The manual says do not change the oil until 7500 miles (unless you drive short trips). It has been reported that many Acura service reps recommend oil changes sooner (like 3000 miles). Since you are one of the few service reps of any make whom I trust, which is it?

Also, is it true that Acura puts something in the oil straight from the factory to assist with the break-in period, and if so, what is it and what does it do?

Finally, once I start changing oil, which weight would you recommend for So Cal (where the temperature range rarely dips below 40, and sometimes gets as high as 105)? Is Mobil 1 5W-30 okay?

As always, thanks for your help.

 

Yup, this has been covered before. Apparently the factory oil has additives in it for breaking in the engine parts and needs extra time to do its job. But that is only for the FIRST oil change. After that I go 3 months or 3750 mies, whichever comes first.

<FONT COLOR="#800080" SIZE="1" FACE="Verdana, Arial">[This message has been edited by Polyman on April 09, 2001 @ ]</font>

 

My office is 5 miles from my house. I've had the car for 4 months and only have 3k miles on it. So should that count towards the extreme conditions schedule?

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my local dealer, park ave acura in new jersey, recommends first lof around 3500 to 4000 miles. 5w-30 should be fine in your car. true the additives are put in the automobile before it gets delivered to the dealer but we are considered in severe conditions in this area with stop and go traffic and extreme temperatures from freezing to 100.

 

Devil- what part of NJ to you drive in? Pretty much anywhere in the NY Metro area can be considered severe. Stop and go traffic, extended idle times, high temp and humidity, low temp, all are tough on the car. We here at Park Ave Acura do reccomend 3500 mile intervals on the oil changes. You won't spend a better $23.00 to protect and prolong the life of your baby no matter how hard you try! Just make sure to use a good, brand name oil and genuine Acura filter and drain plug gasket every time. Your owners manual specifies what weight oil to use and it is printed on your oil cap too.
Acura makes a great car- regular maintenance is the best key to keeping it just like new for 100s of thousands of miles!

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Wayne Gruen
Service Manager
Park Ave Acura

 

WayneG or Jens,

Could either (or both) of you touch on the INITIAL oil change, and when that should be done. There is a lot of uncertainty amongst members of this board as to how long the additives that supposedly have been put into the initial oil need to stay in the engine in order to have an optimal break in. Service recommendations seem to contradict the manual recommendations. Since nobody knows what was initially put into our engines, and what affect these additives are supposed to have, nobody's response has been satisfactory to me.

 

Agreed. There is definitely confusion on this subject of when the FIRST oil change should be done, and I think members of this board would appreciate an explanation as to why service recommendations at local dealers differs from what is recommended in the owner's manual. Montclair Acura, where I bought my car, just told me to come back when I hit the 3000 miles mark, and they didn't care to elaborate as to why their recommendation differs from the manual (whether you are following the severe or normal driving conditions schedule). That I can tell you is not a satisfactory answer for me...

DA

 

Wayne, thanks for the reply. I live in Jersey City, and drive the Pulaski, Rt 78 and 24 to work. There's not much stop and go with my reverse commute, but I do drive in the city on the weekends, and the winters and summers can be a bit extreme temperature wise. You mention that Park Avenue Acura recommends an oil change every 3500 miles. Does this recommendation hold true for the FIRST oil change? If yes, could you provide an explanation as to why the manual recommends the FIRST change at 7500 miles?

Or is your recommendation for the FIRST oil change at 3500 miles predicated on the fact that your customers primarily live/drive in the Metro NY/NJ area, which I guess is considered severe driving. So that in fact, your recommendation is consistent with the owner's manual (I think the manual recommends the FIRST oil change for severe conditions at 3750 miles, but that's close enough to your recommendation).

Thanks in advance. Where are you guys located in NJ? Someone said that Park Ave Acura is that much further than Montclair Acura from JC, NJ?? I wasn't too happy the last time I visited Montclair. I'm getting close to the 3000k mark, so if what you say is true, I'll be seeing you soon.

DA

 

Park Ave Acura is located in Maywood, NJ. That's in Bergen county.

