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Service every 3 months?

Joined
17 July 2002
Messages
368
Location
SF Bay Area, CA
My local Acura dealer, who is good and I use for oil changes and other minor service even though I used Hilltop to get my Tubi installed, just sent me a letter saying it was time for periodic service for my car. They say they recommend service every 3 months or 3750 miles.

I have been planning on changing the oil every 3750 miles, but for my use level that would be about 5 months. Is there any reason to do an oil change after only 3 months (and about 2000 miles)? Is there any other service I should be doing more often? My NSX is a 97 with about 40K miles.

I checked the maintenance FAQ and didn't see anything to be done in less than 6 months, but wanted to check for opinions before ignoring the Acura dealer advice.

Chip
 
Last edited:
Check the maintenance section in your owner's manual and use that as your measuring stick as to when you should service your car. The 97+ has longer intervals than a '91-'96.

Also, I have asked a similar question before:
http://www.nsxprime.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/007611.html

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2001 NSX-T
- Bilstein Shocks
- '02 OEM Wheels

[This message has been edited by RyRy210 (edited 28 February 2003).]
 
Originally posted by calexand:

Is there any reason to do an oil change after only 3 months (and about 2000 miles)? Is there any other service I should be doing more often? My NSX is a 97 with about 40K miles.

Chip


Hi Chip,

Remember me? I have the other blue/tan NSX in the south bay. I've asked Vytas that same question and we both agree that time is not the issue, but the mileage. I assume you use Mobil 1 synthetic or other brands. We both change oil just about once a year. That's about 5k miles for us and there's probably no need to add oil during that interval. 3750 miles may be too soon and we both drive hard sometimes. Some miles on Vytas's car are put on the track.

Other than oil changes, we just follow the standard maintenance schedule (check manual or foreign affair website). Last but not least, check your tire pressure every month or two. I've recently noticed mine was down quite a bit from the last time I've checked.

Hope this helps....



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'98 Blue NSX-T
 
The owner's manual is very clear. On a '91-96, it recommends changing the oil and filter every 7500 miles or every 6 months, whichever comes first. (It may be less frequent for a '97+... once a year?) It also says that you should change it more often if you drive in some severe conditions:

A. Repeated short distance driving
B. Dusty conditions
C. Severe cold weather
D. Areas with road salt or other corrosive materials
E. Rough or muddy roads

Many owners change their oil more often than Honda's recommendations; that is a matter of personal preference. Three months is "conventional wisdom" that came from older days without today's engine and oil technology. On the other hand, if you take a lot of short trips, Honda's recommendation is that you change it more frequently than that specified in the maintenance schedule. And, while it's not mentioned in the owner's manual, I think all of us would agree that track driving belongs in the "severe conditions" category.

In any case, I strongly recommend that you not wait longer than their recommendations. I think changing oil half as often as Honda recommends is a very bad idea for any car, and even more so for a car that is used on the track. Those who do so are saving $40/year (synthetic) instead of providing the recommended protection for their $18,000 engine. Not my idea of a smart thing - but hey, it's your $18,000 engine, not mine...

P.S. Ask your mechanic how often he sees expensive problems in cars because the owner didn't do the maintenance as often as the recommended schedule in the owner's manual. Mine likes to say, "You can pay me now, or you can pay me a lot more later. Your choice."

Blue Knight is correct about checking your tire pressure. Also check your oil level at least once a month.

EDIT: Changed to note different recommendations for '91-96 vs '97+.

[This message has been edited by nsxtasy (edited 28 February 2003).]
 
Thanks for the info all of you. Nsxtasy, the question I have is does more often refer only to miles, or also to time? I also called Acura and asked them, and they said they don't recommend less than 6 months. But I still wanted the collective advice of this great forum.

Noah (Blue Knight), yes I remember you. In fact, I was talking about you this Wednesday afternoon. My wife was driving through the South Bay (not sure which city) and she saw a blue/tan NSX. She couldn't see the driver's head (NSXs are so low) but could see that the driver had on a long sleeve polo-like shirt (which I had been wearing that day). So she immediately called my cell phone to hook up for lunch.

Only problem was that I was actually in a big meeting back at work... DOH! It would be nice to see your "mirror-site" car sometime at the South Bay lunch. I may be there tomorrow (don't know for sure yet). Will you?

Chip

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Chip Alexander
'97 Blue/Tan NSX-T with Tubi Exhaust, Italian Horn
'92 Green/Tan Lexus SC400 Coupe
'02 Blue/Tan BMW 325iT Sportwagon

[This message has been edited by calexand (edited 28 February 2003).]
 
Originally posted by calexand:

Noah (Blue Knight), yes I remember you. In fact, I was talking about you this Wednesday afternoon. My wife was driving through the South Bay (not sure which city) and she saw a blue/tan NSX. She couldn't see the driver's head (NSXs are so low) but could see that the driver had on a long sleeve polo-like shirt (which I had been wearing that day). So she immediately called my cell phone to hook up for lunch.

