swttsx007

Hello,

So, I have a dumb question, but I'm curious. I have never leased a vehicle up until this RDX, so I've always been diligent about doing maintenance. However, since I'm currently doing a 12k/36mo lease, what would if anything, be the downfall of not doing some of the required maintenance during the lease period? For example, the differential fluid at 15k. I'm sure you could push it with the original fluid up until 36k without major issues.

I do understand that lack of maintenance, and some catastrophic failure would probably come back on me, but the more I think about it, the less beneficial (financially) on my end it would be to really keep up with all of the maintenance on the vehicle. Obviously, oil changes are a must, but other than that, I'm not so sure.

Anyway, just curious...

JDMaccord3.5

36k is more than double the required mileage interval on the original differential fluid, if a $175-$200 one time service in 3 years will affect your financials, maybe the RDX SH-AWD is not the best suit. First service is required at 15k, next ones are 30k intervals

Just FYI, the SH-AWD mpg will be a lot worse than advertised, especially in cold temperatures, so keep than in mind when calculating expenses.

Normal service you should do in 3 years / 36k miles on the RDX: oil changes, tire rotation, brake fluid, rear differential fluid (if equipped), "possibly" skip transmission fluid. Most you should be able to do on your own if you want to save a buck here and there. YMMV

leomio2.0

I've had a handful of people come in with 19k+ on the original oil because it was going "back from lease." Engines sludged up and sometimes you could hear the engines knocking. They didn't care, it wasn't "their" vehicle. Dealers would take them back without a penalty so long as they were leasing another car from their dealer. I suspect this is why a lot of the German companies, and I think even Toyota/Lexus, give complimentary maintenance on their cars for the first 1-3yrs ... they were sick of getting cars back that were basically unsalable. Conjecture at best, but if it was happening at our shop, I'm sure there were plenty of people doing the same thing everywhere.

It would obviously be the "right thing to do" to change all the fluids, but it's your car (for now) and your money. I'd at least do the oil changes when the maintenance reminder comes on (intervals are plenty long enough). The rest of the stuff won't grenade if you don't change the fluid, but it obviously won't be ideal.

swttsx007

I am not worried about the financial aspect of doing the maintenance, I was just "curious" how that works, and whether or not people actually follow the service intervals because it's not "their car". I, however, plan on keeping up with the maintenance, as I might buy the vehicle out at the end of the lease.

Thanks all!

ESHBG

I am sure this comes down to us being enthusiasts and in tune with our vehicles but when my car's oil gets old I can feel it and right after the oil is changed there is a noticeable smoothness again so I couldn't imagine doing that.

leomio2.0

It's not just in your head. I had the same feeling and thought it was just a "placebo" effect. Then I saw this:

russianDude

I know couple of people, when they return their lease dealer never bothers to check maintenance records, just a visual inspection. Never buy used car that was leased unless you can see the history of al the oil changes done.

Madd Dog

Just follow the MM, no more, no less. Keep the service records. It will protect you if needed, and it is the right way to run a machine.

Baldeagle

What about the maintenance-minders? We have a few built into the system. With regard to this hypothetical question, would Mr. Nomain Tenance reset all those intervals without actually performing the maintenance? How else would one intend to conceal this? At what potential legal penalty?

russianDude

yes, you can reset them in the menu. Once they accept your lease, there is no legal penalty.