Oil Life %

josby

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I change mine every 3-4K cause I like to keep the oil as good as I can. Not really waste of time. Specially if you are always on the go, probably a good idea to keep up with the oil changes. I'm willing to spend the money to keep my daily at tip top shape.
I'm really fascinated by the psychology of this. Do you recognize that there's no logic to that? I mean, we all do some things that are illogical, so I'm not saying you shouldn't. I'll drive out of my way to a gas station just to save a few cents per gallon on gas. I am just curious if you know it make no sense. I mean, isn't your 3-4K number arbitrary? How did you determine it shouldn't be 5-6K? Or wouldn't your engine be in even MORE tip top shape if you changed it every 1-2K?

Or, put another way, do you think Honda intentionally makes their oil life algorithm inaccurate because they want people's engines to fail prematurely? Or do you think they're just incompetent?
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kritz

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Subaru actually dropped their intervals from 7,500 to 6,000 miles even with full synthetic.:confused: The oils in my Honda's have looked pretty clean still at the required intervals(usually around 9K)
 
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Canteenboy

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In the past I was use to just changing oil at the mileage intervals. Just feels different now waiting for the computer to tell you when to change the oil. Seems like the majority trust the maintenance minder so I will just change when it gets down to 15%.
 

kritz

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Our SI's don't get a filter change until the 2nd oil change. Should save some change. :)
 

17siturb0

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Sometimes I do wait till it hits 6-7k, but most times I do 3-4k, never said Honda was incompetent lol. You seem pretty judgmental, just sharing what I have done, and seems to be doing just fine. I wouldn't recommend changing the oil to "early" in the break in period. I also never said others had to follow in my steps, that's just what I do, and I know there's plenty others doing so.
 


Mocha90210

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I change mine every 3-4K cause I like to keep the oil as good as I can. Not really waste of time. Specially if you are always on the go, probably a good idea to keep up with the oil changes. I'm willing to spend the money to keep my daily at tip top shape. Maybe I'm just OCD, but I know there are others like me, if not worse. I definitely do not disagree with you. That's just how I go about it.
Very well said. I've seen people get downright argumentative on the topic. Everybody is entitled to their own opinion, and I absolutely respect yours.
 

kalvin126

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Guys... This isn't the 1990s. Newer cars bring advances in our cars/engines. Predefined oil change intervals are a thing of the past. I am not saying Maintenance minder should be followed religiously but it would be a waste to change oil and filter at 3-5k miles when it could go for almost double that. I would as well like to keep my car at tip top shape, but I think engineers would as well.

buttt what we know and grew up with usually is ingrained in us. I guess I'm more open to change.
 

zroger73

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Oil topics can get extremely heated. :coffee:
Yes, indeed. I can't count the number of heated oil debates on every forum in history.

At the end of the day, I still go to sleep just fine no matter how much money a person chooses to waste on too-frequent oil changes and the use of unnecessary oil types.

I grew up when oil changes were performed at the earlier of 3 months or 3,000 miles. I followed this schedule religiously and felt that my motor would explode in an epic fireball and smoke trail if I went one mile or one day over.

My first car with an oil life monitor was a 1999 Buick Regal. I insubordinately continued to changed the oil every 3,000 miles despite the oil life monitor not telling me to do so for two to three times that mileage!

When I got my first Honda - a 2006 Accord - I decided to try following the Maintenance Minder, which I have done religiously on every vehicle since then. The only difference is that I've saved hundreds of dollars on unnecessary oil changes. :)
 

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Here is an oil analysis from Honda oil with Honda filter at 10,000 miles. I had 15% left on the MM. I would not run this oil to 10k. Viscocity was close to 0w11 @10k milage. I also drive this car to get optimal MPG. I never floor the car and mostly highway milage. I think my combined MPG on that oil change was around 42mpg.

I'm currently running AMSOIL Signature Series 0w20 with Honda filter. I'm running this to 10k as well so I can compare apples to apples with my next analysis. I like this oil a lot. The engine sounds a bit quieter and my MPG has definitely went up. I'm around 45-46mpg on this oil change right now.

Also, there is no harm to anything but your wallet in changing your oil every 3k.

Honda Civic 10th gen Oil Life % asdfasd2365.PNG
 


Mocha90210

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Yes, indeed. I can't count the number of heated oil debates on every forum in history.

At the end of the day, I still go to sleep just fine no matter how much money a person chooses to waste on too-frequent oil changes and the use of unnecessary oil types.

I grew up when oil changes were performed at the earlier of 3 months or 3,000 miles. I followed this schedule religiously and felt that my motor would explode in an epic fireball and smoke trail if I went one mile or one day over.

My first car with an oil life monitor was a 1999 Buick Regal. I insubordinately continued to changed the oil every 3,000 miles despite the oil life monitor not telling me to do so for two to three times that mileage!

When I got my first Honda - a 2006 Accord - I decided to try following the Maintenance Minder, which I have done religiously on every vehicle since then. The only difference is that I've saved hundreds of dollars on unnecessary oil changes. :)
Thanks for the information! Man, where were you when I was having one of those heated debates?

