Need for synthetic oil changes
 

For the most part 0W-20 oil does mean synthetic, that said, Honda does brand a 0W-20 semi-synthetic (as does one of the other oil brands, possibly Valvoline or Pennzoil, but I'm not sure which). The good news is 0W-20 synthetic oil has been on the market for well over ten years now and is a great oil and is widely available at a reasonable price.

If your car is out of warranty I would suggest using semi-synthetic or the lowest viscosity regular oil.... The car won't know. Their recommendation is to get the most mileage per gallon (easiest flow of oil). It's much like oil filters - passive units. I used to own a diesel rabbit and the dealer told me it would ruin my car not to use a VW filter. I used a Fram PH-8A (normally for small V-8 fords) because it was much larger than the VW filter and the rubber gasket was the same size (that's the key - having the gasket fit). Including the next owner, who also used the PH-8A, the car went almost 300,000 miles with no oil-related issues. And I never used the recommended oil in it.

This is very bad advice; the parallels between a diesel rabbit and a 2G RDX are pretty much limited to the fact they both have four wheels, some lights, and a radiator.

To the OP, stay with a good quality 0W-20 and the engine will outlast the rest of the car.

I'd still give the same advice. There's nothing special or sacred about the 3.5liter engine in the acura. It's just the old honda accord engine - the one they quit using in the accord around 2012 or 2013. It still uses the single overhead cam and timing belt (old tech) instead of twin cam and timing chain that other manufacturers have been using on their 6 cylinder engines for 20 years or more.

You're certainly welcome to your opinion; that said, while the J35Z2 has the same ancestry as a J30A1, the engine in the RDX has seen literally hundreds of refinements and changes in tolerances. My opinion is that only someone very misinformed would ever put conventional oil in the J35Z2.

0W-20 is either synthetic or synthetic blend and as horseshoez mentions is has been around for a while. Synthetic is more expensive than the regular dino stuff so expect to pay more to have it changed. Also an opportunity for dealers or quick change places to mark it up more as well. In terms of doing it yourself (which you mentioned) - you can get a 5 qt jug of 0W-20 at Walmart for $25..47. Warehouse clubs often have decent pricing if you decide to go that way.

And that has zilch to do with what type of oil to be used. That specification is a VISCOSITY to be used.

Using synthetic is no more expensive than using a conventional oil simply because you are not changing it as often. I do not know how many miles you drive in a year, but in most cases, a synthetic oil can be changed once a year unless you are on the road all the time. The convenience of not having to go to an oil changer and extra time is worth something as well.

Tech - Point taken. However the RDX in the garage is primarily driven by the Mrs and it is significantly easier to rely on my wife to tell me that her car needs service (based on dash alerts) vs. me remembering annually that it is time to have the oil changed. So I am having the oil changed more frequently than potentially needed using synthetic, but it's easier - at least for me :smile: I also have a mechanic that will change the oil for me for $40, so that helps. If I was paying $60-80 / change that might be a different story.

Same here in that I have less than 12,000 miles on my RDX and it'll be 2 years old this coming May. So I change it once a year; its had 2 changes so far.

Cost is the last issue when maintaining a car. I do it because I enjoy it and I like the job done right and that would apply to all aspects of car maintenance.