7500 Mile Oil Change?

[Tom Oelschlager]

Just purchased a 2011 Touring and I'm perplexed at the "Do Not Change the oil before 7500 Miles". Every piece of new equipment or machinery I've purchased new shows some fine metal particles in the first oil change, so I'd like to change the oil at 1000K on this new vehicle. Does it mess with the maintenance minder or something? I just don't see how this can be harmful and want to get as much out of this engine as possible, would love to hear your thoughts. Thanks!

[jl_ss]

Honda adds moly as a lubricant/friction reducer to the factory oil to help reduce those metal particles during break in. If you change it out you lose the moly protection.

[xGS]

If performing a (very) early oil and filter change will give you peace of mind, then do it, don't reset the maintenance minder and then follow its prompts from here on out.

[Minnoe07]

My dealer recommended a 3000 mile oil change and actually gave it to me for free. It also states in my manual not to change oil until at least 3000 miles.

[94eg!]

I think Honda knows what their doing.

Just keep in mind the "dealer" sales person or mechanics are NOT Honda engineers. They are just guys that sell cars parts and services. Because of this, their opinion on these matters can be considered biased. When in doubt, follow your factory service manual. It was written by Honda engineers.

[belundy]

Don't know how about the composition of factory fill, but there are multiple factors for leaving the factory fill in for at least 3000 or more miles; every moving part in the engine is "smoothing out" mating surfaces aggressively for the first few thousand, which makes for potentially a large pile of iron, steel, aluminum, brass.... particulates circulating in the oil. New engines also tend to have a bit more blow by combustion products in the oil until rings and valves get seated.

This makes the oil filter media fill up pretty quickly (read that as partially clogged), which actually makes for a better performing filter--stops more crap-- up to a point where it is too clogged and the bypass opens. Right before which, you drop the oil, clean the ferrous snotball off the drain plug, put in a new filter, dino lube and yer good.

[mmm666]

hi Tom, I am assume you are doing your own oil change.. If I were you, I will change it around 3,000 miles.

I follow the MM to do my first oil change at 7000 miles.

[Offtrac]

My MM came on to change the oil at 5k

[whizmo]

There is no credible evidence that the factory fill is anything other than standard off-the-shelf motor oil. The higher-than-normal moly content noted by some who have done oil analysis is explained by the assembly lube used during motor assembly.

Change it early if you like. It probably won't much a significant difference in engine life, but it also won't hurt anything. Don't reset the MM. The system doesn't know you changed the oil, so the MM will continue on like nothing happened.

Personally, I think the main motivation for Honda discouraging early oil changes is to keep their warranty costs down - the earlier a customer is in the shop, the more likely they'll have a list of niggling things they want the dealer to look at which six months later will be accepted as normal.

- Mark

[theirishscion]

No credible evidence that the factory fill is anything other than standard, but thoroughly credible evidence that Honda suggest against changing it 'till the Maintenance Minder suggests, what with explicitly printing that specific instruction in the owner's manual. Why is this? Heck if I know. I can think of a number of plausible reasons including special oil formulation (perhaps so special that it doesn't even show up on a conventional UOA ) or perhaps a desire to actually have the oil break down a bit and let some nicely controlled metal to metal wear happen early on in the engine's life to get piston rings and seals properly seated as quickly as possible. I like Belundy's theory about the filter clogging up a little and working more effectively on small particles early on. Of course it might just be to keep the official cost of ownership figure below some critical marketing threshold. Unless we somehow persuade Honda to go on the record explaining themselves, we're not likely to find out definitively.

Honda produces a good, long lasting and dependable engine, they seem to know what they're doing in that regard. I see little reason to second guess them. At very least, it's highly unlikely that their official and explicit recommendation on the topic is actively harmful, certainly considering consumers have long been conditioned to anticipate an extremely early first oil change with a new vehicle so the service wouldn't be perceived as onerous by most.

Transmission fluid change interval? That I'm prepared to second guess a little.

[Tom Oelschlager]

Hey, thanks to all who have contributed to this, and Theirishscion is probably correct regarding the seating of the piston rings. A Peterbilt mechanic I recently met just mentioned the same thing and also mentioned any fine particles probably help break in the cylinder wall as well. I think I'll be going until 7500 as suggested, and I like the idea of the Fumoto (spelling) oil drain valve...especially since I just went for a new oil pan on my 03 Pilot, no doubt due to the dealers great mechanics.