dshahs420

*** Mod Edit ***

Chart of Honda/Acura Recommended Oil Weights by Vehicle Engine and Year in Post #50:

https://acurazine.com/forums/showpos...0&postcount=50

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I hope this thread is in the right place! I was looking for a section where people can post about Mechanical problems or maitenance but cant find it. So I apologize if it is in the wrong place.
Anyhoo, my question is, how long do you guys keep the factory fill oil in the crankcase? I have seen Used Oil Analysis of Honda motors which show that they use a special oil for break-in process. It has a lot of Molybdenum(friction modifier) and a lot more of Zincdithiophosphate(anti-wear elements) They also put in a lot of Calcium(detergents). I just dont know if they still do that. I try to run the engine hard(high rpm's) for 15 seconds then slow down and repeat if a few times. Obviously I do this safely. From tearing down the engines I see that the rings seat properly. So what is everyone using for Oil? I am planning to use Pennzoil Platinum 5w30 in this motor. How long have you kept the factory fill? Thanks,

Deven

KeithL

I get factory oil out at 2K and go Mobil1 then use MID to about 30% which is about 5K miles for me. Ironically my GF CR-V the MID goes way longer, I woudl have thought a higher revving 4 would have had the oil change come up more frequently and we both drive very similar, if anything she does far more short trips.

dshahs420

I was doing some research about maintenance and the thing that caught my eye was the fact that the TL only takes 4.5 quarts of oil!! Is that true or the information is wrong??? My dad's ES350 with less hp, take 6.5 quarts of oil. Can someone assure me that I have the right information? Thanks.

Gfaze

Look up the Fluid Capacities in your owner's manual. It should tell you the proper fill capacity and correct viscocity.

PetesTL

Hey Keith, aren't you leasing? So why bother? I'm leasing also and I'm not bringing it in 'til the Oil Life says 0%.

KeithL

My OCD is kicking in, I am weaning myself off being so OCD with the car, I suspect I'll let it go closer to 0% and will probably just let the dealer put his oil and filter in. Old habits die hard....

I'm also taking decent care as I supect I may try to sell it out early from lease, I doubt I'll be able to the way Acura lease payoff works, but one never knows, if you asked me 5 years ago if I would own 6 Acura TLs by 2009 I would have laughed!!

dshahs420

Pete, if you are leasing why did you get the aftermarket grille? I have never leased a car so I don't even know what all the logistics are but do you have to put the original grille on when your lease is up?

dshahs420

Yeah, I was just jumping the gun and trying to read up on the car because I haven't picked it up yet. That will change tomorrow night though

BarryR

I've asked the same question about motor oil. Is the original fill oil something special? If so, why not continue to use it (does it have an Acura part number)?
BTW, I believe the recommended viscosity is 5W-20 (maybe for gas mileage), and 4.5 quarts (4.3 litres) is correct (page 549).
I hope someone has the technical data to answer.

Thanks

PetesTL

It's not aftermarket....it's the same replacement OEM grill, just painted to match the rest of the car....many dealers are already doing it to their showroom cars so it's not a real "mod." Besides, I have the original unpainted grill in case if I need to switch it back.

dshahs420

Gotcha. Sorry I for some reason thought it was aftermarket

dshahs420

Check out page four (4) from this link.

http://www.in.honda.com/Rjanisis/pubs/SN/a060800.PDF

According to this article, Honda Motor Company uses Molybdenum(friction modifier) in the critical componets of the engine to reduce friction wear which in turn turns the oil dark as night. The technician said to leave the oil until Oil Life Monitor says 10% remaining.
Oh, I went to Amsoil website and it says the 2009 TL takes 4.6 quarts of oil. Since Wal-Mart sells 5qt jugs of Mobil 1 and Pennzoil Platinum, I will just buy that and put in 5 quarts with an oversize filter.

CleanCL

iTrader: (4)

At 15% my car was warning me for an A1 service EVERY time I started the car. No way I was going to wait until 5 or even 10% and have this stupid warning. I used Amsoil 0-20 with the Amsoil filter. The oil that drained out was dark and thick. I emptied out 5qt into the motor, the dipstick just was reading 1/2 full at 4.5qt. Shrugs.

dshahs420

Thanks for your first hand info!! That really helps as I do my oil changes too.

Linnley

Once the OIL IS CHANGED....to a full synthetic, how do we (as owners) reset the MID???

thanks......LC

guytdt

using the button on steering wheel to pull the oil life information. then press reset button for 10 seconds.

ridge68

1st Oil Change. Synthetic or not?

I'm at 4100 miles in my PMM '09 FWD-Tech and my oil life indicator is at 50%. I'm going on 2K+ road trip and I thought it would be prudent to change the oil before I go. I'm leaning towards making the change to Mobil 1, thinking the break-in period is over. I'm a big believer in synthetics but some people think you should wait 'til 10K to use synthetic oil. Any thoughts? Thanks!!!

venom550pm

i went on a 2500 mile road trip at 5000 miles. When i got back is when i hit 15% and got my oil changed. I stayed with the acura oil. If they don't recommend it, why pay the extra $$$?

ridge68

Thanks for your input. I just don't feel comfortable putting that many miles between oil changes, regardless of what the oil indicator says. Especially the 1st oil change. I don't think I have ever gone below 30% on the indicator in my '05 A-Spec or in the Honda Odyssey we traded in on the 4G. More frequent oil changes are cheap insurance in the long run in my book. Cost of synthetic is really not an issue, 5 quart jug of 5W-20 Mobil 1 is $22 at Walmart plus a filter. I do all maintenance myself, saves time and money. Especially with 3 vehicles. But, some people say to wait 'til 10K to make sure the piston rings are fully seated in the cylinders because the superior lubrication properties of synthetic oil can prevent that from happening and can lead to blow by. It does say in the owners manual that it is OK to use synthetics and there is no mention of waiting for any specific mileage. Of course Acura recommends you use genuine "Acura" oil, that's how they make money.

venom550pm

i don't mind acura changing my oil $40 for a oil change and vacuum and wash? not a bad deal if you ask me

Plus the first year of oil changes are free

Kingmeow

First year free oil changes must be dealer specific?

prepreludesh

It's a wives tale that you should use conventional for the first 10,000 miles. If there was any truth to that, I would recommend that you only have to keep the initial factory fill in for 500 miles, but that's about it. During that time, the piston rings should have already seated and synthetic can be used. In fact, Torco (a well-trusted break-in oil manufacturer among other things) has released a "synthetic break-in oil" to please believers in synthetics.

