--- title: Acura Oil Change: Maintenance Minder Codes Explained url: https://xpressoilandlube.com/vehicles/acura/ business: Xpress Oil & Lube (Xpress Oil & Lube Center) shops: Reno Northwest: 6100 Mae Anne Ave, Reno, NV 89523, (775) 787-1000, Mon-Fri 8 am-5 pm, Sat 8 am-4 pm, Sun closed; Reno South: 4993 Longley Ln, Reno, NV 89502, (775) 828-6996, Mon-Fri 8 am-5 pm, Sat 8 am-3 pm, Sun closed; Carson City: 1861 E College Pkwy, Carson City, NV 89706, (775) 883-5823, Mon-Fri 8 am-5 pm, Sat 8 am-4 pm, Sun closed; Gardnerville: 1293 US Hwy 395 N, Gardnerville, NV 89410, (775) 301-5912, Mon-Fri 9 am-5 pm, Sat 9 am-3 pm, Sun closed type: Drive-in oil change and vehicle maintenance, no appointment needed, since 1983 --- Today's coupons - $10 off full-service oil change - $5 off smog check - $25 off transmission fluid service [See all coupons](https://xpressoilandlube.com/coupons/) - [Home](https://xpressoilandlube.com/) - [By vehicle](https://xpressoilandlube.com/vehicles/) - Acura # Acura Oil Changes: Reading the Maintenance Minder Acura does not print a fixed oil mileage; the Maintenance Minder calculates oil life from engine conditions and flags service at 15 percent, along with a letter and number code for anything else due. Acura also says the oil must be changed if 12 months have passed since the last change, whatever percentage the display shows. ★★★★★ 4.7 stars from 952 Google reviews B12, A1, B16: the codes on an Acura dashboard can look like a lottery ticket, but they are not random. Each letter is an oil service and each number is a sub-item that the car is asking for at the same visit. Below is how Acura describes the system, what each code usually means, the AWD items that show up on an MDX or RDX, and why a Reno winter drags the percentage down faster than a Sacramento commute would. ## At a glance - The Maintenance Minder estimates oil life from speed, temperature and engine sensors and alerts at 15 percent (Acura) - Acura requires an oil change after 12 months regardless of the percentage shown - Code A is oil; code B is oil, filter and inspections; numbers 1 to 9 are sub-items - Sub-item 6 is rear differential fluid on SH-AWD models, filled with Acura All-Wheel Drive Fluid (DPSF) - The Minder does not watch the oil level, so we check it every visit ## What the percentage is telling you Acura's maintenance page explains that the Maintenance Minder estimates remaining oil life from speed, temperature and pressure sensors in the engine and how long the engine runs under more severe conditions. When the estimate reaches 15 percent, the dashboard shows a service-due-soon message. Below that it keeps counting, and Honda-family owner's manuals describe 5 percent as due now and a negative distance as past due. Two limits are spelled out on the same page. The system does not monitor the engine oil level, so an engine that uses a little oil between changes can run low long before the percentage drops. And if more than 12 months pass since the last oil change, Acura requires the oil be changed regardless of the percentage. A TLX that sits in a Somersett garage most of the winter is the car that meets that 12-month rule first. ## The codes, letter and number - A: replace engine oil - B: replace engine oil and filter, and inspect brakes, suspension, steering parts, boots, fluid levels and the exhaust - 1: rotate tires - 2: replace the engine air filter and the dust and pollen (cabin) filter, inspect the drive belt - 3: replace transmission fluid - 4: replace spark plugs and inspect valve clearance where applicable - 5: replace engine coolant - 6: replace rear differential fluid on SH-AWD models - 7: replace brake fluid The exact list for your model year is in the owner's manual. On the oil side, both A and B are jobs we do every day. For the numbered items we tell you which ones we handle in the bay, such as the cabin and engine filters, coolant and transmission fluid, and which belong at a repair shop. ## SH-AWD and the number 6 Acura's Super Handling All-Wheel Drive uses a rear drive unit with clutch packs, and its fluid is not ordinary gear oil. Acura service bulletins for the MDX and TLX tell technicians to fill the rear differential with Acura All-Wheel Drive Fluid (DPSF) and then reset Maintenance Minder sub-item 6, which Acura labels Replace Rear Differential Fluid. When you see a 6 next to your A or B, that is the job, and our [differential service](https://xpressoilandlube.com/services/differential-service/) uses the fluid the manual names. MDX and RDX crossovers are common around Reno, and plenty of them spend winter weekends on the Mount Rose Highway to the ski areas. Steep grades, snow and cold starts are the conditions that pull the rear unit's interval forward on the Minder, so a 6 can appear sooner than a friend's car in a milder climate. ## Why the percentage drops faster here Because the Minder looks at engine temperature and operating conditions, Northern Nevada weather feeds straight into it. The Reno airport averages about 122 nights