First Oil Change

[4ourth]

Hey, all. Took my Type S in to have some rattles fixed and was looking to get my first oil change done with around 1405 miles. However, dealer will not change under the maintenance program unless at 15% oil life (still closer to 90%). Should I pay for them to do an oil change or just wait until 6-7500 miles? I’ve always changed early, but I’m not sure if it’s necessary with newer engines/synthetic oil. Some people do it for peace of mind for the metal flakes, but I’ve also seen some people mention that oil was nearly black with wasted lubing properties tossed. Any advice?

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[NecroFIesh]

I just spoke to my service team about this and was told that yes, Acura will deny the service unless the vehicle is at 15-20% oil life. They said that if a service is performed before the interval period outlined in the maintenance contract, Acura will kick back the claim and charge the dealership for the parts/labor.

My suggestion would be to reference your maintenance contract and any paperwork you received from your dealership's finance department regarding any specific details outlining this. It came as news to me, in all honesty. Anyway, hope this helps or at least gives some insight from a dealership prospective.

Edit: Furthermore, after speaking with a 30+ year Acura technician here, he mentioned a few things I want to add....

Newer engines are so well put together that if you're worried about metal flakes and want to get the factory oil out of the car to hopefully clear that out as well, you've got better things to worry about. Back in the day, cylinder walls and piston rings were not at the tolerance levels that they are today and so at times, yes there could have been debris or manufacturing material possibly in the motor from new. I'm talking way back in the day. He said that these days, the engines are so tightly assembled and spec'd out that there is little to no risk of those metal flakes or foreign debris from assembly being present. He also said the same things you did about hearing people mention that oil drained too early was nearly black with the lubing (moly) properties still there...he said that's from those lubes not being circulated within the motor to do their thing as much as they would be if the oil was left in longer. It made sense as he told me, those lubes need to circulate and adhere to cylinders, oil passages, etc. to properly work for the longevity of the engine. Draining the oil out early most likely would cause the lube to not be able to do those things...

I'm sure someone much more experienced will add to this thread with more info. Thanks.

-G

 

[4ourth]

Thanks, I understand the dealer perspective of not wanting to eat the charge. I’m more curious about whether it is beneficial to change the oil before the 7500 mile mark or if there would be no benefit given advances to engine/oil.

 

[NecroFIesh]

I'm going to say that personally, I do not see any benefit to an early change. Again, from what my seasoned tech mentioned, it makes sense to keep those assembly lubing materials in there awhile and for that initial oil to break in the components. Just my personal opinion, of course.

-G

 

[optronix]

It's not. It's also probably not detrimental but it's 100% a waste of time, energy, and money.

Engine technology, oil technology, and engine manufacturing technology have evolved to levels unimaginable when the days of "have to change the oil within the first 1500 miles" was even a recommendation.

Some hardcore track obsessed guys might freak out by not changing their oil, and there may be legitimacy to that. Consistently placing your engine in extreme use scenarios like keeping engine rpms near the top of the rev range for 20+ minutes at a time in 90+ degree ambient temps might justify changing the oil early and often. But doesn't sound like that's what's happening here.

There are rare occurrences like the RTV sealant issue facing some GR86s, but that is specific to that model.

https://www.thedrive.com/guides-and...-issue-thats-killing-2022-toyota-gr86-engines

I agree with the Acura service tech. Follow the manufacturer's suggested recommendations, or throw your money away. Your call.

 

[NecroFIesh]

Thanks for your input optronix.

-G

 

[ronlp]

I've been doing the Civic ~3.5-4k miles since new and I'll likely do the same with this. I diy so their opinions on oil life don't matter. My NA cars I do around 5k, but I try to change the turbos a little sooner.....probably unnecessary, but since I live in actual hell (119* today, kill me pls) it's cheap piece of mind. I'm also probably using better oil than what a dealer trainee is going to pump out of a bulk tank.

 

[NecroFIesh]

Appreciate your feedback Ron. 100% on that dealer bulk oil, ugh. I cringe whenever we use that on services....

-G

 

[4ourth]

Appreciate everyone’s feedback. Gonna save the money and let the oil do its thing. Is the synthetic oil in the bulk tank no good? Or is it just not motul quality.

 

[4ourth]

Also, I will say it was nice being able to reserve a loaner car and leaving with a TLX while the dealer checks out my rattle issues. Much better than an Impreza/RAV4 you would maybe get if there were any available at a Subaru/Toyota dealer.

 

[ronlp]

Appreciate everyone’s feedback. Gonna save the money and let the oil do its thing. Is the synthetic oil in the bulk tank no good? Or is it just not motul quality.

I think the question really is, "what even is it?" I mean, it's probably fine, but since dealers are independent franchises, some owned by huge companies...others smaller, it's impossible to tell what they're buying or where corners are being cut.

That said, I'm not competing in endurance racing with an engine worth more than my house, so I think I'm pretty reasonable when it comes to what I'm willing to spend. I've been using this stuff, which replaced the previous 'Modern Engines' formula last year. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08YRZ6JVS

Everyone has their own favorite flavor....I'm sure they're all better than anything that's been available in the past.

 

[Croissants]

Adding to this, I saw this thread on CivicXI encouraging to leave the original oil in and follow the maintenance minder. It looks here are additional additives in the original fill to assist with the break in process.

https://www.civicxi.com/forum/threads/first-fl5-oil-change-mileage.51569/

 

[ZeroGSR]

Also, I will say it was nice being able to reserve a loaner car and leaving with a TLX while the dealer checks out my rattle issues. Much better than an Impreza/RAV4 you would maybe get if there were any available at a Subaru/Toyota dealer.

Glad to hear, that's a big reason I am switching back to Acura. My local Audi dealer has a 4-6 week wait on loaners. If only they had a whole lot of cars they could turn into loaners so that isn't an issue....

 

[4ourth]

Glad to hear, that's a big reason I am switching back to Acura. My local Audi dealer has a 4-6 week wait on loaners. If only they had a whole lot of cars they could turn into loaners so that isn't an issue....

To be fair, there was a two and a half week wait just to be able to schedule an appointment, but I don’t think that was because of loaner availability. If anything, I would imagine there are not many loaners available at Audi as there are probably way more vehicles in the shop and Audi doesn’t want to inventory many loaners either for cost savings. But I’m just assuming like an asshole

 

[nawfoo]

The vehicle will alert you with a A1 Service Due Soon light on the dashboard. Thats the only time you're able to schedule a time to bring the vehicle in for service.

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