m23haz

Just had the first oil change done on my car since I bought it and noticed that the dealer just used conventional. The car has 164,000 miles on it, is it too old to make the switch to synthetic oil now?

I hate cars

Switching now will do nothing but good things for the engine. The only possible problem you can have is oil leaks. It's not likely but it can happen when a syn cleans some of the "residue" left by the old oil, usually on the rear main seal. If it were me I would do it but that's just me.

dcmodels

And if a leak does start after using a synthetic, you might consider a HM (high mileage) synthetic (the ones that say for 75K+ miles). But, even if a small leak does occur, you might see how much it leaks. The rear main on my Chevy truck leaks about 6-8 ounces per 3-months, which I ignore, and have ignored for the past 5-6 years, as the cost to repair is quite high.

erdoc48

^^ Actually, very good advice. The high mileage oils have extra zinc in them for parts worn over time in the engine as well as seal conditioners (for the main seal on the engine). If your car doesn't consume any oil, a regular synthetic would be acceptable as well. I've always used Mobil 1 Extended Performance in my TL. it's probably overkill, but it gives me peace of mind.

I hate cars

Seal conditioners are fine but seal swell agents are not. The two can be interchanged sometimes and are somewhat similar.

GKinColo08TL

I have an 08 TL, aren't we supposed to use synthetic (I do)? When did Acura make the change from conventional to synthetic?

I hate cars

Conventional is fine in these cars. You don't need a synthetic bit it's not a bad idea is a really hot or really cold climate or for extended drain intervals or if the car is run hard for extended periods of time. Then there's the definition of synthetic and conventional which overlap but we won't go there.