Mechanic tells me to ignore maintenance minder... is he right?

[rlapid]

I brought in my Pilot for regular maintenance today and was surprised to get a call from the mechanic who was working on it. He told me that my Pilot was 4200 miles overdue for an oil change! In addition, he stated that 5000-7500 miles between oil changes is too long and could lead to engine damage. His 'solution' was to ignore the Maintenance Minder and always change the oil every 3000 miles. I was surprised to hear this, as I had always brought my Pilot to either the dealership or this shop (which is reputable and specializes in Hondas) for maintenance and had never heard this before. Now I am unsure of when to do the oil changes. Should I listen to the mechanic and begin to change oil every 3000 miles, or continue to go by the Maintenance Minder and change every 6000-7000 miles? I appreciate any responses and opinions.

[krygny]

As it states in the owner's manual, changing the oil every 7500 miles is good for the engine. Changing it every 3,000 miles is better for mechanics.

[ctobio]

Of course he wants you to change your oil every 3000 miles. He gets more money that way.

Modern engine oils and modern engines are perfectly fine with long OCIs. I am perfectly comfortable letting conventional oil stay in an engine for 6000 miles in mixed use driving. If you want to hedge your bets, change the oil with synthetic- I've been getting 5 qt jugs of Mobil 1 0W20 at Wal-Mart for about $20 lately.

[TomStromie]

Originally posted by rapid
Should I listen to the mechanic and begin to change oil every 3000 miles, or continue to go by the Maintenance Minder and change every 6000-7000 miles? I appreciate any responses and opinions.

Who is providing the warranty for your Pilot? I am always amused at the individuals who are sure they know more than the team of people who designed and built your car/motorcycle/whatever.

My Jeep Cherokee had it's oil changed every 5,000 miles for 180,000 miles until I sold it to my brother. Everything is still tight enough in the engine that no oil needs to be added between changes.

[ncelk]

Not only are oils much better today, the Pilot is not overly hard on it's oil like some other makes I will not mention. Use a good quality oil and go by the MM, you will be fine. I understand what your mechanic is saying, but unfortunately, he is wrong on this issue. He may be a good mechanic, but he needs to get up to speed on the quality of today's oils and the accuracy of the MM system. Believe me, even the MM errs on the side of caution.

[rlapid]

Thank you everyone for your quick replies. My instinct told me to just go with the MM, but I wanted to be sure of it first. Happy Piloting!

[ctobio]

Look at it this way- by changing your oil less often, you're providing a smidge less damage to the environment by using less motor oil, and saving yourself a couple of bucks, with no damage to your car in the process.

[larrys]

Originally posted by rlapid
I brought in my Pilot for regular maintenance today and was surprised to get a call from the mechanic who was working on it. He told me that my Pilot was 4200 miles overdue for an oil change! In addition, he stated that 5000-7500 miles between oil changes is too long and could lead to engine damage. His 'solution' was to ignore the Maintenance Minder and always change the oil every 3000 miles. I was surprised to hear this, as I had always brought my Pilot to either the dealership or this shop (which is reputable and specializes in Hondas) for maintenance and had never heard this before. Now I am unsure of when to do the oil changes. Should I listen to the mechanic and begin to change oil every 3000 miles, or continue to go by the Maintenance Minder and change every 6000-7000 miles? I appreciate any responses and opinions.

Is this a Honda dealer or an independent mechanic? You don't say where you live in the Bay Area but how about the name of the shop so the rest of us who live around here know to avoid that shop (they obviously are trying to make their monthly boat payment )?

If you're not totally happy with that mechanic, you might want to check out this tread, "Ratings of SF/Bay Area Honda dealer service" that I posted. The last update I posted was from March '07 but it should hold true for the most part today. Although, maybe I should post an updated listing sometime soon too!

Good luck!
Larry.

[rlapid]

Thank you for that link, Larrys. That's some great info. I live in Fairfield (about halfway between Sacramento and SF). For those who want to avoid the shop, they are called 'Independent Automotive' in Fairfield. Just so everyone knows, I am not upset with the shop. They are a reputable shop who actually care about their clients and perform quality work. My family has been taking our Hondas there for years. I think the mechanic who worked on my Pilot may have been confused about the MM system, or is just old-fashioned. Or maybe larrys was right and they just needed to make their yacht payment!

[rockman19762001]

I have change the oil on the 03 Pilot at around 5,000 miles, easier to remember then 7500 or 3750. The 03 Pilot now has 90500 trouble free miles on the odometer. Changing oil at 3000 miles is the about a decade ago. Oil and filter technology is so much better than then or when the 3,000 mile began in the 50's or 60's.

[Layspeed]

Originally posted by rockman19762001
I have change the oil on the 03 Pilot at around 5,000 miles, easier to remember then 7500 or 3750. The 03 Pilot now has 90500 trouble free miles on the odometer. Changing oil at 3000 miles is the about a decade ago. Oil and filter technology is so much better than then or when the 3,000 mile began in the 50's or 60's.

That's basically what I do...5000miles or when I have the free time It occasionally gets up to the 7500 mark and I don't have a stroke about it. I think any sooner, the money would probably be better spent filling up the tank of the beast. Our pilot has 92K on it now.

[2pilot]

I have wondered the same thing lrapid, but the dealer insists that I go with the maintanance minder....I usually go to do it every 5000 miles whether it tells me too or not.. I just feel more comfortable doing that. Just do a little compromise, not quite 7000 but maybe every 6k or 5k like me.

[ctobio]

The MM in my Pilot consistently goes to 5% after about 6400 miles of usage. Based on my wife's commute (15 miles each way, nearly always traffic-free and nearly all highway) and other driving, this seems very sensible. It definitely does not qualify as severe service, but it is erring a little on the side of caution.

I'll be doing my first oil analysis next oil change, so we'll see how right the MM is.

If the Mobil 1 I put in there has loads of life left, I would surmise that a conventional oil would be fine as well, though ready to be changed.

[Sylvatica]

I do everything that the MM tells me to do, but I do not tell the MM everything that I do.

[andyschneider]

A lot depends on where you live and how you drive. In a climate that sees a narrower range of temps, like the bay area, you can likely go by the MM without an issue for oil changes. For me, living in NH where I get temp swings from -10F to 50F in the same week in the winter, and then temps raning from the '40F's to the '90F's in the summer, I tend to err on the side of more frequently than the MM. I USED to be a 3000 mile guy, but am now on the 4000-4500 spin - as this is a good compromise between my paranoid self and the recommended intervals. Plus, with the temp variations and the likelihood of having a bit more moisture and perhaps even contaminants in the oil, it's decent insurance for me to not let it go past 5000 miles.. But, frankly, a lot has to do with the oil. A decent brand of dino oil, or a syn blend, will leave no worries. But I have had 2 instances over the years where a dealer used their bulk oil that had excess moisture inside, and as such the oil lost it's lube qualities before it hit 3000 miles (you could hear the valvetrain rattling itself to death) - so you have to be careful. I do all my own now and buy my own oil so I know what's going in. For me, it's recently (2 yrs) been the Motorcraft 5W20 syn blend in 5 quart bottles from wally-mart for $10.36 - works just as well as the Valvoline and other syn blends for a lot less money!


andy