CWP123

I have a 2010 tsx 4 cyclidner with about 90k miles. Recently, my girlfriend just got offered a high paying nanny position. I'm letting her use my car for it as I live close enough to work that I can walk and she will only be doing it for a year before she starts grad school so it is not worth it to buy herself a car. She will be putting about 60 miles a day of straight city driving (we live in Los Angeles and she will be driving the kids to and from school/camps/activities throughout Santa Monica, Bev Hills, and West Hollywood). I love my car and how nicely it runs and want to make sure it stays that way. Does anyone have any maintenance tips for all this city driving? I don't have anywhere to work on the car myself so anything would need to be done by a mechanic so please keep cost in mind. I currently just do basic maintenance (basic oil change at a Valvoline station when the light goes on, etc.). I also just had the front rotors and pads done on the car when I bought it a year ago with 69k miles and they are already warped (I can feel the steering wheel start to lightly shake when I brake on the freeway) but I was planning on waiting to have those fixed until she is done with this ordeal.

CWP123

And as far as gas goes, I have always just used 87 octane from a good gas station (Shell, Mobile, or Chevron) because I've been told it only makes a difference performance wise which doesn't really matter to me when I'm stuck in traffic half the time in LA. But I'd be open to paying extra for the 91 octane if it will help the car last longer.

cu2wagon

I have this sneaky feeling that using your car as a kid taxi in LA for a year might not be the best way to keep it running and looking nice.

Other than "don't do that", I'd think that keeping it maintained per the regular schedule would be the best you can do. Perhaps consider using the "severe conditions" schedule for an added margin of safety?

But best bet is to don't do that. Maybe buy a Corolla or Civic off Craigslist for the year and then sell it on after.

CWP123

Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately, she nannys for a high profile family who doesn't want their kids getting dropped off at camp or school in a civic, and neither of us have the money sitting around to buy another car anyways. Thankfully, she has watched them before and they have never caused any mess inside the car, just worried about the longevity. The family is also reimbursing pretty well per mile driven so at least that helps ease any higher cost of maintenance or loss in value. I just want to do anything I can to minimize the impact.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

the only thing YOU can do is inspect the car OFTEN!
when you see something broken, failing or about to fail, FIX IT!
remember, a car is a machine. it needs to be well lubricated and working! (this means fixing any components that break)


think of an Elevator. it gets used. a lot. maybe even abused.
as soon as its broken, some one is out to repair it. that's how diligent one should be with a car, city conditions or not.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

or even an airplane.
the government mandates STRICT service intervals. I recently learned that a regular joe cannot work on an airplane engine, unless said regular joe built the engine himself. thats how tight the government regulates air plane maintenance.

your car needs to be inspected maybe at the least, bi-monthly.
check for obvious things like; tires, oil, suspension components, servicing transmission often, battery, windsheild wipers, brakes, spark plugs, etc.

BROlando

Lol. There are millions of cars in LA that are stuck in the same traffic as your girlfriend will be. Its not an uncommon situation...or there would be no traffic. Car manufacturers build the car to cope with this.

Just regular oil changes and maintenance. Its fine.

The car has a smart maintenance minder to tell you when the oil change and maintenance is due, based on driving habits.

Its a car. Cars are meant to drive. Don't let people get you paranoid.

You may consider using 91 octane since it'll be sitting in hot traffic...and SoCal is fairly hilly. The manual recommends 91 octane. This would help with detonation/timing retard in the situation that you'll be in. Could help things last longer at an extra cost of about $5-7 per fill up.

thoiboi

or a toilet seat..


or a door knob.





also stop using 87 in it.. it's not a Civic




proper regular maintenance will prolong its heath.

RTM

Aside from plastic coating the interior, drive the car yourself occasionally. Most non-car people don't recognize noised like wheel bearings, tires failing. When you get in it after a week or two away, you will immediately notice anything that's changed, noises, alignment etc.

As others have said, stay on top of it.

And expect it to get dinged, parking lot rash etc. Other people around her won't give a damn about her doors. Even if you park in the furthest away spot every time, someone will get it.

CTNYC

LA is a city, yes, but the roads are in much better condition than NYC, DC, Toronto, etc where there are tons of potholes everywhere, so your suspension should be fine at least. At that mileage, I'd consider the following preventative maintenance, because I'm getting the hunch that you've been doing the "minimum" maintenance - aka oil changes, brakes, tires, etc.

