I'm approaching 2500 miles on my new TL-S, and was wondering what everyone's done about their first oil change.

The manual says first oil change at 7500 miles, and the salesman during my walkthrough made a point of bringing this to my attention.

Every other new car I've had required the first oil change much lower than this.

Comments?

 

My dealer's recommendation was 3750 miles or 6 months (whever came sooner). Hope it helps.

 

The TL's maintenance schedule is like most other cars, where you have a "normal conditions" schedule and a "severe conditions" schedule. The 7500 is the oil change innterval listed in the normal scedule, but most people follow the severe schedule (which is half of that - 3750).

I am following the severe schedule and using Mobil 1 5w30. I would encourage you to set up an account on this Acura site. It lets you view your maintenance schedule, recalls for your car (if any), and even allows you to enter your radio/navi codes (in case you lose your card).

http://www.ahm-ownerlink.com/login.asp?brand=acura

 

Quick note...notice on the oil cap it asks for 5w20. I would suggest redline 5w20 syn...which I used at 3750...it's what Road rage uses...and is absolutely great.

Austin519

 

I would probably change my oil at about 3,000mi, especially in South Florida beacuse of the high tempratures. I have also heard that new cars are equipped with a higher quality oil from the factory for the run-in period.

I think I am going to change mine at about 3,000mi, I have about 1,000 mi right now, but my car does not get driven much it spends most of the time in the garage at home. I am going to change to a Mobil-1 synthetic, I have used it before and have not had any problem with it.

 

i did mine when its went to 3000.... i change my oil every 2500-3000.... time to schedule an appoint with park Ave .. i have about 9500 miles on my car now...

 

My dealer recommand 3750 miles but I changed at the first 3 month which was about 2750 miles.

 

I do it a little differently.

I do change my first oil change at 1500 or 2000 using Mobil 1. Then every 5000 or 6000, I change again. Since Mobil 1 is a great stuff, changing it every 3000 miles is just wasting money to me.

Happy motoring.

 

I planned to do exactly what my dealer and the manual said to do... first oil change at 3750. It ended up being 4000 miles, but close enough. I put in Mobile1 5w30 Synthetic but I will be switching to Redline 5w20 for the next oil change and going forward. I'll probably stick with my Purolate Oil Filter... maybe I'll "upgrade" to the PureOne

 

The dealership gave me a free first oil change coupon. They put a windshield sticker that says the next service is 3750.

 

I have changed the oil in my girl "friends" Tl. Pretty easy actually. Took me the usual10 minutes.
I have changed my oil every 5k miles, either myself or someone TRUSTWORTHY. The SC400 has 187k miles still going strong. CHANGE THAT OIL!

 

Will the oil filter really make a difference? Acura said their filter has 60% (or 80%) more paper than any other brands. (I'm pretty sure about that because I saw that advertise last time when I was waiting for a car service.) Howerver, I'm not sure about that statement.

Anyway... is it true that more paper in a filter is better?

 

I would have made my first oil change @ 3750 if I had the chance, unfortunately I was so busy i didn't get around to it till another thousand miles later...

oh well, I'll try sticking to the 3750 as best I can from now on....

 

This is from the Acura owners link.

Why should I wait to change the oil the first time?
Your Acura engine was delivered with an oil that is specially formulated for new engines that have not yet developed their "natural" wear patterns and may contain minute particles from the manufacturing process.
American Honda strongly recommends this special oil be left in the engine long enough for these wear patterns to develop, usually until the first maintenance interval specified in your Owner's Manual, based on your specific driving conditions.

 

I had a 98 Accord and it was the same thing. First change recommended at 7,500 miles as they put an additive in the oil that the car comes with. This was confirmed by 2 people that I trusted at Honda.

With my CL-S, I will stick with what is recommended ie. 7,500 mile for first change.

I just got a letter from wher I bought the car for a free oil change. Cool!

 

i did mine at 1500. This was recommended by the dealer since during assembly of engines there is always loose metal not visible to the eye. He also recommended not switching to synthetic until 10,000. Just to ensure proper ring to cylinder break in.

 

Vaj10:
"i did mine at 1500. This was recommended by the dealer since during assembly of engines there is always loose metal not visible to the eye. He also recommended not switching to synthetic until 10,000. Just to ensure proper ring to cylinder break in."

