So I have an 08 TL- Type S and I am only going to be putting 5,000 miles on it a year. I have a short commute to work that is just under 5 miles round trip. If I wait till the MID says to change the oil that will be a year. I am not sure that I would want the oil to be in the car that long. Would it be wise to just change the oil every 6 months?

I have had the car for a month and a half and it has 620 miles on it and hte MID reads 90%. If I went by that I would not be changing the oil til this time next year.

Thanks
Mike

 

I agree to change the oil every 6 months if you don't drive more than 5,000 miles within that time period.

 

In 6 months I will have around 2,000-2,500 mile.

 

You might want to consider lengthening you commute trip each way. Otherwise, your exhaust system is going to give you a shorter service life. The reason is because short trips don't give enough time for the engine to thorough warm up and dray out the condensation that develops after start up.

 

Isn't the MID suppose to adjust the interval depending on how the car is driven e.g. more frequent for short haul - less frequent for highway etc

 

Southern Boy has it right- under 10 mile trips are car killers for sure!
Read the owner book on the subject, and then drive it on the weekend for 30 minutes on the freeway- the engine oil absorbs moisture and needs time to heat and evaporate- as well as all that moisture that you see from the exhaust on startup needs to get really at operating temp- not just the temp guage came up to normal.
The factory oil in the TL as shipped is different blend than store bought oils- to allow extra wear of parts that need to mesh together to function at their best- like piston rings for example.
some metal wear is needed!
Supposed to leave that oil in for 5000 miles min- to 7500 max
When you change it- go fully synthetic which will tolerate your situation and useage far better than normal oil- total DIY on oil change

 

There really is not much of a way for me to lengthen my commute. Besides, I live in San Diego and the traffic sucks here. That is the reason why I live so close to work. If I did increase my commute I would just be sitting in traffic and that would waste time and money.

 

So should I leave the factory oil in for 5,000 miles (a year) or should I change it after 6 months? I know there have to be some other people here with the same situation. Or am I one of the few people in the country outside of New York City that live so close to work.

 

keep the OEM for the first 5k then change ever 6 mths.

 

There are some good arguments to ignore the MID and do your first change out from the factory fill around the 3000 mile mark. Several of the members have had there "breakin" oil analyzed to find that breakdown starts to really occur in the 3000 mile area.

Just a thought for those who might care or be curious.

 

Dont sit in traffic to increase engine run time, please do-- as you will find in the owner manual--- on a day off- take it for a 30 minute or longer drive in non traffic conditions on the freeway- that will generate sufficient heat to dry things out another week for you.
All the oils are subject to water vapor/moisture contamination- the Power steering and engine oil get heated and dried on the longer drive.
Brake fluid doesnt get heated like the other fluids, and doesnt get to dry out the moisture- With so little car usage, personally- I would start changing brake fluid at 1 year- then every year after- forever.. The book starts normal users at 3 years then every year.

Modern acura engines really do like about 5000 miles to get bedded in. Oil Analysis aside- there is supposed to be additive breakdowns that allows more wear for a brief period- then you change the oil. The oil you put in normally has `detergent agents` and other secret sauce friction reducers that are not good to use during break in.

I dont care about other cars and what they do- only how to best care for a TL
What a self-centered bazzturd I am !

 

Also when you go for a weekly drive- set heater control temp to warm a few minutes so the system doesnt hold the same coolant- that opens the valve and it becomes a part of the whole operating system--let it circulate, then turn off
Use the AC for at least 10 minutes.
Even in the winter in San Diego- using defroster turns AC on for you. The numerous internal rubber oring seals in the AC need to be kept lubed to keep soft.
The freon contains the special oil- you need to circulate fluid/gas thru the system for preventative maitenance- acx probs are never a cheap repair

I believe (which doesnt mean its true) the owner book has a section on low mileage operations with these tips and probably more for an 08, including you are part of severe servioce maitenance schedule- which is more stringent and early time/miles.
Check out the section on traction- stabilty control. It is pretty cool once you know what to expect from it

 

I do take it for longer drives on the weekends. For the first 600 miles I took it on the highway quite a bit and drove it at varying speeds.

I just want to keep the car in the best possible condition and have the nicest car I can when I go to sell it 7-8 years down the road. Unless I decided to keep it.

 

Sounds like you are on the right track- the first 600 miles is really the most important, and the car is learning your driving style to set the ecu and shift points.
Cant own a nice car and live in SD and not go for a cruise now and then~
In the Off Topic link at top of azine pages- then Wash and Wax- for everything you need to know and do for a brand new car- how long till what is done- ---
Before I came to azine it was a clean car- now its a CLEEEEAn car
I had never washed and claybar -paint cleaner-polish- micro-polish and final wax-- a car so well, and had it look so nice as the TL. My 01 is thought to be brand new by the neighbors!
They keep their looks- get a car cover and clear bra
The azine Meets section is there in Off Topic- the ALL Ca. meet is in LA area and there is Pismo Beach-pebble beach- sonething like that- soon- always something happening somewhere- and its a very diverse bunch of car nuts who love their acuras and like to show them off- do group pics, share underhood mod secrets- many involve an optional group drive- twisty roads?~
Welcome to the world of azine!!

