Questions about my first 'X'

[Beaknose]

Hey all you NSX owners,

I just purchased my first NSX on Tuesday 6/29. It is a beautiful red/ivory '91 with 71,7xx miles on it, not in snap ring range, Precision Acura in Lenexa, KS inspected it and gave it a big thumbs-up. I was very fortunate to find it locally. Since this is my first 'X', I have a couple of questions for all of you veteran owners out there.

1. When washing the car, is there anything special I need to do with the aluminum body that is different than a traditional steel body car? I have a big jug of Turtle Wax car wash I bought a while back. Will normal car washing soap work on the finish of these cars, or is something else suggested?

2. With other steel body cars I have owned, I have removed road-tar with the use of paint thinner on a soft rag. Can this also be used on the finish of the 'X'?

3. I am a die-hard DIY (do it yourselfer) who believes in changing the oil in all cars every 3,000 miles. The Honda oil filters at the dealership I am sure are much more expensive than an aftermarket you would buy at either an auto parts store or a retailer like Wal-Mart. Is there a difference in quality and performance in the dealer filters, or are you just paying for the name? Also, what oil works best for the 'X''s engine? Q-State, Mobil-1, Havoline, etc.

Thanks for any and all suggestions. I plan on owning this car for a long time and am looking forward to conversing with you.

 

[hlweyl]

1. You can just treat the paint finish just as you would any other base coat/clear coat finish.
2. Not sure, I've never used paint thinner on my paint. I use clay to get most grime off about once a year.
3. I can tell you the most popular combination of oil/filter here is Mobil 1 synthetic 10W-30 and the Honda filter.

The OEM filter is a high quality piece and is cheap insurance. I have heard of the cheaper brands failing. A while back someone posted a link with cutaways of different filters and showed the difference.

I bought the filters in bulk and ended up paying about $10/filter. It pays to shop around. Welcome to Prime!

 

[KGP]

Welcome, Beaknose!

hlweyl's reponse to a new owner was good (as it always is). Only thing I would add would be toward #2. I have also not used paint thinner, so I can't comment on its use one way or the other, However, I have used Acrysol, which is also a solvent, and found it to work great for things that a clay bar had no effect on. Make sure and stop in the Detailing forum and search using words like "clay" "acrysol."

 

[NoggZ]

Congrats on the new ride!

 

[MJK]

Congrats!

I am with KGP and hlweyl as well. In a bit more detail:

#1) HERE is how I clean my car.
#2) I just use the standard Meguairs cleaner & clay. If that doesn't get it, WD40, wash and rewax.
#3) Honda OEM filter, get the big one not the little one (there are 2 that fit the NSX, the smaller one is more common and is really a Legend filter) the big one is 15400-PL2-004. Get a new crush washer too. I also bought a filter wrench, but it is easy to do without. I use Mobile 1 10W-30 also

Enjoy the new car, and post some pics!