2018 MDX - synthetic vs blend? Any distance advantage to full synthetic?
08-16-2018, 03:19 PM
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2018 MDX - synthetic vs blend? Any distance advantage to full synthetic?
Going in for my first oil change tomorrow at a Honda dealer just down the street (Acura dealer much further away), I have an awd MDX non hybrid. Correct me if I'm wrong but the maintenance minder goes off around 7500 miles (or did for me at least) this lends me to believe they're using a synthetic blend from the factory and not full synthetic? The Honda dealer over the phone said I could choose blend or full synthetic during the oil change ($20 up-charge). The .25 mpg difference or whatever it is and prolonged engine life yada yada don't really concern me for reasons to go full synthetic, just curious if the maintenance minder will give me a little more time between oil changes or if it can't or won't tell the difference and crack off again in 7500 miles.
Would be nice to spend $20 more and go 10k+ miles between changes instead of 7500 miles (BMW will go 10k+ with full synthetic and used to be 15k years ago!). Again, I wont be buying the car out after 3 years/36k miles (which I'll hit right on the dot most likely) so I don't care about being a super hero with my oil changes!
Would be nice to spend $20 more and go 10k+ miles between changes instead of 7500 miles (BMW will go 10k+ with full synthetic and used to be 15k years ago!). Again, I wont be buying the car out after 3 years/36k miles (which I'll hit right on the dot most likely) so I don't care about being a super hero with my oil changes!
08-16-2018, 03:30 PM
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The maintenance minder does not know what kind of oil you have. It simply calculates oil life based on age, mileage, RPM's and a few other factors. It's not like there's some sensor in the oil that somehow detects what oil you have.
If you don't plan on keeping the car, just go with the cheapest oil the dealer approves.
Edit: Should add - in my opinion, the type of oil you use shouldn't have a huge impact on how long you go between oil changes. Oil causes wear from being dirty before it typically breaks down and looses its lubricating properties. In other words, $10 per qt. Redline Synthetic is going to get just as dirty as cheapo Walmart supertech conventional. Change at, or before, the interval regardless of what oil you have.
In your case though, just go by whatever the dealer requires you to do as part of your lease contract.
If you don't plan on keeping the car, just go with the cheapest oil the dealer approves.
Edit: Should add - in my opinion, the type of oil you use shouldn't have a huge impact on how long you go between oil changes. Oil causes wear from being dirty before it typically breaks down and looses its lubricating properties. In other words, $10 per qt. Redline Synthetic is going to get just as dirty as cheapo Walmart supertech conventional. Change at, or before, the interval regardless of what oil you have.
In your case though, just go by whatever the dealer requires you to do as part of your lease contract.
Last edited by losiglow; 08-16-2018 at 03:33 PM.
08-16-2018, 04:10 PM
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Looks like all that they recommend / require is 0w-20. Doesn't specify what type convention, blend or full synthetic. Will probably go cheaper then and do the blend. Thanks.
08-16-2018, 04:14 PM
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Most 0W-20 oils are full synthetics, as far as I know, only Honda branded motor oil is available as a synthetic blend in that grade.
08-16-2018, 04:17 PM
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So the Acura dealer is using the full synthetic then? I'm heading to the Honda dealer anyway so that is convenient for me to get the Honda blend that way.
08-16-2018, 04:20 PM
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Edit: Should add - in my opinion, the type of oil you use shouldn't have a huge impact on how long you go between oil changes. Oil causes wear from being dirty before it typically breaks down and looses its lubricating properties. In other words, $10 per qt. Redline Synthetic is going to get just as dirty as cheapo Walmart supertech conventional. Change at, or before, the interval regardless of what oil you have.
08-16-2018, 04:21 PM
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Nope, never said that. Acura uses Honda oils as well as other branded oils, so they may well have both. It varies by dealership service department.
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08-17-2018, 07:30 AM
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I guess either way as long as it's 0w-20 I'll ask for blend, still abiding by the requirements from Acura that way. Thanks for the input.
