10k mile intervals

 

Some of us here had oil change ourselves before MM and just don't reset the MM so now by the time the MM light goes on then take it to get your oil change at the dealer.

https://www.piloteers.org/threads/2023-pilot-oil-only-change.183881/?post_id=1839028#post-1839028

 

Maintenance Minder measures driving habits. Someone who does short trips/city driving will have the MM trigger with lower mileage, while those who do a lot of highway driving will have the MM trigger with higher mileage.

BUT a general 'rule of thumb' is every 5,000 to 7,000 miles. On my wife's 2023 Passport we split the oil changes...we pay for one oil change w/o resetting the MM, then when MM comes on we take to the dealer for the 'free' oil/filter change and tire rotation.

Your car, your rules of course.

 

I'd love to see proof of this variable MM.
Every single post I've seen on here says their maintenance minder pops at the same mileage (unless I've missed one, which could be the case).
I get that it's SUPPOSED to take in driving habits theoretically, but I don't think in practice that it actually does.

 

I believed it was Hogan773 with lower milage than usual but within exactly a year of owning his MM went to 0%.

Mine came on @

 

I believed it was Hogan773 with lower milage than usual but within exactly a year of owning his MM went to 0%.

Mine came on @
View attachment 177805

Just because it came on doesn't mean its due immediately. Note it says soon. It gives you a 20% buffer when it first turns on and usually pops around the 8k mark.

 

Go search and you can find multiple cases of people driving in places like NYC and seeing the MM trigger around 3k miles.

Heck even my two Honda vehicles don't trigger the MM at the same mileage.

As for the OP, I recommend changing it when the MM triggers, regardless of it being the first time. IMO early break in oil changes are a bunch of BS these days.

 

IMO early break in oil changes are a bunch of BS these days.

I tend to disagree. New engines produce metal. If you want the oil to stay clean for a LONG time you get that stuff out early. I've done this with quite a few small engines and after early break-in changes the oil stays PERFECTLY clean between intervals. I've NOT been able to keep oil this clean if I ran the first oil change to the recommended schedule. Now will this make much difference in the life of the car? No idea... but it does seem to make a difference in what you see on the dipstick. Lake Speed Junior also did some testing on his Youtube channel which backed up the practice of the early break-in oil change. There's something to it, but is it enough to warrant in practice? Not sure.

 

Regardless of whether it's due soon or pass overdue were on the subject of when does the MM comes on and that is enough evidence for a ticket to bring her in for service 😏

 

That tells you everything you need to know about that dealer. It’s 5k intervals on your dime and MM interval on their dime.

Stick to the MM interval for both vehicles and your dealer is a crook.

 

Hey @Nail Grease, looks like your "buddy" is here!

 

I do it myself, and I personally prefer https://www.amsoil.com/p/amsoil-signature-series-0w-20-100-synthetic-motor-oil-asm/?code=ASMQT-CA it is 100 precent synthetic which is higher then Full Synthetic oil. Good for 25K or one year. I think it saves money and time although it is expensive. You can get a discount. I also use a WiX XP oil filter made for synthetic oil. If you go 25K I would change only the oil filter once in between.

I have two sets similar to the one below which you can get the whole vehicle off the ground.

FloTool Durable RhinoRamps (Set of 2) 11909MI - The Home Depot

 

I do it myself, and I personally prefer https://www.amsoil.com/p/amsoil-signature-series-0w-20-100-synthetic-motor-oil-asm/?code=ASMQT-CA it is 100 precent synthetic which is higher then Full Synthetic oil. Good for 25K or one year. I think it saves money and time although it is expensive. You can get a discount. I also use a WiX XP oil filter made for synthetic oil. If you go 25K I would change only the oil filter once in between.

I have two sets similar to the one below which you can get the whole vehicle off the ground.

FloTool Durable RhinoRamps (Set of 2) 11909MI - The Home Depot

I think there was reports of the anti wear additives running out around 13k iirc, but their base stocks are superior.


Yes factory fill has a very very high amount of moly for break in, I have a post somewhere with 2 oil reports. It's something like 3x the normal amount of moly even after 9k miles of hard driving and I went all the way to 0%

 

I have the same situation for another car. Lifetime oil change. But they won't change it until it's at zero. The light goes on at 15%. I even got dealership emails, etc, asking me to come in. Contradicting messages.

Here is what I have done. I change it at "half-way." You pick what that is. And don't set the oil life indicator. If you are paying someone, ask them not to clear it.

When it was brand new, I used to change oil and filter at 50%. Then just oil (a few years later.) Now, I'm slacking a bit and just bring the car in at about 10%. They have not charge me. By my appointment date, it may be 5%.

