TVL65

Maintaining the TL is EASY. If you're using basic oil change it & the filter every 3,000 miles, if you're using synthetic like I am change it every 5,000 miles. Rotate your tires every 5,000 miles, change your air filter every 15,000 miles & cabin filter every 20,000 & trans fluid every 20,000 miles. Your good up until 105,000 miles which is the timing belt & plugs. My dealer uses Agip synthetic oil.

Comptechtl2367

I wish car makers would have never put junk like this on cars. The rule has always been every 3k or 3 months on basic oil and every 5k 5 months on synthetic like TVL65 said. why would you even chance going off of that display, I dont drive my TL much and if i went off of that i wouldnt need an oil change every 1.5 years! When i look at buying cars if someone said they serviced off that display i wont touch the car. You paid 15-25k for your TL, why not spend the extra to change the oil when you should, i run Mobil 1 and still change it every 3k miles. Just my 2 cents.

VQPower37

^ ur car is a little diff, ur supercharged so it makes sense that u would change oil more frequently ... however i think for stock cars, the engineers have put a lot of time into the MID, i bought my car brand new in 06 have been following the MID, now have 90k, no issues yet

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

Also, we're not in the olden days any more....
oil has become much better, and so have engines.....
the 3k change is a waste of money.

tones160

Ooopsss lol misread the post, i do 4k every 5-6months.

vietxquangstah

iTrader: (7)

shit i've owned my car for 3 months and already put 8k miles on it

NBPacuraTL

iTrader: (1)

I concur with Justin. I've always changed my oil at 5K miles using Mobil 1 Conventional oil. I just had my timing belt done and valve adjustment and when the techs pulled the valvecover off, they said my engine was very clean.

Just my two cents. I might change to full synthetic and start changing it every 7-8K. I haven't really focused on the M.I.D but I might on my next oil change just to see how long it takes until it makes me change it.

losiglow

iTrader: (1)

This is pretty cool. Total suprise to me though. I thought it was based strictly on miles, and that it simply counted down from 7500 and clicked from 100% to 90% to 80% etc. every 750 miles (7500/10). Do you have a reference for this from Acura or somewhere else online? Not that I'm doubting, frankly I'd expect something like this in a car like the TL. Still, I'd just be interested in seeing it from somewhere official.

I've gone off the MID but typically change around 20% for good measure. Just use Mobil 1 dino and Honda OEM filters. Nothing too fancy.

Comptechtl2367

I agree mine is a different animal but why would you not just change it, lets say every 5k just to be safe? If you have the money for the car why not spend the money to keep it nice. Maybe this is why when i sell my cars they sell so quick because i am so meticulous and OCD about everything.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hondanews.com

Maintenance Minder

I'll try to find more literature

I hate cars

Justin, what's with the Pope avatar?

The MID bases oil life on many factors. Ambient temp, number of cold starts, length of warm up cycles, length of drive cycles, total engine revolutions (not miles), and I'm sure I'm forgetting some. The big ones are total revolutions and average oil temperatures.

Oil doesn't really wear out but the additive package can be depleted along with the TBN in which it becomes acidic.

Regardless of how long the oil will go, you have the contaminate load which is why I have a hard limit of 5,000 miles even if the oil can go another 20,000 before being "worn out".

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

^ a mod changed it.

I hate cars

I see... Is it one of those post whore avatars like Majofo's super gay pink thing...... Even though we know he likes it.

nfnsquared

The only specific parameter regarding the oil life calculations that I've seen in official documentation is "accumulated engine revolutions".

Also mentioned is "engine operating conditions", which could be one or many other items, but nothing specific is mentioned, at least as far as I've seen.

The above is mentioned in both the SM and OM. The exact sentence is:

"Based on engine operating conditions and accumulated engine revolutions, the onboard computer in your Acura calculates the remaining engine oil life."

mau108

Manufacturer include a lot of variables in calculating the the oil life but also pad in time to be safe.

So technically you can go longer then what the MID says to especially if a vehicle is designed with conventional oil in mind and you use synthetic (even a Group III synthetic).

Since you are supercharged you may want to stick with your 5k rule especially if you beat on the car a lot, but on a unmodded car following the MID saves $$$, better for the environment (less good oil need to be reprocessed), less time spent under the car :P (I love being under the car and working on things but not when it's -30 degrees celcius out!)

