acuramatTL

I have an 06 AT TL that I bought in May with 55k miles on it. I had an oil change right after I took her home, and now I am just about at 61,000 miles. I know it is due for a pretty big service at 60k. My question is do I wait for the MID to let me know its due or just take it in? I have about 30% oil life left according to the MID. The carfax noted all required services, (oil changes, recall etc.) I am not sure whether I am late or to wait for the code to appear.

thanks for any assistance

Bearcat94

No time/milege schedule anymore except on a few items. The big service is at 105k/7yrs and that's timing belt replacement.

Check here for your Owners Manual and then look in the Maint section. Wait for the MID unless the OM says otherwise.

https://techinfo.honda.com/rjanisis/...01_OMANUAL.asp

94eg!

The only thing out of the ordinary in the OM is to replace the brake fluid every 3 years regardless of mileage.

Also, they say to adjust the valve lash every 30k miles if noisy...

01tl4tl

actually the brake fluid flush is start at (the beginning of) year 3, then every year forever
Smart owners flush the fluid at 1-2 years since car new, and then every year
wiki- hygroscopic for all the reasons that absorbed moisture will cause expensive damage and give weak pedal
Its a pretty simple DIY- just appears tough for noob- If you can use a wrench you can do this- or have a private shop do it for you
10 bucks diy- 100 shop

depending on how the car has been driven- at 60k miles I would seafoam the gas -manifold vac port, and the oil at oil change time--then install new NGK Iridium spark plugs
Makes the car run like new

Assume its been in `severe service` part of the maitenance all its life- lots of stop and go commute and trips under 5 miles, extreme hot and cold temps etc
Better safe than sorry!

Turbonut

iTrader: (1)

Wait for the MID to get to 15%, or lower, then change the oil. Go by the factory scheduled service intervals and you'll be fine. Once again the factory service for a brake fluid change is every 3 years, and that should be fine. Having service done at less mileage/time, certainly can't hurt anything but your bank account.

acuramatTL

Thanks to all for your quick replies. Interesting to note, that while I do assume that it has been severely driven, I saw the original owners name and dealership on one of the pieces of paperwork left in the glove box, and with a minimum of research was able to see that the original owner was a mid 50's woman that worked in the banking industry. As long as she didn't let her twenty-something kids tear it up then I should be ok. Go ahead flame me for stereotyping grandma's for not being hot rodders

01tl4tl

Grandma may have done the 4 mile commute and only gone to the store on weekends- never spent hours on the freeway like a car wants to,,and needs to!

Brake fluid should be replaced EVERY YEAR- I dont care what book says what- acura keeps changing things to higher miles then says- as needed-

I can guarantee that after 12 months your brake fluid will have absorbed at least a small amount of water vapor- any is too much
That water vapor does compress!- unlike brake fluid- which means that the moisture will indeed get pushed thru the ABS controller (some may stay) and to the calipers where it turns into microscopic sized rust particles-just waiting for someone to compress the caliper at pad change and disturb them--so they can easily cut the small thin rubber oring that is the caliper piston seal!!
Once that happens its caliper rebuild or likely replacement time- as the rust will have eaten away at the smooth polished surfaces
Happened to my car-1st owner never changed fluid=new master cyl and all 4 calipers on the 01TL, happened to other cars I have worked on in the past, and now for some local ziners have seen 05s with bad stuff (in 07)

Yes back in the good old days BEFORE ABS BRAKES it wasnt as big an issue and only high end cars required it frequently per the book- or no one read the book of regular cars--we just changed oil- grease bearings and drove those cars!!

NOW- its extrememly important to keep the brake fluid clean and fresh- the master controller for the ABS it over $700 and guess what- it wont be warranty when acura says you didnt change the fluid enough
Driving stop and go, or mountain driving, or wannabe racers or track day drivers all put the car in `severe service` --
and the ever present little old lady who never took it out and got all the moisture dried from things- thats the worst

It certainly wont hurt the brakes to change the fluid every year- it will make the brake pedal feel firmer and respond with full pressure
If fluid is contaminated its not working as well, has lower boiling point and is bad for the system overall
To each his own--
but as a retired tech with no interest in where you take the car or DIY-
I do the brake fluid every year on my car and friends cars- more often if track day racers- they get fresh fluid before and after a track day

For that matter take the rotors off now and grease the brake sliders and the hub to rotor connection
I have seen many acura TLs with solid corrossion on that hub- makes it tough to do the brake job when a sledgehammer is required to get rotor loose

60k I would do the ps fluid for sure now too

94eg!

There is no longer a "Severe conditions" schedule. The MID will account for this.

As for the brake fluid, the Owners manual only says to replace it every 3 years. Not "At the start of the 3rd year" and "once every year thereafter". Brake fluid does not magically start absorbing more moisture after you bleed the first time, thus requireing more frequent changes.

Just be sure to use a brand-new SEALED bottle of brake fluid every time you do this, and it WILL last 3 years.

Bearcat94

There are notes in the 3G maint section regarding conditions that used to be termed "Severe". For example:

01tl4tl

OK so my gen2 book is different than yours, we dont have a mid-
...which doesnt actually account for moisture absorbtion by the fluid

3 years is the max you should wait before getting on a change program- then once you see what a great thing it is to do- every year
Should you start at 12 months- IMO yes!!

I say it means at the start of year 3- because I have worked on 2 year old TL's with really ugly fluid come out during the flush- So better safe than sorry when it comes to brakes
PS fluid has the same hygroscopic action BUT it circulates and gets HOT so the fluid dries out
Brake fluid moves a few mm forward then back, never circulates to get dry