 

 

Nothing wrong with Honda's MM system. I have been following MM schedule on all my vehicles religiously when the 15% warning indicates it is time to schedule an appointment, aka, make sure my garage has a jug and filter on standby. I would personally not trust anyone to change the oil in my vehicles besides me. I also started using Liqui Moly a couple years ago in my newer Pilot and recently in the older Pilot and love the way the engine and exhaust sound better almost like something magical has happened internally. Am about to switch the Civic over next month. I would say running quality fuel (Top-Tier Gasoline) is more important than how many thousand miles you run your oil until it is drained out.

 

Couldn't agree more with your comment on Top Tier gasoline. Regarding the improved sound re Liqui Moly, I think the placebo effect might have something to do with that.

 

No one should feel bad about following MM, but it's not optimum for long term ownership. 5K/6mo is arbitrary and not optimum either.

You can split the difference and change at 60%, put a sticky on the screen to not reset the MM at the dealer, and do again at 15% for your free service while in the Honda service window. Or DIY, if that's what you enjoy.

Also use top tier fuel per the manual. And consider running a bottle of techron through the engine before the oil change. I don't know if it's on the new Pilot, but a fuel cleaner @ the OCI is in the maintenance tech docs for my CRV.

 

Will the dealer do the free oil change when the MM is at 15% and indicates "service due soon", or do you have to wait until the MM is at 5% (or less) and indicates "service due now"?

Also. what are the "maintenance tech docs" for the CR-V?
Is that something other than the owner's manual or service manual?

 

Hum...this 500 miles to change the oil seems like it was the thing to do decades ago, and not on modern engines which use high quality synthetic oil. My 2024 Pilot SE currently had 1,200 miles on the clock and I'm still on the original oil. According to the on board computer, the oil life is at 80%. I think the analysis yes proves particles, but we're talking particles per million. I doubt that for the typical car would have an big effect; however, if it was a racing car, then changing the oil is a must due to the extremes that are placed on those motors.

I may decide to change it at 3000 miles, and go to using Mobil 1 0-20.

 

if the fuel "cleaner" is added to the tank make sure that tank of gas is run through prior to the oil change. any stuff that is cleaned away is only going one of two places... out the exhaust or down into the crankcase.

 

Great point!

 

Hi guys, new 24 elite owner here and am taking in for an oil change before the free MM oil change interval. I understand to not have mechanic reset MM so I can get the free change when I am prompted to, but here’s my question. I’m of course thinking to change the filter but if I do and it’s not a genuine Honda filter, will it be a problem when I bring it to Honda for the free change? Will they say oh, you had it changed already cause you have a (gram,stop,etc) filter?
If so,, should I order and have mechanic install a genuine a Honda one or just leave the one that’s in there on until next change?
Car with about 6500 miles just turned to 30% but I have a 2000 or so mile trip coming up before MM alert.
Thanks

 

Hi guys, new 24 elite owner here and am taking in for an oil change before the free MM oil change interval. I understand to not have mechanic reset MM so I can get the free change when I am prompted to, but here’s my question. I’m of course thinking to change the filter but if I do and it’s not a genuine Honda filter, will it be a problem when I bring it to Honda for the free change? Will they say oh, you had it changed already cause you have a (gram,stop,etc) filter?
If so,, should I order and have mechanic install a genuine a Honda one or just leave the one that’s in there on until next change?
Car with about 6500 miles just turned to 30% but I have a 2000 or so mile trip coming up before MM alert.
Thanks

No they cannot deny you the free oil change if you install an aftermarket oil filter. However you can certainly ask your mechanic to install an OEM filter. That's what I do and the cost is on par with the better aftermarket filters.

 

I wouldn't think they can deny the free oil change because a different brand filter is on there.

 

Couldn't agree more with your comment on Top Tier gasoline. Regarding the improved sound re Liqui Moly, I think the placebo effect might have something to do with that.

I tend to disagree. New engines produce metal. If you want the oil to stay clean for a LONG time you get that stuff out early. I've done this with quite a few small engines and after early break-in changes the oil stays PERFECTLY clean between intervals. I've NOT been able to keep oil this clean if I ran the first oil change to the recommended schedule. Now will this make much difference in the life of the car? No idea... but it does seem to make a difference in what you see on the dipstick. Lake Speed Junior also did some testing on his Youtube channel which backed up the practice of the early break-in oil change. There's something to it, but is it enough to warrant in practice? Not sure.

Not sure what you mean by "Top Tier" gasoline. Do you mean high octane vs regular?