Only problem was that I was actually in a big meeting back at work... DOH! It would be nice to see your "mirror-site" car sometime at the South Bay lunch. I may be there tomorrow (don't know for sure yet). Will you?

Chip


Hey Chip,

Yes, I was driving my NSX on Wed indeed. I took the day off to be a tour guide for my friend visiting from Taiwan. Since the last time I vowed never to take the NSX up to SF, I couldn't resist the fun and did it again. We cruised all around downtown, fisherman's wharf, Japantown and some pretty ghetto areas. My NSX stood out beautifully.

I will be there tomorrow. I get most of my NSX info from Vytas since he's got great knowledge about it so do ask him about your service concerns.

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'98 Blue NSX-T
 
Originally posted by calexand:
Nsxtasy, the question I have is does more often refer only to miles, or also to time?

Well, the recommendation in the owner's manual is for both - that's why it always says, "whichever comes first".

In terms of how things degrade, though, which is what you're asking, certain kinds of things tend to degrade more based on time than on mileage, and others degrade more based on mileage than on time. For example, most fluids (oil, brake fluid, transmission fluid, etc) tend to degrade more based on time; brake fluid will accumulate moisture even when the car is sitting in the garage, etc. Rubber parts, such as belts and hoses, can degrade based on mileage or time. Mechanical (metal) parts, such as valve clearances, tend degrade based more on mileage than on time.

That being said, the advice in the owner's manual comes from the experts - those who designed and engineered your car. And when it says "whichever comes first", that's their advice. Following it is the best thing you can do to keep your car running properly at all times.
 
Originally posted by nsxtasy:
Well, the recommendation in the owner's manual is for both - that's why it always says, "whichever comes first".

I think I could have been clearer in my comment/question. Let me try again with quote marks. Nsxtasy, the question I have is does "more often" refer only to miles, or also to time? You see, it is very specific with regards to the mileage and time for a regular change, but then just says "more often if you drive in some severe conditions" and that is unclear whether you need to extend that to fewer months as well as fewer miles.

Chip

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Chip Alexander
'97 Blue/Tan NSX-T with Tubi Exhaust, Italian Horn
'92 Green/Tan Lexus SC400 Coupe
'02 Blue/Tan BMW 325iT Sportwagon
 
I would consider the "more often" to apply to both mileage and time. However, given that it doesn't specify how much more often, it becomes somewhat a judgment thing in any case. Pick a number.
wink.gif


[This message has been edited by nsxtasy (edited 28 February 2003).]
 
Hey Chip,

Whatsoever you do, do NOT bring your NSX to "Acura of Serramonte".

They allow their lot boys to service your car (including oil changes) and DRIVE it to the car wash. I myself had witness their lot boys, peeling rubber on an NSX..

good luck..
 
Originally posted by spartan2-3:
Hey Chip,

Whatsoever you do, do NOT bring your NSX to "Acura of Serramonte".

They allow their lot boys to service your car (including oil changes) and DRIVE it to the car wash. I myself had witness their lot boys, peeling rubber on an NSX..

good luck..

Yow! Thanks for the tip.

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Chip Alexander
'97 Blue/Tan NSX-T with Tubi Exhaust, Italian Horn
'92 Green/Tan Lexus SC400 Coupe
'02 Blue/Tan BMW 325iT Sportwagon
 
Two things that can help prevent this:

If the dealer is ONLY doing an oil change, it should only take about half an hour at most. Which means you are probably waiting for your car while they work. At many dealers you can see the service bays from the waiting area and see who is working on your car.

Also, I specifically ask my dealer NOT to wash my car when it's in for service. (Mostly because I'm picky about how I wash it, make sure I use 100 percent cotton towels, etc.)
 
you want to change your oil based on mileage because of the accumulation of dirt, metal, moisture, and gasoline in the oil.

you want to change your oil based on calendar time because of the accumulation of gasoline in the oil, due to blowby of the piston rings. the gas will get in the oil and break down its lubricity over time (all other things being equal, more driving equates to more blowby), so if you drive your car 1000 miles and put it on blocks for 6 months, you still have six-month-old oil that needs to be replaced.

also, short trips equates to gas accumulating in your oil, without the oil being heated enough to evaporate some of that gasoline.

replacement interval recommendations are based on combinations of these factors, with some conservative fudge factor applied to limit OEM liability.

5000 miles a year should equate to 2 oil changes, especially if you drive it hard on occasion, or if you have forced induction. and don't forget, the vtec works off the oil system as well, so you want clean oil going there.

i've heard of some folks running synthetic and just replacing the oil filter every other oil change, but that doesn't get the gas out of your oil.

if you think it needs an oil change, then change it. if you really want to get freaky about it, have your oil analyzed and get a recommendation of intervals based on your driving habits. but don't exceed OEM recommendations for mileage or time.

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dave
94 black/tan
 
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