So i'm around 6600 miles on my 05 TL that i've had for about 3 months and a few days and my maintenance light just came on last night saying that my "A1 Service is due soon".

My question is will there be another reminder when it's actually time to do it? And also what the price will be? I know they'll be changing the oil b/c i haven't had it changed yet. Anything else?

 

You get the nagging orange reminder every time you start the car, until the MID is reset. Mine kept saying oil life<15%, I never let it get to the end.

My Acura dealer wanted $95 for the service. I got it done at a Honda dealership for $48. For comparison, I get my Expedtion serviced (oil/filter and rotation) for $20 even.

 

Yea i've noticed that it keeps coming on every time i start it. So i purchased my TL from like an hour and 15 min. from where i actually stay and there are 2 Acura dealerships like 20-25 min. from me. Which one do you suggest i go to? The one where i originally bought it since they know me really well? The one that's closer to me? Or the one that will offer the cheapest price? B/c from what i've read people pay different amounts depending on where they leave and where they go.

 

It will display 3 different messages. "Service Due Soon" (15% oil life), "Service Due Now" (< than 5%), "Service Past Due" (0% oil life). Reset the MID after servicing is completed. The cost of the A1 service will vary with each dealer as noted from the above posts. Shop around for the best deals, find a mechanic/shop you trust, take to Honda, or DIY.

 

Thanks everyone for your info. I'll start calling this evening when i get off.

 

To all,
I have an '04 TL with 21k miles on it. I have had the oil changed several times and am soon due (telling me <20%). I have never seen a message stating 'A1 service due' or anything referencing A1 on the MID.
Should I be concerned?
BTW, I had tires rotated/balanced and alignment at 11k miles (because I wanted to).
Thanks.

 

If you serviced and reset the MID before it reaches the 15% oil life, you won't receive those messages. Try running it down to the 15% point and see what happens. Are you using mileage or the MID for your service reminders?

 

You will receive the other messages. Explained below. What I can't explain is why Gansmanms is not getting the message.

This will explain what happens to the other services items when you reset the MID before the service due message appears.

From the service manual, page 3-6:
So this means if you change your oil before the 15% Service Due Soon is displayed, and you go to reset the display, if there are other items to be serviced, they will show up on the display, and if you clear the display the MID will take this to mean that you performed the required service.

The statement from the service manual is a little vague, and I think they meant to say that if other items require service, the message "Service Due Soon" will be displayed, since if there is nothing else requiring service there would be no need for the message.

This information is NOT in the owners manual.

 

Change the oil NOW!!!!! My MID said I had <30% when I changed my oil. The car had 4000 miles. I had the oil sampled by Blackstone Labs and it was shot. It had tons of wear elements, lots of crud, and was basicaly way overdue to be changed. I normally change the factory fill oil at 1500 miles on a new engine, but I trusted my dealer, Acura, and the MID and waited for the oil to break in the engine. They gave me this crap about how the oil needed to stay in the engine until the MID said to change it for a proper break-in on the engine. Boy was that wrong. I really should have trusted my gut feeling and dumped that oil at 1000-1500 miles as I normally do with any new car I buy. That whole story about the break-in oil is nothing but BS. My oil analysis proved the oil was beyond it's life and should have been changed much earlier. There was so much metal and crap in the oil..and filter....it scared me so much that I might have actually damaged my new engine. Get it out NOW!!!

 

Also note that the A1 service, per the manual, is just an oil change and tire rotation. The oil filter change is part of the B services. I have never in my life ever heard of not changing both at the same time.

I left the factory fill in until the MID prompted with the orange messages and then had both changed out within the week. You will get different opinions on all this, even between different Honda and Acura dealers.

 

Hey Hawhyen51,
I am using the MID as my guideline for changing the oil, but use it compared to the actual miles driven. I do a lot of highway and some city miles. I usually go 5,000 - 6,000 before changing. I only once saw my MID display <15%. I usually change it when it tells me 20%.
Thanks.