I get that the oil will not be like new when the MM reads 15%. But it also won't result in the engine exploding in an epic fireball and smoke trail.

Haha I loved your wording, very well said.
 

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These threads always crack me up. It's like getting a haircut when your hair is at different lengths. We all know when we should get a haircut. It doesn't hurt anything by getting a haircut before our hair gets to a certain length. But if we decide to wait until it gets to that length, its the same either way. But if you wait to get your hair cut until well after you know you should, everyone will question your judgement.

There is no harm in changing your oil before the Honda MM tells you to. There is also no harm in changing your oil when the Honda MM tells you to. Honda puts so much engineering and design hours into these motors that they build a tremendous amount of tolerance into what the motor can handle. There is a reason why they have a MM. It monitors your type of driving (city or highway or both) and decreases the percentage accordingly.

Some like to put a lot of thought and research into exactly what brand of oil is best for your car, or the exact right time to change your oil. The truth is, it varies by where you live (cold/hot/wet/dry climate) and by your driving style (hard on the gas/easy on the gas).

Personally, I go by what the Honda MM says. I have had 9 Hondas, and always go by their recommended maintenance schedule, and it has never steered me wrong. But I also know what type of driver I am.

The point is, everyone needs to figure out for themselves if they are the type of driver that Honda bases their MM off of, or you are harder on your vehicle, requiring a shorter time between maintenance.
 

Snoopyslr

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These threads always crack me up. It's like getting a haircut when your hair is at different lengths. We all know when we should get a haircut. It doesn't hurt anything by getting a haircut before our hair gets to a certain length. But if we decide to wait until it gets to that length, its the same either way. But if you wait to get your hair cut until well after you know you should, everyone will question your judgement.

There is no harm in changing your oil before the Honda MM tells you to. There is also no harm in changing your oil when the Honda MM tells you to. Honda puts so much engineering and design hours into these motors that they build a tremendous amount of tolerance into what the motor can handle. There is a reason why they have a MM. It monitors your type of driving (city or highway or both) and decreases the percentage accordingly.

Some like to put a lot of thought and research into exactly what brand of oil is best for your car, or the exact right time to change your oil. The truth is, it varies by where you live (cold/hot/wet/dry climate) and by your driving style (hard on the gas/easy on the gas).

Personally, I go by what the Honda MM says. I have had 9 Hondas, and always go by their recommended maintenance schedule, and it has never steered me wrong. But I also know what type of driver I am.

The point is, everyone needs to figure out for themselves if they are the type of driver that Honda bases their MM off of, or you are harder on your vehicle, requiring a shorter time between maintenance.
I'll agree with most of your logic, but the MM definitely waits too long if you drive your car soft and lots of expressway. I've seen some people post MM saying 15% after 4000 miles... it really boils down to how you drive.

You can't refute an oil analysis, it's proof that 10,000 miles and 15% on my MM was too long. The report isn't showing that the motor was going to fail if I didn't change right then, but it probably was 2500 miles of oil that was sheered more than it should be. It could have been another 2000+ miles before the MM said 0% and that absolutely would have been way too long.

Bottom line: if you follow the MM to the letter, for better or worse, your warranty will be satisfied. If you plan to keep your car well past warranty, you'll want to stay on top of this kind of thing. I plan on keeping this car for 12+ years, so I'm doing what I can to not have issues at 150k+ miles.
 

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I'll agree with most of your logic, but the MM definitely waits too long if you drive your car soft and lots of expressway. I've seen some people post MM saying 15% after 4000 miles... it really boils down to how you drive.

You can't refute an oil analysis, it's proof that 10,000 miles and 15% on my MM was too long. The report isn't showing that the motor was going to fail if I didn't change right then, but it probably was 2500 miles of oil that was sheered more than it should be. It could have been another 2000+ miles before the MM said 0% and that absolutely would have been way too long.

Bottom line: if you follow the MM to the letter, for better or worse, your warranty will be satisfied. If you plan to keep your car well past warranty, you'll want to stay on top of this kind of thing. I plan on keeping this car for 12+ years, so I'm doing what I can to not have issues at 150k+ miles.
I agree, everyone's MM is different. I only have 800 miles on my car, and it went down to 90% at about 600 miles. So that is about 6k miles or so on full synthetic oil life. I have never done an oil analysis before (never felt the need to), but I was getting 7-8k on my '13 Accord Sport between oil changes on semi-synthetic oil, with no issues. Again, it all depends on what you are comfortable with.
 

zroger73

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I agree, everyone's MM is different. I only have 800 miles on my car, and it went down to 90% at about 600 miles. So that is about 6k miles or so on full synthetic oil life. I have never done an oil analysis before (never felt the need to), but I was getting 7-8k on my '13 Accord Sport between oil changes on semi-synthetic oil, with no issues. Again, it all depends on what you are comfortable with.
Keep in mind the oil life "monitor" doesn't know whether you're running full synthetic, synthetic blend, or Astroglide in the crankcase. It calculates remaining oil life mathematically assuming you are using the type of oil recommended in the owner's manual. :)
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