hunnypuppy

First time owner 19 MDX and I’ve been trying to find out which are the OEM Brand manufacturers for the various DIY parts.

I’m ONLY looking for OEM Brands (NOT after market options). Top DIY parts that come to mind:

• Cabin air filter (is the OEM carbon activated)?
• Engine air filter
• Oil filter
• Engine oil
• Wipers/blades (driver, passenger, rear)
• Brake pads
• Brake discs
• Radiator coolant fluid

Any insights into the OEM brands would be appreciated

mrgold35

Don't forget to add (depending on your DYI skill level):
- AT fluid (3.5L or hybrid)
- brake fluid
- transfer case (sh-awd 3.5L only)
- rear sh-awd diff (3.5L or hybrid twin motor unit)
- timing and serpentine belt kits (no serpentine belt for hybrid)
- battery (FLA or AGM)

MCRacer

Most car mfg have a variety of companies that make and supply the brand labled products. they MAY have the same product sold under their name, or sometimes not. If you want to get actual OEM stuff, get the Acura or Honda labeled products. For engine oil, air filter, coolants and oil filter to comply with MM warranty act, if you don't want to buy Acura labeled, look for aftermarket that meets the OEM spec's. Acura calls out the spec for oil, it's common, same with coolant and oil filters and air filters. No, the cabin air filter is not carbon impregnated. Bosh makes an aftermarket cabin filter that is HEPA rated, I use them in the MDX, my Mercedes, and in my truck. For wiper blades, the lowest cost I've found is to just use OEM Acura refills, all you get is the wiper rubber, pull the wiper rubber out, remove the metal strips, install on new rubber, back in business, way less expensive than complete replacement blades. Brake fluid is plain old DOT3, available everywhere, no reason to get Acura, and IMHO I would use DOT4 anyway. I never use DOT3 in anything anymore. DOT4 superseeds DOT3 with a higher boiling point wet and dry and the cost difference is minimal.

I don't expect to need new brake pads or rotors for at least 100K miles, more likely 150K miles.

hunnypuppy

That’s nice to know. Do you know which are the OEM brands for these items?

MCRacer

the "OEM Brands" are either Acura or Honda. there are mfg that make the products for Acura/honda and put the Acura/Honda label on them. Who the original mfg is can vary over time. and in many cases multiple mfg supply them with the Acura or Honda label. And i have never seen a list of who the actual mfg and mfg PN is for OEM products for car mfg. You can find the Acura/Honda PN but that's about it. And whomever makes the parts is highly unlikely to sell a consumer the part with an Acura/Honda label on it, it would be there label.

For my vehicles I use OEM oil filters, air filters, transmission fluid and radiator fluid. Oil, I use what they spec, cabin filters, wiper blades, batteries, brake fluid, I shop around. Why do I use OEM parts?
oil and air filters, oil filters vary all over, for some vehicles the OEM filter has an anti drainback valve to keep oil in the filter on shutdown when it is sideways/upside down etc. and some aftermarket don't. and filter material varies Air filters I've seen test on OEM vs. aftermarket and seldom does an aftermarket have better filtering than factory. may have slightly less restriction but seldom better filtration. Transmission fluid, for decades there were only a couple used, Now there are dozens of different formulations and often aftermarket tries to have as few as needed for all the spec's. I'd rather have one designed for the vehicle spec's with no compromise. Radiator fluid, again for decades one solved all. now with the different OA formulations along with low silicate etc. I'd rather go with one identical to what is in the vehicle.
Brake pads vary, In some cases I've gone with aftermarket Akebono's to get rid of terrible dust, Others i've gone with Factory, others Akebono because that is the OEM supplier and I can get the Akebono same as OEM supplied. Batteries, well that is a can of worms. I stick with OEM Delco for my GM and OEM MB for my SL, they typically last me 10+ years. But then there are mfg who's OEM batteries are IMHO pretty marginal, ford and from what others are saying Acura, so I'll likely shop around for a battery when i need one.

hunnypuppy

Thanks. I’m trying to figure out how Honda/Acura parts work. I had a BMW before this and I know for example Bose supplies many parts for BMW under the BMW brand but they would also sell the same parts directly under their brand at a cheaper price (OEM). Are you saying Honda/Acura don’t allow the manufacturers to follow a similar model and all parts are only branded Honda/Acura?

Also is there any way to know if the parts received are genuine OEM and not knocks offs with the Honda/Acura logo?

mrgold35

The Honda/Acura powertrains are very reliable and robust. I treat OEM as the minimal standard for maintenance. Most OEM routine maintenance fluids and filters are interchangeable with aftermarket brands. I usually stick to OEM on coolant, trans fluid, transfer case, oil filter, timing belt, and rear diff. Everything else just depends on what success everyone else had with certain aftermarket fluids/filters/parts (cabin filter, wipers, engine oil, engine oil filter, brake rotor/pads, tires, battery, spark plugs, etc...). I find it cheaper to order OEM fluids/filters on-line to DYI or take to the dealership to use (dealership mark-ups on fluids/filters are 50%-100% sometimes for service+labor). I would also check Honda -vs- Acura prices because a lot of these parts are the same and cheaper with Honda and interchangeable like oil filter, coolant, cabin filter, 9AT fluid, rear diff, etc...

