Amoeba

I got my first oil change at 4100 miles, and in the service manual it says to do it every 7500 after. So I was going to do it at 11600 miles, but I saw somewhere on here someone said 7500 miles is for normal drivers. Since Id be classified as an aggressive driver, how often should I change my oil. Im thinking of going tomorrow at 9000 miles and then the next change at the 15k service? What do you guys suggest.

NSX-Tuner

In your owners manual, there are two suggested maintenance intervals; one starting at 3750 and the other at 7500. One for sever driving conditions and the other for normal driving conditions. I live in the Bay Area so I do a lot of freeway driving and occasionally get on it. I would say my driving habits fall in the sever range of driving conditions.

I did my first oil change at 3989 miles and I will probably do the next at around 8000 miles. Since you did an oil change at 4100, I believe 9000 would be ok. But if you want to use the 3750 interval, I wouldn't stretch it out too much.

EricL

Look in the owner's manual and go by time (duration) AND mileage. Since "most" people change filter AND oil, you would want to change the oil and filter at 7500 miles and/or 6 months on a NORMAL schedule.

With the SEVERE schedule, you drop down to 3750 miles between changes. (The Acura website says: "Services to be performed: Replace engine oil and filter." when I enter 3750 miles.)

If you were checking your oil via testing and/or using a synthetic, etc, you might want to alter this and change the oil based on its actual condition using the recommendation of a good testing lab.

YMMV

danny25

I go 10,000 between changes, but I use Amsoil synthetic. When I had it changed at the dealer I'd go every 3750 miles.

Amoeba

So you suggest for intense driving, every 3750, is it really necessary to do this?

EricL

If you really want to know for sure, get your oil tested and you will know how the engine is doing and how the oil is doing.

You could also find out about other problems too...

I change early even with NORMAL driving, but that's just my opinion and I use Mobil-1 synthetic + Mobil-1 filter (oversized).

You might be able to go 10k+ miles with the right oil and filter, and, IMO, you will be guessing if you don't do some oil testing to validate a longer duration/mileage change interval.

YMMV

Amoeba

I just use the dealers oil and filter, and I think they use castrol synthetic. Where can I get my oil tested? Just any car shop? I just checked my oil and it looks a little bit dirty.

Slimey

Your dealer probably uses Castrol dino, not synthetic. I've never met a Honda/Acura dealer that used a synthetic oil as their default option.

You can test your oil at http://www.blackstone-labs.com . They'll send out a free 'kit' to you if you send them a request. The kit is just a mailing tube and a plastic bottle. It will cost about $20 for the actual analysis. Check out their website -- It's pretty informative. There are a couple of other companies too that offer the service at similar pricing.

On a cost basis, I don't think oil anaysis makes sense for the average user who changes their oil within the recommended intervals. Do you want to spend the $20 to check the oil, or just spend $20 to change the oil? IMHO, YMMV...

If you want to push the system and run your oil longer (especially with a synthetic) or if you want to check your oil for a specific problem/issue, then it makes a lot of sense.

Amoeba

Oh, for performance reasons does it make any sense to buy 5 quarts of mobil 1 synthetic and give it to them to use? I have 2 more free oil changes left, so Ill use what they give me for now.

rchavis

The dealer would love for you to bring your own oil and filter. Think about it. The oil change is free. If you bring your own, then they don't have to use theirs, and they save on the cost of restocking. The mechanics are paid by the hour, so they would be paying them even if they were just sitting around.
I always take my own oil and filter. but then I use Amsoil. I like to know what oil is going in my car and what type of filter also. Even when I was using Valvoline I took it to the dealer.

Amoeba

what is the advantage of using mobil 1 synthetic instead of the castrol oil used at the dealer?

Amoeba

Bump...can anyone ask my last question?

Slimey

That answer is long and you'll have to learn it for yourself. A lot of people will try to sway you one way or another -- I think the decision is personal and you'll get good use out of either product (good quality name brand dino or good quality name brand synthetic).