 

Thanks for the tips 01tl4tl. I will take a look in the owners manual and see if it has a section for low mileage operations.

 

I am a little nuts about cleaning the car. My wife thinks I am crazy and in love with the car. I just ordered a new batch of Zaino products to get it looking its best. She thought I was crazy with my ford foucs spending 7-9 hours to wash, clay, wash, wax, and wax again. She has not seen crazy yet. I am pretty sure I could spend all weekend on this car no problem.

 

come out to some of the san diego meets and we will get some miles on your car, check the San Diego meets and events for upcoming activities. go karting coming soon, palomar mountain run possible too

 

Two corrections needed to this post.

You can use the defroster without using the A/C, which I do most of the time. To use the A/C when using the defroster, you need to press the Defrost button (I know.. may be obvious to most, but the fact that the defrost mode can be used without A/C is unknown to many).

As for the "freon contains the special oil", our A/C systems do not use freon. They use R134A refrigerant. And yes, there is an oil present even with this product.

 

There is nothing magical, special, or unique about Acura/Honda engines compared to other manufacturer's engines. They do incorporate their own design characteristics into their products - again just like other companies. All this means is that all engines should go through a break-in process to allow the various components to mate properly and take a seat. Most importantly, to promote the wearing down of asperities on machined parts.

Acura does install a factory fill which is high in certain components which aid in the break-in process. If you change out this fill around 3000 miles, you are not going to damage you engine or shorten its life. Some people recommend a change at this point and to use Valvoline MaxLife oil for the first oil change.. then go to synthetic.

Bottom line is it's your car and your engine and your gain or loss.

 

you should get bicycle / or a prius that thing would last you 1 whole month under 1 tank lol

 

Mike, I'm in an even worse situation than you. I live in Key West - a 2x4 mile island. My commute to work is less than 2 miles. I've had my 08/Navi since February and only have 800 miles on it. To make matters worse yet, I use my motorcycle most of the time so the car sits for extended periods. Most of the mileage was in fact put on it during 2 trips to Miami, one of them to bring the car home after purchase! 95% of my driving is around the island. I have thought about not having a car at all but there are times where it is an absolute necessity for my job. Besides, who here doesn't love their TL's!

I am on my 2nd 3rd generation TL - my other was an 04. My policy has been to follow the MID or change the oil AT LEAST once a year regardless of mileage. I have never had an oil-related engine problem following this procedure.While one can never change their oil too frequently, I think we buy too much into company hype and end up changing it too often when it still has plenty of life left. Our family van (2001 T&C) has 83k on it and doesn't burn or use a drop between changes. This is with Walmart Synthetic Oil/filter so it's not even brand-name stuff. I change the oil in it every 5k or once a year, whichever comes first. I never used synthetic in the TL because I lease my cars for 3-4 years and then trade for a new one.

I'm not saying what you should do. I'm just saying that this is what I do and it has worked for me. You need to go with what you are comfortable with. I know it goes against the grain of our usual thinking on this subject so don't anyone flame me. However, with our natural resources dwindling and petroleum-based products priced at all-time highs (and no end in sight), it's another option worth considering.

 

I'm with you, I have a 2004 with about 18,500 miles on it. I do try to give it some additional driving on the week ends but as you can see I average about 5,000miles a year. I do change my oil every six months or so no matter what the MID says. It is cheap insurance.

 

If you are not getting the oil hot enough on a daily basis to boil out the impurities, condensation - fuel - etc, that settle into it go for 6 months.

 

Thanks for all the tips. I think I am going to do the first oil change around 3,000 miles. Then every 6 moths from there. I am also going get the brake fluid changed every year. The insurance is cheap. When I first went to get the car insured they had me down for 12,000 miles a year and it was going to be $110 a month. I told them I was olny driving around 5,000 miles and it went down to $65 a month for full coverage. It is nice to be over 25 and married. No more crazy insurance rates.

 

Yikes! $780 for one car for six months? That's more than I pay for two 3G TL's and a pickup truck for six months (yes, full coverage). Damn, I might not complain as much.

 

$780 for a year. It is going to go down more. My wife had a moving violation that we have been paying for for the past 3 years.

 

you should ride a bike to work....when i lived in california, i lived about 2 miles from work, i rode my mountain bike about 75% of the time....

 

I was thinking of getting a bike but it might be a pain. From time to time I have to run to the bank or to Staples to get supplies. I would not want to have to ride a bike there. I am the only person in the office so I cannot be gone for too long a time period.

 

Oops.. sorry. In all of the excitement, I obviously misread.

 

I don't know if this has been said already but if you drive it only 5k miles a year every 6 months might be some what excessive. You probably could get away with every 5k miles or once a year depending upon the conditions your car sees in those 5k miles and how hard you drive it in those 5k miles

D