DIY Oil Change and Maintenance Monitor Reset
 

I change my own oil and filter at about 6000 miles, at time the Oil Life shows at 30% but I am not comfortable with a 10K OCI.
My question is: How can I read the upcoming maintenance requirements, seems when the monitor is reset, all the sub codes are also reset.
I intend to do the rear axle and transmission service but unfortunately the vehicle doesn't provide any mileage suggestions, only the Maintenance Monitor.
The vehicle is a 2016 RDX AWD.
How do I extract codes for upcoming required maintenance prior to the OLM reaching 15%.
Thanks

As a consumer you can't.

That sucks. Called local dealer for info on a oil change coupon, I asked if they used Acura branded oil in quart bottles and was told 'we use bulk oil that meets Acura standards'. In other words it's likely the cheapest 0W-20 SN available. I live in a major metro area and it seems this is standard practice at many new car dealers.
Any suggestions on service intervals for transmission and transfer fluid changes.
Thanks for the info.

Check your owner manual for the service interval

Please indicate page numbers for service interval Transfer case and Differential.

It's somewhere between page 1 and the end.

The owners manual and Acura online has no mileage recommendations, for that matter no recommendations on maintenance other than the electronic monitor. Problem with the monitor is if you change oil before it reaches 15% it makes no other recommendations, apparently it thinks you did change transfer case, +++. This is a crock unless you like to run oil upwards of 10K, especially the cheap dino oil installed by some dealers.

So the manufacturer - who has a vested interest in keeping your car running - has spent millions on developing the MMI and determining when to do oil changes. Since you clearly know better, then I guess it'll be up to you to figure out when to do the services. That should be easy for you since you know the car so much better than the people who built it.

You really should quit sugar coating these things.

If the Mfg cares, why don't they provide basic information.
 

It seems to me Acura has more of a vested interest in taking money from me and putting it into the pockets of their dealers. I do not agree that refusing to provide me with a reasonable way to schedule maintenance needs is in anybody's best interest other than their dealer. When the monitor says 30% oil life (or any % remaining), I should be able to pull the upcoming maintenance that will be required at 15%. You are not making the case for the Mfg to keep maintenance requirements secret from the owner.

See the following Acura Service News articles:

September 2005 (pages 3-4)
B050900
Taking the Mystery Out of the Maintenance Minder System
http://www.urvi.net/forumfiles/SN/B050900.PDF
http://techinfo.honda.com/Rjanisis/pubs/SN/B050900.PDF

September 2006 (page 4)
B060900
How to Force-Retrieve Maintenance Item Codes
http://www.urvi.net/forumfiles/SN/B060900.PDF
http://techinfo.honda.com/Rjanisis/pubs/SN/B060900.PDF

I wish the 2016 system worked the same or that the owners manual contained similar information as these 2006 docs. Unfortunately neither do and first model year for the RDX was 2007.
I have owned older Honda's that, like your attachments discuss, gave maintenance requirements, my new Acura does not work the same way and doesn't even publish recommendations.
If I have a warranty issue, referring to a document written 10 years prior to my vehicle being manufactured will likely not help.
The reason I am trying to find an answer is because a 'B' maintenance (syn blend oil, filter, and inspection) my dealer is at $165, meanwhile my Ford Edge gets (syn blend oil, filter, tire rotation, and similar inspection) for $39.95 at the dealer, and sometimes they throw in a $10 rebate.
I do however appreciate your reply.

You could, of course, wait until the 15% pops up and then do the services yourself, have an indy do it, go to a Honda dealer or a combination of those.

Would prefer to change oil more frequently than the 15% seems to require. I have to admit I have no valid reason to do so other than personal preference.
The situation doesn't however make me a more satisfied Acura customer, something I would think would concern Honda/Acura.

"Normal intervals are in the 6500-7500 mile range. If you want, you can always do an oil change mid-way and not reset the MMI.

CEB - really not helpful nor does your comment really address my concern. If I wish to change oil at 5K, how would you suggest I get other maintenance requirements. You either work for Honda/Acura or you should consider doing so. Other cars I have owned have had maintenance monitors but also provided mileage intervals in the owners manual in case owners wished to handle maintenance on a schedule that met their requirements.
As I said earlier, if Acura is looking for owner satisfaction as they claim, they should provide information as basic as when to change transmission fluid without 100% reliance on the monitor.

Change the oil when you want but don't reset the MMI. When it tells you something's due, ignore the oil change and do the other stuff, then reset it.

I don't work for a manufacturer. While you may not find my comments helpful, fact is that manufacturers spend millions determining the proper service intervals and you aren't doing your car - or your wallet - any favors by doing "early" maintenance.

The reason that manufacturers don't post mileage information is because it varies based on many variables. You can almost bet that each service will be an A1, followed by a B1, an A1x, a B1x and so forth. Some services are listed in the manual under "severe service" but most of the time you have to rely on the MMI.

Your car will NOT last longer with more frequent servicing.

It is funny, years ago we were complaining that car manufacturers were making money off the consumer by asking for far too frequent services - now we are complaining that manufacturers aren't requesting enough services.

You can get all your services done at the dealer at full cost on schedule and still save money over doing services far more frequently at an indy.

ceb - You just don't quit. How many $$ did Honda spend on cylinder deactivation on V6 engines, how many more $$ did they spend (and are still spending) repairing those same engines that suffered piston ring seizing due to poor design and maintenance. (You can find dozens of examples of extended maintenance failures, Audi, Toyota, GM, Ford +++)
It's my vehicle, if I wish to spend my $$ changing oil sooner than necessary, it should be my option. To have Acura refuse to allow me to determine what other maintenance (which could be used to decline warranty) they require on my vehicle is ludicrous.
My request is simple, dealers are allowed to pull advance notice of maintenance if they service your vehicle before the MMI notice, my dealer recommends 5K oil changes for ??? reason, I want to service my vehicle myself and the manufacturer refuses to provide the necessary information.
If the only information you can provide is 'Trust the Mfg', search Takata.

