M32TLR

Fellow TL Enthusiasts,

When do you guys change your motor oil? Based on what the oil life meter? Or the old school way and change it every 3-4000?

I just passed 10,000 mile on my TL-S and have still have 30% oil life. So far I have changed my oil once with non-synthetic Honda 5W-20 Motor oil. I'm concern with the accuracy of the oil life meter. Back in the days I would have changed my motor oil probably 3 times already before hitting 10,000. What do you guys think? What do the general population do?

Thanks.

-M

08WDP

i think the manual saids the first oil change would be @ 6000 miles, but for my 07 S2000, i changed it out @ 5000 because its already @ 10% life.

ankur914

This is definitely gonna spark the good ole debate


But since you asked, I go 6 months (i have 8700 miles on an 06...and I feel like I negligant caretaker if my baby isnt looked after ever so often)

Almost everyone else say go by the MID

But search it up, im sure you will find this battled before.
In the 3G garage there are many articles by RoadRage, his Oil Journals, they are very detailed and informative. His word can be trusted since he hails from the oil industry.

Hope this helps!

M32TLR

Thanks

vinnier6

iTrader: (1)

the manual doesnt state any miliage...it says to follow the mid...i change my oil every 5-7500 miles...mobil 1 5w20...you can get a 5qt jug at walmart for 22 bucks...thats under 5 bucks a qt...

Bearcat94

I've been going by the MID. We've been coming in at 10% life and that's been right at 4,500 miles all three changes.


Make sure you wait on your first oil change because the factory oil has additives to help condition the engine (high Moly content, IIRC).

JetJock

I've got a low mileage '04TL (14.5K) and I'd still be on my first oil change if I waited for the MID. I did my first change at 5K to synthetic, now I change it every 12 months regardless of mileage. Resetting the MID early will screwup the other scheduled maint. items so remember to change brake and clutch fluids after 3 years, air and cabin filters, and lube hinges and sunroof. Although the book doesn't mention changing out clutch fluid, mine was very dirty.

BEAR-AvHistory

I think the TL computer plays games with the MID depending on how you drive because the 'change oil' mileages does not seem to be consistent across what many of us have posted here.

My 330 is a pure mileage counter since the change oil thing comes on at exactly 15,000 miles every time.

ankur914

Dont know how Acura does it, but this is how GM does it

"Q: How does the GM Oil Life System Work?
A: ...The GM Oil Life System relies on a computer based sofware algorithm that continuously monitors the engines operating conditions and driver use to determine when an oil change is necessary..."

http://www.goodwrench.com/_res/pdf/S...ConsumerQA.pdf

There exists a correlation between our driving habits (air/fuel ratio at given points, rpms, speed, rpm fluctuations, etc) and oil life ...

JohnJr

So the MID is only monitoring driving habits and then adjusting the oil life accordingly?
My dealer gave me lifetime oil changes, but I just can't see going 5-6k on dyno oil. I may end up doing one in between, except for the first one (because of the breakin and the additives). Just got my TL.

schill38

Is there anything special that you need to do if you're planning on switching to synthetic? Just wondering as I'm planning on doing this at my first change, thanks!

Xtrema

Can't comment on the TL. If they use the same system as the Civic, the oil change occur @ about 6000mile (9000km).

We where we live is cold and dusty for 6 months of the year.

JAB00

Go by the MID. The new cars have a special synthetic oil for the break-in period. Any changes in between is unnecessary and bad for the environment.

princelybug

iTrader: (16)

Not at all. Just change accordingly, and you'll be golden!

princelybug

iTrader: (16)

You can't go wrong by going with the MID.

08WDP

hmm my dealer show me the manual of the 08 and its saids 6000, but then again, i'd still go with the MID system, works great on my 07 S2000 so far, and only 200 miles on my Type S atm...so we will see ^^

08WDP

and btw on the S2000, it calculate how you drive / RPM you take the car up to, so if you like to always VTEC and driving sprinted then you will change your oil faster than per say a person shifting @ 3000 rpm and normal accel.

daveybl

I change the oil when the MID indicates 50%, which is roughly 3,000 miles. Am I wasting money? Perhaps. Is the peace of mind worth it? Yes. Is it bad for the environment? I hope not. I do take my used oil to a local shop that claims to recycle it. I must admit, I don't know what recycled oil is turned into. Park benches?

Be-in my TL

Haha, park benches...

I change every 3500-4000. Didn't even know about the additives. I never go by the MID =\
Everytime I change, the oil is pitch black.. and neither my girlfriend or I floor the cars. Both cars are great. Mine was done at 3500, her S was done at 4500. Then I changed again at 7500, 11,500, and recently at 15,000

The Type S was done at 8500. I just go by 3500-4000 miles. I'd rather have good clean oil in the engine than old dirty oil that can possibly have metal shreds.

By the way, it is great to feel your oil as it is draining. Especially at first to see if you feel any pieces of metal. If you are, go get it checked out!!!

Bearcat94

^^

Well if there is metal or large particualtes in your oil, I'd suggest you've got a filter problem. Isn't the filter supposed to trap stuff like that?

Then again if the filter is good and working properly and you've got this stuff in the pan, it probably isn't getting to the engine, it's just floating around in the oil pan.

If you want to find out how your oil is holding up, send a sample to Blackstone Labs for analysis.

BEAR-AvHistory

Multi grade oils normally darken with use, its not a problem.

SouthernBoy

Basically, yes. You could take two 3G TL's and do their oil changes on the same day. Then drive them under different for, say 4-5000 miles and your MID would register quite a disparity in remaining oil life. I know this to be fact because I own two 3G TL's; an '04 manual and an '05 automatic and have done this.

