ok well my car only has 500 miles on it and i am on 90 percent oil life already. I have been reading for a while and im thinking to do the oil changes when it gets to 15 by myself and use Full Synthetic oil. I don't want to void warranty or nothing so i don't know what to do. The book says i can use synthetic as long as it is the same weight. 5-20 The Car Is an Automatic and will not be driven in WInter for at least these few upcoming years.. After all what are winter beaters for?? Any way i am a kind driver and will NOT abuse this car. Most likely i will rev it up to 5K a few times in a month. Im hoping to make at least 200k miles with this car. And It is a CIty Driver.

The thing is this petroleum oils&lt;pure synthetics. if i decide to use petroleum i will just change it at the dealer. <U>EVERY</U> 3 thousand miles. NOt a since mile more. Because Petroleum oil break down a lot quicker then Synthetics. Trust me i know i am almost finished with reading the OIL BIBLE.

If i use Pure synthetics then i will have much more protection. My Top choices would be Royal purple or AMS oil. With either an Oem oil filter ( but would replace every 3k miles) or a AMs oil (12,000k) or mobile one filter (6,000) with synthetic i would change my oil every 6k miles along with the filter or every 6 months. Which ever comes first. Im sure it will be ok with the dealer if i use other oils and filters but im not sure if they will be ok with the extended Oil change intervals. The maintainace minder doesn't probably recognize that i have synthetic and it will last much longer. So lets say it usually reeds at 3k 15 percent its time for a change. The dealer will mostly likely not cover **** if it breaks if it has to do with the engine internals and such because i Extended the oil change period even though on synthetic.

- If anyone here works for HONDa and can give me some good info i would really appreciate it. Also Honda Workers do you know the specs of the Honda genuine oil??

ps. i want to add a magnetic drain bolt for the oil pan for better filtration. 15 bucks they cost i believe but are reusable. Any thought or ideas on these.. thanks

 

1st quit reading that "bible", it's all bad science and good marketing.

the ONLY benefit of synthetic is that it will take longer to break down so you can leave it in longer. If you are fanatical about 3k changes (mistake #2), synthetic is even more of a waste. Leaving synthetic in a long time usually causes your filter to clog, go into bypass and then it ain't doing anything. Which is why the dealer won't honor your warranty if you go longer regardless of what oil you use.

BTW, viscosty breakdown (which synthetic <U>is</U> better at) doesn't happen in most situations even if you think you are hard driving. Dirt kills. And a filter left in too long <U>isn't filtering anymore</U>.

Synthetic gets just as dirty just as fast.

The magnetic drain plugs are a waste of money, any good filter will catch the same stuff AND more.

Change it every 4-5k, use the rated viscosity, and use a major brand dino (i like Castrol). I've driven over a million miles on my cars doing just that. Even 200k on a sludge prone v6 Camry. 100% dinojuice.

Your plan certainly won't hurt anything, but it really won't help anything either.

 

i have to agree and disagree to the last poster, i agree on the book part forget it. its worth putting mobile 1 full sny i did it as soon as i got my car at around 1300 or 1,500 miles and proper type 5w20 i also changed to k&n oil filter and car been great, lastly regardless of what oil you put change it depending on how dirty oil looks so check it every now and then and replace every 3 months or 3k miles, forget the honda computer reminder as its better judgement to see the oil react to that as apposed to computer reads....

 

do some research here. http://www.bobistheoilguy.com
To the second poster, there is alot more to oil than the general information like synthetic vs. dyno. A good synthetic is alot better than even the best dyno oil.

 

I used to be all over bobistheoilguy, but seriously, having been IN THE OIL BUSINESS for many years, I can tell you that most of the info there is junk. Most of the so-called "experts" aren't, they're just posers who believe whatever they read. Even the sponsors are there just to sell their junk to the gullible idiots who buy that crap.

Synthetic has real benefits, but if (<U>as in the original topic here, btw</U> you insist on changing the oil every 3k, it has no benefit whatsoever over a good dino <U>in a Civic. </U>

it's your money.

 

well its more liek this. Smolik said honda intervals are around 7.5 k If i decide i go OEm honda oil and filter then yah i will change it every 3k or 3 months but if i go Full synthetic then ill just go when ever the MMs tells me to. Either way i want to do these changes myself. I dont trust the dealer. ANd people said its ok for me to do it but i still dont know. Im not certified or anything One question i have is even if i have some engines troubles and Honda asked me if i changed the oil regularly and even if i lied because i went over lests say 3-5 k extra how would they know??

pps : when changing your own oil do you guys write down when, millage and so on? just to keep track

 

I disagree with some of what the 2nd poster, posted (and the 3rd). I suggest you DO read your book. Understand what is expected and what is recommended. If your car breaks and the dealer determines the cause was because you did something counter to the manual, then you might have a problem getting it covered under warranty. I believe it is clearly stated in your warranty that you need to follow the recommended service spec's outlined in your manual. If you use the wrong viscosity or an oil that does not meet or exceed factory spec's (which is really hard to do these days), and you blow your motor, the first thing the dealer is going to point too, is the oil (yes, they do test the oil and check it).

As for oil, I agree that with synthetic, you don't need to change until 5K to 7.5K miles. Your not going to get a clogged oil filter from 5K miles with today's oil filters, specially not on a new car. Be sure TO FOLLOW, the manual on your first oil change. The oil from the factory for break-in has special additives that need to be in the motor until the rings are set.

Some synthetic's do have additives that non-synthetic can't use, that improve the oils ability to "cling" and trap dirt, but most factory car's really don't need this, specially on new cars. I think a lot of people use synthetic for piece of mind, more that actually needing it.

Keep with the recommended viscosity. Using the wrong viscosity can cause problems. Whether you choice to use Synthetic or Non-Synthetic, that's up to you.

Personally, in my SI, I run Mobil 1 Synthetic 5w-30 and change it between 3k and 4k miles. However, my engine in boosted and receives more wear and tear then a stock motor.

Just my 2 cents.

 

i always write down the miles when i changed the oil and i rather be safe then sorry and change according to 3k or sooner depending how you use your car.
i too am not a ase cetified but really any fool can change oil. I know i did since 10/11 and im just 18 and again no ase skills, i too dont trust dealership so i do my own oil change and save money at same time and best of all i know whats in my car and that im taking care of it.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Bulli Kid &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">well its more liek this. Smolik said honda intervals are around 7.5 k If i decide i go OEm honda oil and filter then yah i will change it every 3k or 3 months but if i go Full synthetic then ill just go when ever the MMs tells me to. Either way i want to do these changes myself. I dont trust the dealer. ANd people said its ok for me to do it but i still dont know. Im not certified or anything One question i have is even if i have some engines troubles and Honda asked me if i changed the oil regularly and even if i lied because i went over lests say 3-5 k extra how would they know??

pps : when changing your own oil do you guys write down when, millage and so on? just to keep track</TD></TR></TABLE>

 

yah same here. 17 and i just finished putting a motor together. lol but you know the dealer always will have a leg to stand on if they know ur weaknesses.

 

lol

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Bulli Kid &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I have been reading for a while and im thinking to do the oil changes when it gets to 15 </TD></TR></TABLE>
That's what Honda recommends, that's what we tell our customers. I've seen em get down to 15% anywhere from 4000 to 11000 miles. The ecu calculates it based on your driving habits.