wait how long before first oil chage?

[jzw]

I remember seeing somewhere, maybe in the manual but couldn't find it anymore, that we need to wait 7500 miles before first oil change. my car has 6500 miles already and i don't feel too comfortable to let it go thus far without an oil change. can anyone confirm if we should go for 7500 miles before the first oil change? Also the maintanence light is bliking now. If I change oil myself, will the light reset itself? Or i need to get it reset by the dealer?

[borg]

This thread discusses the benefits of waiting til 7500 m for the first oil change plus a good DIY instructions.

And click here for info on resetting maintenance light.

[john802]

MODERATOR: Please merge this thread and this thread with this thread.

Thanks,
-john

[jzw]

I saw the thread written up by hondaman2. What a great post it is. I got all the answers I needed in it. Thanks a lot.

[Bugshu]

I posted this in the other forum and the thread got locked so I guess that it needs to be cut and pasted here. I dont post here often and when I do its usually trying to help someone. Im not sure that I have the best board etiquette but I dont think posts should be locked because they are in the "wrong place".

Honda uses a special break in oil that comes factory fill. Ive been studying oil at Bobisthemotoroilguy.com and at some other sites.

The Honda breakin oil has a large amount of molybdenum and Honda wants you to keep it around awhile. In normal driving it should last about 5000 miles without a problem. In severe service driving (short trips - dusty conditions - towing etc) I wouldnt want to go much beyond 5000 miles.

The obvious solution is to add a new oil with Moly in it to complete your breakin cycle. Most could and probably should do it around 5000 miles IMO but you should be alright at 6500 miles if youve driven reasonably.

3 suggestions for oils with high levels of Moly would be Penzoil 5W-20, Royal Purple 5W-20, and Redline 5W-20. Mobile 1 0W-20 also has a fair amount of Moly in it.

I would suggest using one of these oils until the breakin cycle is complete and/or you hit 10,000 miles.

The Penzoil is a traditional oil and will be cheaper. I would personally suggest using the Redline though its not API certified. If you do want API certification then the Royal Purple is a fine choice. The Mobil 1 would be a very fine choice if you lived in a climate with cold weather and wanted improved cold start protection. The 0 Winter 20 Viscosity oil gives you better cold start protection than the 5 Winter 20 Viscosity oils.

The Pennzoil is interesting in that they have a program where if you buy a new car and switch to Pennzoil soon thereafter that they will give you a warranty for your engine that lasts 10 years and / or 250,000 miles. You must use Pennzoil products exclusively and prove it which means saving receipts and you must change your oil every 4 months or 4000 miles whichever comes first. If you go even 1 day or 1 mile past these numbers your warranty is void.

Personally, Ive had grave concerns that a vehicle that uses 5 winter 20 viscosity oil could protect it as well as the old 10 winter 30 vis oils that cars used in the past. The 20 viscosity oil is a little thinner and less able to protect a vehicle than the 30 viscosity oils of the past. 20 vis oil does flow faster and enables a big car with a big engine to get fantastic gas mileage compared with other manufacturers who use a thicker and lower mileage oil.

Terry Dyson analyzes oil for a living and he claims that the Redline protects as well as a 30 viscosity oil even though its rated as a true 5W-20. Hes an oil genius and his advice is worth noting. The Royal Purple is a synthetic that meets API standards and has very high amounts of moly which will help your wear numbers and its a fine choice for anybody that uses it. The Mobil 1 is a great oil and it gives you a bit better winter protection. It uses a lot of calcium to protect against acids and has a bit of Moly to protect against metal on metal engine contact. Between these 3 oils, Id listen to Dyson first and use the Redline, go with the RP second if API certification mattered to you, and go with the M1 if I lived in an area with very cold winters.

In traditional dino mineral oils, Id use the Penzoil 5W-20 if I wanted to change it frequently and get that warranty. Id not hesitate to recommend the Pennzoil to complete the breakin cycle as it has loads of Moly and is practically a Royal Purple type oil except without a snythetic base.

Otherwise, Id use TropArctic 5W-20 or any of its offshoots. I believe that Phillips Petroleum makes oil for Conoco, Kendall, and I think Motorcraft. They have announced that they will sell their 5W-20 oils as synthetic blends and are one of the first oil companies to meet new GF-4 standards. If memory serves there are 20 standards that must be met before a company can label their oil up to GF-4 including improved gas mileage, cold weather pourability, shear stability, improved emissions etc......

Phillips line of TropArctic oils are going to be blended as a synthetic blend but sold at a traditional price and its probably going to be the first GF-4 oil in the market which means you get a fantastic oil at a really good price. I would wait until after the breakin period expired before switching to Phillips oils but afterwards they would be my top choice. More on Phillips proprietary brand of TropArctic oils can be read here:

http://echo.bluehornet.com/clients/...ase_archive.htm

Overall, I would rate oils in this manner.

1. Redline 5W-20 (Pricey and not API certified but otherwise incredible)
2. Royal Purple 5W-20 (Synthetic with high Moly - API certified)
3. Mobile 1 0W-20 (Good Synthetic Oil)
4. Phillips Trop Arctic 5W-20 (First Traditional Oil to meet GF-4)
5. Pennzoil 5W-20 (Good Moly and Anti-Wear protection - good to complete breakin - nice warranty if you use it)

The Motorcraft 5W-20 and Exxon Superflo 5W-20 are oils worth noting and would give fine performance if you kept your oil changed per 3000-5000 miles and didnt abuse it very much.

I hope this small primer might help and others that want to study oil would find themselves welcome at Bobistheoilguy.com

Happy Motoring All,



Bugshu