Question about first oil change

jrubin,
If Acura wanted it changed at 1500 miles it would be in the book. Some of us oldtimers come from a different school and what we believe to be true is not true any more. There was a time when you wanted to change all your fluids very soon as they used break in oils, and all kinds of contaminants metal, fiber etc, now the way these engines are machined, deburred, cleaned etc., it just isn't needed. I still do it, DUH!!!

So do I, Roger. When we bought the X, the dealer recommended using the 7500-mile interval, which is WAY off my scale. When we bought a '99 Accord, the dealer told us "Do NOT change the oil before 3750 miles, then change it every 3750 thereafter." That was at least near what I wanted to do, so that's the schedule I use for the Accord and for the X.

Why would anyone go against the manufacturer's recomendations. Particularly a company such as Honda which is known for building engines that last forever. If Honda says 7,500 miles then change at 7,500 miles. Don't waste your money or the 5 quarts of oil. Stick to the factory schedule of 7,500 miles (unless you qualify for the extra frequency schedule).

My understanding is that we should not change the oil for the first 7500 miles because there are special conditioners in the oil when shipped from the factory.

Following the first oil change, I plan to change it every 3000 - 3500 miles (how could this be bad?!?)

The book says 7500, and I'm sure Honda knows what they are doing. It may be over kill to change my oil every 3-4 k but when you look in an engine that has 3k oil changes verses 7 k oil changes there is a noticable difference in staining. It may not mean much of anything but I feel better doing it. These engines are about as broke in as they are going to get at 1500 miles, so I can understand someones reasoning with wanting to change it at 1500 miles. You do find more contaminants in the oil filter in that first change. I do my own oil changes and I figure the extra money is worth it to me. But if you want to do it as Acura recommends, feel comfident everything will be ok. I just figure if it keeps me up at night thinking about the pros and cons of oil changes on these new cars I'm gonna change my oil.

Synthetic Oil?

Has anyone thought of using synthetic oil in the MDX? The dealership told me that it was not necessary, but if I wanted to, don't switch until I had 25k miles. He said that synthetic oil too early cold keep the internal parts from breaking in properly.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

This really should be in the Maintenance section, but

Regarding synthetic oil, alot of people use synthetic oil on their MDX. You don't have to wait until 25k miles. I think if you have more than 5k on your 'X then you can switch to synthetic. The Honda s2000 is the only car that they donot recommend switching to synthetic early(it has a slow breakin, and eats up to a can of oil per month during breakin).

Follow the Manual

7500 miles (3750 in extreme conditions)