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My wife's Acura TSX has a 10K oil change interval with the filter every other time. My RDX has the oil-life monitor, and at the moment it's pegging me for the first service at 8500 miles or so (extrapolating from the current numbers). I won't know until I get closer to the service what will be required, as it can call for a couple different services depending on the actual vehicle use. I would not be surprised if that stretches out past 8500 now that the weather is getting milder and I have fewer cold starts and less mountain driving.
By the way, the oil-life monitor that Honda/Acura and many other brands use does not even sample/measure the oil in any way! They are entirely empirical, and merely count the number of starts, monitor the operating conditions/temperature/weather, oil temperature, look at RPMs and count total RPMs, and all the other quantifiable factors that impact oil life. This all goes into an algorithm that has been empirically derived to measure oil life. I think these systems are great, as they take all the guesswork out of schedules; those that should follow the normal schedule see longer intervals, and those that should follow the severe schedule see shorter intervals.
For me I try to change it at 3k, but in the end it turns out to be closer to 10k intervals
I've been running the Amsoil in the Armada and like it, even though it's costly. I'm planning on changing over the diffys as well.
-mike
Regarding BMW in particular and many luxury brands in general having oil change intervals greater than 7500 miles, that is because they do not have a small spin-on filter. They use a large cartridge which flows better and has much more surface area. They also often have larger oil capacity; my '95 M3 held a tad over 7 quarts.
Let's not go to extremes, some rather absurd discussion can and will result. In general 3k oil changes are excessive. When using fully synthetic oil, your filter ABSOLUTELY is the limiting factor in when you need a change. Mobil1 after 3,000 miles in a healthy engine will still easily exceed any standard oil, say Castrol GTX, on an oil quality test.
~Colin
I believe my SVX took 7+/- quarts.
-mike
Personally, at about $45 per gallon of oil, if I went with the extreme service schedule I would go for the semi-annual filter changes and change oil once per year. That would save me about 3.5 quarts of oil.
The car drove great, everything I checked worked, there were no obvious signs of body damage and no check engine lights. The owner has the title and it is not salvage/rebuild.
Anything else I should look at before I buy it?
Thanks,
Greg
At that early age, it's still under warranty, so you should be fine if everything is running smoothly.
Check the bottom of the block for any oil stains, also the front and rear main seals. They should be relatively clean, oil stain free.
Are you paying for rarity? I think non limited GT was only available in 05.
Krzys
-mike
FWIW, I have now have over 40k trouble-free miles on my 05 LGT LTD which will be 2 years old in May.
The only warrantee issue to date was a broken seat rail cover from when the subwoofer was installed. Also, have the key fob covers changed (there is a TSB). The original style was very touchy, and would unlock the doors, or pop the trunk just by putting the keys in your pocket. Rob M.
Also if the GT is a wagon, it is not available as an 08 AFAIK.
Only 13k miles is worth something extra.
In the past year, the car has changed hands five times between a couple of car dealers and private sellers. I've seen the title and it is not a salvage/rebuild, but I just have a bad feeling about it. I'm going to pass.
My credit union uses the NADA guides, which tend to be more conservative (lower vehicle values) than Kelley Blue Book. NADA showed the value as $19,900. It may be a regional issue (I'm in Utah), but $20K seems to be on the low side for asking prices.
My next target: a 2005 LGT Wagon Limited auto, this time from a used car dealer. No red flags from Carfax and it looks like a one-owner vehicle. Asking price is $21K with about 21K miles. I wish I could find one with low miles and a manual transmission!
Thanks again,
Greg
-mike
Oh yeah. That's a car I'd want to own. :sick:
Good call on walking away.
Run, don't walk, away.
Go back to Mobil1 or something similarly priced and a Wix or Purolator filter. Change every 5,000 miles for best results, or 7,500 at most. Done.
I'm not a huge AMSOil fan. I suppose it could be worse, there's always Royal Purple right?
~Colin
Anything in particular bad about Amsoil? Just curious cause i'm about to put it in the boat motors....
-mike
If you have a remote filter kit, dry sump, etc then I can see it because you can change that without losing hardly any oil.
~Colin
Even if I go with a 6 month interval (or less if I were to drop to a 5/7.5K schedule), I still cannot see the point in changing out all of the engine oil unless it really needs it. Like you said, those tiny little spin-ons only hold about 1/3 quart, so change the filter, top it off, and call it good.
If a 20,000 change interval on oil rated for twice that results in a sludged/seized up engine, the oil manufacturer would need to answer for that. My guess is that the change interval already accounts for it. But, like you said, no reason to go into a long discussion about it.
I really do not expect to keep this car much longer unless I just cannot find a buyer for it, so I will likely leave the decision to the next owner and supply that person with the extra filters and oil I currently have on hand.