 

Oh Crap, I changed mine yesterday at 6,470 Miles. MID showed < 15% "Service Due Soon A1". I did notice there are quite a lot of deposit on the oil change drip pan. I hope I didn't shorten the engine life. I was just following the Owner's manual for the "break in oil". Bought the 08 TL-S last year september. I fill it with Mobil1 Synthetic 5w-20 with Mobil1 filter.

 

Holy thread revival Batman! Well, it is nice to see you searched. 6,470 is not too late at all! The break in oil should be in about that long. You are good.

 

I got an A1 service today. Was a bit blown because my regular service writer is no longer there. He was a cool guy who didn't bother with trying to fleece you out of your money. Anyways, I get this fast talker who eager to convince me that he's my good friend and all. I went during the midday withthe intent to have lunch while the car is being serviced. One of the last things this guy says to me after I dropped off my car was... We'll check things wrong outside of the A1 service and give you a call so that you can authorize us to do the extra service. At that point I knew I was going to hear from this dude before the "Your car is ready for pickup" call. Later while looking around the showroom with a salesman trying to convince me that people hated the 3G when it came out also.... The service writer calls me. He wants to explain some "issues" they found.
First he says my front tires has inside wear. Wants to sell me 2 new tires at $738 installed because "soon enough, the current tires will be illegal to drive on". Of course a wheel alignment "which is on special today for just $119". Next he wants to change my power steering fluid and brake fluid (I think for $138 and $155) because "Acura recommends it at 3 years and my fluid is very dirty and contaminated which could lead to moisture developing and more problems" and luckily for me... "We can do any or all of this work now".

I told him that "I'll buy my tires on my own, and to just do the A1 items". Looking at my tires (I have 46000 miles) they're clearly showing wear. I'm no expert, but they look to be wearing evenly to me. Also, at all of my other scheduled service visits (with my old service writer) everyhting always looked good. Now all of a sudden this new dude has a laundry list for me. Just to be sure though, I'll ask the service manager at my job to take a look and give me a second opinion.

If that wasn't enough... I decided to ask the finance guys about purchasing an extended warranty since I'm getting close. This dude tells me $1700 for addtl 4 yrs/48K with $100 deductible!

 

dude what dealership is it

 

A1 Service cost: $39.95. Any more, and your getting :ripped:

 

Chevy Chase Acura

 

if you change the oil yourself will the message go away?

 

No- you reset it through the MID per the owners' manual instructions.

The 3G Garage has links to both on-line versions of the manual and resetting of the MID.

 

how long can you drive on " Service A due now" %<5%?

how have tried searching but cannot find the answer. I am going to change the oil tomorrow, just wondering how many miles it has left until it's past due. The place I usually go to change my oil is 8 miles away.

 

You'll eventually get a "Service Past Due" but I'm not sure when that comes. Don't worry about it, just change it as soon as you can.

 

^yeah, I just found a thread verifying that it was ok even past due. took me a half hour but thats ok ,thanks for the response.

 

And I thought the guys at Radley Acura in NoVa were fast talkers. I had some issues with my CD player. I took it in. They said I needed a new unit for $1200 plus labor. He said alternatively I could buy an extended warranty for $1500, wait a couple of months and try to get my CD player fixed under warranty. I said no thanks.

 

I changed the oil when it was 2000 miles on my new MDX. I used Mobil synthetic oil. The mechanic said that I don't need to change the oil until 9000 miles on the odometer but I got the Service due soon A1‏ indicator on 5000 miles. Just after running another 3 thousand miles. Off course I did not rotate the tyres at that time. Should I reset the indicator or go for tyre rotation or both tyre rotation and oil change?

 

The initial factory oil has special compounds in it that help 'break in' the vehicle so you want to leave it in longer. Should have listened to that mechanic. just do the tire rotation now and stick with the what the MID tells you from now on.