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Fabvsix (10-05-2018)
08-17-2018, 02:34 PM
#10
Well no, not exactly. The thing about the really pure carbon chains in synthetic oil is they start out carrying far fewer impurities when you pour the new oil right out of the bottle; add to that the extra stability of the pure carbon chains typically require few if any viscosity improvers to achieve a multi-grade rating. Comparing two oils of the same grade, one a syn-blend and one a full synthetic and you'll fine there is a HUGE difference in impurities fresh out of the bottle. What this translates to is the ability for synthetic oil to go far longer than lesser oils in any given environment before either its additive package is exhaust or before it is carrying too many impurities to do its job effectively, or both.
08-17-2018, 02:42 PM
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Nicely stated. This goes for true synthetics (group IV). Unfortunately most of the US sold synthetics are group III hydrocracked (dino oil). While the 0w-20 "synthetic" is better than synthetic blend, in the OP's situation (lease) it wouldn't make much sense spending more on slightly better product, IMO.
08-17-2018, 03:03 PM
#12
This used to be true, however, most Group III synthetics are no longer considered "Hydrocracked Crude"; instead they are assembled via the GTL (Gas to Liquid) process starting with natural gas, and this process yields a product roughly comparable to PAO/Group IV synthetics (roughly comparable as in, better at some things, not quite as good at others, but over all, very similar).
08-17-2018, 03:09 PM
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Nicely stated. This goes for true synthetics (group IV). Unfortunately most of the US sold synthetics are group III hydrocracked (dino oil). While the 0w-20 "synthetic" is better than synthetic blend, in the OP's situation (lease) it wouldn't make much sense spending more on slightly better product, IMO.
08-17-2018, 03:15 PM
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MSDS sheets are typically grossly incomplete (trade secrets and all that) or very out of date. The word in the industry is virtually all Group III synthetics are GTL based. Do you have recently published documentation which says otherwise?
08-17-2018, 04:37 PM
#15
Cheers!
Last edited by VMDX; 08-17-2018 at 04:46 PM.
08-17-2018, 04:41 PM
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I have a close family connection to an individual very deep in the GTL industry; and from that source, I hear most synthetic base oils have either moved to GTL, or are moving there in the very near future.
08-17-2018, 05:01 PM
#17
Yea, that sounds tooooootally unbiased and credible.
I'm not saying it isn't true... But I'm not buying it based solely on their word.
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08-17-2018, 05:53 PM
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No, he isn't vested, in fact, his job won't change much one way or another. The fact is, GTL is getting more and more inexpensive every day, and given the pure carbon chains from GTL are easily comparable to the expensive to build PAO chains, I don't see what there is to argue.
08-25-2018, 09:44 AM
#19
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I own own all my cars for the long haul, use a high grade synthetic, change the oil every 15-20,000 miles. My TL-S has 230k miles and still going strong.
09-01-2018, 09:58 PM
#20
That is your answer, if it’s a lease that you’re turning in in a couple of years just go blend . If you own it and plan on keeping it then go full synthetic.
I own own all my cars for the long haul, use a high grade synthetic, change the oil every 15-20,000 miles. My TL-S has 230k miles and still going strong.
What brand(s) do you use?
10-05-2018, 02:31 PM
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10-05-2018, 02:51 PM
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If you practice extended oil changes, you should check your oil level several times during the oil change cycle. If it is down, top it off.
The brand of oil is pretty irrelevant these days, use whichever brand you worship, just make sure to use the grade of oil specified by the vehicle manufacturer.
The brand of oil is pretty irrelevant these days, use whichever brand you worship, just make sure to use the grade of oil specified by the vehicle manufacturer.
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frenchmon (10-05-2018)
10-05-2018, 03:55 PM
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If you practice extended oil changes, you should check your oil level several times during the oil change cycle. If it is down, top it off.
The brand of oil is pretty irrelevant these days, use whichever brand you worship, just make sure to use the grade of oil specified by the vehicle manufacturer.
