now that my wife is no longer an accord driver since it was totaled, now i have an 18 month old civic.
oil indicator says 100% OK and oil is clean, so likely carmax changed with cheapest available.
question, since the owner's manual is pitifully short of maintenance information, did honda use synthetic at factory? and about how many miles before the chip alerts me about an oil change at 0%.
thanks.

 

Honda did not use synthetic at the factory. It's not necessary but you could also extend your oil change intervals using synthetic. How long your oil lasts (according to the computer) will depend on how the car is driven. If you (or wife) drive like a grandma, then it could last 7000 miles. If you drive like an arrogant 17 year old, it could be as short as 3000 miles.

The oil life indicator does not factor what type of oil you use into it's estimate, so if you do use synthetic, you probably won't end up following the computer.

 

Honda does not use Synthetic. The Oil Indicator works well, especially for a DD car. As for miles it's determined by the style you drive. It reads RPMs and miles. I would say 5K or more miles before it hits 0%

 

mine hits 15% around 5-6k miles. i just go by that and use regular (non-synthetic) oil.