Your dealer recommends 5k service intervals because it makes them more money.

Issues with deferred maintenance was the problem - not that people followed the maintenance schedule. Toyota had sludge issues because people didn't change their oil for years on low mileage cars - not because the maintenance schedule was wrong - the same for VAG. Can you show me one example of where the manufacturer's service intervals were shown to be a cause of a failure?

Maybe you shouldn't have bought an Acura

ceb - was having a problem determining which of the 3 groups you fit into, it's definitely the first one.
Try Audi in the 80's - they paid for thousands of engine failures due to sludge problems - if owners did not follow scheduled maintenance Audi would not have paid.
Try Toyota in the early 2000's - exact same problem. Toyota Paid
Try Honda 3 years ago - piston rings sticking. Honda Paid. http://www.autonews.com/article/2013...-burning-claim
Now blame these problems on what you will, they are oil related and most, perhaps all, would have been averted with more frequent oil changes.
Your blind acceptance of what a manufacturer says is beyond belief, at times they make mistakes, at times they twist the truth. Look at Takata, also read the link on the positions taken by Honda on the V6 problem.
Finally, your advice had proven worthless so please keep it to yourself. I will buy the vehicle I want, I will buy the Scotch I want, your opinion is not of value.

I guess you never bothered to actually read the article you linked to because the article quite clearly states that the claim was over a poor design causing sticking piston rings and excessive oil burning. An oil change every 5 miles wouldn't have fixed that problem.

Equally, the sludge problem was caused by deferred maintenance - especially early in a car's life. Here is what the NYT had to say
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/04/au...UDGE.html?_r=0

"Some best-selling models appear to have an increased risk of serious mechanical problems, particularly if scheduled oil changes were not made during the vehicle’s formative years. The threat is the buildup of sludge — gooey tarlike deposits — that reduces or shuts off oil circulation and can mean thousands of dollars to repair or replace an engine that has seized...Mr. Caruso said he suspected that two factors were combining to gum up the internal-combustion works. He said that people might be more lax about changing oil and that oil changes had become very important as engines have become more sophisticated. Yet, given the millions of engines in the United States, the number of sludge-related failures is microscopic, said Robert J. Last, vice president of operations at FEV. Consumer Reports magazine has said “the problem rate as reflected in our reliability data is very low.”

Go ahead and do your frequent oil changes and continue to whine about not being able to pull that information yourself - all you are doing is hurting your wallet.

I'm done with this thread and will let you have the last word. Maybe you can up with more examples that don't apply.

Did you read the articles? It is all well explained on how the system works and how to force-retrieve/preview the maintenance codes for the similar situation you are in (i.e. changing the oil early before the oil life reaches 15%).

Act as if you were going to reset the oil life, so you can see the maintenance codes, but just hit cancel and do not reset the oil life. You can do this at any time and see what maintenance codes are present.

The Maintenance Minder (MM) system has not changed much since implementation on Acura models in 2004. The articles are still relevant today and are the only references in the Acura Service Information System.

The oil change intervals may have gotten a little longer, due to the manufacturer's move to higher quality synthetic oil or synthetic blend oil being recommended/used now.

Please try it and report back with any issues.

The very first reply to my question was as a consumer I could not access codes and that same party has been giving bad information even since.
Your message is similar to what an outstate dealer told be earlier today (a dealer 2000 miles away that had balanced the tires while I was on a road-trip). He said when a reset is done the upcoming/due codes are shown no matter what % remains on the maintenance monitor. Your information is better yet because I could pull codes when I get to 30% without resetting, that would allow me to pre-plan and buy needed items as transmission fluids, etc..
This is all I wanted to know, thank you so much.

i lol this thread....

Hud doesn't like any anwer provided, so forget about him��

HUD? Thought he died a while back??

http://www.tcm.com/mediaroom/video/2...-Trailer-.html

Still Here -
 

JoeLA - thought you forgot about me, wasn't really too hurt but still it's nice to be remembered after all these months.
Rosen - great classic film, two Academy Awards, nickname in HS but those days are long gone.
Check my last entry, I thanked EE4Life for the answer. Pulled upcoming maintenance quite easily so I have purchased needed fluids when near Acura dealer instead of making 40 mile round trip at the last minute.
CEB - not to bring up an old grudge - but your initial response was 100% wrong, worse was your insistence of sticking to it, kinda reminds me of trump and the 3 million votes.

Thanks again to EE4Life.

So how do you pull the codes for the next upcoming service?

(Sorry it was either that or starting a new thread called "So has anyone read any good books lately?"

Hi HUD. I have a 2013 with 49,000 miles on it. Based on my experience, I can give you ballpark mileage as to when the various fluids will come up to be changed.

Oil and filter are pretty much every 6,000 miles
Rear axle fluid at 18,500 miles (third oil change)
Transmission and transfer case fluids at 26,000 miles (fourth oil change)
Air filter......take it out and look at it. I replace every 20,000 miles. Lots of tree pollen where I live.
Cabin filter.....every year....cheap enough....lots of tree pollen.

2006 Mercedes maintenance minder came up every 10,000 miles or one year, whichever came first.
2007 Audi maintenance minder came up every 5,000 miles only.

Pull upcoming codes
 

This is courtesy of EE4Life

Thanks...and by the way, the transmission and transfer case fluid change "minder" will come up at again at roughly 55,000 miles.