Not to worry you...but I think the dealer was smoking crack...1500 miles before your first oil change is definitely not long enough...read above what the others have posted about what Acura has said....3750-7500...definitely not that low. Also...you should be fine switching to syn at the first oil change. That's when everything sets more or less...but if you wait a while for syn you may experience leaking...which is why I changed at 3750 as recommended by RedLine...Acura TLC...a few Acura techs...and a chop shop buddy of mine...

Austin519

 

On the Oil issue, I've used Mobil 1 in all my vehicles and currently have 5w-30 in the TLS. My Expedition has 150k miles on it and it is still going strong. My Mustang GT had 100k on it when I traded it in for the Expedition with absolutely no engine issues. Oil changed every 3k to 5k miles.

I had the dealership put Mobil 1 it the TLS at my first service at 7300 miles. I waited till 7300 due to the manual and a hand out the dealership gave me when I got the car on Honda recommending STRONGLY that you wait to 7500 for this change due to additives for the break in period.

My question is while I swear by Moble 1 and I'm running it now, they don't make a 5w-20. I hear the 5w-20 oil is the new thing and is supposedly better for the engine and you can get better mileage. It is what Honda recommends for the engine. I've never heard of Redline, but have you guys had as much success with Redline like I've had above with Mobile 1? Is Redline a full Synthetic?

 

Can't remember what the dealer said about their filter being better... seemed like it was more than construction (paper), like some sort of valve...

I didn't have time to check it out so I got one from the dealer. I'll have to call back and find out what they were talking about.

 

More paper in the filter does not necessarily mean it is better. Using paper means it is conventional filter, just like conventional oil. Thesedays, a lot manufacturers are making synthetic filters, Mobil makes one as well as others, but I can't think of a name now.

The filter's quality is measured by its ability to filter small particles, usually go by micron spec. The companies are not publishing their filters' spec, b/c they know what their's are capable of. Mobil1 Synthetic filter is about 3 micron, or 0.3 micron, just lost figures, which can filter most of harmful particles. For example, Fram is about 7 or 0.7 microns, tested by independant labs.

I usually use Mobil 1stuff since I never ran into any problems with their stuff. For me, filter is more important thing than oil itself. So, I rely on filter more than oil.

Happy motoring.

 

I believe that there are small metal shavings of metal that are present during the break in period and I also believe that our cars have special oil in them when new. So I decided that since I tend to drive my car a little harder than average I would change the oil at about 4000 miles. I noticed that many of you guys use synthetic oil in your cars and I think it is worth doing a little research on that. Several years ago I was paying $$$ for that stuff. Untill I read an article in Consumer Reports that tore apart several New York Taxi Cabs engines and precisely measured the wear on the engines. Then they changed the oil with generic, brand-name, and sythetic oils. Then they let the drivers do their thing( extreme idling, stop and go traffic, and speeding) and then tore apart the engines and again precisely measured wear and tear. The result was that there was no significant difference between any of them. Since then I have never wasted my money on Synthetics. I do however change my oil every 3,000 miles reguardless of my driving habits because of the simple fact that I am going to keep my TLS for at least 8 years.

 

I would never allow this to happen to my car but if you ever say go past 4000mi.'s between changes synthetic is worth the few extra bucks. Synthetic oil will not lubricate better than conventional oil it only lasts longer. Synthetic oil has a longer molecule chain which resists heat and pressure longer than conventional. With conventional oil you may still have the same amount of oil after extended miles but it's ability to lubricate will be significantly less than when it was new. Good friend is a chemical engineer for Amoco in Houston.

 

My approach to oil changes is a result of many years of motorcycling and performance engines. First oil & filter change is at 1000 miles and in goes plain 'ol dino oil. I use dino cause I want the rings to finish cutting in & seating properly and synthetic is too "slippery" to make that happen. Maybe superstitious, but it's work for me (knocking on own head). Next oil & filter change is at 5000 miles. At this point I'll either change to synthetic or keep using a quality dino oil. After that it's oil changes every 5000 miles. Why? Because for my simple brain, it's easier to remember 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, etc. than 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, etc.

 

I go with Synthetic not because it lubricates better but because it lasts longer. while I always strive to change the oil ever 3k sometimes I don't get to it till 5k and I know Synthetic last longer. I've seen that myself in comparing the color of the oil being pulled after 3k and 5k in my vehicles. At 3k conventional oil is starting to get cloudy, tinges of black. Synthetic is still clear. At 5k conventional is black, conventional is just getting cloudy in most cases.