a year at or below freezing and about 65 days at 90 F or hotter (NOAA 1991 to 2020 normals). Short trips on frozen mornings and long hot climbs at 4,500 feet both count as harder service. Most current Acura engines list 0W-20; the turbocharged engines and the Type S models each name their own grade in the manual, and we match it. The dust and pollen filter is the sub-item 2 part that most often needs to go early. Between dry high-desert dust and the wildfire smoke that settles into the valleys in late summer, a cabin filter can look older than the Minder thinks it is. We show you; you decide. ### Sources - [acura.ca/en/service-parts/maintenance-schedule](https://www.acura.ca/en/service-parts/maintenance-schedule) (Acura Maintenance Minder: estimates oil life from speed, temperature and pressure sensors; 15 percent alert; codes A, B, 0 and 1-9; does not monitor oil level; oil must be changed after 12 months regardless of the percentage; brake fluid after 3 years. Read 2026-10-15) - [techinfo.honda.com/rjanisis/pubs/OM/AH/A3V02626IOM/enu/details/131237047-192706.html](https://techinfo.honda.com/rjanisis/pubs/OM/AH/A3V02626IOM/enu/details/131237047-192706.html) (Honda owner's manual, To Use Maintenance Minder: 15, 5 percent and past-due messages; main items A and B; sub items 1 to 7. Read 2026-10-15) - [static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2025/MC-11015014-0001.pdf](https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2025/MC-11015014-0001.pdf) (Acura Service Bulletin 24-022, version 2, 2/18/2025: rear differential filled with Acura All-Wheel Drive Fluid (DPSF); reset Maintenance Minder sub-item 6, Replace Rear Differential Fluid. Read 2026-10-15) - [ncei.noaa.gov/products/land-based-station/us-climate-normals](https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/products/land-based-station/us-climate-normals) (NOAA 1991-2020 normals, Reno-Tahoe airport: 122 freezing nights, 65 days at 90 F or above. Read 2026-10-15) ### Your service center: Reno Northwest - Call [(775) 787-1000](tel:+17757871000) Mon-Fri 8 am-5 pm, Sat 8 am-4 pm, Sun closed - Address 6100 Mae Anne Ave, Reno, NV 89523 [Directions](https://www.google.com/maps/dir/?api=1&destination=6100+Mae+Anne+Ave%2C+Reno%2C+NV+89523&destination_place_id=ChIJ3dFA7yBEmYARYg1CtQTi_Bk) ### What a customer said Reno South They were very efficient and friendly.They answered all my questions for my next oil change. I had my car smoged and registered .Been go I ng there for several years. [All reviews](https://xpressoilandlube.com/reviews/) ### Related - [Honda oil change](https://xpressoilandlube.com/vehicles/honda/) - [Differential service](https://xpressoilandlube.com/services/differential-service/) - [Cabin air filter](https://xpressoilandlube.com/services/cabin-air-filter/) - [The oil change light: what it measures and why it gets reset](https://xpressoilandlube.com/guides/oil-change-light-reset/) - [Ski season and Tahoe trips](https://xpressoilandlube.com/seasonal/ski-season-tahoe/) - [Reno South service center](https://xpressoilandlube.com/locations/reno-longley/) Drive in. No appointment. Drive out. Locally owned in Northern Nevada since 1983. No appointment, no pressure: we tell you what the inspection found and you decide. [About us](https://xpressoilandlube.com/about/) ## Acura models [### Acura MDX oil change Learn more](https://xpressoilandlube.com/vehicles/acura/mdx/)[### Acura RDX oil change Learn more](https://xpressoilandlube.com/vehicles/acura/rdx/)[### Acura TLX oil change Learn more](https://xpressoilandlube.com/vehicles/acura/tlx/) ## Oil types we carry [### Conventional oil change Learn more](https://xpressoilandlube.com/services/oil-change/conventional/)[### Synthetic blend oil change Learn more](https://xpressoilandlube.com/services/oil-change/synthetic-blend/)[### Full synthetic oil change Learn more](https://xpressoilandlube.com/services/oil-change/full-synthetic/)[### High-mileage oil change Learn more](https://xpressoilandlube.com/services/oil-change/high-mileage/)[### Diesel oil change Learn more](https://xpressoilandlube.com/services/oil-change/diesel/) ## Questions people ask Still have a question? Call your service center or drive in; there is no appointment to make. ### How often should an Acura get an oil change? When the Maintenance Minder reaches 15 percent and shows a code, or after 12 months, whichever comes first. Acura requires the 12-month change even if the percentage is still high. ### What does B1 mean on my Acura? B is an oil and filter change with inspections, and 1 is a tire rotation. We do the oil, filter and inspection items in the bay and tell you about the rotation. ### Do you reset the Maintenance Minder? Yes, we reset the oil life after the change, and only the sub-items we actually performed. Resetting an item that was not done would hide it from you. ### Which oil does my MDX or RDX take? Whatever the owner's manual and oil cap list. Most current Acura engines call for 0W-20; turbo and Type S engines name their own grade.