2001TypeR

Since i bought the car new in 2001, i have changed the oil often and made dealer inspections on time, but since i store car in winter, i still didn't flush and change transmission fluid, brake fluid, and the radiator fluid.

Dealer mentioned to me that even that mileage is still low, i should change the things above anyways, because a lot of time passed and the fluids got old.

Will it be best for the car if i change the things above now? And are there any better fluids to use instead of stock fluids?

For example, if i do radiator flush, there is a product from red line oil that you add to the radiator fluid that will help to better cool off the engine, is that any good?

And finally, are there other things on the car that i should service and change now?

2001TypeR

nsxtasy

Most services in the maintenance schedule have recommendations in both time and miles. For example, brake fluid, transmission fluid, and coolant (radiator fluid) are all recommended to be changed every 30K miles or 2 years, whichever comes first (with brake fluid and transmission fluid recommended for 30K/60K/90K/etc, coolant for 45K/75K/105K).

Your dealer is giving you good advice. It is indeed important to change fluids based on time, if you don't reach the specified mileage interval. For example, over time, brake fluid absorbs moisture in the air, which lowers its boiling point and could make the brakes less effective in an emergency stop.

If you use your car on the racetrack, you may even want to change those fluids more frequently than specified in the schedule in the manual.

If you're using your car on the track, you might want to use a high-performance brake fluid with higher boiling points. Other than that, or if you aren't tracking your car, stock fluids are fine.

You're referring to Water Wetter. Again, if you're not tracking your car, I wouldn't worry about it.

I would suggest using the maintenance schedule in the manual as a starting point, unless you have reasons for doing otherwise. I don't have the schedule in front of me, but it normally specifies service intervals for other items too, including fuel filter, air filter, valve adjustment, etc.

2001TypeR

thank you for the reply man.

i am happy that i followed the maintenance schedule so far and will make sure to continue to do so. I have a copy of it. I just thought that it is not necessary to change things according to time.

I find it sad and ironic that most of my friends with much nicer car than mine, don't care much about servicing the car. They actually tell me that i am wasting my money when i bring it in for service.

They say that it is not necessary and that dealer rips people off. I agree that maintenance and service at acura dealer is not cheap but i am hoping that it will be worth it in the long run.

about additives, i don't race my car a lot but once in a while on the track, mostly quarter mile runs, and street races sometimes, and push the car on street sometimes. So even though i don't race car a lot, wouldn't still help a bit by adding additives like the water wetter? Will it be a waste of money in my case?

2001TypeR

nsxtasy

Proper maintenance is important for the reliability and longevity of ANY car, not just the ITR. If your friends are not maintaining their cars on a regular basis, they are more likely to encounter problems in the future. My local mechanic says, "You can pay me now, or you can pay me later", meaning pay him now for scheduled preventive maintenance, or pay him in the future for unexpected repairs if you don't do the preventive maintenance.

That being said, there are ways to reduce the cost of the scheduled maintenance. If you enjoy working on your car and you have a place and tools to work on it, you can do the maintenance yourself. (You can buy the service manual here; it will help.) Or, ask around and find a competent independent mechanic in your area, preferably one that does a lot of service work on Honda/Acura cars. A lot of the scheduled maintenance is similar to other Honda/Acura cars and the work doesn't have to be done at a dealership. Independent mechanics are usually less expensive than dealers.

I doubt that you need such products just for the dragstrip (and let's not discuss street racing, for all kinds of reasons). Here's a simple question: has your car ever overheated? If not, the stock coolant should be all you need.