Babyfer

when i bought the car, they told me that if i come in any sooner than 7,000 miles for an oil change, they will turn me away cause the engine has to USE all the old oil to get it broke in well.

i was reading the owners manual about how many miles till i have to change it.. guess what, it doens't say.. there is a little display on the dash that says "oil life __ %"
apparenmtly i have to go off of that, cuz it depends how i drive.. right now it's at 4,888 miles, and it says 30% oil life.. i don't wanna be out in "no man's land" on vacation and it get a "change oil now"...

was the guy full of it? i've never heard of making a new car use used old oil for longer than needed.

i wanna change it now, before i go. what to do guyz???

totlthetruth

Just go in when the car tells you, when you get to lewss thyan 15% it will nag you. you can go after that. If you drive higways 15% is about 1500 or so miles.

totlthetruth

Just go in when the car tells you, when you get to less thyan 15% it will nag you. you can go after that. If you drive higways 15% is about 1500 or so miles.

Desert_TL

I asked my Acura stealer the same thing. I told him I was kind of uncomfortable with keeping the original oil in the car for longer than 2000 miles. He "highly recommended" that I keep the break-in oil in the car for at least 3000 miles. He then said that everyone else brings their car in for the first oil change at the 20% or less oil life. He claims that Acura knows best and that no engine damage will result from just going by the computer and bringing the car in at 20% oil life, whenever that is. So I think that's what I'm going to do. Or maybe at 30%.

But he certainly did not say he would turn me away if I wanted to change it earlier. Try a different stealership.

KJSmitty

Did the sales department tell you that or service?? Obviously you must get free oil changes. If you weren't, they would want you back every 3000 miles... Even if just your first oil change was free I don't see why they would make a statement like that. Sure the MID is there but with your current mileage, changing the factory fill will have no effect on break-in.

Dealerships are truly despicable!!

Desert_TL

The service department told me that. No, I don't get free oil changes. And, I think you misunderstand.

They told me if I wanted to bring my car in every 3000 miles, I was more than welcome to. But he implied that it would be a waste of time and money. He said the MID is there for a REASON. I can't help but think that the people who actually engineered the vehicle itself and who programmed the MID have a much better knowledge about how often oil should be changed than you or I. So, as hard as it is to believe, I think my dealership was genuinely trying to save me time and money by implying that nothing will be harmed if I bring the car in when the MID tells me to bring it in. Otherwise, if I was uncomfortable trusting the MID, I was more than welcome to bring my car in as often as I pleased.

ndx2

Just get it changed at 5000 or go by the MID. I think the cars do come with oil that'll help with the break-in, but you don't necessarily have to wait 'til 7k.

I think my first change was at 5k with mobil1 synth.

SouthernBoy

Yes the factory fill has a "break-in" additive package. No, you need not wait to 5000+ miles. A few of our oil gurus on this site have had the factory fill analyzed and have concluded that getting the factory stuff out by 3000 miles is a good thing and they recommend this.

So at close to 5000 miles, you're well beyond the 3000+ mark these folks suggest (yes, they are members and are quite knowledgable). No, it is not likely you've done damage, but I would get it out and get on a decent cycle interval.

ViNhXoNxAcuraTL

^^ is there really a break in oil for the engine?i only got 3001 on my car right now.should i get the oil change?oil life is at 50%..

oh 1 more thing..how come my engine take soo much coolant..i actually have to refill it 2 time already since i got the car...is that weird or thats how it is..?

Repecat

Yes, there really is a "break-in" oil. It has a high moly content which is something Honda engines thrive on. I would change it out between 3000 and 4000 miles, and if you use dino oil I would consider 5000 mile change intervals. If you use synoils, then 7500 miles would be in order.
My TL has 25,000 miles on it now and I have added no coolant. Your experience seems to be abnormal to me and I would have your dealer check it out.

pohljm

^^^^^^^Now would be a good time to do the oil change if you like. Yes that is weird, you should not be using any coolant

ViNhXoNxAcuraTL

alright i wil have it check when i get my oil change this weekend at the dealer...my friend car is the same.i never haav this problem with my other car..is it because im using the triptronic thingy and my rpm is reving high?

