Maintenance Minder questions after oil dilution recall?

[alpineshepherd]

Hi everyone. I do not drive a lot of miles and it had been nearly a year since my first, and last, oil change. I went to a dealer to get my oil changed yesterday (70% oil life.)

They let me know about the recall and the software update, and that it would require an oil change that would be free as part of the recall (they ended up not charging me for the filter, either, which was nice.)

I got home and noticed my oil life percentage was still at 70%, so I looked up how to reset the MM and attempted to do so. I press and held the odometer trip button for 10 seconds, 70% started flashing, then pressed and held for another 5 seconds and it changed to 100. Did I do this correctly? I just hope I didn't reset anything else improperly.

I also noticed it changed from "A" to "B" and am wondering why that didn't happen after my first oil change. Shouldn't it have switched to B when I got it changed last year? Oil life was reset to 100% at that time.

Also... If I am changing oil every 10-12 months, and I never see the green wrench show up (doesn't come on until 15% oil,) I am worried that other maintenance items will never pop up since I get to 12 months well before 15% oil life.

To recap my questions:
1) Should I have reset my oil life, and did I do so correctly?
2) Why did MM switch to B only after my second oil change, and not my first?
3) Do I need to worry about missing other MM items since I go so long between oil changes?

Thanks!

Sponsored

 

[racer]

1) they likely overlooked resetting the oil life.

2) Read your owners manual. Become familiar with the AB/1-9 service items. Take ownership of when you should service the car based on your limited mileage per year. Sounds like for you, more items will "time out" vs "wear out".

 

[alpineshepherd]

Thanks for the reply. Yes they must have forgotten - I am just trying to make sure I reset it correctly.

And yes, I that's what I am trying to do. The hard part is that Honda pushes the MM so much and doesn't list miles/times for maintenance items in the manual, so it is hard to take ownership, as you say, of what they want you to do when the MM doesn't reflect it until the green wrench comes on. Also, I've read the manual and the items. I thought A only shows up once and then it will always be B.

Maybe because I never hit the threshold for the wrench to come on for my first oil change, it didn't change to B until my second.

 

[racer]

They push the MM because most new owners can't be bothered learning much more. So. look at dash, come in for service - keeps it simple for all involved)

Luckily, you've found a place for fans to share stories and experiences.

imho, review the maintenance pages (starts around page 130 in the manual). Read the footnotes too.
( http://owners.honda.com/vehicles/information/2017/Civic-Hatchback/manuals )
( http://techinfo.honda.com/rjanisis/pubs/QS/AH/ATGG1717OG/enu/ATGG1717OG.PDF )

Basic maintenance involves:
1) Oil changes - at least once per year
2) Tire rotations - (I would suggest at least once per year)
3) Brake service (pads, rotors, fluid) - inspections for wear. Replace fluid every 3 years.
4)Transmission/CVT fluid
5) Filters - Engine air filter and Cabin filter.
6) Battery - these seem to be a weak spot. Some have had failures after 1 year. 2 years seems another common replacement.

7) At some point- belts/hoses, Coolant, depending on engine, spark plugs, valve adjustments and other sundries.

 

[alpineshepherd]

Awesome, thanks man! Pretty much lines up with the manual, and knowing that it will be time vs miles for a lot of that stuff makes it easier to not stress about.

I am curious - do you know if the code for something like the air filter will pop up if I don't get down to 15% oil life? I am hoping that's the case but otherwise I'll keep an eye on it.

Sponsored