5w-20 for Honda, 3,000-5,000 miles or 10,000 miles to get oil changed? Normal co

My Civic, 2005 had about 3,400 miles now. The "mant req" light does not come
on yet. However, I received a letter from Honda Dealer where I bought my car,
asked me to come in to get oil changed.

I read the Civic's Owner's Manual and it stated that "under normal condition,
oil changed at every 10,000 mile"

What should I do?
I tend to keep this car for years and want it lasts long, so I dont want to
damage its engline.
Please advice.
TA

 

I change the oil in my 92 Accord at around 7500 miles (as in the user
manual). The oil change indicator goes to yellow at 6500 miles, and red at
about 7300 miles. I've been keeping track of this for last 7+ years (yeah,
i'm a bit like that "Monk" guy).

You've get the newer model civic, so if the manufacturer says 10,000 miles,
then they could be right. It also depends on where you live and what weather
you drive in, etc. I'm in SW Florida.

 

It could be that the oil in there is a break-in oil. I don't know if the
manual addresses when to change that. I'd call the dealer and ask.
But maybe it's just a money grabbing scheme.

 

Nobody fits "normal". Use the "severe" schedule. The "normal" one is there
for marketing purposes. No I'm not kidding.

Really and truly? Then don't sweat the extra few bucks to do the "severe"
service.

 

If you read the manual closely and confirmed you do "normal" driving, then
wait until 10k miles pass. Alternatively, if the car is equipped with
Honda's new Maintenance Minder system, wait until it says to change the oil.

The biggest dealer rip-off is telling customers to change the oil every 3k
miles. I have never seen a report stating that this improves engine life. I
have seen a report indicating that a frequency of 7500 miles or so (normal
driving) will ensure engine life longevity just as well. But this is with
older cars. With newer cars, the distance may be higher, especially with
synthetic oil.

What oil does this car use? Synthetic or non-synthetic? If synthetic,
definitely wait until 10k miles.

You're going to get a lot of opinions on this. Or google this group to see a
good sample of them.

 

I called the Honda dealer and asked the same question, a few techincians said
"just follow your Honda owner's manual", another few technicians mentioned
that "5w-20 that they used is from Honda" so I went back reading closely to
the manual, it mentioned that synthetics oil does not a requirement.

I googled and found out that 5w-20 can work well with cold start.
Reading from this web site, I learned that 5w-20 is a part of synthetics and
part of mineral oil.

Definitely, I will check the answers on this web site frequently to educate
myself on this matter.

 

Andy M:
My car does not even hit 5,000 miles yet so definitely, there is no lights
(neither the "oil change indicator" nor "main't requirement") coming on.

I live in Central TX.

From the Civic Owner's manual/Maintenance (page 159), "5w-20 is formulated
for year round protection, to improve cold weather srating and fuel economy ".

and what I read from the Ambient Temperature that 5w-20 works good in the
wide range of -20oF to 100oF (or -30oC to 40oC).
Honda does not require synthetics oil.
Honda indicated that "does not require any oil additives. Additives may
adversely affect your engine's or transmission's performanace and durability".

 

I read the manual again and checked the oil cap which is printed 5w-20.

 

And your dealer knows how many miles you have driven? I had 1500 miles on my
Ody when the dealer tried to bug me for an oil change. HE IS TRYING TO DRUM
UP BUSINESS and many suckers will run right in to have it changed. Cars
today are far more reliable than previous years and auto shops are trying
their hardest to come up with new ways to make money. Don't fall for it.
Your Honda service schedule in the owners manual is the place to start. The
engineers know what is right for your car.

 

Consumer's Reports did extensive testing a few years back and found that
following the manufacturers schedule for normal conditions is just fine for
most drivers. Not only that, but changing every 3000 miles was actually
shown to be a total waste. My motto is: maintain, but do not over maintain.

 

I've heard that before too. However, I'm such a penny-wise
pound-foolish cheapskate that I am willing to be the test guineau pig
to find out whether doing the normal maintenance (oil change every
10,000 miles) will shorten my 2001 Civic's life expectancy. And by
"life expectancy", Tegger, I'm talking about 10years/150-200k miles or
so, not 250-300k miles! I'll let you guys know in about 5-7 years. =)

 

TeGGeR:
I don't sweat to spend extra few bucks, I posted my questions on this web
site to give myself a chance to absorb the right knowledge from experienced,
knowlegeable people on the same issues.
I am truly appreciated your advice. Thanks again!
Of course, I am very appreciated your advice.

 

I googled and had read consumer reports, to educate myself on this particular
matter, I agreed with you and Woody. However, as a girl, I wanted to avoid
being rip off, so I came to this site to get more opinions from all of you,
whom experienced the similar issues.
Thanks, DD Pallmer.

 

You've heard from others regarding the viability of longer change
intervals. I remain unmoved from my "severe" approach.

I do not regard Consumer Reports as a credible source on this issue, given
their leftist, environut mindset.

My take is this: Engine rebuilds are very expensive. Oil changes are cheap.
If you only plan on keeping the car less than six years, change the oil
once or twice per year and forget about it. If you plan on keeping the car
forever, and for very high mileages, change it much more often than that.

Insufficiently frequent oil changes cause sludge buildup. Once sludge
establishes itself, it's there for good. Sludge interferes with
lubrication, ventilation and cooling. It accelerates wear, especially in
the top end.

The primary source of cylinder bore wear is acids and fuel in the oil. The
acids and fuel micro-etch the surface of the cylinders, and wash oil off
the walls, so that when the rings first sweep over them at startup, there
is more abrasion and thus more wear than there will be on subsquent sweeps.
Keeping acid and fuel buildup to a minimum reduces bore etching and wear.

Acids, fuel and soot also attack the oil seals. Frequent changes reduce the
concentration of contaminants the seals are subject to, increasing their
lifespan as well.

I don't care if I'm "over-maintaining" my car. Better that than risk the
opposite.

 

Yeahbut haven't you also stated here you're a tad compulsive about
maintaining your car?

For the record, their evaluation of engine oil change intervals was not
based on the environment but on measurements of engine wear. One can argue
with that methodology, if one wants.

CR has done poor work in the past. It also does much good work. At least,
AFAIC.

Why not change the oil every 1000k miles or every month, then?

Everyone has a line beyond which s/he may not wonder. No big deal.

 

Even better: a constant feed of squeaky-clean 210º oil that's continually
recirculated through a decontamination unit that would remove 100% of all
acids, fuel, soot and other contaminants before the oil reached the engine
again.

Space, weight, economy and expense preclude that, of course.

Yep. And my oil changes are done to my line. I feel comfortable with it,
which is all that matters.

 

Good for you!

 

Just because C-R has a tree hugging bent...which I tend to agree they
do...doesn't mean their research is flawed. My guess is that most cars will
fall apart in other places before major engine repairs if oil is merely
changed according to the manufacturer's recommendations.

 

I feel that way about my 01 Prelude -- I change my Mobil 1 every 3700-4000.

 

A good guess, I suppose. You are welcome to spend your money guessing. I'd
rather spend less, not guessing.