NJRonbo

I am into 6 months of my 2005 RL lease.

The mileage is sneaking up past 4000, oil life is reading 40%.

Pretty soon I am going to have to have my first oil
change done.

A few questions from someone who doesn't know
too much about cars....

First, is it necessary to take my car to an Acura dealer
to get the oil changed?

I used to own a Mercury prior to leasing the Acura. I
have a dependable Ford/Mercury dealer right up the
street from me (the Acura dealer is 30 miles away) and
I have always been treated well at the Ford dealer -- in
fact, far better than the Acura dealer.

Anything wrong with Ford mechanics changing the oil
on an Acura?

Next question...

SYNTHETIC OIL. Never used it in a car, but someone told
me that I should consider it. Supposedly you get more mileage
with synthetic and less oil changes.

If you guys do recommend synthetic, give me a brand
that I can easily find. I'll pick some up and bring it to the
dealer. Oh...I'll need to know how many QUARTS the
Acura will need as well.

Look forward tp your opinions on all of this.

Thanks!

ddswv

NJRonbo:

I suggest that you contact your dealership and ask them what their policies are. Most will try to talk you into bring the car back to them for service, however, my dealership is almost 1.5 hours from me and I have a Honda dealership within 10 mins from me. They said it was perfectly ok for the Honda to provide the maintenance on the car, however, any warranty work had to be completed at Acura.

I have for the past four cars switched my engine oil over to mobil 1 synthetic. I have seen a 2-3 mpg increase and the cars seem to run smoother and have a little more power after a few months following the conversion.

When I had my TL the Acura dealer informed me that they are already using a synthetic blend half oil/half synthetic for oil changes. I saw no real difference as far as getting longer life out of the synthetic. I don't think the maintenance minders know the difference in regular, half synthetic, or full synthetic.

I would always buy 6 quarts for the TL and they would give me back about 3/4 quart after an oil change. I'm not sure how many quarts the RL takes. At this time, It's only at 1900 miles and I havn't had my first oil change.

bkw

I would wait until at least 10k miles before switching over to synthetic oils.. also, I would try to keep the original Honda oil (the one that came in the motor) for as long as possible as it contains special ingredients that assist in breaking the motor in. I waited until our oil reminder was at 10% (when the 'i' would appear) and then I had Acura swap in dino oil (non-synthetic). At 10k, 3k miles later, I swapped the oil out for 5.2 qts of Royal Purple 5w20 synthetic oil.

As for bringing your car to Ford for regular service, thats totally up to you.

vp911

I wouldn't make any decisions until Michael Wan has had a chance to read this thread and respond to it. I am sure he will give you a detailed description of what you can and cannot do. He is the resident oil expert on the forums.

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

With regards to having a Ford dealership perfom your oil change: if something happens to the engine as a result of a mistake that the Ford dealership made, then it will not be covered under warranty. So unless you can guarantee that your Ford dealership will not screw things up, I would just take it to the Acura dealer to have the work done.

ddswv

NJRonbo

I never waited until 10K miles. I immmediately changed over to synthetic after the first oil change. I prior to my TL & RL had pontiacs and we would change the oil within the first 1500 miles and never had a problem. Besides, as I said before my Acura dealer said they are already using a blend of dino oil/synthetic in the cars anyhow.

bkw

Honda recommends that you keep the original engine oil that came in the car until after the break in period. There are additives in the oil that assist in proper engine break in.

As for waiting until 10k, it's been highly discussed, but never substantiated that dino (mineral) oil assists in the seating of seals and vital engine components.

Both of these topics have been highly debated on various Honda forums.. I've personally decided that it was in my best interest to go along with the majority.

SodaLuvr

Michael Wan
February 9, 2006

Let’s hope I answer all of the questions that have been presented.

There is no problem with having a Ford dealership perform the work. Treat them as any other independent shop. If they’re willing to do the work (as most do, since most have a “quick lane” which services all makes/models), and are priced reasonably, I’d go ahead and have them do it.

Of course, if the tech screws up, its their problem. That applies to any independent shop or DIYer…don’t understand why it was even brought up for discussion. It is basically a “given.”

The Honda factory fill contains a bit of assembly lube (as with all factory fills) leftover from the engine manufacturing process. The assembly lube will mix with the OEM oil fill and provide added anti-wear protection during the wear-in process.

The Maintenance Minder system determines service intervals according to the operating conditions. It can be as little as 3000, to as high as 10000, with most averaging between 5500-7000 here on AcuraZine. Thus, agreed by another expert, leaving the factory fill in for >3000 miles is sufficient.

Personally, I do an oil/filter change every 6 mo even if the service isn’t due. The reason for this is due to the short trips the vehicle was probably used for. Most people who don’t accumulate more than 5K within a 6 mo period generally use their car for short trips, possibly contaminating the oil with fuel dilution or condensation. Under such conditions, even though the oil may not be worn out, it’d be a good practice to change the oil/filter simply to remove the contaminants.

Under such conditions, synthetic oil and extended drains aren’t the key here. The key is to do frequent oil changes (at least every 6 mo) to remove the contaminants from the oil. Synthetic oils will not grant you an advantage here as it’d be best that you not extend drain intervals (even if the oil is capable of) under these conditions due to the contamination.

Synthetic may improve fuel efficiency but the difference is very little for many people. Not worth it in my opinion, as a 5W20 conventional oil is already one of the most fuel efficient oils available due to its lower viscosity.

Check before hand with the Ford dealer in regards to the type of oil and oil filter that’ll be used. Most dealers use the Motorcraft 5W20 synthetic blend, which is an excellent oil made by Phillips Conocco (also bottled under the Trop Artic and Kendall brands). Havoline, Pennzoil, and Quaker State are also good choices. Just about any name brand 5W20 will do fine so I wouldn’t worry about the brand being used.

My main concern is with the oil filter being used. Since the Ford dealership probably isn’t stocking OEM parts, I’d do go out and buy your own filter and have them use it. Napa Gold or Purolator Pureone are both good choices. I’m not sure what stores are present in your area, but Purolator PureOne is usually available at Advanced Auto or Pep Boys for $5-$6. Napa Auto Parts is nationwide and usually charges $7 for the Napa Gold filter.

NJRonbo

Michael,

Thank You so much for your terrific insight.

Good read! Answers all my questions!