| paotmc |
I bought a 06 MDX back in August and right now I've only put on 2,500 miles in 3 months because my job is only 5 miles away. And I'm wondering whether or not I should get my first oil change at 3,750 or 5,000 or 7,500? I'm not sure if 5,000 and 7,500 will be too long (another 3-6 months). What do you think? Thanks for your advice in advance!
Oh and one more thing, I used to start my previous vehicle and warm it up for about 3-5 minutes in the morning but I've read from articles online that it is not necessary to warm up the car that long, 1 minute should be long enough. Is that true? I'd like to keep my MDX for as long as I could. Should I stick with the 3-5 minute or 1-minute? |
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| timbrwolf9 |
| If most of your trips are less than 5 - 10 miles, I would go with the severe plan and change your oil every 3750 to 4000 miles. |
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| JeffK |
Sorry I must disagree:
First, this question has been asked and answered so many times before, suggest you check prior threads.
Oil change: Forget about the past! Today's modern engines and much improved lubricants make oil changes every 6 months or 3,500 miles, whichever comes sooner obsolete and unnecessary!
Severe service has been defined to be stop and go traffic in heat (for example a taxi cab in New York city) pulling trailers at altitude, serious off roading - hope you get the drift.
It certainly is not a relaxed 5 to 10 mile trips.
Warming up: On the coldest of days, say below 15 degrees, you may want to warm up your engine for 2 to 3 minutes, at least until you start to get heat!
Again those days of 15 to 20 years ago where you warmed up the engine before driving are history! In fact idling may do more harm than good.
One last thing: You can never go wrong with changing your oil and filter often, even every 1,000 miles. It certainly will not hurt your engine. But it pure overkill and totally unnecessary!
Save your money and enjoy your new ride!
JeffK |
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| mdxforever |
quote:
Originally posted by paotmc
I used to start my previous vehicle and warm it up for about 3-5 minutes in the morning but I've read from articles online that it is not necessary to warm up the car that long, 1 minute should be long enough. Is that true? I'd like to keep my MDX for as long as I could. Should I stick with the 3-5 minute or 1-minute?
if it starts, and the oil pressure lamp is not showing, then its warm enough to drive off. just make sure you dont rev the engine too far (3-4k+) immediately after startup - give it about a minute before you do that. This is applicable for below zero (°F) temps too.
it's wrong to use the cabin air/fan heat as an indicator of whether the engine has heated up or not. The internals of the engine heat up right away. The source of the heat for the cabin heater fan is the engine coolant circulating around and outside the engine block. It flows into the coils of the blower. It takes quite a while longer for it to get hot enough and to heat up those coils.
fwiw, it will warm up faster while driving than idling. |
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