I went to Montclair Acura back in Sept/Oct to buy my car they would not give me a deal, the guy had the nerve to tell me that if I don't give you a discount I could sell the car at a premium to someone else. I told them to screw yourself and keep your car. One of the reasons is that I am young and the guy was trying to make me get an Integra. Sorry just venting. I went to Paragon Acura to get my car, after I bought it. Someone from Park Ave e-mailed me with a better price, but unfortunately for me I already bought a week earlier.

 

OK- remember guys- I don't speak for Acura- just my dealership and my personal experience of 30 years in the service business (ya, I know- old man ) We do reccomend the first oil change to be around 3750 miles and about every 3750 after that. As a matter of fact- if you buy your car from us, we do that first oil change for free. The driving conditions in this area (Metro NY) are considered to be in the severe catagory. NO doubt about it. As to weather or not there is an additive package in the oil at manufacture- I don't really have an answer. I've have heard both yes and no. Given the quality of todays oil, it really isn't necessary. Either way- there will always be small particles left over from manufacture that will accumulate in the oil filter and by 3750 miles, I, for one, want to change them out. Can you go 7500 between services- sure. Is that the best for your car in our area- probably not. I have seen the inside of engines that have had longer change intervals and there is always more buildup than those of the old 3k oil change.
So the answer to your question is- YES we do reccomend you change your oil every 3750 miles. You spent about 30 grand for this fine machine- are you too cheap to spend $23.00 every 3750 miles to keep it feeling good? You wouldn't tell your kids to skip lunch every day just because someone said that just breakfast and dinner is enough to keep them alive!

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Wayne Gruen
Service Manager
Park Ave Acura

 

You wouldn't tell your kids to skip lunch every day just because someone said that just breakfast and dinner is enough to keep them alive!

thats a good one wayne

 

I agree with mr. gruen why would anyone skip
an oil change if by doing the extra oil change give your car a longer and better life. More frequent oil changes can help keep your cars emissions down as ACURA intended. SO WHY NOT I don't see that it can hurt.

 

Ahh, I guess that oil is just like lunch. There is no such thing as a free lunch (unless you go to wayne for your first one)...


<FONT COLOR="#800080" SIZE="1" FACE="Verdana, Arial">[This message has been edited by drbeatty on April 10, 2001 @ ]</font>

 

Does Park Avenue Acura in NJ really recommend the FIRST oil change at 3500-4000 miles? I live and drive in NJ too, and never considered us to be in severe driving conditions. I drive about 35 miles each way to/from work, and almost all of it is highway driving. Or is the weather the determinant of whether driving conditions are extreme? With all the raving I've been hearing about Park Avenue Acura, I'd be interested in hearing what their recommendations are regarding this subject. Perhaps Wayne/Jens could clarify.

DA

 

Wayne, thanks for the honest and thorough opinion.

OK, that settles it for me...my FIRST oil change will be at 3750 miles and every 3750 miles thereafter, b/c (1) Wayne said it's good for the car, and (2) the manual recommends it, since my driving area (NY/NJ) is considered to be extreme. I guess for those who don't drive in extreme conditions, there is no clear answer for you guys.

As for spending $23 to keep a $30k vehicle in good health, I couldn't agree with you more. I don't think anyone of else is so cheap to oppose paying for an oil change at the first 3750 miles if it will protect the car. But the confusion lies in what exactly will protect the car in the long run. The manual explicity recommends otherwise, and one would think Acura knows best about their own cars, or at least, they know something about the factory oil that we don't. That's why so many of us are hesistant to change out the oil at the FIRST 3000 miles because we're afraid doing so would, in fact, harm the car b/c the additives in the factroy oil won't have a chance to do its job.

Alas, I can rest at peace on this issue. See you at my first oil change.

DA

 

wayneg,

Thanks for the reply. I guess it's all a matter of "should", "can", and "might as well." I'll probably take mine in for the first oil changes at 3750, 7500, 11250, with petroleum oil, then I'll switch to Mobil 1 and change every 5000 miles.