qweezyq

Hey,
So I just bought a used 04 TSX with about 33k miles. It appears that traditional oil was being used. Would it be a bad idea to switch to synthetic? Would you recommend switching? how often should I oil change? also, it appears that the dealer didnt do an oil change... should i get one now and start out with fresh oil? Any other suggestions for starting out with a certified used tsx?

Thanks!

Red_TSX

not the best on switching from reg. to synthetix oil. but WELCOME to the forum

junktionfet

The seals used on the engine in your TSX are made of synthetic materials. Your engine will appreciate some fresh synthetic oil and will not experience any ill effects.

jlukja

Hello and welcome. Congrats on your purchase.

There has been a lot of discussion on this board regarding synthetic vs. regular oil. Try searching for threads with the word "synthetic" in the title. Here are a couple to get you started:
https://acurazine.com/forums/showthr...ight=synthetic
https://acurazine.com/forums/showthr...ight=synthetic

I'm going to leave this thread open since this is a somewhat unique topic (switching to synthetic after 33K miles). If another mod thinks this is just a rehash of the old topic then feel free to lock it up.

Now, onto the questions at hand. Personally I think switching to synthetic is a good idea. But, you'll find others who disagree and will tell you its not necessary at all. You will not hurt the car by changing the oil now, whether you switch or not. If you don't know when the last oil change was done then you should do one. As far as frequency is concerned, just follow the recommendations in the manual (our FAQ section has the recommended maintenance schedule). In fact, take a look at that schedule for what should be done at 30K miles and see if you can verify with the dealer if any of those were done. If not, start with that list and at least inspect those items.

Still Water

Yes, go for it. I've done it myself in other cars even with a bit more mileage on them. One rather large caveat, you must remember that 100% syn oil is highly detergent. In short it will "clean" all that it touches. This is why on older, high mileage engines you will loose some of the things (e.g. varnishes, sludge, etc.) that may be keeping you from dropping and/or burning oil. As for your first change-over to syn oil; I'd run it for no more than 3K miles than change it out for new syn oil. The first cycle of syn oil will have a lot of crud in suspension along with other who-knows-what in it. BTW - Syn oil will hold more "stuff" in suspension that dyno oil and will not break-down as quickly if at all over time & temp. extremes. So by all means go for it and as previously mentioned, do a search and you will find that this dyno v. syn, etc. topic has been and will continue to be a "hot" subject with many solid POV's.