 

Reading this thread makes me wonder if I've made a mistake following the manuals instructions. I've always thought that the oil the manufacturers gives you is supposed to stay in the car longer than usual. I'm approaching 7500 miles and am planning to change the oil real soon. Then I was gonna follow the severe schedule. I hope I haven't made a mistake...

 

for those of you who have been doing your own oil changes and service, how do you disable the maintenance light?

 

Bruce...it's in your manual. Something about pressing the mileage reset button for so long or something.

Anyone:
Can you get the first oil filter out? According to the manual it says you need a special tool to turn the filter.

 

Mine came off the first time without any problems using a standard oil filter wrench.

 

See the 2 buttons?

1) turn-off engine
2) insert key to start position, BUT do not start the car
3) press those 2 buttons long, I mean long.
enough until the maintenance light goes off.

I just tried & it worked. Should work 4 u too.

Happy motoring.

 

The "special tool" is nothing more than a standard-sized cup wrench that fits the end of the filter for easy gripping. Almost any auto parts store can get you the right one for cheap $$$.

 

well...
syn oil is great...especially for those living in extreme weather...such as very hot in summer and very cold in winter...

and as u guys say it lasts longer under gd driving manners...

but i would stick with the original oil that dealer uses...

and it's not necessary to change oil TOO often...just follow what they say...even the dealer said change too often is just wasting money...
believe it or not, my car still runs excellent even i reached over 4000miles...i gotta changed it coz the oil dried up...

for those living in hot area is gd to use syn oil coz u will notice the loss of power for using ordinary oil under extreme hot weather...that's the only reason i can see for using syn oil...

 

Hmm...I see this turning in a syn versus non-syn oil...so I'll just say why I changed. We should drag Road Rage in here first...but syn oil was developed for high strain, high heat, long wear applications, i.e. airplane turbines. Now there have been plenty of comparisons and independent tests...but, and I believe I am summarizing an argument RR had for it long ago...but think of it this way. First, syn oil costs more than non-syn, BUT realize that under bad driving conditions, aka uhmmm ME, you'd change syn every 7500 and non-syn every 3750. Syn doesn't cost double non-syn, so you are saving money. Second, I am starting to do my own oil changes and anything that keeps me from doing them often is a nice little bonus. Third, I don't think there's ANY argument that syn is worse than non-syn, just how much better is it. Syn was DEVELOPED for engines, it is a lab-made compound, not refined crude oil...and was engineered for engines, and any oil that will lube aircraft engines, plus is only what formula cars use...is enough for me. No, it may not matter to someone who doesn't care about saving a buck, drives like an old man, and has Jiffy Lube does his oil changes, but if you either want to save a bit of cash, do your own oil changes, or drive like me, one of the three reasons up top ought to tell you something. And I'm getting lots better gas mileage with RL 5w20 than I was with the stock oil...plus I FEEL (although maybe just my imagination) my engine running smoother.

For the guys that asked about waiting to 7500 miles...not a big deal...realize if you go syn you can't go back (that means most likely always bringing the dealership your oil), but King Acura at least doesn't charge extra for bringing your own oil in...and you can actually get credit back for using your own. You just don't want to wait too long or you will have oil leaks for a while...and you want to let the OEM oil put in our cars run its course (3750 miles) before syn...

Austin519

 

I think it is funny how my owners manual shows to do a oil change at 7500 miles or 6 months, but wait to change oil filter till 15000 miles or 12 months. This is for normal driving conditions in a 2002 TL. Would anybody actually do this?

 

I will probably do exactly opposite.
Filter before oil.

 

My first filter came off easily with a "hand" wrench... no tool needed.

What I found interesting is how tight they wanted you to put the filter back on. 3/4 or 7/8 turn once the gasket is in contact, much tighter than the old 1/2 turn.

 

WOOHOO!!! I love Redline 5w20. I went from 23 mpg in an empty car with the A/C off to a consistent 27 mpg with the A/C on and loaded with crap to go back to college with! I drove a good bit over 400 miles on one tank of gas! How sweet....Road Rage I owe you...

Austin519

 

Where do you find this Redline 5w20, I can't find it anywhere in Southern New Jersey? Anyone have any idea who might carry it in the South Jersey, southeastern PA area? I tried Pep Boys and Auto Zone.

 

2002 Silver TLS:

Try www.redlineoil.com and search on there for a store that carries it...they have one almost everywhere. They also have some online stores...so you can order your 5 qts from them...

Austin519