moose66

mrgold has you on the right path . . . . . . . . And how do you avoid fake OEM parts? You buy from reputable sellers. Many of us have purchased from the many dealerships who sell OEM parts online discounted off of the list MSRP. Before you buy, check any of those sites (oemacuraparts.com, acurapartsnow.com, etc to name a couple) to check pricing. If the price is way below what those websites sell the product for, you might want to think twice. You also have to consider shipping costs from those online guys. Sometimes even the smallest, lightest item will cost a premium to have it shipped. You'd be better off trying to source locally by checking with the local Acura/Honda dealership (as mentioned Acura/Honda part are sometimes interchangeable, with the same Honda part being cheaper for obvious reasons) to see if they will match any price you may find online. Everyone knows the profit center of a dealership is parts and service. But sometimes you can score a deal. They may run coupons or something like that occasionally.

hunnypuppy

Great info. So when looking at the 19 MDX SH-AWD, for example the engine air filter and cabin air filter - what “Honda” car parts should I be looking at which will fit this car?

jdpdata

https://www.oemacuraparts.com/v-2019-acura-mdx--sh-awd--3-5l-v6-gas

You can always call you local dealer parts department to verify the part number is correct for your car. Give them your VIN Number.

Element Assembly, Air Cleaner - Acura (17220-5J6-A10)

Element, Dust/Pollen Filter - Acura (80292-SDA-407)

MCRacer

I have no idea what arrangements Acura/Honda has with OEM suppliers. For me it's just not worth the effort for the parts i want as Acura/Honda to search around. (air filters, oil filters, tranny/diff fluids coolant) I do basically what Mrgold does. Some things I stay with Acura, others I shop around. Some things I don't bother with Acura/Honda/ GM etc at all, spark plugs, engine oil, brake fluid, cabin air filters (I've found Bosh HEPA filters to be better than the OEM cabin filters on the acura, and my GM trucks and Mercedes car)

mrgold35

Acura engine air filter 17220-5J6-A10, $27.67, estore.honda
Honda engine air filter: 17220-5J6-A10, $19.59, HondaPartsNow

Acura engine air filter 80292-SDA-407, $21.65, estore.honda
Honda engine air filter: 80292-SDA-407, $15.33, HondaPartsNow

Prices are all over the place and you have to watch out for shipping. The on-line store use to be free shipping a few years ago and now they jack up the price at the end by charging more for shipping.

csmeance

rockauto.com

NGK, Denso and other major brands are OEM manufacturers. Half the time the honda e-store will list the maker. For certain replacements, aftermarket is way better than OEM such as cabin filter. I use ATP carbon filter to avoid smells. Engine filter is WIX usually.

hunnypuppy

nice! Have you seen any drop with the A/C performance with the HEPA filters? I was reading a post from a user who measured the flow and found it cut by half causing the A/C to take substantially longer to cool (or heat) the car.

mrgold35

I've been using the Bosch HEPA in my 19 MDX and 18 RLX for +2 years living in the southwest (lows near 0 degrees F in winter and max of +110 degrees F in summer). Zero issues with using the HEPA and ventilated seat also help (ASpec and Adv have ventilated front seats). I also use a sunshade when parked outside, garage parked at home, and front windows tinted.

csmeance

I had trouble with some of the bosch filters in my TL back in 2007 with their HEPA filter and since then have been going with the ATP activated charcoal. The filter was SUPER thick and with the A/C on high the air flowed at a much lower rate from the vents. I was shocked and ended up returning it and buying a OEM one. Later on I did buy WIX a few times and ended up liking the ATP better as it kept odors of food out of the car. Downside is that I replace it 1x a year vs every 30K miles with WIX/OEM as I want the odor removal to function properly.

The HEPA filters are a joke as the car as many air leaks (any car for that matter) and sources of dust in general, waste of $$$ to be 100% honest for that rating. Any filter that can filter well without restricting airflow is all you need.

Donn0128

and you will likely pay near double what they are worth. Go pick a top name brand from your neighborhood auto parts store and you will get a better product. Buying brand specific parts is plane silly.

MCRacer

haven't noticed any difference in AC performance either the MDX or my Denali 2500 pickup. But DW noticed instantly that the HEPA filters did a much better job of filtering stuff that affected her alergies.

MCRacer

My DW will disagree that the HEPA filters are a joke. In our MDX and Denali during alergy season the OEM filters did nothing, switching to bosch HEPA filters helped a great deal with her alergies, before switching even 15 minutes driving around and it was just like sitting outside, eyes watering, etc. while with the HEPA filters she had very little alergy symptoms, about the same as in the house with our electrostatic air cleaner.

mrgold35

The main reason I switched from the charcoal activated Febreeze to the Bosch HEPA was because of the wife. Also did MERV 13 drop in filters house forced air and stand alone units in bedroom and living room. She is happy now.

andysinnh

When COVID started, I decided to upgrade the cabin air filters in my MDX and the wife's RLX to the Bosch HEPA versions. In the fall last year, I replaced them with OEM cabin filters. My observation was that the amount of residual "dust" in the cars wasn't a lot different. But the biggest difference was in airflow. The MDX was similar between the two, but the RLX had a reduced airflow that you didn't really notice until it was replaced with the factory one. Even my wife noticed the change. So for me the results with the HEPA were mixed......

moose66

If you troll the internet, there have been reports where using HEPA filters have caused blower motor failure. That would be my only fear when thinking of using a HEPA filter. Unless your system is designed for the flow of air through a filter with the thicker HEPA material.

MCRacer

the blower motor on my silverado with hepa filter is still working after 260+ K miles, and the one in my MB after 98K miles. So it likely isn't a universal failure mode. Now failure to replace the filter as it gets clogged may be a partial cause. I've known people who didn't know their vehicle had a cabin air filter, car was years/decades old and it had never been changed.

moose66

The articles are not brand specific. I would gather you would get different results based on the brand/model of your vehicle. And yes, a clogged filter is not the same as a clean filter.