[darksky]

When do most of you get an oil change based on maintenance minder? 20% oil life left? 15%? 10?
I just curious what other owners do. I do not want to start a conversation about ignoring maintenance minder and going by mileage or time. Thanks in advance for your replies.

 

[jppelec]

The maintenance minder goes by mileage and time. I have a 2021 Elite that I purchased in November of 2020. My Passport sits in the garage a lot. I have just under 1900 miles on it and the maintenance minder comes on every October at 15%. I have to get my state inspection by the end of November every year so I let the dealership change the oil when I have the inspection.

 

[penzance]

When MM code first pops up at 15% during startup, I get my tools out.
I'm a driveway mechanic, so I'm usually already stocked up on oil, oil filter, air filter, etc.
To me "A" code always means "B" service (Oil change without filter change - is Honda nuts? )
So far it's only been oil/filter changes, rotate tires, change/bleed brake fluid, Dual Pump diff fluid, air filter). And since I'm crawling around under vehicle and under hood, I also carefully look for a-n-y signs of a-n-y fluid leaks, loose undercarriage panels, etc . . . and verify other fluids (power steering, brake fluid, washer fluid, blinker fluid, etc).
Whenever other MM codes pop up, including [3] transmission/transfer fluids, I will address those at the 15% notification too.

 

[Tadakatsu]

With the specific motor oil that I am using I am 100% comfortable taking the oil percentage down to 0% or 10,000 miles whichever comes first.

 

[jasonpp]

I let mine go below 10%.

 

[ballisticexchris]

I performed my first oil change and B service at 500 miles, then again at 2,000 miles. I forgot the percentages. My next oil change will be the free complimentary one from dealer along with free "B 1" service at 5,000 miles.

I will not be using the mileage minder for servicing. Oil changes and B1 performed every 3K-5K. Under 30 bucks and 30 minutes of my time it's a no brainer. All other servicing will be set by my standards.

 

[jasonpp]

I performed my first oil change and B service at 500 miles, then again at 2,000 miles. I forgot the percentages. My next oil change will be the free complimentary one from dealer along with free "B 1" service at 5,000 miles.

I will not be using the mileage minder for servicing. Oil changes and B1 performed every 3K-5K. Under 30 bucks and 30 minutes of my time it's a no brainer. All other servicing will be set by my standards.

Given how anal you are about maintenance, I am shocked you would let the dealer to touch your vehicle

 

[ballisticexchris]

Given how anal you are about maintenance, I am shocked you would let the dealer to touch your vehicle

Very solid crew at Norm Reeves West Covina. I don't have a problem with them at all. And for free why not.

 

[HarveyW]

When the MM pops up 15% oil life left I take a look at my schedule and decide when I have time to get he maintenance done. Usually between 10% and 5% the maintenance is done. The most important thing with this and all maintenance on you vehicle is to get it done on time every time and you will be just fine.

 

[akrsf49]

I would like to wait until it shows 15% or less. Most of my oil changes were done at about 50%. That's because I was taking another (six so far) trip to Arizona and wasn't going to start a 3500 mile round trip with less than 50% oil life left.

 

[jasonpp]

For my usage which is mostly Highway, 50% gives me about 4000 miles. Even if you go over a little it’s not gonna be suddenly “bad”. Honda built in enough margin for “worse case” scenarios. Most full synthetic engine oil will last 10000 miles without any issues.

 

[ballisticexchris]

Most full synthetic engine oil will last 10000 miles without any issues.

Heck there is oil that lasts 20,000 miles. Unfortunately manufacturers have been unable to keep engine longevity equal to oil. A daily driver that goes 10,000 miles between oil changes will have issues like fuel dilution, rings not sealing and premature wear of internal parts.

 

[jasonpp]

Heck there is oil that lasts 20,000 miles. Unfortunately manufacturers have been unable to keep engine longevity equal to oil. A daily driver that goes 10,000 miles between oil changes will have issues like fuel dilution, rings not sealing and premature wear of internal parts.

No. Anything without a UOA is speculative and not accurate. Here is a UOA on a V6 and you can see the TBN is still good at 10k miles. The wear metal get higher as the oil drain interval gets longer that’s just how engine wear but as long as the TBN is good, the engine will wear at the same rate if you change oil every 3000 miles. This UOA is done on a brand new engine I believe.