The brand of oil is pretty irrelevant these days, use whichever brand you worship, just make sure to use the grade of oil specified by the vehicle manufacturer.
10-05-2018, 07:53 PM
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10-05-2018, 07:58 PM
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10-05-2018, 08:05 PM
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10-05-2018, 08:06 PM
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10-05-2018, 09:13 PM
#28
I thought this was interesting: https://www.curryacura.com/service/a...e-minder-faqs/
Q: I use synthetic oil. Should I expect to get more miles before the Acura Maintenance Minder indicates that I need an oil change?
A: Acura does not recommend the use of synthetic oils in models that do not require them as your Acura was designed and engineered based on the oil recommended in your owner’s manual. The Acura Maintenance Minder calculates your vehicle’s needs based on the oil recommended by the Acura engineers that designed your engine. The use of synthetic oil will not extend the oil change interval.
Q: I use synthetic oil. Should I expect to get more miles before the Acura Maintenance Minder indicates that I need an oil change?
A: Acura does not recommend the use of synthetic oils in models that do not require them as your Acura was designed and engineered based on the oil recommended in your owner’s manual. The Acura Maintenance Minder calculates your vehicle’s needs based on the oil recommended by the Acura engineers that designed your engine. The use of synthetic oil will not extend the oil change interval.
10-05-2018, 09:26 PM
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The maintenance minder has no way of determining A) the type of oil, and B) how used up, or not the oil is. You could pour the most expensive synthetic oil with an unobtanium additive in the engine and the monitor will tell you the same number of miles as if you had simply poured olive oil in the crank case.
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frenchmon (10-05-2018)
10-05-2018, 10:49 PM
#30
Q: How does the Acura Maintenance Minder know when the 0% trigger occurs?
A: The system counts down oil life based on engine operating conditions (both normal and severe). The on-board computer continuously monitors engine operating conditions such as speed, engine temperature, ambient temperature, time, and vehicle use to determine when an oil change and regular maintenance is necessary.
A: The system counts down oil life based on engine operating conditions (both normal and severe). The on-board computer continuously monitors engine operating conditions such as speed, engine temperature, ambient temperature, time, and vehicle use to determine when an oil change and regular maintenance is necessary.
10-05-2018, 10:51 PM
#31
Q: How many miles can I expect to go between oil changes when using the system?
A: It will vary. The beauty of the Acura Maintenance Minder system is that it automatically adjusts the maintenance intervals based on engine operating characteristics, your driving habits, and the climate that you have operated your vehicle in. For instance, mild highway driving in a warm climate will maximize the interval between required maintenance. Depending on the vehicle, this could be as high as 12,000 miles. On the other hand, short-trip driving in a cold climate may limit the maintenance interval to 3,000 miles or less. In general, most people who combine city and highway driving find that the Acura Maintenance Minder will indicate maintenance needs about every 6,000 miles. Most people maintain constant driving habits; this means that mileage between maintenance will be consistent.
A: It will vary. The beauty of the Acura Maintenance Minder system is that it automatically adjusts the maintenance intervals based on engine operating characteristics, your driving habits, and the climate that you have operated your vehicle in. For instance, mild highway driving in a warm climate will maximize the interval between required maintenance. Depending on the vehicle, this could be as high as 12,000 miles. On the other hand, short-trip driving in a cold climate may limit the maintenance interval to 3,000 miles or less. In general, most people who combine city and highway driving find that the Acura Maintenance Minder will indicate maintenance needs about every 6,000 miles. Most people maintain constant driving habits; this means that mileage between maintenance will be consistent.
10-05-2018, 10:54 PM
#32
The maintenance minder has no way of determining A) the type of oil, and B) how used up, or not the oil is. You could pour the most expensive synthetic oil with an unobtanium additive in the engine and the monitor will tell you the same number of miles as if you had simply poured olive oil in the crank case.
A: Yes. The system does not sense oil level. Please follow the owner’s manual recommendations for Service Station Procedures.
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