Hi guys,

Just wondering when I should take my rdx to get first maintenance?
I've owned it for about 4 month, but only at around 900 miles (yes I drove way less than I expected, but still love my new rdx so much!)
The oil monitor is at 80% now.

I did see people mentioned one can just go with the monitor: whenever it drops to around 20%.
But for me that will likely to happen after I've owned it for maybe one year? Isn't that too late?

Any thoughts will be appreciated!

 

Everything I've heard and read says to go in when the OLM says it's time - or - 1 year, whichever comes first.

 

 

The usual advice is that if you DIY an oil change before the MM requests it, you should NOT reset the MM. Doing so may cause you to miss other services that were flagged to be requested along with the next oil change.

( An ironic potential consequence of trying to be proactive and "do the right thing" ).

If a dealer does the oil change, they can check for stored service requests with their scanner.

 

 

If you do all of your basic service, set up a spreadsheet in Excel and use the maintenance manual to set the change intervals. I have done this for several of our cars and it works great. I do reset the MM but I know what is due and when. I don't want the light flashing and the beep reminding me after I have done the work. The manual is pretty clear on when to do what and I keep the spreadsheet up to date, so I know what is due next and when. I keep my cars for a long time so I tend to service a bit sooner than I need to. As you said, oil is cheap esp if you do your own work.

I believe that there is a thread (maybe in the TL forum) about the various spreadsheets that people use. I list everything and have spaces set up for notes for any service that I do. On some of my cars I would let the dealer do the service for the first year or so (I typically put on about 30k per year) until the 3year/36k is up....just in case there is an issue so they know that they are the only people who have worked on the car. I once had a dealer strip the drainplug on the oil pan. They wanted to charge me for a new one. I reminded them that they were the only people to work on the car. They paid for the new pan and then I took over doing the work.

 

 

The first service aside from engine oil will be rear diff fluid @15k miles, so you are fine for the first oil change no matter what you do.

The owner's manual no longer lists service intervals, but some of them can be guessed from the notes on "severe service" because that requires half the normal mileage interval. Others we assume haven't changed since the days before MMs, and anecdotally they seem to match the MM.

Look at the thread "rear differential fluid change", in "DIY and FAQ", for instance.

 

 

I just got a used 18,000 miles RDX 2019, and the only thing that had been done so far on it were 3 oil and filter changes (~at every 6,000 miles).
Is there anything I am missing? What should I do next?
Does changing oil by yourself or at a non Acura dealership void the warranty?

 

Was it done by a dealer? If so, ask if the transmission and transfer fluid has been changed. If not, do so.

Also, pay attention to the tire pressures, you want all 4 wheels to have virtually the same pressure, don’t count on the alarm.

 

I just checked the service records, yes the rear fluid has been replaced as well.
After paying close attention first oil change was done at 10K miles and second was done at 14.5K miles, hhmmm looks like the first was delayed....

 

Yes it was all done at Acura dealer, so I think they know what they were doing.

 

Only the rear differential fluid was changed, but it was done at Acura completely.
Also does it ruin the warranty if we do out own oil change? Any idea?

 

I have worked at an Acura dealer since 2004. I have never seen a warranty claim denied for using an outside shop to change the oil. You will be on the hook for a new oil pan after they reuse the crush washer a half dozen time and pull out the threads. That I see quite often from Walmart, Jiffy Lube and AAA.

 

Says right in the book you can do your own work, just document everything, I’m about to do the second oil change and rear diff fluid, currently at 12k miles, at 15k I may do a tranny fluid change, it’s cheap and I am thinking of doing the extreme maintenance path, then 30k each time after

 

I guess I have to read the book some time. I will try to do my own oil change and rear diff fluid changes as well. At least the basic work and hope to keep it running healthy for the long term.
It would make it much cheaper even if I did oil change every 5K lol. It costs around $130 at Acura. But they do some basic other checks I guess.

 

Just got my oil changed at 7,500 miles. Maintenance reminder was at 5%; bought in Sept 2018. Dealership charged me $99, but gave me a $50 discount since I was a new service customer.

 

Good for you.....Doing your own basic work will save you a ton of $$$$. This site and YouTube will walk you through almost every basic job, and depending upon your comfort level with learning you can do almost any work on your car. Get some good tools, set up a spreadsheet (see start of thread) and take it slow. I quit taking my 07TL to the dealer years ago when they wanted $1100 for a radiator replacement. I did the job for about $175 and a Saturday. TL currently has 289000 miles on it and it has not seen the dealer in years. Check out the garage section on this site for more information and post questions when you have them. Dealer charge just way too much.

 

That is good to know. I hope there is nothing major for some time on this car.
Plus I was really hoping it would be easier to work on these cars compared to German. I had an Audi in the past and the repairs were getting hectic so I traded that in for the RDX.
That is great news on the TL, hoping to keep this Acura RDX going for that long as well. For now I will start off with the oil changes, my first step. Acura is charging $130 and I think I can have it done in like $30?

 

But lately Take 5 has been pretty good as well, they do a decent job and it gets done in no time. I think they were charging like $50-60 for oil change on this kind of vehicle, however, I always thought if we did not get the oil change / maintenance done at Acura the warranty would be void. I did not care about this factor on my subaru, I did my own thing since day 1 or took it to a private mechanic that I knew very well. It did not have any issues till 70K until I got rid of it.

 

Has this ever happened to you? I was waiting to do my own first oil change and tire rotation when I received an email from Acura of Honolulu for a complimentary A1 service. Now that was an offer I couldn't refuse. In addition to an oil change and tire rotation, they even replaced the front wiper blades, performed a "multi-point vehicle inspection", and "express car wash and vacuum." The dealership has a fabulous waiting/lounge area, complete with coffee/hot chocolate, snacks, TV, and Wifi. I could get used to this VIP treatment. Acura been very good to me!

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Sounds great....but the commute for the free service would cost me about $4000.

 

How much does the A1 service run? I'm going in next Tuesday.

 

You could think of it as a $4,000 A1 Service and a FREE vacation in Hawaii Five-O.

 

I am heading to the bank right now to get cash....Aloha!

 

For DIY oil changes, what oil to use? Acura oil is NOT synthetic, right?
Also where do you buy your filters?
Thanks
__________________________________
2019 RDX Tech SH-AWD

 

Pennzoil Platinum is the only oil I use in any of my vehicles. I use OEM or Mobil1 filters I buy at Walmart cheap.

 

I’m running mobil1 advanced