out that just about any MID designed on the parameters of syntheic oil will do 10-15K intervals.

I am also planning on 200K min. I am at 160K right now. But...a 200K mile run can easily be done even in a badly maintained TSX. These cars were built to keep going!

If the midwest hasn't ruined mine by 200K, there won't be much reason for me to get rid of it even then. I use 0W30 or 0W40 for better startup protection.