Real simple, change the oil every 7,500 miles (10,000 or more if you use synthetic oil), replace the spark plugs, timing belt, water pump, front main seal, and cam seals every 105,000 miles, and adjust the valves if they start to get noisy. Other than that you should be good to go.

 

Going from memory here but I think my 2002 Honda Accord owner's manual stated that the engine oil is to be changed every 3,000 miles whether conventional or synthetic oil is used. My car is a 4 cylinder, not a V6, maybe things are different.

Valve adjustment is recommended with any timing belt change, also from the owner's manual.

The local Honda dealership advised me to "do a timing belt change every 8 years or 100,000 miles, whichever comes first." I know the manual advised the first timing belt change at 105,000 miles, which I had done along with the valve adjustment. The dealership knows I am close to 181,000 at the moment.

If I was buying a 2002 and I wasn't sure what maintenance was done and when I'd put in a new timing belt, tension belts, all new hoses, etc. I'd jack it up pretty high and get under it for a good visual inspection. I'd change oil and filter right then too and give it a good tune up like shipo advised. You definitely don't want a timing belt to break on ya. Your new car is 16 years old after all.

Man, why not get an owner's manual and follow that?

I do know that these cars have weak automatic trannies and that's more so with the V6 so if you want it to last, no teenage-driving habits. No peeling out, take it easy on accelerations, etc.

 

I think you need to re-read your Owner's Manual. Oil changes are scheduled for 7,500 miles for conventional oil (which means 10,000+ for synthetic is a no-brainer), and if you read the fine print on the valve adjustment line it says something along the lines of, "only if noisy".

Regarding what your dealership told you, clearly they don't know what they are talking about, the timing belt is due every 105,000 miles; back in 2002 there was also a time related interval of SEVEN years, however, later Honda/Acura products have since dropped the time related interval.

 

Challenge accepted! Now where did I put that owner's manual? *I cleaned most of the car out prior to putting it into the shop.

 

This from my 2001 Accord:

 

Well, I sit corrected!

Indeed, page 240 states "Replace engine oil every 7,500 miles or 1 year."

It also states "Inspect valve clearance, adjust if noisy, 105,000."

So shipo is indeed correct. *How did I get "every 3,000 miles?" Hmm.

Now the manual also states, on page 241, "120,000 miles replace automatic transmission fluid or every 6 years, then every 90,000 miles or ever 5 years."

I think if you followed that you wouldn't have an automatic transmission, especially a Honda version. 120,000 miles is when a lot of Honda Accords of these vintages need a new transmission. My car started having "funky shifts" at about 70,000 miles, I had a fluid change and those weird shifts stopped. I've had the fluid changed every 60,000 miles since and I'm about to have the fluid changed again which will put me at a change every 30,000 miles. These cars do not have an automatic transmission filter at all, just a screen, something else to keep in mind.

My engine is running fine, I think an oil change every 3,000 miles is a good idea. I remember reading the manual on that and I must have thought the "7,500 miles" was just too excessive. I wonder why I remembered it wrong though.....maybe my GF is right and I "really am losing it." Huh. Anyway, I have no experience with synthetic oil but 10,000 miles between changes? No way brother! You probably know a lot more about modern engines than I do but I'm just not doing that.

Now, to be fair, and this thread is a great example of it, maintenance scheduling is a highly personal area and you'll have steadfast adherents to all sorts of things. Just remember this, "oil is cheap but engines are expensive." Scotty Kilmer

*I cannot say what the dealership knows, I just know what they told me.. I do know a broken timing belt means a new engine, which is why if I didn't know when it was replaced last, I'd have it replaced on any older car I bought..

Shipo, why didn't you tell me you were going to post page 240? You could have saved my eyes some straining!

 

You know, the more I look online it seems I'm about the only person still doing oil changes every 3,000 miles. Maybe I am being a bit frequent....

 

Just one data point, I am running Castrol Edge 0W-20 and changing every 10,000 miles, the single UOA I've had done on my J32 came back stellar; probably could have gone another 2,000 miles at the very least.