Why no filter change along with the oil?

Rickmeister 48

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I apologize if this was covered before,I searched and didn't see it.
It's time for my first oil change and it's free from the dealer but they only want to do the oil and not the filter. That is what the MM calls for and does have codes for both just the oil and the oil and the filter.
This is my first new car in over eight years and I've never heard of just changing the oil and not the filter. Isn't the filter going to be full of dirty oil that will just contaminate the new oil right away?
Also, what exactly drivers the MM? Mine has gone off with under 4000 on it and I've heard people talk about getting WAY more mileage with the synthetic blend of oil that goes into these civics. Just to be safe, is there any kind of an issue with actually changing the filter with every oil change? Will it screw up the MM in any way or can it be reset before it actually pops up and says to change the filter? Just want to be sure cause after they do this first one for free and show me how to access everything, I'm going to start doing it myself. Thanks for any help!
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josby

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The last several Hondas I've had have been that way, where it says to change the filter every other oil change.

The effect of the oil left in the filter must be negligible. The manual says the 1.5T takes 3.5L of oil with the filter. I would guess the filter holds, what, maybe .3L? 8.5% of the oil, then - so you're still changing out over 90% of the oil, and any contaminants are going to spread evenly throughout it. Plus there's a fair amount of oil left inside the engine even when you change the filter. If you rebuild the engine, meaning all parts are clean with no oil, the amount of oil you have to add is noticeably higher.

I criticize people for changing their oil earlier than the MM says to, but I must admit I almost always change the filter when I change the oil, which I realize is silly. If Honda thought it was necessary, I'm sure they'd tell us to. Why wouldn't they?

I do wonder if the MM interval is shorter after service A1 than after service A2 - i.e. I wonder if they make the next change happen a little earlier on the assumption that you started off that interval with 8.5% old oil due to the filter not being changed on the last maintenance.
 
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Rickmeister 48

Rickmeister 48

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Thanks ! Yea I'm certainly not gonna change it sooner than the mm suggests,I don't feel I got that much out of it for it being synthetic, or a blend. Well, I just checked the odometer and it's got 4257 on it, so I obviously made a mistake in judging what I was going by in the first post I made. Guess the wife is driving more than I thought,lol so is that mileage good for synthetic oil? I've never used it. Sorry about the mistake.
 

TimberWolf

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Personally, I change the filter with every oil change. However, it is probably fine to change the filter with every other change. If you think about it, there really shouldn't be that much particulate material in the oil to clog the filter enough to require a change with every oil change. And if your engine does have that much gunk in the oil, you have much bigger problems.
 

xcoreflyup

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I would change it every oil change. I DIY my oil change and it is only extra 8 bucks and a trip to the part store.
 


bembol

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Is this really unnecessary or is it for dealerships finding ways to cut cost?

Personally, it's silly trying to save $10 on an oil filter. I mean just think of all the BS things we spend our money on.

There has to be an advantage of changing the filter every oil change.
 

latole

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Why do you think Honda doesn't say to do it, then? What do they gain?

About that my dealer said this filter is so high grade, we can leave it there.
I put a new one anyway.
 

TimberWolf

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Is this really unnecessary or is it for dealerships finding ways to cut cost?
Dealer charges you to change filter. It is a way to save YOU money, not the dealer.
 


jks

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I was doing regular oil analysis on my Acura RSX and changing the filter every oil change, even though Acura recommended every other change. I decided to let the filter change go once just to see if the every-other-change oil filter schedule was OK. Honda's maintenance recommendations are generally pretty solid. However, I saw my wear metals spike in the next oil analysis. Was it because of the used oil filter? Don't know for sure but it was enough to spook me back into changing the filter every time.
 

bembol

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Dealer charges you to change filter. It is a way to save YOU money, not the dealer.
What $10. IMO not worth the risk nor savings.

Why not change since you're underneath changing the oil anyway.

I also think the filter is as or more important than the brand/type of oil used.
 
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Rickmeister 48

Rickmeister 48

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Well, I had them do my first change the other day and asked to watch just to see how to remove the shield and have them show me safe points to place the jack stands. They let me stay the entire time and I asked the tech about the every other filter change. He said that comes right from Honda, but he said they always change the filter regardless of what the mm calls for. I saw him change mine,even though it didn't call for it. He also told me they use the synthetic blend and not full synthetic when I asked as Honda sells both. So my next question is which do you guys prefer? Any reason to use it not use full synthetic? I'm new to using any type of synthetic and will be doing this myself from now on.
 

kritz

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I'll be changing my filter (thanks OCD)
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