I hate cars

I forgot to mention in my earlier post that mine will range from barely 3,000 miles in the winter and when I'm only driving 1.5 miles to and from work to 10,000 miles when I used to commute 210 miles round trip. I do 5,000 or less regardless but the MID can significantly change depending on conditions. Again, contaminates are the biggest factor, moreso than actual miles. You have less fuel dilution and water in the oil when you do long trips which is why the MID will let you go up to 3x longer.

coykiam

Sorry to dig up a very old thread and a very beat up topic but my question relates to the MID "accuracy."

I currently drive around 50miles round trip daily to and from work.
I noticed my MID is showing 70% oil life and the last time I had an oil change was roughly around 10K miles ago (4 months ago) using Mobil 1 Synthetic 5w-20. I have always used the same oil ever since I bought her brand in 06, if that matters. I physically checked the dip stick and oil doesn't seem dark compared to when the oil life is around 5-10%. The car drives normally with no problems at 87,xxx miles.

Should I still keep going with the MID or should I do an oil change regardless?

erdoc48

^^ Not sure I understand the mileage statement:
-50 miles round trip x (assumed) 5 days per week = ~ 250 miles per week
-In 4 months that would equal ~4000 miles, not the 10,000 you indicated (unless you really did 10,000 miles in the past 4 months since the last oil change)
-Was the MID reset at some more recent point within the 10,000 miles so that it indicates 70% oil life left?
-If you really do, in fact, have 10,000 miles on the oil, it may be reasonable to change it.

coykiam

I'm sorry please disregard my post. I made an excel sheet a couple months ago and forgot to record that I had an oil change done around 83,000. Thank you for taking the time to reply.

ChrisJ

I change at 10% or 6 months whichever comes first. Typically 6 months as I dont drive it much

tones160

Lol this old thread brought back lots of memories 3 yrs ago haha. I think is time i change to full synthetic oil. Going to try Mobil 1. Anything i need to do as as far as to changing the oil brand for the first time for a car who has hit 52k miles? I can just flush the old oil out and in with the new?

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

^no need to do anything special.

drain your oil. and fill it back up with any brand you want. like a normal oil change
if you've been keeping up with the thread, you'll realize that m1 is not a full synthetic.

tones160

Not really keeping track of this thread since 3 yrs ago dude lol. but thanks for the pointers. What oil are you running on now? I saw Mobil 1 conventional oil but i hear full synthetic is also the way to good even though is more expensive.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

to be very honest, as long as you change the oil on a regular basis according to MID, you could feed the car any kind of brand.

because I dont have any expenses right now(car is paid for, etc.) I buy the most expensive oil i can. I run redline 5w-30.
definitely not needed. and I could probably save A LOT of money by just buying mobile 1 5w-30 or anything that is on sale at your local parts store.

tones160

Well I'm still paying almost $500 a month for my car for the next year. I guess Mobil 1 is the way to go for me

erdoc48

I used M1 5W-20 EP for years, then a single change with the M1 high mileage formula (5W-30). My most recent change was with the Valvoline Syn Power 5W-30. It runs exactly the same as would be expected (that's the synthetic available at my Goodyear dealer). I agree that the TL as a non turbo car will run fine of whatever you give it (synthetic or not) as long as it's the right viscosity and change it when it's due according to the MID. The synthetic gives peace of mind but isn't a necessity

Acura_TL_Vossen

I'm really picky with my TL and always do it at 50-40%. Call me nuts if u want.

LockDots

Studies have been done on engines that ran for a ridiculous amount of time/miles on a single change of oil (upwards of over 50k miles). The engines were then taken apart and inspected and compared to that of one that was only run for 3k or 5k and there was little to no difference. Moral of the story? Change it when you can but don't freak out as long as your car is running fine.

Conventional oil has a half-life, which is why they say to change it after a certain amount of time regardless of mileage. Synthetic doesn't really have a half life.

Personally I run synthetic and change it every 7k miles.

erdoc48

Sounds about right- I'm near 5-10% oil life left between 7000 and 7500 miles, so that's when I get it changed. Usually it gets done shortly after the yellow MID lights come on after the engine is started- when it's annoying enough, the oil gets changed. So I guess the annoying yellow lights are doing their job.

tones160

Which synthetic you use?

