ShadeTreeMech

I'm a new owner of an '09 as well. I'm not sure what it has in it now but I will be using fully synthetic from now on. The main concern with switching to synthetic is that on an older higher mileage car it tends to cause the seals to leak. I would't worry about that on a car that's only 3 years old. As for the maintenance minder, I have no intention of using it to tell me when to change the oil. Call me old school but when it hits a certain mileage I go ahead and change it.

Edward'TLS

Both the '09 and the '12 are 4th generation Acura TL's. If all '12 TL's are using synthetic oil, you can't go wrong by putting synthetic oil in your '09.

It doesn't matter what type of engine oil you put in, the maintenance/service remainder will still give the same reminder intervals.

alienstudio

how good is the dealer's synthetic oil compared to for example..mobil 1..?

Bearcat94

Pretty sure 'full synthetic' at the dealer IS Mobil1 (which is not a true synthetic, but that's another discussion).

cloud7

I will confirm with my dealer if this is the case. If so, it certainly put my mind at more ease when following the maintenance minder.

Bearcat94

It should be as simple as looking it up your Owners Manual.

fsttyms1

Old wives tale, It doesnt cause the seals to leak, it cleans the old crap out of worn seals which causes to leak. A good conventional oil with will do the same thing, and brain washed. (no offense)

The ONLY way to tell WHEN to change it is to have samples taken. When i switched to syn i was at 100k. I ran 15k oil change intervals. Tested regularly. Never an issue. Still do. Went as high as 25k once, oil sample still showed TBN of 2.5 (plenty of life left)

ejbrandt

One word Amsoil...used it for 10+ years

Bearcat94

Even fsttyms1 wouldn't go THAT long between oil changes.


FWIW, the current 'combo-of-the-day' over in 3G is RedLine Synthetic and a Royal Purple filter. Personally I think it's overkill, but I don't doubt that it's a very high quality combination.

Edward'TLS

Most quality-branded synthetic oils will protect engines just as well as even the best-rated synthetic oil.

One may feel better psychologically buying the most expensive synthetic oil for his/her car, but it's gonna protect his/her engine the same as most other quality-branded synthetic oils.

cloud7

The manual says you MAY use synthetic oil if it meets the same requirements given for conventional motor oil... From the way I read it, it does not say whether the factory fill or Acura dealers uses synthetic oil.

Bearcat94

That wasn't the question I thought I was answering. The question I suggested an answer for was, Are "All 2012 TL's [...] recommended by the factory to use synthetic engine oil?"

The answer to that question should be in the OM, no need to call the dealer.

If your OM only says you 'may' use synthtic, then it's not a requirement. If it's not a requirement, I'd be surprised if the dealer would automatically use it.

Also, if I'm not mistaken, the OM says you 'may' use synthetic, but you are still expected to follow the MID for the oil change interval. IOW - Acura may not back you up warranty-wise if you run extend change intervals on a synthetic.





If you read back a bit in this thread, rumor has it that the factory fill is a 'break in blend'. The reasoning for this (assumining it's true) is to add increased materials (chromium?? or molybdenum??) to eliminate/minimize asperities from manufacturing.

Edward'TLS

Even dated back to the 90's, it had been a well known fact that Honda/Acura prefilled all it's new vehicles with a break-in oil, rather than regular engine oil. This special blend oil was to allow some micro-grinding actions to facilitate internal engine parts to mate properly for optimal sealing. Thus, it was deemed a big NO-NO to change out the break-in oil too early in terms of engine mileage, as regular engine oils wouldn't allow this parts fitting process to take place properly.

As modern Honda engines are still being mass produced, rather than hand grinded and hand assembled as for the NSX, it is logical to assume that factory-prefilled break-in oils are still being used in modern-day new Honda/Acura vehicles.

ionian2k

This happened twice already on car since new. At around 5k miles after oil change I get a low oil warning light when I make a quick left or right turn. When I pull out dipstick after shutting down engine for 10 minutes there is no oil on it at all. The oil life is at 30% according to the minder. When I take car into dealership they estimate it to be about 2.5 qrt low. Do you think there is some damage to the car by now? If there is then what part or parts? I am currently filling a complaint against Acura using BBB autoline.

jspagna1

I've never used synthetic oil in any of my cars. I just change it every 3,000-4,000 miles and have never had a problem.

boss2k

I changed to synthetic oil and the MID was reset to 100%. However after putting exactly 500 miles i saw yesterday MID showing 90% , is it designed to show this way , ie every 500 miles driven MID will reduce by 10% or it reduces based on actual oil condition

I thought since i used synthetic i can have more miles in between oil changes

lji

You'll find that the MID is not linear in it's regression. 500 miles seems to be short, but it may be taking into account the conditions in which the car is driven. It's usually closer to the 1000 mile mark before the MID starts regressing initially, but continue to monitor it and send your oil in for a used oil analysis (UOA) when the MID says it's time to change it.

Also, from what I've gathered, the MID cannot differentiate between synthetic oil and conventional oil. This is where you might find that UOA beneficial and you can adjust your oil change intervals accordingly.

fsttyms1

The computer isnt testing the oil. it doesnt know what brand you have in there or if its syn or regular. It just bases its % off of a bunch of variables like temp, driving style/throttle idling etc.... If you are using syn you cant go by the MID. The only real way to know how far you can go is to put 5-7k on it, change the oil and send a sample to some place like Blackstone labs to have it tested. (also getting a TBN test) From there after a few changes and samples you will get an idea on how far you can take your intervals to. I run 15k intervals on mine safely with a filter change at 7500.