First oil change

[Filipilot]

I know this has been tackled before,anyway Do you guys just wait for service minder to come on or did you do any oil change before that?My 2012 Pilot has 850 miles right now. I remember when I used to work for SAAB cars (R.I.P.), we always do 1000 mile oil change and check up. One more very frequent question, synthetic or non synthetic? I have used synthetics on my 2001 Lexus IS 300(traded) and required on my 2003 Lancer Evo VIII(sold) ,should I treat this Pilot like my previous babies? I don't mind paying extra for the oil coz' I do my own oil change anyway.

[rocky]

Follow the MM.

[balearic]

I was told at the dealer that when the oil monitor on your speedometer reaches 10% then you need an oil change.

[xGS]

The owner's manual is a useful resource - did your vehicle not come with one?

The section on "break-in" states, among other things, "do not change the oil until the
scheduled maintenance time."

The oil life indicator appears at start-up when remaining oil life reaches 15%.
The "service" prompt appears at start-up when remaining oil life reaches 5%.
An oil change is due by the time remaining oil life reaches 0%.

Some owners are uncomfortable with the length of OCI that the MM calculates (approaching 10K miles in some cases) and choose to perform an oil change at 50% remaining life - without resetting the MM.

Also, Honda indicates that the oil filter requires replacement only at every other oil change.
Most everyone seems to change the filter at every oil change.

The manual implies that conventional oil is sufficient, however, to date, 0W-20 is only available in synthetic or synthetic-blend versions.

[Canuck]

As rocky says, just follow the MM... It's there for a reason.

[Filipilot]

I'm sorry guys if I sounded so dumb and stupid.i know all about the maintenance minder,oil life % ,letter and number codes when minder light comes on and I also have the manual.what I am asking are personal experiences ,preferences and opinions regarding first oil change.Loose small metal fragments/shavings or particles is not impossible to have circulating in the crankcase of a brand new engine from the factory but I guess thats why there is an oil filter right? I guess I won't ask any stupid question next time,thank you guys.

[humanoid]

Look, just do what makes you sleep better at night and not what others do. If you're worried about the metal filings in the engine then change it out ASAP, if you're not worried then let the MM take care of it. There's absolutely no need to over think this.

[rsconsulting]

Originally Posted by humanoid

Look, just do what makes you sleep better at night and not what others do. If you're worried about the metal filings in the engine then change it out ASAP, if you're not worried then let the MM take care of it. There's absolutely no need to over think this.

^^^^
+1

Despite assertions (rumors) of "sooper sekrit Honda break-in oil" that comes from the majical faktory - I do (did) my first dump @ 2,500, my 2nd @ 7,000 (with a tire rotation) and my next is coming up @ 12,000 next week with another tire rotation and balance since I towed for 2,500 miles my last road trip (purchased 7/3/12). I also run a magnetic drain plug that can pick up cars at the junkyard (kinda a waste since most of the parts are non-ferrous-aluminum).

I drive a lot - and while don't ABUSE my cars, I don't "baby them" either.

Mobile 1 0-20W Full Synth, Mobile 1-110 Filter. My mechanic (read: the shop that fixes stuff I'm too lazy to fix) suggests in the So. Florida heat (97% of my driving) that I bump up to 5-30 considering the heat and my "severe duty driving style".

I also typically do my transmission fluids at the 50% point of manufacturers recommendations.

Do I SPEND MORE on my OIL CHANGE maintenance than owners that follow the MM recommendations for service? Sure I do - but I believe that I SPEND LESS on ENGINE REPAIRS/MAINTENANCE in the long run - so a $30 oil change, with better quality oil ends up being LESS EXPENSIVE for me over my (usual) 120K miles ownership cycle. And I usually see 120K miles at the 3-4 year point.

My previous Honda (08 Element) followed this maintenance cycle, and in 4 years/122K miles - I did both cooling fans, 2 sets of rotors/pads, 3 sets of tires, passenger power window motor - and NOT ONE PENNY MORE SPENT on repairs (either in or out of warranty).

The oil debate will rage on forever - so - as suggested - do what MAKES YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE.

Rick

[Arizonaadam]

Originally Posted by Filipilot

I know this has been tackled before,anyway Do you guys just wait for service minder to come on or did you do any oil change before that?My 2012 Pilot has 850 miles right now. I remember when I used to work for SAAB cars (R.I.P.), we always do 1000 mile oil change and check up. One more very frequent question, synthetic or non synthetic? I have used synthetics on my 2001 Lexus IS 300(traded) and required on my 2003 Lancer Evo VIII(sold) ,should I treat this Pilot like my previous babies? I don't mind paying extra for the oil coz' I do my own oil change anyway.

I waited until 15%. I couldn't wait any longer. I put Mobil 1 in it and will push the next change to 5%.

[refotsirk]

On our (then new 2011) we got down to about 20% and I called the Stealership and asked if to wait as the mm suggested or do it early.
I literally was made fun of and told I was letting my oil turn to sludge and would void my warranty waiting that long. I was really taken aback by the "you have passed the point of no return". Then remembered on this site someone asking, "who are you going to listen to, the manufacturer/engineers/service manual, or the mechanic department making money on needless labor and parts?" I painfully waited it out for that Honda mm theory.
The shop wasn't happy either when I refused to let them rotate my tires as I could do it
way cheaper back by my home. So, it it went onto my certified section of my work done that day that I "refused" to have the tires rotated. (I kept my reciept and made my own notes on my outside work.
Lots to think about with being vigil and too proactive at times. Great truck though. Sad when the manual does not match the attitude/knowledge in the garage.