ChuckP

Nope. Pure one Purolator and Rotella T6 every 10k miles. Backed by Blackstone labs.

LockDots

Mobil1

I hate cars

Come on, let's at least attempt to keep it factual, to not start rumors. I don't feel like scraping shit off the walls right now.

You left out some very important facts, I know this so called "test" you speak of.

Both dino and syn oils are changed for the same reasons and none of them are
related to a so called "half life". Everything on this planet has a half life.

What part is backed by Blackstone labs? The wear metals portion is completely useless as it's incredibly inaccurate. The other parts such as TBN, TAN, fuel dilution, coolant, viscosity, insolubles, silicone, etc, are useful. However, it does not pick up a lot of components that make up the contaminate load or some of the additives. The main reason for changing the oil is to dump the contaminate load, not because the oil can't go farther.

LockDots

Sorry, not trying to start rumors, just couldn't remember exact facts off the top of my head and haven't had the link handy in a while.

However, if you put a quart of conventional oil in a glass jar alongside a quart of synthetic also in a glass jar and give it some time, you'll see the conventional oil separate far sooner. That's what I meant by half-life, not literally half-life, because as you said everything has a half-life.

What I bolded is true and probably the most important aspect of why you should change your oil after a certain amount of mileage regardless of time.

I hate cars

I wonder if what you're seeing is the additive package separating. I *think* due to the polarity differences, an ester oil will hold some of it's additives in suspension better but that's just my theory.

I tried to find that article you mention. I read it years ago but I can find it anymore. I wonder if it was taken down. I agree with some of it. Oil really doesn't wear out and I'm surprised more of it is not recycled. I would have no issue with recycled oil as long as it meets the specs I want. I have a friend that went over 80,000 miles without a change in his '98 Mustang GT. It leaked pretty bad so it got about a quart a month. I actually like the idea of partial changes more often but since that's not convenient I used to do 5,000 mile changes with my Redline which is beyond safe. To be honest, 10k on a decent syn with pure freeway driving is nothing. I would feel safer at 10k on the freeway than 5k in the city. The nice thing about running a good synthetic is if I'm low on money or time I can go as long as I need to save money or free up time. With 5k OCIs it keeps the oil very clean all the time which isn't necessary and I know I can double that interval before I even begin to worry.

I re-read my previous post and it sounded kind of asshole-ish. I didn't mean it that way, I just post too quick without reading it to see what it sounds like.

ChuckP

Interesting. They commented that 10k was fine for my situation based on what their analysis revealed.

TL Luver

iTrader: (2)

WOW i always thought it was just set for 5k "poor car" lol...


Mobile1 & i go buy the MID


talked to an Amsoil dealer the other day buying Amsoil MTF; he said ''1yr 15,000mi wih filter for Motor oil interval'' ...was about $40-$50 with filter...

I hate cars

Here's how they get away with saying you can go 15-30k miles in some cases. It's always xxx miles or 1yr whichever comes first. The 1yr interval is a good recommendation, I'm not disputing that.

We know that freeway mileage is MUCH easier on the oil than short trip stop and go. You can easily go 3-5x as far in pure freeway driving. So back to the "20,000 mile or 1yr" interval. If you manage to put 20-30k in a year on your car, it's going to be mostly freeway, there's no other way to put that many miles on a car in a year. So it is legit, you can go 20k on an OCI as long as you don't exceed a year. It's not something I recommend but it might make sense for someone that drives for a living.

For that kind of mileage if you don't feel like changing the filter 2 or 3 times during the interval you must use a premium filter. The RP is the only one that comes to mind that would do well for 20k intervals. It has the good internals to physically withstand the abuse and the media has a good flow and filtration and can accept quite a bit if contaminate loading before becoming a restriction.


Oils that come to mind for that kind of mileage are Mobil One 0w-40, Redline (any weight), Amsoil Signature Series and Amsoil ACD. Those 4 will have no issues with a long interval. There are several more but those are the ones I have experience with. Amsoil ACD is one of their best oils and it's relatively cheap. No one seems to know about it but I used it in my TL for the first 75k miles. I would only use it in warm climates with startups not dipping much below freezing and it's great for cars that do a lot if miles for hours at a time or for hard use.

golfer04

M1 5-30 every 10k miles whether it needs it or not. 120k miles so far and no engine problems.