 

[ballisticexchris]

Good info right there. I assume you tore the engine down and verified or at least took a bore scope and inspected cylinder walls. The only accurate way to verify the condition of the engine is by measuring and inspecting components.

I choose the cheap less accurate route and change out the oil frequently and do periodic bore scope on each cylinder and leak down/compression checks when changing spark plugs. Cylinders closest to firewall or furthest from airflow are the ones that wear first.

 

[jasonpp]

Good info right there. I assume you tore the engine down and verified or at least took a bore scope and inspected cylinder walls. The only accurate way to verify the condition of the engine is by measuring and inspecting components.

I choose the cheap less accurate route and change out the oil frequently and do periodic bore scope on each cylinder and leak down/compression checks when changing spark plugs. Cylinders closest to firewall or furthest from airflow are the ones that wear first.

You are over complicating things. The TBN tells you what condition the oil is in and wear metal can tell what parts are wearing and how fast they are wearing. Oil these days all meet SAE regulations and very little differences from one to the other. UOA will pick up anything abnormal before the engine is seriously damaged. Plus you are buying a Honda not a Mitsubishi. Honda has tested all oil on the market to make sure their engine will work with all oils and remain minimal wear within their MM service recommendation. Anything more frequent just wasting money and polluting the environment.

 

[ballisticexchris]

Anything more frequent just wasting money and polluting the environment.

I recycle my oil. You have your way and I have mine. It's all good....

 

[jasonpp]

I recycle my oil. You have your way and I have mine. It's all good....

Which is fine but stop spreading your ideas that those who follow the MM is going to damage their drivetrain.

 

[ballisticexchris]

Which is fine but stop spreading your ideas that those who follow the MM is going to damage their drivetrain.

That is where we differ. Following the MM will be detrimental to the usable life of the vehicle and the repair costs are going to be increased. I have seen first hand damage from following the manufactures recommendations once the vehicles push mega miles. Most owners do not keep their vehicles for 200,000 - 300,000 miles and beyond. So they never see the damage.

The manufacturers have to satisfy the EPA. Then with mainstream fake media the owners are duped. I'm not one of them.

 

[jasonpp]

That is where we differ. Following the MM will be detrimental to the usable life of the vehicle and the repair costs are going to be increased. I have seen first hand damage from following the manufactures recommendations once the vehicles push mega miles. Most owners do not keep their vehicles for 200,000 - 300,000 miles and beyond. So they never see the damage.

The manufacturers have to satisfy the EPA. Then with mainstream fake media the owners are duped. I'm not one of them.

I highly doubt even with your kind of maintenance the Passport will last 200k-300k miles. There are a lot of factors involved in engineering a vehicle that even with the best maintenance, things will just fall apart given how the parts are engineered in the first place. A lot of the times, things fall apart regardless how you maintain simply because that's how they wear such as shock, bearings, and ball joints. Even sometimes, engines and transmission.
Personally I would never keep a vehicle more than 120k miles because that's usually when they fall apart not just the drivetrain but everything else.
Plus even if I do keep a vehicle 200k miles, that would mean the vehicle would be 10+ year old. I wouldn't want to keep it that long because other vehicles on the road are getting stronger and safer and my 10+ year old vehicle would be at a significant disadvantage in a collision. I would like a safer newer vehicle.
Also, with electrification of all vehicles the government is pushing hard, who knows what owing a gas car will be like in the next 5-15 years gonna be like. It's possible that you are going to pay though the roof for owing a gas car and pay a premium to get gas.

 

[ballisticexchris]

I always get 200k plus without any major repairs. Exception was my 94 Silverado which had a transmission failure at just under 100K. My own fault running through DV in the summer with AC on and throttle pegged. I had that one for over 300,000 miles.

My moms Pulsar almost 500K, Camry 400K, GMC Sierra currently at over 150K, brothers Chevy Tracker currently pushing 300K, Both our 23 year old and 25 year old Lexus's are going on 150K. Zero repairs other than wearables such as brakes, tires, belts, suspension. Oh yes a heater core and clutch on the GMC Sierra due to previous owners lack of maintenance and poor driving habits.

I expect to run this Honda into the ground like the rest of my rigs.