-Fuel treatment - you're using octane 87 and your car has been running on that for 90k miles it seems - get some Lucas Oil Cylinder Lubricant Fuel Treatment- use it for a few gas tanks, your car should run smoother and have a bit more power (I swear by this stuff, worked wonders on my TL with 103k at that time) - $10 (three 5.25oz bottles or one 32 oz bottle)
-Brake Fluid Flush - Should be done every 3 years - I like to do the flush to get out all of the old brake fluid rather than the drain and fill which doesn't get all of it out - $130
-Transmission Fluid Flush - every 30k to 60k miles - I prefer the flush vs the drain and fill for same reasons as brake fluid flush) - $230

At 90k miles, not much more you would need to worry about except maybe spark plugs and a coolant flush (assuming you don't have the V6, which would need the timing belt service done @ 105k)

I'd prefer the dealership over Valvoline for the fluid flushes so that you're using Honda fluids.. I know some will disagree with me, but I found that they aren't that much more expensive and it gives me peace of mine and they work on Honda/Acuras all day, so less chance of mistakes occurring.

ceb

I think additives are a waste of money - and Acura agrees with me as per the manual. The only difference between top tier 87 and 91 is octane. The only thing octane does is prevent pre-ignition (knock). Using higher octane gas brings no other benefit.

If the OP has been doing maintenance "by the book" then he has done the brake fluid. If not, then he should do it now.

Tranny flush is an indicated service on the MMI. Do it when it comes up.

I'd stay far away from those Iffy Lube joints. They don't have the right fluids, the right parts or the right people. They also don't care what they pour into your car. To save money either find an indy who knows Honda/Acura or go to a Honda dealership. They have the right fluids and parts and can't pour the wrong stuff in because that is all they have.

Guanacoracing

Why can't your GF use one of their cars to drop off the kids?

thoiboi

ceb

They only own Civics?

2012wagon

Because most people in the neighborhoods, don't want their nanny (no offense to OP), to drive their Range Rover, G Waggen, etc....


I live in LA. 2 kids in the back. Both of the front seat backs are covered with the $10 cover you can buy on Amazon. Underneath both of my car seats, are also seat protectors. No food or drinks are allowed in my car. Kids are in it 63 miles a day, 5 days a week. My car is meticulous, looks like the day it was brand new, and looks much better than the 22 year old TSX owners who hard park in front of Starbucks.

CTNYC

Fair enough to think that about additives - I thought so myself, but in my TL, boy did it make a noticeable difference. Made a (smaller) noticeable difference in a Mitsubishi and a 08 Accord I used it in, but no difference in my 13 ILX Hybrid (which I always used VPower, Sunoco 93 or Costco Premium in. For Lucas Oil fuel treatment, honestly, a few bucks for the "chance" it works is worth it imo - plus there are thousands of positive reviews that back the product.

Must've overlooked that he did service to the book. For Tranny fluid, I will stand by my opinion of changing it early - Makes a noticeable difference in shift quality. Am I wasting my money by buying premium gas, being extra proactive/diligent on my maintenance in your book? definitely, but it does make a difference (or at least it does in my head )

WheelMcCoy

Since the OP's car will be doing 60 miles a day through stop and go traffic, on a weekend, pamper the car with an easy 20 minute highway cruise. The idea is to get the car up to temperature to evaporate any water that has condensed in the oil. Doing so also recharges the battery. And while it seems to just add more miles and wear to the car, it reacquaints you with it. Just make sure they are easy miles.

Oh, and if the car is parked in the hot sun between errands, get a sunshade.

ceb

In another post you advocated changing the tranny fluid between 15 and 30k miles. Now it is 30 to 60?

As far as premium gas is concerned, you might be interested in this although I understand that you "notice a difference." This isn't a slam against you but is based on the fact that we psychologically justify things we spend money on - especially if we kind of suspect that we may have bought something that didn't live up to the hype - big brake kits, intakes, premium gas, boutique oils and so forth. We buy things, install them and say to ourselves "self, I'm not sure that this actually did what I expected" so we look for any imagined tiny "improvement"and then we post it on the 'net.

Let's look at the hype surrounding boutique oils. Does any really seriously believe that they can tell the difference between amSOIL, Royal Poopie, Mobil M1 or that unmarked swill you buy at the truckstop because you're a quart low in the middle of nowhere. Technically, it is impossible to tell the difference between oils that meet a certain spec. Even if there is a difference it wouldn't be evident for 50k miles - and by then, most that experiment with boutique oils have long traded their cars.

The video is a bit long but worth the watch.

