How accurate is the oil life meter?

[2019_SI_COUPE]

I have about 3,300 miles since my last oil change, with just over 19,000 miles on a 2019 Si. I went to the dealer for a change and they said that since the oil life meter listed it as still being 60%, I don't need a change. Anyone know how accurate the oil life meter actually is?

By that math, I'd get over 7,000 miles before a change was required. That seems like too much. My concerns are this is still a "new" engine for a Honda, and I drive it hard. Plus in Cali we have tons of fires/smoke/heat waves, so it seems to me like the dealer might not be right. Also, after my last oil change, they did not reset the meter - I did after the service. This suggests it's not based on actual oil condition but a predetermined mileage of some sort.

That said, I don't know, so I defer to you experts.

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[Conor]

It's not based on mileage, it's based on how the car is driven. There are a number of calculations the computer makes, but I think cold starts are what effects it the most. The more cold starts/short trips/frequent accelerations, the shorter the calculated oil life. The more subdued cruising, the longer the calculated life. As long as you check your oil level occasionally you shouldn't have any issues waiting to change the oil until you are at 20% life or less. Of course there are plenty of people who change it earlier for peace of mind. To each their own.

 

[manualSi]

I did my first change at 2700 miles, 10 months ago. Now I'm at 5100, and MM is saying I'm at 15% now. I usually drive really short trips in the city, but still, that seems a bit excessive to be at 15% already. I don't know what to believe.

 

[Conor]

I did my first change at 2700 miles, 10 months ago. Now I'm at 5100, and MM is saying I'm at 15% now. I usually drive really short trips in the city, but still, that seems a bit excessive to be at 15% already. I don't know what to believe.

Did you reset the MM after the first change?

 

[69L46Vert]

My 18 si mm first time said change it at 1800. I now have 4000 mi. And it says change it again. Approximately every 2k? Wtf. No short trips. I would bet if I changed it now and didn’t drive it for 10 or 12 months it would then tell me to change it again with zero miles On the new oil.

 

[gtman]

My 18 si mm first time said change it at 1800. I now have 4000 mi. And it says change it again. Approximately every 2k? Wtf. No short trips. I would bet if I changed it now and didn’t drive it for 10 or 12 months it would then tell me to change it again with zero miles On the new oil.

Do you do a lot of stop and go driving or drive in very cold weather? Even so, 2000 miles is unusually low.

 

[Strick]

From my experience, the biggest factor is just time, not mileage. Regardless of how low your mileage is, at 12 months your oil life will =0.

 

[69L46Vert]

gtman I don’t drive it in winter and no stop and go driving. Rural here and always at least 10 miles per trip. leads me to believe the time factor is dominant.

 

[pumpkin]

the MM is an estimate only, the MM has no REAL way of knowing when services are required,

however i feel it is fairly accurate,

to give the MM some room for error i never let mine get below 20%

another thing to keep in mind is, the MM is always displaying a number that is HIGHER than the actual reading,

when you reset the MM to 100% it stays at 100% until it reaches 90%

so that means if the actual reading is 91% the MM will still be displaying 100%

and the same goes for all the different ranges,

so if your MM is reading 30% your ACTUAL reading is somewhere between 21% and 30%

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