Question about maintenance / oil change.

[xtherebellion]

Hey,

I purchased a used 2016 Civic Touring from a Honda dealership in Richmond Hill, Ontario and I had a few questions about the maintenance.

I bought the car July, 2017 @ 17,000 KMs and now it has 20,000 KMs

1) Oil life shows 80%, I checked the levels today to see if it would need any topping up, but I found the oil appears to be quite dirty, at least to my knowledge (it's almost black). Would this mean that they maybe just reset the oil life without actually changing? -- Not trying to put blame, but just something that crossed my mind.

2) it has the codes A19 underneath the oil icon, is this the maintenance that needs to be done?

Maintenance Minder A (Replace Engine Oil) - $62.88
Minder Sub Item 1 (Rotate Tires) - $37.88
Minder Sub Item 9 (Brake Service & Chassis Inspection) - $169.00

Seems a bit much to have done not having had the car for even 3 months yet.

I'm already planning to contact the dealership, but any tips or advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks!

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[davidgostbo]

Sorry going to switch km to miles. But that's about 2000 miles already of course its going to be slightly black! Here's a tip, wipe the dipstick with napkin and judge the color from napkin(don't judge the color on the crappy orange dipstick). If its still kinda yellow on the napkin you're good. If it is old oil(5000 miles), it would be pure black with no yellow what soever.

 

[PolishedLX]

Sorry going to switch km to miles. But that's about 2000 miles already of course its going to be slightly black! Here's a tip, wipe the dipstick with napkin and judge the color from napkin(don't judge the color on the crappy orange dipstick). If its still kinda yellow on the napkin you're good. If it is old oil(5000 miles), it would be pure black with no yellow what soever.

Mine was pure black so I changed it today. It was the FF. I might have waited too long to do the napkin test. Should I sell this ticking time bomb now?

 

[xtherebellion]

Sorry going to switch km to miles. But that's about 2000 miles already of course its going to be slightly black! Here's a tip, wipe the dipstick with napkin and judge the color from napkin(don't judge the color on the crappy orange dipstick). If its still kinda yellow on the napkin you're good. If it is old oil(5000 miles), it would be pure black with no yellow what soever.

Yes, I used a cloth to test it, it was already night outside and just using my flashlight, so I'll check it again tomorrow. It did look quite black. But in this case I should be looking to change the oil? Even though it says 80% life?

 

[somarilnos]

Yes, I used a cloth to test it, it was already night outside and just using my flashlight, so I'll check it again tomorrow. It did look quite black. But in this case I should be looking to change the oil? Even though it says 80% life?

Without having any idea what anyone may or may not have done (unless they provided maintenance records with the car), it's a good piece of mind investment to get it changed. It might still be fine. But it also might not. That's the real danger of any used vehicle - the last owner could have obsessively changed, or they could still be running the factory fill.

And you're correct in interpreting those codes - although brake service seems premature at 20,000 km (about 12,000 miles). Most cars I've seen in the past have had this recommended somewhere around 3 years / 36k miles. It could be indicative of how the vehicle was driven, it could be an issue with the maintenance minder system, any number of things, really.

 

[TimberWolf]

You cannot determine engine oil life just by looking at it. Used oil looks black. So stop staring at it. If you really want to know, do a used oil analysis. Or just change it out for peace of mind.

 

[PolishedLX]

You cannot determine engine oil life just by looking at it. Used oil looks black. So stop staring at it. If you really want to know, do a used oil analysis. Or just change it out for peace of mind.

Whew, I feel better after this one post. I went 5800 miles on FF when the MM said change it a few thou less. Reason being I idle-d too much with A/C on so engine wasn't doing high RPM service. The oil was dark but you can't tell from that alone. Did I escape unscathed?

 

[somarilnos]

Whew, I feel better after this one post. I went 5800 miles on FF when the MM said change it a few thou less. Reason being I idle-d too much with A/C on so engine wasn't doing high RPM service. The oil was dark but you can't tell from that alone. Did I escape unscathed?

It's not a good habit to get into, but I don't think you're going to brick your engine from doing that once. But as mentioned, a used oil analysis can be a good tool to tell you more about both your engine itself and the oil in it.

