[Paradox Lost]

In the maintenance section of the manual, it says the following (the bold sections were done by me)

"If the remaining engine oil life is 15 to 6 percent, you will see the engine oil life indicator every time you turn the ignition switch to the ON position. The maintenance minder indicator will also come on, and the maintenance item code(s) for other scheduled maintenance items needing service will be displayed next to the engine oil life indicator.

The 15 and 10 percent indicator reminds you that the time is coming soon to take your vehicle in for the required service."

So far, this makes perfect sense, but on the very next page, it says the following:

"When the oil life is 15 to 1 percent, the maintenance minder indicator (wrench icon) comes on every time you turn the ignition switch to the ON position, then it goes out if you switch the information display.

When you see this message, have the indicated maintenance performed by your dealer as soon as possible."

So, I'm a little confused here. On the one hand, it says the oil needs to be changed soon when hitting 15 percent on the maintenance minder, but on the other, it means that it needs to be changed immediately. I'm starting to think that maybe it was a misprint, in that they meant to say that 15 to 6 percent means you will need an oil change soon, and 5 to 1 percent meaning the time is now.

I only ask this because my maintenance indicator light came on about 200 miles ago, but I haven't had the time to really get the oil change done. I always prefer to get it done right on schedule, so I've been careful with the car lately, and have limited my driving. But if I understand the manual correctly, I still have a while to go before I need to have the oil changed?

Also, my other question concerns the oil itself. I put in Mobile 1 Synthetic at my last oil change, but I'm wondering if that will even make a difference in terms of the maintenance minder. My understanding is that the maintenance minder doesn't actually 'know' the quality of your oil, as it simply uses a mathematical algorithm to compute the quality of your oil by taking into account a variety of factors. So by using this, it sort of assumes the quality of your oil based upon that algorithm.

I ask this question because I had standard 5W-30 in my car before I put in the MS1 synthetic, and my oil life (according to the indicator) appeared to deplete at essentially the same rate, and it was my understanding that synthetic is generally good for a longer period of time than regular oil. My Si only has about 10,500 miles on it, so I'm due for my second oil change, though the interval seems to be at 5,500 miles (based upon my driving habits and conditions).

So, my questions are basically:

-Does the 15 percent indicator mean it's time for an oil change, or it will soon be time for an oil change?

-If synthetic makes a difference in terms of the longevity of your oil life, would the maintenance minder be able to take into account that the oil I put in was synthetic?

And a last question I didn't really bring up, but would be interested to know is:

-How long can one safely go without an oil change?

Thanks for reading all that, everyone.