The gear oil seems to have made a big positive improvement on morning cold starts and, possibly, mileage. No more gummy transmission and rear end in the mornings, and avg MPG up about 3 mpg in the last two weeks (with, I would estimate, 1 of those fully attributable to the oil - the other two perhaps to warmer daytime temps, though night/morning temps still at -15 to -20).
-mike
You're not kidding.
I just got 2 new tires for my Miata (sidewall got slashed so there was no hope), and had to have them mounted. In a pinch, I went to get them mounted, and most places did not have open time slots for that day, so I went to Pep Boys.
They left greasy finger prints on the door, the trunk (where the flat was), the steering wheel, and the shift knob. I'm still working to get the mess cleaned up.
If they don't take care with obvious things like that, imagine the small things you don't see. :lemon:
I re-torqued my lug nuts as soon as I got home.
I hope it was a short drive! I had a pair of tires "inspected" at a local shop and they forgot to torque them at all - just had them hand tight. I drove 12 miles home and started hearing a "thunk" sound (as well as feeling the car jiggle) about 1/2 mile from home. I stopped, checked the wheels, and nearly all 10 of the nuts were about to fall off! I was counting my blessing after that one.... plus they got an earful the next day.
You definitely, positively, get what you pay for.
Though it's interesting, I've never been into doing my own under-the-hood work (& I don't have a garage, so that's a deterrent too, when it's raining 2/3 of the year), so I just go to the dealer now. They've got their own no-appointment oil & tire facility w/a nice, clean, big waiting area, internet hookup, large flatscreen TV, & tons of toys to keep my son occupied. (Heh heh, he gets excited to go to "Carter Subawoo" to play & sit in the showroom models too - which I also like, of course.)
When we got our '06 Legacy, the dealer offered a one-time prepaid fee of $550-$600 or so for oil changes for life. Considering we kept our last Legacy 14 years, and plan on keeping this one awhile, it was a no-brainer for us to go that route. When we go in for major service, they deduct the oil change price from the bill, too.
23 Civic Type-R / 22 MDX Type-S / 21 Tesla Y LR / 03 Montero Ltd
Hitches usually come in two sizes - 1.25" or 2".
I was just at the sporting goods store last week, and the bike racks they sold that were hitch mounted fit both. The one I saw actually had a 1.25" hitch but came with an adaptor for 2" hitches.
Subaru's OE size is 1.25", so you're golden.
I have the OE rack and of course that is 1.25". It tilts out of the way so you can open the hatch even with the bikes on there. The bikes never touch the vehicle, and it's an easy lift, 10 times easier than roof mounted.
I'm quite happy. I need a hitch on my next vehicle, though.
Its used with a 4 bike Yakima/Rhode Gear hitch rack that was about $90 from REI Outlet.
The rack can be used on any vehicle with a 1.25" or 2" hitch receiver.
This will be far more stable than a strapped on bike rack and you wont get marks in your vehicle's paint from the straps.
If you actually want to tow, there are "plug and play" trailer light adapters for both the Subie and the Sienna that are very easy to install.
-mike
No damage to the gate, though. Ours is a Yakima model, but we have not used it at all since that trip. :sick:
Of course, now that I think about it, you already said that the strap version would not work due to the "spoiler" at the top of the gate.
The specific $90 Rhode Gear/Yakima rack will fold away from the gate but its cumbersome, and the arms don't fold down so it effective adds ~4' to the end of the vehicle, making it hard to get in the garage or parallel park. Most of of the newer/fancier ones have fold down arms.
I would budget $300-400 for a rack system, either using a roof mount for 2 bikes or a hitch mount including the hitch.
If you are in the US, that would be totally illegal. Obviously, they will not warranty the trailer hitch itself if you buy a non-Subaru hitch, but they are only allowed to void the warranty on affected components. I can't think of any associated with the hitch itself. If the electrical unit is defective and fries something, that would be an issue, but we are talking about just the hitch right now.
Typically, the "OEM" electrical connector is made by the 2 or 3 companies that make the aftermarket t-fittings anyway.
Still very pleased with the Legacy. My mpg keeps going up about 1/2 mpg per tank. Now averaging about 30.5mpg!!! (I do have 64 mile round trip commute, without any stoplights. Just open country roads and I keep it under 60mph, which helps the mpg.
Mike
Hickory, NC
Inside there was also mention of the new 3.6 for the Tribeca. Horsepower and torque gains, improved mpg and now only takes 87 octane! Improved cooling passages allow the new engine to run on regular fuel.
Super move Subaru. Even better, this engine would be great in a Legacy.
Mike
Hickory, NC
Mark
My question is why are the standard tires so bad, is it because they are low-profile ones? I thought the low profile tires are only for the GT models.