CTNYC

I don't notice any difference in premium vs regular fuel or between brands - I notice a difference before + after using fuel additives if a car was running on regular gas when premium was required/recommended. For the product I used, someone who drove my car before and after to run a few errands noticed it did feel smoother (without me telling him I used the additive). My ILX Hybrid didn't have any difference with the additive at around 65k or 70k (only used premium from shell/costco/sunoco) while my TL, which I bought used w/ ~87k and only used premium from shell/costco/sunoco since 87k, had a noticeable difference when I used it around 104k. This leads me to believe that premium helps the car run better overtime. Then again, as you said, it could all be psychological.

I remember the post you're referring to - unless I made a mistake on one of my posts, I was advocating 15k to 30k on tranny fluid if doing drain and fill and 30k to 60k if you're doing a complete flush. Also, it might be worth noting that a ton of my driving is on city roads in DC, NYC, and Toronto... with the rest of my miles being traveling between these 3 cities. Thanks for the link to the video - I'll watch it sometime when things quiet down

ceb

The whole psychological thing is so amazing. When I decide to "check" my average mpgs by displaying it on the dash whenever I start to drive, I'll get a mpg or two more than if I just drive off. It has nothing to do with what my dash is displaying but because I drive differently. When we add additives we expect more power or a smoother engine - and we get it because we are expecting it. There are zero objective tests that show any noticeable difference but "we can tell". It is how we are built and we can't change it.

CTNYC

Guess I was built normally then

ceb

We all get sucked into that and it is very hard to figure out if what we feel is real or imagined. Understanding what is going on helps a bit though.

Whenever I buy a new toy my wife always says "so, did the xyz do what you think it would do?" and I'm "Oh yeah, mpgs are up 500% and it is so much smoother" while I'm really thinking "ehhh, maybe I feel a bit of an improvement."

cu2wagon

Just like a new exhaust for your wagon would do!

ceb

Correct.

Honey, your car seems much louder.
Right. I opened up the exhaust to get better gas mileage.
Oh, good.

I think I'm up to about 2000 mpg by now.

2012wagon

My wife asked what kind of MPG our LC is getting. Since I didn't tell her we bought a new LC, till I got it home and she found it on the driveway. I told her, it isn't that much lower than our CT200h or our LS600hL. She goes "can you tell me the number?" I told her its getting about 27MPG in the city and 32MPG in the HWY.

So two days later I hear her telling her friend on the phone that I got a new SUV that gets great MPG. She hangs up the phone and says "my friend says we have a Highlander Hybrid, and not a Land Cruiser." I told her, ya same thing



Best if wives don't know. She herself has been getting about 20MPG in her 16 WRX Limited, boosting it everywhere. LOL

RTM

I don't completely believe this.

My other vehicle is a '06 Tacoma, and I was always curious about the 87 vs 89 vs 91 (highest we typically get here in Calif). I had to make two runs on back to back weekend, carrying the same load. (280 from San Jose area up to 92 for those who care.) I set the truck on cruise at the same speed, verified via GPS. Almost the same weather both day, same post noon run.

On the 87, the truck downshifted many times (was really bad before the reflash), and not a fun drive. One week later, after filling up with 91 mid week, the same trip only had one downshift, and it was very brief. At that point, I became a believer in the advantage of higher octane. But being slightly cheap, I run 89 most times.

thoiboi

Additives =/= octane..

You need to run whatever your car manufacturer suggests for your specific car. In a Tacoma, it should be 87 IIRC. If you run higher octane, you're really only wasting your own money. The ECU in your car should adjust timing accordingly to account for the higher octane.

You're the perfect audience for Octane Booster marketing/snake oil

cu2wagon

*87. The Tacoma can just about run on chocolate milk. No need for the fancy stuff there.

thoiboi

that's what I said



yeah and not even the Organic stuff...

ceb

Did you watch the video? If not, take a half hour and watch it.
The only thing added octane does is reduce pre-ignition (pinging or knocking) and nothing else. Within reason, the ECU will retard timing to prevent pre-ignition if a lower octane gasoline than the one the engine was designed for is used. The ECU cannot, however, adjust timing (or anything else for that matter) to take advantage of the higher octane.

If your car is made for 87 and doesn't ping when running 87, then using anything higher is a total and absolute waste of money - just send me the difference in cost between 87 ad 91 everytime you fill up. It won't cost you a penny extra but I'll make money.

RTM

I didn't buy into the higher octane story until after the downshifting went away. I realize that may pass for urban legend in some people's worlds.

I have the v6 in mine.

From the manual (sorry for the poor formatting):
(I4) 2TR- FE engine—Unleaded gasoline, Octane Rating 87(Research Octane Number 91) or higher

(V6)1GR- FE engine—Unleaded gasoline, Octane Rating 87(Research Octane Number91) or higher. For improved vehicle performance, use premium unleaded gasoline with an Octane Rating of 91 (Research Octane Number 96) or higher