 

No, Top Tier gasoline refers to gas generally produced by major oil firms (e.g. Conoco, Shell, etc.) and that has additional additives above and beyond the minimum required by law. You can go online and find info about who sells Top Tier fuel. Costco's gas is TT but Sam's Club, 7-11, etc. are not. This is not a marketing gimmick. There is hard evidence that TT gas is significantly better for an engine than the lower grade fuels.

TT gasoline has nothing to do with its octane rating.

Happy motoring.

 

Been watching this thread and decided to jump into the fray.

My MM shows an oil life of 60% at 4000 miles, leads me to believe I’ll get my first oil change at around 10,000miles. I talked to the owner of the independent Honda shop I take my cars to and expressed my opinion that 10000 miles seems a bit excessive for a GDI engine.

His response was: “That’s excessive for ANY engine!” He said he had been hearing of long intervals for oil changes on newer Hondas. He then said, “hey, give me a minute and I’ll call you back.”

When he called back he said that he had asked a friend who is a Honda tech at a dealer, and that they are advising customers that it’s up to them but they recommend 5000-6000 miles between changes.

So, based on that conversation and some of the other similar anecdotes I’ve read here, I think I’m personally going to be in the camp of changing “early” at around 50% oil life on MM, because as others have said: oil is cheap, engines are expensive.

FltMech

 

My understanding is that oil change intervals are based on both time and mileage. The high mileage intervals only apply for a short time. And likely for long haul driving.

 

The Honda dealership where I purchased my Pilot, follows Honda 2yr/24 month complimentary service. I am getting free oil & filter changes along with tire rotation while they do a complimentary service check and fill fluids if necessary every 5k miles or 6 month—whichever comes first. Honda pics up the tab. There are too many BAD Honda dealership's out there destroying Honda‘s reputation IMHO. I try to stay with family owned vs corporate owned. No dealership is perfect, just STOP ripping off customers—period. I already know that the people working the assembly line in Alabama are unhappy (got this from someone who went there). Thus we can get a bad vehicle because of quality control and bad moral. And yes, reliability has gone down hill for EVERY auto manufacturer.

If your dealership won’t follow Honda allowed service, go somewhere else or do it yourself if you plan on keeping your Pilot. There is always that feeling of pride when you do it yourself.

 

Hello, new honda owner here. 2025 pilot sport owner. The complimentary service is it meant to cover 1 oil change per year?
I called to see if it was time for oil change about 5 months back. The service representative told me to wait til the MM tool came on or at 10000 miles whichever came first. I asked even if it's new, she said yes..

 

I don't use the dealer for maintenance. Not even the freebies.... I use a mobile service to change the oil every 5000 miles... I don't like waiting two hours plus for oil changes or to be upsold on stuff that's not even in the maintenance manual. After two ridgelines and three CRV's, we have never needed the dealer for anything except recalls.

 

I had mine changed at 7k and the dealer covered the cost
I paid nothing, I have a great relationship with my service department this is key.
never wait to you get near 10k, especially if you one them new turbo equip engines. (not related to Pilots)

 

I just bought a 2025 Elite, and the salesman told me that Honda only "gives" you 1 free oil change. You have to wait till the service light appears or they will charge you for the oil change. I've always changed my own oil but I'm 75 yrs. old and it's getting way harder now. I really haven't figured out what I'm going to do when it comes due. I've read that the filter is a bear to change. It has less than 1K, so I've got some time to decide. The indicator went to 90% at around 900 miles.

 

Yep, Honda went from 2 years complimentary oil changes/tire rotations to 1 year.

I really haven't figured out what I'm going to do when it comes due

Local indie shop?

 

The filter is easy to change. The issue is that because it is not located on an oil filter adapter but mounted directly to the block, so it is more likely to spill oil on the side of the block when removing. There is not as much room under it to position a form-a-funnel, but it can be done. There is an oil filter deflector tool that you can purchase, or just understand you might have to do a little more cleanup.

Product - Acura Tool and Equipment Program (snapon.com)

You can see in this video, you have to be careful, the form-a-funnel is very easy to knock loose.... 2023+ Honda Pilot B1 Oil and Filter Change - You can do this at home! - YouTube

Turn the wheel all the way to the right to give yourself more space.

 

I follow a YouTube channel that uses this plastic sheet that can be formed to any shape and seems to work well.

 

Yes. I guess I should be more specific. It's not hard to do at all, but what I was concerned about was the oil mess all over the suspension and frame and who knows what else. I did view some videos on how to use the bendable funnel. Thanks for all the replies.