Hi there,
I will preface this with I've read other posts, and none of them answered my question/concern/freakout, and I know little about cars so I've snowballed this into a catastrophe in my head and am now trying to get peace of mind.

So. 2003 Honda Accord Coupe, LX. 108,200 miles on it. Just had the timing belt and serpentine? belt changed. It was driving fine, but with the influx of cold weather, it's been making a " RRR" sort of noise when I first start it in the morning. When it sits and then I drive it, the noise goes away and doesn't come back for the rest of the day, so I am assuming it is due to cold?
Anyways, now, I have gotten into my car and the "Maintenance Required" light has started to flash and terrify me. It flashes about 10 or so times, and disappears. What's going on? Is my car going to suck more enormous amounts of cash out of me? HELP calm my fears! Please .

Thanks for any input.

 

"maintenance required" light comes on and is triggered by mileage put on the car. it should be reset after oil changes and such

 

Nothing is wrong with your car. The maintenance required light is ONLY A REMINDER, to get regular maintenance done. It will start blinking when you turn the key on every 7500 miles (I think). The directions for resetting the light are in the owner's manual, but if you don't have an owner's manual, here is the directions.
Get in the car, and close the door (headlights must be turned off).
Use your left hand to reach the trip reset button, then push the button and hold it down.
Then use your right hand to turn the key to on (position 2, no need to start the engine).
Keep holding the button, for 10 seconds, or however long it takes for the light to go out.
That will keep the light off, for another 7500 miles.