2010 Acura MDX - First Oil Change

[artbuc]

The MDX has a "Maintenance Minder" system which tells you when to change oil. The Owner's Manual gives specific instructions for proper engine break-in, including DO NOT change oil until Maintenance Minder says so. Does this mean the MDX comes with a special break-in oil? I always did the first oil change on a new car at 1k.

How does the Maintenance Minder know when the oil needs to be changed? Should I really wait for a computer to tell me when to change oil?

I am so old school when it comes to oil changes. I am locked into 3k. I want to move into the 21st century but I don't know if I can. Heck, I don't even have a cell phone!

 

[crinkles]

can of worms!

if it were my car, i'd do what the recommendations are. after the first change by the MM, use a top synthetic certified to meet your warranty requirements, change it when it tells you to...

 

[sicko]

I believe Honda does use a break in oil, so I would assume Acura does also.

The Maintenance Minder works by counting things such as # of starts, driving habits/conditions, number of engine rotations, etc. It uses this information to determine what the life of the oil should be.

They have shown to be rather accurate, so you shouldn't worry about following it.

Also, most of the oil life monitors (OLM) are geared towards conventional oils, so when synthetics are used and follow the OLM, the UOAs on them show there is plenty of life left in the oil

 

[Chris Meutsch]

As a Honda owner, I'm familiar with the break-in wishes/perceived voodoo magic of the company. I'd say on that rig, change it at 3k and then simply follow the MM after that. UOA's have proven it's accurate enough to live by.

 

[Corvette Owner]

I know Honda uses a special break-in oil (high in moly, I believe), so I also assume Acura does.

I say you can leave it in or change it, no problem either way. Hondas (and I assume Acuras) are easy on oil, great engines, and last a long time.

I usually change all my new cars at 3,000 miles to synthetic oil.

I believe in OLMs, they work. They usually count engine revolutions and subtract for cold starts, short trips, etc (based on oil/engine temperature).

 

[cheetahdriver]

i have to admit, after buying a car from arguably the best engine manufacturer on the planet, i would have serious trouble substituting other OPINIONS for their instructions. unless you keep the car 300k, it probably wilna matter anyway, but follow the Honda/Acura instructions, and be happy.

 

[hate2work]

The truth is that it just won't matter whether or not you change the FF early, as long as you're careful with maintenance for the life of your rig. Many, many engines have gone 200-300k after leaving the FF in for a full OCI, and many, many engines have gone 200-300k after having the FF changed early.

 

[Eddie]

I'd follow Honda's recommendation. The factory knows what they are doing and use oil additives (mainly Moly) for a reason.

 

[bepperb]

This is a ball of worms for sure. Follow the MM system. If you want, change it with 20% left or even more left to feel better about it.

Special breakin oil... no... the factory fill or assembly lube has a lot of moly in it, but it's not some magical fairy dust.

I have a manual tranny, so mine is just a mileage counter to 7500 miles, which is when I change it. On automatics, apparently the system is more complex.

J series isn't bad on oil, I'd feel fine with the MM system and so should you.

 

[blakegeo]

I do have a question about change interval. We bought a 2009 V-6 Accord in May 2009. It was on the lot March 2009. It now has just 1400 miles on the clock w/ "90%" oil remaining on the moniter. I changed the filter to a Pure-i about 200 miles ago to get any of the filings out if they were present. Would you
leave this oil in for awhile longer for the break in properties or change it because it is a year old?

 

[440Magnum]

Originally Posted By: artbuc
The Owner's Manual gives specific instructions for proper engine break-in, including DO NOT change oil until Maintenance Minder says so.


My opinion (worth what you paid for it) is that this is pure marketing. ANY vehicle will survive just fine if you leave the FF in for a full OCI, and they want to adamantly give the impression that their engines are so perfect and special that you don't need to touch them. On the other hand, its even better still to dump the first change sooner rather than later. If it were mine, I'd run that first interval REALLY short (1-2k miles at most) to get the manufacturing debris out ASAP.

 

[bepperb]

blakegeo, the Honda advice is actually the MM or one year, whichever comes sooner.

So, I wouldn't rush out but I wouldn't wait for the MM to hit 0% either.

 

[webfors]

FF has lots of moly. If you want to change it early use a conventional oil with lots of Moly like Havoline, Formula Shell, etc.

UOAs of FF on Honda's have shown very little break in metals. So leaving the FF in will do *no* harm whatsoever.

Honda's OLM is agressive and will tend to get the most life out of conventional oil. I would change it with 10-15% left for *my* comfort zone, or at least start planning your next OC before it gets past 0%

 

[MegaCorp]

Leave ff in for the full term, and then follow the MM. Don't worry about metal filings, that what the filter's job is. It's not going to plug up. Everytime I have cut open a factory filter, there's not much metal in it

 

[440Magnum]

Originally Posted By: webfors

UOAs of FF on Honda's have shown very little break in metals. So leaving the FF in will do *no* harm whatsoever.


UOAs only show very small wear metal particles... when an engine is new and breaking in, the wear particles are much too large to show up in a typical Blackstone UOA.

 

[addyguy]

Keep something in mind:

The manufacturer ONLY want this vehicle to live to the end of the warranty period. After that, they really don't care, as repairs and breakdowns are on the owners dime, not theirs.

So none of their instructions are going to be in the interest of the long-term reliablity of the car, just to 100k/120k or whatever the warranty is.

 

[artbuc]

Originally Posted By: addyguy
Keep something in mind:

The manufacturer ONLY want this vehicle to live to the end of the warranty period. After that, they really don't care, as repairs and breakdowns are on the owners dime, not theirs.

So none of their instructions are going to be in the interest of the long-term reliablity of the car, just to 100k/120k or whatever the warranty is.


Do you have a specific recommendation about when I should make the first oil change?

 

[addyguy]

Personally, I'd do a first change on a vehicle at 3k miles (5k km), another one in another 3k miles, and then go to a syn of your choice, and follow the OLM.

That's just what I would do with a new vehicle.

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: addyguy
Keep something in mind:

The manufacturer ONLY want this vehicle to live to the end of the warranty period. After that, they really don't care, as repairs and breakdowns are on the owners dime, not theirs.

So none of their instructions are going to be in the interest of the long-term reliablity of the car, just to 100k/120k or whatever the warranty is.


Another argument is that if your vehicle only lasts until the end of the warranty period, the manufacturer is far less likely to have a returning customer. Manufacturers do not want one-time sales, they want lasting customer loyalty that results in repeated purchases. Designing vehicles that are likely to fail shortly after warranty expiration will not accomplish that goal.

 

[blakegeo]

Thank you, bpperb, for the response. I'll change it at the year interval.
Also--Hi!--Kenosha is my hometown.