The '04 is mine and the '05 is my wife's. My TL sees a lot of residential and in-town work commute driving (not New York or Washington, DC but suburban town use). My wife's driving is mostly on nice rural roads with significantly less stop and go and slower speeds. At 4000 miles, my MID usually shows < 20% to < 10% life remaining. At 5000 miles, my wife's MID usually shows between 40 and 50% life. I use 5W/20 Mobil 1 in both cars.

SouthernBoy

As for the first change of the factory fill, several people have had their factory fill oil analyzed and even though it is high in moly and other "breakin" additives at the start, by 3000 miles, the additive package is well on its way to breaking down. Road Rage and a few others have recommended not to exceed 3000 miles on the initial change regardless of what the manual and the MID tells you because of this.

DMZ

If you're using Dino, it's 50-50 whether you are or aren't. If you're using synthetic, you definitely are wasting your money and should follow the MID.

I use only synthetic and change mine when it reaches 10%.

JetJock

I agree....I had my factory fill analyzed by Blackstone Labs and it was shot when the MID still showed 40%. I'm glad I didn't wait any longer.

SouthernBoy

Thanks JetJock for your input on this to help these folks.. and me. I remember Road Rage and I believe Michael Wan having had an analysis done on their factory fill. I also seem to recall both of them recommending to get it out of the crankcase by or before 3000 miles. I did my initial change at 2844 miles on my '04 manual TL.

Now for you new owners who are planning to do your own oil changes, here are a few tips.

o Use a torque wrench! The drain plug spec is 29 ft/lbs (or 360 in/lbs).
o Use a new aluminum washer when you do an oil change. Some don't but they're dirt cheap, so why not?
o Don't scrimp. Use quality oil and a quality filter. Cheap could cost you an engine.

And here's one of the best tips I use, courtesy of Road Rage. Loosen the old filter just enough to where you can continue to remove it by hand. Then completely enclose it in a 1-gallon heavy gauge ZipLock bag so that the locking portion of the bag is up over the pickup arm. Now finish removing the old filter carefully by hand. All of the residual oil plus the filter will go into the ZipLock bag and not on your cross members, driveway/garage floor, and you.

Enjoy!

BLKURA

bear, where in the owners manual does it say to wait? I've read 6000 miles before, but cant find it in the manual...

Acura3GTL

i just follow the general rule of 3k on conventional oil and 5k on syn oil.

cleex024

I would just say go with mobile 1 and change every 5k miles

ryeh2o

I change my oil and filter every 5000km at the dealership (honda oil and filter). I'm old school and think that it's not always about the oil breaking down as it is the filter being the weak link. I have done this with all my cars, and remember the mechanic removing the valve cover on my 98 accord v6 at 260,000km saying it was cleanest inside there he had ever seen. There was no need for any valve gap adjustments either. That cemented the oil change regiment for me from then on.

TeknoKing

Wow, you just drive around the block and park for a week? lol

(I'm already at 8K @ 7 months 08 TLS)

blueracer17

I believe that the 3000 mile interval is an old standard that has turned into an advertising ploy that the oil companies won't let the public get rid of. I run Royal Purple and change it at 10% on the MID. This comes out to about 5500-6000 miles-usually once a year. Extended oil changes will not hurt your engine and will help reduce waste and save the planet (every little bit helps). This is possible with dino or synthetic oil. If you feel like it just change the filter at 50% (if you feel that is the "weak link").

SouthernBoy

I'm sorry, but I couldn't resist. Save the planet. Almost none of the earth's land mass is occupied by humans (about 1/55000th). The earth's biggest polluter is... the earth.

cbbutlercm

i know you guys wont like this, but i change my fully synthetic oil once a month(approx. 1,8-2,2k). i tried going longer but get really annoyed with the increased vibration and slightly decreased performance(which you can notice if you pay close attention to your vehicle). i don't actually know how much of it is actual crude but synthetic should be a less if not any compared to organic oil(to the environment i apologize). i routinely drive in stop and go traffic and i love vtech so i drive hard and maintenance harder because of it. before someone says it, i have been told that its overkill even excessive the amount of maintenance on my vehicles. my rule of thumb is, see what the recommendations are and then cut them in half or by at least 1/3. my vehicles run flawlessly and i get the performance i paid for everyday, not just for the first month after a regularly scheduled oil change.

SporkLover

I think you might benefit from one of the Blackstone labs oil testing kits. On the Oildrop servers (Bob is the Oil Guy), one of the things their patrons will harp on is if you are a compulsory oil changer, and you do not allow your oil to age a little before changing it you might cause more wear and tear.

I'll be the first to say when it comes to lubricants I am not the expert.... so don't take my word for gospel.... however a blackstone labs test would tell you what your oil is looking like after a oil change and whether or not you are experiencing excessive wear and tear.

cbbutlercm

i might give it a try because i do want to know if im helping or hurting my engine.

csmeance

I usually change out the oil when the MID tells me to. My TL is at 55K and runs as good as the day I got it. But, I do run seafoam though the system every 30K, and that's coming up soon..

SporkLover

Please do and post up the results...... inquiring minds need closure!

http://www.blackstone-labs.com/free_test_kit.html

I hate cars

Very good advise. The moly has done it's job in the first 1,000 miles or less. Probably in the first 10 minutes. If anyone is concerned, there are oils out there with high moly contents.

With freeway driving, my MID has taken me out to 10K miles. I absolutely won't go that far on dino oil and it's stretching it with a good synthetic.

I hate cars

Increased vibration and decreased performance from 2,200 miles on the oil is completely in your head. Impossible. Think of all the extra drystarts from the new filter being empty.