[drewmtb]

I have read crazy posts about 10k oil changes on various VW forums. What i've seen is that an early first oil change isn't really needed but may help. VW does changes every 10k now and most people seem to say doing the first change from 3-5k is a good idea. There was a lot of oil testing going on in these threads. Basically the amount of metal in the first change is "higher" so that is why some people think its a good idea to do it early. Every other test they ran on the oil after the first change had pretty much the same amount of metals and breakdown after that. Oil was always fine even at 10k.

Personally with my pilot i plan on doing a change at 5k and then whenever the maintenance minder comes up after that. On my GTI I will do one every 5k just because it makes me feel better about the turbo. I have a friend who is a VW mechanic he thinks doing it every 5k is a good idea.

Use synthetic its worth the extra money.

Drew

[rsconsulting]

Originally Posted by refotsirk

On our (then new 2011) we got down to about 20% and I called the Stealership and asked if to wait as the mm suggested or do it early.
I literally was made fun of and told I was letting my oil turn to sludge and would void my warranty waiting that long. I was really taken aback by the "you have passed the point of no return". Then remembered on this site someone asking, "who are you going to listen to, the manufacturer/engineers/service manual, or the mechanic department making money on needless labor and parts?" I painfully waited it out for that Honda mm theory.
The shop wasn't happy either when I refused to let them rotate my tires as I could do it
way cheaper back by my home. So, it it went onto my certified section of my work done that day that I "refused" to have the tires rotated. (I kept my reciept and made my own notes on my outside work.
Lots to think about with being vigil and too proactive at times. Great truck though. Sad when the manual does not match the attitude/knowledge in the garage.

Truly astounding the apparent "opinions qualifying as gospel" that varies from garage to garage. Especially from (so-called) "Official Factory Sources" (like the stealerships.

It really comes down to what allows YOU to sleep at night. I COULD have done that ATF cooler and other accessory installs myself - but I didn't feel like taking responsibility for scratching the front bumper cover up - so I threw that bone to the stealership (since I beat them up pretty good on the price ANYWAY).

Aside from that - unless it's something UNDER WARRANTY (or under the HondaCare 120K plan I bought) - I DO MY OWN WORK. And for me, that means Oil/Filter every 5K, clean K&N filter every 10K (every other oil change), rotate/balance every other oil change, tranny fluids avery 25K. I'll probably do the timing belt, pulleys/idler and water pump/gaskets @ 65-70K (pump & pulley because you might as well do it anyway while you're in that deep into the motor). I usually just wait and do the plugs at 100K (and all other fluids - PS, Coolant). I keep all my receipts, and have a maintenance log in the car.

Doing my own labor (and having a friends shop with a LIFT I can use), cuts my costs down INCREDIBLY. I'd probably let someone else do the timing belt/water pump through - as that's a "depth of work" I'd rather let/pay SOMEONE ELSE take on the liability for.

It's a totally different story for folks that aren't mechanically inclined, don't have the tools/resources, and have to depend on someone else's expertise and advice. I may spend a little more on oil/filters/etc. - but on my last 5 cars, I've never had a major motor repair required (and each ran over 100K miles when I owned them).

YMMV...

Rick

[boyce89976]

One thing I would not do is change oil weights - going to a heavier oil. These engines are built to very specific tolerances, and heavier oil may not flow into some of the very tight spaces within the bearing races and such. Lack of oil between these parts will definitely lead to premature engine failure and costly repairs.

[mmm666]

well the manual say use 0w20. why change right.

if you want to do early, wait till 3k-5k miles.

[rsconsulting]

Originally Posted by boyce89976

One thing I would not do is change oil weights - going to a heavier oil. These engines are built to very specific tolerances, and heavier oil may not flow into some of the very tight spaces within the bearing races and such. Lack of oil between these parts will definitely lead to premature engine failure and costly repairs.

The 0 part of the 0/20w is for cold starts and fast flows at lower temps - plus reduced resistance on initial warmup - which is why it is considered "Eco Oil".

Going to a 5/30 - especially here in SoFla, is not going to present an issue.

I picked up a few 5 qt jugs of the M1 5/30 Extended Performance Full Synth on sale at WallyWorld (same price as the 0/20) - and despite the "claims" of 15K Mile OCI's, I still plan on sticking to my 5K OCI. The (supposedly) better quality "extended performance", with an M1 Extended Performance Filter @ 5K OCI's should do JUST FINE.

I'm bowing out of the "great oil debates" (we do this on the Harley V-Rod Forum - Amsoil vs Royal Purple vs M1-VTwin vs HD Synth - ENDLESSLY).

As commented earlier - do what MAKES YOU HAPPY. Better oil and lower OCI's (in addition to my earlier-than-recommended-maintenance-intervals for other things) MAKE ME HAPPY - and apparently MY CARS/Motorcycles TOO.

Rick