Most (if not all) dealers suggest changing the oil at every 3750 mi, but the manual says every 7500 mi. Is that necessary to do it at 3500? What are the pros and cons of doing that more frequently than what the manual suggests?

 

Been down this road many times....

3750 seems reasonable for mineral oil (Pennzoil, etc.) By then, the additives are getting pretty thin and if you drive very hard or in very hot temps, you run the risk of accelerated wear. If on the other hand, you drive mostly on the highway, 5k is reasonable.

Double that for a good synthetic such as Redline or Mobil 1 - 5k for extreme conditions, 10k for easy service.

 

the 3k mile change is a load of crap ... conspiracy by the oil companies.. and media hype have everyone thinking it is required to change at 3k...

Your filter is more important... get a good filter.. Mobil1 synthetic.. or AC Delco duraguard... if not synthetic.. Delco makes the best regular element filter... I forgot the site that concluded this now...

You should be able to change your oil at manufactuer's recommendation... I usually go 7k... and i know most of you will say.. wah.. my oil turns black at 3000 miles... well... next time you change your oil... drain it at 500 miles.. it will be black...

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01 Magnetic Red Corvette
00 Black Accord V6

 

Read the manual a little more closely: 7500 is for normal use, and 3750 is for severe conditions. Severe is how most of us drive, i.e. - cold or hot driving, dusty conditions, or majority of trips under 5 miles or something like that. If you do a lot of short trips or cold starts, then go with 3750 to be safe. Oil is cheap.

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'01 White Diamond Pearl 3.2TL
-Wing, tint, burlwood shift, Whistler 6-band
'88 White RX-7 Convertible
-Permanent tinitus courtesy of Rockford-Fosgate

 

most of us do not drive in 'dusty conditions' these are SEVERE conditions... not the majority.. if it were the majority.. the manufacturer would just recommend 3k.

SEVERE is like pizza delivery men, that ype of driving... I doubt many people are using their TLs as pizza delivery cars

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01 Magnetic Red Corvette
00 Black Accord V6

 

I guess each one of us has his own driving habit & condition, so choose 3750 if you think it's severe driving condition & 7500 if it's normal. Personally I have stayed at 5000 ...

 

I've always done my change at every 3000 b/c:
1) I and a "severe" driver (maybe just agressive, but still...I'll err on the conservative side)
2) much easier to remember 3l, 6k,9k,12k,15k,18k,21,24k,27k,30k...( bigger services in bold)
3) I agree with Gomez that oil is cheap
4) I am lazy and do not want to buy another car anytime soon, so I take the most conservative approach.

The 3k schedule allows me to run a little (late) on the service and not feel like I did a major Faux Pas. It also gives me the chance to inspect everything every 3k for any other issues (nails in tire, tar on car, clean out wells, check for leaks etc...)

An extra oil change cant hurt you. Just my opinion

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1999 Satin Silver TL Dunlop SP9000 215-45/17-mounted on CL-S 17" Rims
H&R Springs-Axiss MetalMasterPads-Crossdrilled Rotors
-Inspire Tailights-20/30/40 tint

Y2k S2K Honda Roadster
- Mingster Aeroscreen, Smokin Front mesh Grill, Clear Sidemarkers...

 

I change my oil every 3500 miles. I have done this in every car i have owned. I have a 35 minute drive to work and spend a total of 10 minutes of that time on the expressway, so i might say its "severe" conditions.

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2001 BLACK/EBONY NON-NAV, FACTORY SPOILER, BURLWOOD SHIFT KNOB, RAZO CARBON FIBER PEDALS, WEAPON R HYPER INTAKE

 

Hey guys, speak for yourself: I pride myself in being "normal!"

This is a good way to err on the safe side... but I have my opinion, too.

2) For every 5 oil changes you do, I do only two.

3) Oil is cheap... on your wallet. The environmental cost of manufacturing, distributing, and disposing of oil is very expensive to the earth and to international politics.

4) The engine will not likely be the thing to expire on your car first. Usually you will find a much better reason to trade in your Honda than the engine.

I dunno... just my opinion.



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2000 3.2 TL, Paper maps.
Comptech axle-back exhaust.
225/55ZR-16 RE730s on OEM alloys.
205/55QR-16 Alpins on steel wheels w/covers (winter).

Pictures

 

Every 3,750 miles, and I use Mobile 1. It's the second cheapest, best thing you can do to keep your car going. The first is to wash it regularly!

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David

Black-on-Black non-NAV 2000

 

Every 3000 miles on dealer recommendation. I purchased the lifetime oil changes for $100 when I bought the car so now the dealer is paying for all my changes.

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So I assume that you think the average driver does most of his/her driving on trips over 8 miles? Hmmm, not me.


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'01 White Diamond Pearl 3.2TL
-Wing, tint, burlwood shift, Whistler 6-band
'88 White RX-7 Convertible
-Permanent tinitus courtesy of Rockford-Fosgate

 

Every 3K/3mos whichever is earlier is the rule I follow.

 

I got the lifetime oil changes for free when I got my car (although I would've definitely spent the $100 too). The dealer said to do it every 3500 - 3750, so that's what I do. It's free and I do keep my car under pretty extreme conditions (around (8) 4 mile trips per weekday) and I definitely don't go easy on the car when driving.

 

Lifetime oil changes? You guys are lucky. I only got two free oil changes when I bought my car and had to ask for them. The dealer charges $26.95 for an oil change.

When the car was new, the dealer recommended 7500 miles in between changes. I used up my free oil changes and guess what? Now the dealer suggets changing the oil every 3000 miles.

 

We are supposed to change the oil? I have 26,600 miles on my car, and I haven't changed it yet!


J/K. I found that going 5K to 7K is good. Besides, it is a lease. To each their own.

 

My dealership is excellent. They go out of their way to do help out and really hooked me up when I bought my car (although I understand the free oil changes are normal there). Plus they're Comptech authorized so any performance work I want, I can get done there and have no worries at all about warranty. I hear that not all Acura dealers are Comptech authorized.

 

recommend every 3500-3750, at park ave acura in nj they charge $23 and they are excellent there, highly recommend to anyone in north jersey area