As a matter of fact, initial fill oil usually does its trick within the first 100 to 500 miles, as it usually has a higher phosphorus and zinc content to ensure propery "sealing." But with modern day engines and tolerances becoming more and more precise, these older tricks of using a conventional oil or whatnot are not needed.

You're completely fine with going straight to synthetic. The misconceptions about synthetic oil continue to abound in our community and disbelievers will taunt that above all else, their conventional oil saves money by costing less and still having roughly the same change intervals. I think the jury is still out on that one as some synthetic oils might very well INCREASE fuel mileage by a fractional amount, but that fractional amount can actually add up to paying for itself in fuel savings over the course of a normal oil-change interval. Remember, we live in an age of $2.00+ gasoline and every little bit of mileage gained back can have larger and more positive effects on your wallet.

BASISON

Guys,
Advance Auto Parts is having a sale on 5 Quarts of Mobil 1 and a Mobil 1 Oil Filter for $29.99. Do yourself a favor and pick up 2 or 3 sets and you'll be set for years to come. This is a great deal for us do-it-yourselfers.

KeithL

Walmart ususally has the 5 qt jug for under $30

dwest1023

My dealer does it free for 4 years. Radley Acura in N. VA

Kingmeow

Great dealer!

bagbklyn

Question on my honda I use to use extended mobil 1 synthetic for 15,000 or 1 year. Didn't have any problem, do you think Acura computer will be able to tell the real life of an extended oil such as the mobil synthetic?

Bearcat94

Definetly not. It's not a direct measurement of oil quality. It's an estimate based on miles, rpms, temp, etc.

Your Owners Manual even has a disclaimer along the lines of, "You can use synthetic if you want, but you still have to follow the MID to keep your warranty." Check the Maint Section, Page 548.

venom550pm

actually i believe the salesman is eating it. but the first one was on Acura. it was 7500 miles before i got the oil changed. if i drive alot i might get 2 more oil changes, so what $80 or so?

Eli

My dealer recommends changing oil every 3 months or 3750 miles, and puts the sticker on the windshield like they're a Jiffy Lube. I can pretty much ignore this, right? Considering the whole point of the maintenance minder system is about replacing arbitrary guidelines like that.

Bearcat94

Yup. MID is the way to go. For most 3G TL's, the MID takes them to between 4,000 and 6,000 miles. I've been running at 4,500 miles on average over 2 1/2 years.

Kingmeow

You need to find a new dealer with advice like that! I tested mine when I bought my AWD and he said, "No, no, no. 3 months/3,000 miles is passe for these cars now a days. If you did that you'll be just wasting your money. Let the computer tell you when it's time."

chaiwala

I would call Acura Corp. and ask them to contact your dealership about why they recommend 3/3750 service. Maybe the dealership hasn't gotten a memo that all Honda automobiles have a OLM. I would NEVER take my car to that dealership again if I were you.

promethus78

Anyone tried 0W20 vs 5W20. 0W20 is starting to show up in my area and i'm thinking about trying it out

KeithL

I used to use it a while back, but it is harder to fnd and Mobil 1 only sells it in quart bottles, where 5W20 can be had in 5 qt bottle for like $23 vs. almost $6 a bottle in qt bottles. 0W20 big claim is gets throughout the engine faster at startup reducing initial wear. If Mobil 1 sold it in 5 qt jugs I woudl be using it.

kooty-sentinel

A couple weeks back my A1 light came on, at 8669kms (5386mi for you Americans).

I decided to switch out my oil for Royal Purple 5-20W and a K&N Filter. I paid $12.50CAD a quart for the oil. Every 2nd bottle was half price so it didn't work out to be that bad. I got my oil and filter switched out at your local mint lube, and proceeded to get my tires rotated at the stealership.

After 2 weeks of driving, I can 100% tell you that the car definitely drives smoother. I sometimes had a tiny bit of a clunk when going from 2nd to 1st, which is completely gone now, and accelerating is smoother.

For anyone that is looking for different oil, I'd definitely recommend RP.

Aman

I've heard only good things about RP, but it's pricey. $12.50 a quart, times 5 quarts (I've only seen them in single quart bottles, sadly) works out to $62.50 at my local Crappy Tire. Add in the cost of the filter, washers (negligible), and someone to do the change, plus taxes, and you're looking at a $90 oil change

But good to see you got that discount. Where did you buy the oil?

kooty-sentinel

PartSource. They said they were doing it at all stores - so maybe even in GTA?

Only worked out to be around 50 for the oil, and 15 for the filter (I think). Driving a 53k+ car... seems like a small cost to make sure the car gets the best it needs, personally

TJ Zooker

Have you tried RP ATF? I've been wanting to try that out.

kooty-sentinel

I actually have been looking for the ATF... and also the RP Oil Filters.

Apparently PS has been looking for a new supplier for RP products.. and hasn't been too successful.

When I get my hands on some I'll go to Minit Lube and get it switched out.. but for the time being:

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums...Number=1523966