JetJock

[QUOTE=SouthernBoy]Yes the factory fill has a "break-in" additive package. No, you need not wait to 5000+ miles. A few of our oil gurus on this site have had the factory fill analyzed and have concluded that getting the factory stuff out by 3000 miles is a good thing and they recommend this.

I'm certainly not a "oil guru"....we'll leave that to Michael, but I'm one of those people who had my break-in oil analyzed. As I recall, the MID has just changed to the 30% level when I decided to get the oil out and have it sampled. I sent the oil to Blackstone Labs with 4700 miles on that sample. I won't go into all the details, but there was a lot of medal and crud in the oil. I'm glad I changed it when I did. I just don't like running a new engine with all that assembly crud in the oil. The oil was shot. I should have changed it at 3000 miles like I've always done in the past with my new cars. The engine is certainly broken-in at that point.

KJSmitty

Actually, I didn't misunderstand you. You said the dealership stated "they will turn me away". If you had originally said they would change it at any interval you wanted only that it would be wasteful, I would have commended your dealership.

As others have mentioned, the recommendation is to change the factory fill now and follow the MID there after. Whether using synthetic oil or not I change my TL at about the 40% mark on the MID. This on average for me is right at 5K miles.

Enjoy your TL

BustedJack

That is correct my friend. RoadRage had an entire thread dedicated for this I believe. I change my oil every 6000~7000 miles with Mobil 1.

pimpin-tl

I have 4900~ miles on my TL still the stock stuff. The dealer also told me the same thing. I have checked the oil recently and it still looks good (of course we can't go by looks). But I will say that the 06 TLs come with a synthetic blend now not just dino oil that the older ones had. This was per my dealer.

Babyfer

thanks for all your advice.

i don't get free oil changes for my car, i will have to pay.
i went in today and she told me that the break-in oil is REALLY recommened to wait till 7,500 miles, so i guess that we'll see where i end up at that mileage, maybe NY, hopefully Chicago
our trip will be about 3,500 miles.. so well see
at least the GPS shows all the Acura Dealerships

thanks again so much guyz

Repecat

Yikes! From what planet did your service advisor decend? 7500 miles on the factory fill? I never heard of such nonsense. Follow the advice peviously given by other posters and you won't go wrong. Additionally, go to the 3G Garage and read up on oil and change intervals.

DMMTL A-SPEC

maybe you blew your HG

Babyfer

i'm sooo confused.. man, why do i have to be blonde..... j/k

seriously though, i guess the majority says change it NOW or when it says to & not wait till i hit 7,500.. this is my 1st "NEW" car, and i want it to last.

pimpin-tl

Follow the owners manual. Easy way to understand.

ViNhXoNxAcuraTL

whats a HG?

jimmyl729

i also dont get free oild change or free service of any kind

just reached 11k and wanted an oil change even tho MID only indicates oil life at 30%

i live in south cali, called 2 dealerships (101 calabasas and Tustin), both told me to hold off til MID says need service, because then they wudnt know what kind of service the car needs. the reps also told me that the TL is very advanced technology vehicle and the computer is quite smart and accurate. I want to believe him, but because of all the dealer scams out there it makes me ponder.

i dont understand why they wud be turning down potential businesses, perhaps oil change doesnt bring enuf profits and they want to fish for bigger services? i have no clue. perhaps the service reps are telling the truth? anyone here can think of a logical answer?

DMMTL A-SPEC

Head gasket

ViNhXoNxAcuraTL

i will have it check tomrrow at sears..thanks

SoCal_S60R

Wow...you really haven't posted on here in a long time!

Thanks for comin' out for lunch. I'll post a sushi thread for next Thurs. on the other boards...

