First Oil Change - What Mileage?

[slpa1]

I've read a lot of discussions about oil changes and oil in this forum, but not this specific issue.

When I bought my '07 EX-L, the dealer told me not to change the oil until 7500 miles. They said the Maintenance Minder would tell me to change it at 5000, but to ignore that and wait until 7500. Supposedly, there is special break-in oil from the factory.

Sure enough, around 5000 miles, the MM started telling me to change the oil.

Remembering what the dealer told me, I started checking the owner's manual for the maintenance schedule - to see for myself what is says about the first change. Nothing. It says to follow the MM.

I checked the owner's link to Honda. Same thing. They specifically warn owners not to change the oil early, but give no specific mileage - just follow the MM.

I have searched everywhere I know how, and have found several other people who were told the same thing I was - wait until 7500 miles - but no actual documentation that one should wait until 7500 miles. Where did the dealer get this?

I want to give my Pilot the best care possible. Should I follow the dealer's advice, or the owner's manual and owner's link - that is, follow the MM. The MM is bugging me!

Thanks in advance for helpful suggestions!

[N_Jay]

Originally posted by slpa1
When I bought my '07 EX-L, the dealer told me not to change the oil until 7500 miles. They said the Maintenance Minder would tell me to change it at 5000, but to ignore that and wait until 7500. Supposedly, there is special break-in oil from the factory.

Follow the manual!
Follow the maintenance minder!

The mechanic is much like everyone here and think they know it all.

[whizmo]

There are exceptions, but as a rule, when the dealer goes against the manual, follow the manual. If you've ever worked in a dealership, you'd know they are driven by some very strange economic dynamics and while there are some great folks who work in many dealerships, in general, it's not a place that attracts the best and brightest.

- Mark

[slpa1]

OK, I decided to follow the MM and get the oil changed and tires rotated. I had it done at the dealer, since it was free, and they have been reliable for me in the past.

The mechanic said all 4 tires were wearing evenly, and did not rotate the tires. He suggested we check them again at the next scheduled MM. That sounded reasonable to me, since as far as I can tell, the tires still look new.

[premier23323]

Awesome question! We jsut bought ours and found the same situation! I will follow the MM as well! Thank you, Ray

[BigDozer66]

We have just over 5K on ours and our MM says we still have 40% oil life left.

BigDozer66

[slpa1]

Interesting. My MM was showing 15% at 5000. It raises the question of exactly how and what the MM is measuring - how would you explain the difference between your 40% at 5000 and my 15% at the same mileage? I use the Pilot in mixed freeway and in-town driving, with one trip from Salt Lake City to Phoenix and back.

Any ideas?

[whizmo]

Originally posted by slpa1
Interesting. My MM was showing 15% at 5000. It raises the question of exactly how and what the MM is measuring - how would you explain the difference between your 40% at 5000 and my 15% at the same mileage? I use the Pilot in mixed freeway and in-town driving, with one trip from Salt Lake City to Phoenix and back.

Any ideas?

I'd guess trip length and number of cold starts are the biggest factors beyond time/mileage in the MM algoirthm, but I don't know.

The whole idea of the MM is to take into account many factors that aren't taken into account by simple mileage, so the fact drivers are getting different recommendations is not surprising - it just shows that the system is working, however it works.

- Mark

[zippytheskydog]

Hendrick Honda requested i return for first (free) oil change be at 3750. I complied.

My second oil change (with "check up) was at 7000 and cost $82.

Took it to independent shop when maintainance minder told me 20% oil at 15000. Now he says every 6000. WTF? I'm following the MM from here on.

[Dane]

I think it's important to also take a look at your driving habits. If you drive a lot in stop and go traffic and other conditions which are hard on your engine, then you should change the oil more frequently. I got my first oil change at 1500 miles, to get rid of any fine metal shavings in the new engine. From that point forward, I change the oil every 3K miles. This affects my other service intervals, so I do the 7500 mi service every 6k mi instead. Better safe than sorry. And the 5w-20 oil that Honda recommends is awful thin, which makes me even more paranoid about these things.

[N_Jay]

Originally posted by Dane
I think it's important to also take a look at your driving habits. If you drive a lot in stop and go traffic and other conditions which are hard on your engine, then you should change the oil more frequently. I got my first oil change at 1500 miles, to get rid of any fine metal shavings in the new engine. From that point forward, I change the oil every 3K miles. This affects my other service intervals, so I do the 7500 mi service every 6k mi instead. Better safe than sorry. And the 5w-20 oil that Honda recommends is awful thin, which makes me even more paranoid about these things.

Keep waisting oil.

The mileage minder and/or the old mileage recommendations are all you need to do.

Don't worry about the 5W20 either.

[BigDozer66]

Originally posted by slpa1
Interesting. My MM was showing 15% at 5000. It raises the question of exactly how and what the MM is measuring - how would you explain the difference between your 40% at 5000 and my 15% at the same mileage? I use the Pilot in mixed freeway and in-town driving, with one trip from Salt Lake City to Phoenix and back.

Any ideas?

We are at 6300 miles and the MM says 20% on the Oil Life.

It is about to get Winter here so the % might start dropping faster now?

BigDozer66

[ctobio]

Originally posted by BigDozer66


We are at 6300 miles and the MM says 20% on the Oil Life.

It is about to get Winter here so the % might start dropping faster now?

MM takes into account operating conditions for figuring out oil changes. Factors include operating temps, engine load/tome, total revolutions, runtime.

To the poster with the fetish for changing oil at an absurd rate- N-Jay is right, you're throwing your money away. Break in no longer produces "fine metal shavings" like it did 30 years ago. Manufacturing tolerances are so close nowadays that break-in is not the affair it used to be. There is something to the "break-in" oil, as it has supposedly a high moly content, so you're actually doing your engine a disservice by dumping out this oil sooner than you should.

If you are concerned about the oil changing interval specified by the maintenance minder, use synthetic oil.

When it comes to maintenance, the maintenance minder and the owners manual are the only thing you should be following. The dealership does not know more about maintaining your car than the nice Japanese folks in the white lab coats that designed the engine. I'd take their engineering degrees over a vocational tech grad with a GED.

[A6Pilot]

Originally posted by zippytheskydog
Hendrick Honda requested i return for first (free) oil change be at 3750. I complied.
My second oil change (with "check up) was at 7000 and cost $82.

Sounds like Hendrick Honda is on to something here: like how to lift extra money from your pocket! By the time 7000 miles rolled around, you spent $82 for an oil change. If you had followed the MM your total would have been $0. And since when should an oil change cost $82? The term "catch and release" takes on a whole new meaning with Hendrick Honda.

[BigDozer66]

Well we went ahead and scheduled our A1 Maintenance because with the Holidays coming up we might not have time otherwise.

We had 6839 miles on it and it was at 15% Oil Life remaining.

It was $51.76 with the oil & filter change, 5 qts. 5W20 Honda oil, tire rotation, checking and topping off all fluids...except the gas tank!

BigDozer66