 

[PolishedLX]

It's not a good habit to get into, but I don't think you're going to brick your engine from doing that once. But as mentioned, a used oil analysis can be a good tool to tell you more about both your engine itself and the oil in it.

But the MM doesn't analyze the oil itself, it is just based on a formula. In addition, the assembly lube and high moly is not replaceable once it is removed. The purpose of keeping oil in longer than 3k is due to giving engine parts time to develop wear patterns with this high moly lube. Furthermore, I changed the FF with Honda dealer oil which should be close to the same formulation with equal moly which should help me extend the break-in period even more with the same wear patterns developed on the first 5800 on FF. I'm not worried about grenading as much as I am getting it right and right on point.

 

[PolishedLX]

But the MM doesn't analyze the oil itself, it is just based on a formula. In addition, the assembly lube and high moly is not replaceable once it is removed. The purpose of keeping oil in longer than 3k is due to giving engine parts time to develop wear patterns with this high moly lube. Furthermore, I changed the FF with Honda dealer oil which should be close to the same formulation with equal moly which should help me extend the break-in period even more with the same wear patterns developed on the first 5800 on FF. I'm not worried about grenading as much as I am getting it right and right on point.

I am a dealer tech (20 years with Acura/Honda) every couple years we get another service bulletin from Engineering stating that doing the first oil change early can damage the engine, and we are NOT to change the factory fill early. The factory fill oil is not the issue, it is the high moly assembly lube used they want retained in the oil. Doing the first oil change early can cause hot spots to form in the engine.

 

[David Harper]

5K miles is not too early."too early" means 1K miles. I would definetly change it myself, but thats just me. Maybe the previous owner reset the MM to 100% without changing the oil. It wouldn't have looked too good if he tried to sell you a car with negative MM % on it. I have 5K miles on my oil right now and it doesn't look black at all. It's like the color of pancake syrup. And my MM says 30%

 

[ilovemycar]

When should I get my first oil change? Car was purchased June 2016 and at this past June, at 1 year old and 500 miles, the MM said there was 30% oil life. Checked the oil and it was full and clean. Now I have 628 miles and the MM says 0% even though the level is half full and clean. I know the breakin period is 600 miles and you shouldn't change the oil too soon because of the FF. So should I reset the MM and check the level often or leave the MM alone?

 

[PolishedLX]

When should I get my first oil change? Car was purchased June 2016 and at this past June, at 1 year old and 500 miles, the MM said there was 30% oil life. Checked the oil and it was full and clean. Now I have 628 miles and the MM says 0% even though the level is half full and clean. I know the breakin period is 600 miles and you shouldn't change the oil too soon because of the FF. So should I reset the MM and check the level often or leave the MM alone?

You do not need to reset the MM just do not accrue negative miles and reset it before it gets to 0% or right before negative miles.

I reset mine a few times so I could leave the FF with the high moly content and assembly lube in there for a significant enough amount of time, which for me was 5800 miles. I extended the break-in process by reintroducing Honda 0w-20 SS (from a pump but receipt says full syn) for another OCI so the wear patterns remain the same and no new additives. dOES IT HAVE HIGH MOLY IN IT?

 

[marauderguy]

When should I get my first oil change? Car was purchased June 2016 and at this past June, at 1 year old and 500 miles, the MM said there was 30% oil life. Checked the oil and it was full and clean. Now I have 628 miles and the MM says 0% even though the level is half full and clean. I know the breakin period is 600 miles and you shouldn't change the oil too soon because of the FF. So should I reset the MM and check the level often or leave the MM alone?

If your oil is over 1 year old, you need to get an oil change immediately and reset your maintenance minder. The maintenance minder is based off mileage and time and 1 year is the maximum time between oil changes regardless of mileage.

 

[cosmic]

I got a turbo, (not my daily driver), that's a year old (14 months) with about 580 miles. Dip stick is full and clean, not dark at all. MM has -43 miles. When should I change the oil? After the 600 break in period? Can I reset the MM and keep checking it? I'm worried about changing it too soon because of the FF. How do I even know if my FF has a high moly in it anyway. The manual doesn't say crap. I called a dealer and they said don't change it because of the FF, and another said change it. I can't get a straight/correct answer from anyone.

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