...and I won't tell anyone that you were confused about changing your oil! Would ruin your 'car-chick' rep! LOL

bluenose

This issue has been discussed numerous times with opinions from various members. It's useful to remember, however. that Honda (acura) is the largest maker of internal combustion engines in the world ie autos, motorcycles, lawnmowers, snowblowers, generators etc and are a leading developer of formula 1 racing engines. Their engineers tell us to follow the MID and back it up with a five year power train warranty. Why we think we know better is mystery.

Babyfer

lol, you're funny! ruin my car chick rep...lol i've NEVER had a car that said to wait till 7,500 miles.. i'm allowed to be concerned when i'm about to go on a long trip, so na!.. LOL even the eclipse says 5K i think, at least that's what Jeff said, and I still change it every 3K miles.

so all this and you still forgot about sushi.. thanks a lot! hahaahah j/k

Sammy555

Ok, here's my 2-cents. In my view, the old 3000 mile/ 3 month oil change period is outdated. My previous car, a Mazda, had a user's manual that recommended 7500 mile oil change intervals. I followed this guidance and the car was fine. I finally retired it after 10 years and 189,000 miles. Sure, the quick oil-change shops still say 3000 mile/ 3 month, but they're out to sell you oil changes.

Concerning your Acura, I would stick to what the MID says. The Honda/Acura engineers are top-rate and they obviously put a lot of thought into the programming of the MID. So go with that. FYI, based on my MID, I did my first oil change on my Acura at 6200 miles.

Sammy555

Amen. I don't know either why anyone would want to argue with the guidance provided by professional Honda engineers who work full time on these issues.

SouthernBoy

Well I'm here to tell you that you're all off a little on this issue. And the reason is this.

The only way you will know for sure which interval is best for your car in your driving conditions/environment is to have the oil analyzed several times at differing intervals. If the results are good after 7000 miles than guess what? You're good for a fairly longer interval. If, on the other hand, 4300 miles shows definite deterioration, then you'd be a fool to to another 3000 miles before a change. Are modern oils better than ever? Yep, they are. Are modern engines cleaner burning and therefore less contaminating? Absolutely. But check this out.

This morning, I changed the oil in my wife's 05 TL automatic.. at 5000 miles. Her MID said she had 70% oil life remaining. Were I to go with her MID's recommendation, that means she would have gone 16,666 miles since her last oil change. Do you think I would do that? Heck no.

01tl4tl

MID is kind of like the gas guage
The first half last forever and the rest disappears

Babyfer

i just do as my car tells me too it knows my driving and hubbys driving, so it's pretty smart

leedogg

sorta like this thread

jcondon

[QUOTE=Babyfer]lol, you're funny! ruin my car chick rep...lol i've NEVER had a car that said to wait till 7,500 miles..QUOTE]

Most newer cars do NOT require 3K / 3 month changes. Infact most of the older cars do not either. If you read most car manuals they say to change it ALOT less frequently then that. 3K / 3 months is usually only called for when you do extreme driving. Like in really dust or hot area. Or when towing.

I don't think you are hurting your car by doing it every 3K / 3000 miles but, you aren't really do anything special either. Just wasting money but, it's your money and if that is what makes you feel better go for it.

01tl4tl

Those that drive commute stop and go, short trips in town, towing, hot weather etc are under the Severe Service portion of the maitenance schedule.

If you want to know whats really going on- take an oil sample and have lab analysis $20
tells you what compounds are lurking and how much actual life left in oil.

Long time between change with synth is ok - just change filter halfway thru to keep contaminents out of the oil itself

JPA3

I take pretty good care of a car, and used to change it at 3,500 miles religiously. Now, I go by the MID. Ist oil change was at 5,500. That works out to be 6 oil changes over the length of a 36 month lease (I drive about 12k a year) or $180.. in oil changes over the length of the lease. Pretty reasonable.

Now my classic car that gets driven on weekends will only accumulate 5k for the year, so I change that every 6 months.

bklynpanman

Sears??? you aren't serious! find a reputable mechanic.. or the dealer...