Here's a link to one of the oil FAQs that has made its way around the internet: http://www.unofficialbmw.com/all/misc/all_oilfaq.html There are others too. It's a good basic primer on the differences between some of the oils. Do a google search for your question and read, but read with a questioning eye. Many of these sites are really trying to sell you a product and have salesmanship written all over them.

Synthetic oils have many characteristics that seem to be better then conventional dino oil, yet (IMHO) does it really matter? It probably does if you are really pushing the car -- racing, live in the desert, etc -- but (once again, IMHO) I doubt it makes a big difference for an 'average' driver in an 'average' consumer grade automobile. If you follow the manufacturer's drainage intervals, I'm sure you'll be fine and your Honda motor will last and last.

This is why I think it's a personal decision -- I doubt few of us will really see the engine out to its demise and I think that only these folks would have the opportunity to hypothesize that the oil they used made a difference. Dino oils of today are made of good stuff with good detergents -- if you use them like they're designed you'll have no problems. There are plenty of multi-100Kmile cars on the road that only ever saw dino oil.

Personally, I do use Mobil 1 because I am willing to toss that extra money away for a perceived sense of 'better'. I switched after about 12K miles of Castrol GTX dino (another personal thing - some suggest waiting 10K before synthetics; some think that breaking in with dino is baloney).

Can I afford the extra $$ over the life of the car? Yes.
Do I really think it makes a difference? I doubt it.
Will I use synthetic oil to alter my drainage interval? No. Still 7500 miles for normal driving and 3750 for severe.

Read, read, read, and decide for yourself. In the end, it probably doesn't make a difference. Just use a quality oil, dino or synthetic, with the correct viscosity (5W-20 or 5W-30) and API service rating (SJ or better, energy conserving).

Although I am using a synthetic in my car, I will not advocate it to others. This is the second car I'm doing this on, but I have owned many others (several in brutal climates) that never saw a synthetic drop and lived long lives. I still question synthetic oil's worth.

Amoeba

Thank you for the informative response, since I guess the oil used is just about how long your engine will last, I doubt that I need to switch to mobil 1. I will just use the castrol dino, and I will have about 100k on this car before I sell it, but I would think changing oil every 5k miles (right in between average-severe) up until 100k miles with castrol dino will keep the car running nice.

Slimey

I'm sure you'll do fine.

123456SPEED

Someone said free oil changes at the dealer? Never heard of that around here.
I was surprised how black my oil was today when I had it changed. I have 7700 miles now and the dealer supposedly changed it at 3500 miles too. I can imagine how bad it would be to go 7500 miles before changing it. I only went 4000 and it was black black.

Amoeba

When my dad bought the car he got 3 free oil changes included.

dfreder371

I'd go with the 3750. That way you are completely covered if a lubrication issue comes up.

BTW, I like what my dealer does to people who do not change their oil as often as they should. They fax them an estimate on how much It would cost to swap out a complete engine with labor included. That usually brings them running!

The oil analysis thing is probably not necessary, but for aircraft owners this is standard operating practice, and here is why it is useful. Different parts are made of different alloys (bearings, rings, etc), and the oil is not really analyzed, but the metal in the oil is noted. This way, for example, the aircraft engine owner gets early warning that a particular component is showing excess wear. Some owners do this at every oil change, some once or twice a year.

You think Acura parts are expensive? A rebuilt, 100 h.p. aircraft engine costs about as much as a non navi CLS!

Always remember, here is the definition of an engine:

An engine is a mass of rotating and reciprocating components, hell bent on destroying itself but prevented from doing so by a thin film of oil.

SLY1TYPES

I use castol and change every 3000 but i drive it pretty hard!

6speedctrlfreak

Oil Change threads make me wanna
But seriously, folks, 123456speed your oil should not be "black, black" , no way, no how..... somethings a bit fishy about that. Please give some more info about the car - i.e. did you buy it used ? any strange abnormal things happen to it? I'm curious since even if you left your oil and filter go for 10K it should not black.