I figure this may be putting a little extra wear on the motor between changes, but I am sure even even if I started changing it every 20k miles it would still make it another 100k, well beyond how long I intend to keep it. I have no intentions of putting a third transmission in this car and will be getting rid of it around 200k miles.

I know some people might actually plan to keep their cars until the wheels fall off, but for the majority, why spend so much money on premature oil changes when you most likely won't keep it long enough to wear it out anyways?

ChuckP

FYI :Changing oil too frequent actually accelerates wear on engine components.


"Title: Extended Oil Drain Intervals - Conservation of Resources Or Reduction of Engine Life (Part Ii)"
After reading that you may never change your oil again at even 10,000 miles!

There are millions of miles of oil analysis that not only prove short duration changes increase wear but also result in a lack of additive activation in the motor. If you own a Jiffy Lube then I would expect you to subscribe to the "3,000 mile Mentality" myth.

Oil additives are activated by heat and pressure. Due to the additives having to hold up over time i.e. longer than 10,000 miles the formulations take a certain period of time to become active in protecting the motor. Draining the oil at lets say 3,000 miles simply means the additives have just become active at the point you are draining your oil! In other words you are increasing wear by about 500% doing 3,000 mile drain intervals!

Oils that carry the extended drain ratings such as 506.01, 507.00 etc mean that the additives are formulated to remain active for periods up to 2 years, 40,000 kms or 640 hours of usage. Oils like Mobil 1 0w40 are formulated to withstand 400F sump temps WITHOUT breaking down and losing viscosity. Furthermore the oils cannot break down due to the PAO makeup of the oil. These oils do not rely on elastomers like the conventional oils do. This means that the oil can fully protect your motor at any temperature without the concern of thermal break-down and thinning out of grade.

If you doubt the 10K oil change intervals perform an oil sample at 1,000 miles. Most cars with a fresh sump of oil will peak out at the 1,000 mile mark. After that the wear metals may increase by only 5-10% over the course of 10,000 miles! Nearly 90% of the engine wear occurs in the first 1,000 miles on an oil change! Increasing oil change frequency increases the duration your engine spends in the activation period of the additives and greatly increases the damage in your motor from failing to follow the guidelines of the manufacturer.

Just looking at iron in a VW motor typical readings are around 20-35 ppm after 15,000 miles of use maximum on a motor that has more than 60,000 miles. The oil filter is not capable of filtering this much metal simply because the wear metals are so small they can't be filtered from the oil. Also because there is so little wear metal you do not get wear as a result of the metal being suspended in the oil.

Dispersants require time to bond to the wear metals and byproducts in your engine oil. As byproducts such as soot (gasoline or diesel make soot just different sizes which discolor the oil) are created additives coat them and prevent them from clumping and becoming larger. Typical soot particles in diesel oil are in the nanometer range in terms of size 10 times smaller than what any bypass filter can even capture which is rated at 2 microns absolute. Your oil filter in your motor is rated at capturing particles in the 7 micron range with only a 75% first pass rating...Bottom line is your car would last forever if you change the oil every 20,000 miles and NEVER replace the oil filter simply because your motor is not making enough metal or by-products to ever get captured! Oils especially those for diesels can handle upwards of 8% soot, that my friend is a LOT of soot! To put that in perspective a typical motor after 25,000 miles without an oil change or filter change will only have 1% soot in the oil. This oil will appear tar black yet the oil still has 80% of its rated levels of protection remaining!

Most oils are limited by time in the sump rather than miles due to sulfur in the fuel. Most gasoline motors can safely go 2 years between changes when using quality oils formulated for extended drains such as Mobil 1 0w40 and Truck and SUV 5w40. These oils along with those sold as VOW 506.01 have very high TBN ratings that neutralize acid formation for upwards of two years (1 year in diesels due to higher sulfur content which causes the acids).

Here's the deal, forget the myths about frequent oil changes and basing your perceptions on how the oil looks. The best advice is use a quality oil and drain it at the specified interval. The worst thing you can do to a modern car is over maintain it, yes this is possible due to the very specific regimen that VW engineers figured out to keep your car running at peak performance with maximum durability.