Sure there is better oil out there, but I am not talking about synthetic oil. Only conventional oil. I would go to the Honda dealer for an oil change over going to a run of the mill Quick Oil change place with average or substandard oil any day. They also use the cheapest oil filters they pay 90 cents for. It's a business and they are maximing profits. You do what you want. I am just saying this is what I do.

You want to wait 5k mi. to change the oil on your car with lots of city driving or with 200-250k miles on the odo, that's your business. Most cars are not well maintained. People do not do valve adjustements or check the valve clearance every 30K miles any longer. They wait until 100k mi. to change the spark plugs because they are platinum or whatever and that is what the owner's manual says. That is just plain neglect as far as I am concerned, but that is what people do. So at a 1/4 Million miles you would have only changed your plugs twice, and still change the oil every 5-7k mi. because the manufacturer recommends it? This is why I no longer purchase used cars.

I usually follow the severe driving conditions maintenance schedule for my Honda, because I do want it well maintained. It is the only way to maintain great gas mileage and the power of your vehicle. Very few people do that. I do. I spend a few extra bucks and keep my cars well maintained. I sold all my Civics with very close to 200k mil. running almost like new and burning very little oil like the day I bought them. I get top dollar for all my cars because I also provide all the maintenance records. Most dealers will also tell you there is no "break-in" period with these "new engines". Anyone that believes that must believe in the tooth fairy too. How you drive your car the first few thousand miles plays a big role how your car will perform in the years to come. I do not know of a single person in my circle that has adjusted the valves on their Accord, Civic or CRV with 100k mi. or more, even 150k mi. on the odo. I do a valve clearance adjustment every 60k miles and my engine purrs like a kitten compared to before sounding rough, and like those other cars. You immediately notice a smoothness during acceleration. This is a little costly at the dealer, but you can find a good local mechanic that will adjust your valves for $120 (1.5hrs labor). All you need to do is purchase a new Honda valve cover gasket and bring it with you. I have owned Hondas for 20yrs and have raced my Integra GSR for 9 years. I also used to be a racing instructor and worked at a shop while I put myself through College. I have talked to Honda race car drivers and engineers at race events, but I will not get into that.

It all depends on people's interpretation of a "well maintained" car. If you wait until 5k miles or more to get an oil change and your miles are not mostly highway, or wait for 100k mi. to change the spark plugs, and/or never do a valve adjustment, then you have an average and even poorly maintained car.

Harry

 

I will give some credit to what you said about oil consumption, because I own an old Nissan truck (95) that when is time to change the oil, barely 2 to 2 1/2 quarters of used oil comes out sometimes. And the vehicle has no leaks, there are no noticeable burning oil smoke symptoms (the truck just passed the emission test without problems) I just don't know where the oil went to. I fill up again with 3 1/2 quaters of new oil and a new filter every three thousand miles.

Also, you are correct about dealers in general, that they don't perform their best unless they will get pay in full for the work. I used to have a Hyundai and the dealer made no effort to fix a problem under warranty, but was crazy to charge hundreds of dollars to put their hands on the "regular maintenance schedule". I never allowed them to do such a maintenance in my car, and knowing what happened to a neighbor of mine, I'm glad I didn't do it.

This neighbor, who loves doing by himself the maintenance of his cars, bought a new Hyundai Sonata, and he used the free and rebate coupons oil change in a few opportunities. It happens that his wife came home one day and told him that the oil light was coming On and Off. He gave a check to the oil and the oil tank was EMPTY.

"No wonder why the car made some funny noise sometimes" he told me. He filled up his car with oil and went to the dealer to make a complaint. The point here is that the machine has been running with almost zero oil for a while and some internal damage has happened already. The reason why the dealer mechanic forgot to put oil back is unknown, but I am pretty sure that my neighbor's car will show problems in a near future after this incident.

The best advice from my part is to perform the regular maintenance in a "do it yourself" or taking the car to a known mechanic, bringing the oil and filter and stay there to check that the mechanic has installed what you have brought. I do the maintenance of my vehicles and buy what is best for them. Amanzingly, changing the oil and oil filter costs me almost the same than taking to the dealer with their coupon or to one of those oil change fast service locations, but doesn't bother me at all doing it by myself, because I do take my time doing the oil change, and I try to do it right.

The same with break pads, break discs, transmission oil, steering wheel fluid, rotation of tires, spark plugs, etc... when you are capable to do it by yourself, the point is not "saving money" alone but the satisfaction that you know your car better, that you are using good parts and trying to do a good job. On the other hand, only a few mechanics will perform repairs in your car with the same care as if your car is theirs.

In my case, other than the apparent leak (some stain mark is starting to show up again) between the motor and transmission junction, this new Accord has gave me no problems, perhaps the radio two times in the beginning, but after that the car is acting as new after 14,000 miles. Still, I don't like the idea of being the owner of a car that in less than a year has a leak between the motor and the transmission, because this repair requires the pulling of the motor, a major major major repair, that wil show a very bad record if one day I want to sell this car, just because a bad sealer or gasket.

If the stain doesn't show a major leak (I will consider it a major leak if I notice a drop on the floor or a dried drop on the bottom of the engine/transmission) I will just ignore it, otherwise Honda will be the last choice for the next car we have in mind to buy.

 

I agree with everything you said. I do most of the regular/basic maintenance on my cars. It is not hard. It just requires some of your time and a couple of basic tools, wrenches and a spark plug socket. The air filter is very easy too and something everyone should be able to do. Take a look at your air filter after 15k mi. and see how dirty it gets. Keep a couple on hand (saves on shipping if ordering on line) at all times. They are not expensive. If you can't do a brake job, buy good break pads (I buy Hawk Street pads or Hawk HP+ because the Honda brakes s**k) on line, and bring them to the dealer or a good mechanic. The dealer is not bad with the labor when installing pads or even rotors and pads and will give you the 12mo./12k mi. warranty as well.

Your leak concerns me greatly. If you have a transmission seal leak or some other major leak, most likely many other Accords have the same issue. They will drag this on for another 2 years before they announce anything, and until everyone's basic warranty runs out, as they usually do. I would take my car back at the first sign of another leak. Hopefully some oil was spilled externally that ran back towards the transmission, and that's all it is. I would wipe it off too in order to see where it's coming from if it appears again. But it should be documented with Honda that you brought the car to them for a leak, muliple times. Next time ask to go into the repair shop to show them the leak before they wipe it clean again. They have allowed me to do that a couple of times. One time I knew I had a bad motor mount (under warranty) and the dealer insisted the mounts were fine. They allowed me to go in the shop and with a light I showed them the hair cracks on one of the motor mounts. They replaced it and the car no longer pulled when accelerating, and stopped exhibiting "torque steer" symtoms.
Good luck with the "leak"!!

Harry

 

Found this article on Motor Trend about the Jerking problem..

Enthusiasts aren't fans of CVTs. We often compare them to rubber bands, with the engine winding up like crazy while the power is delivered like a slow, elastic pull as the rest of the drivetrain catches up. Honda's new "G-Design Shift" CVT is the best I've driven. Its behavior most closely mimics a conventional automatic, with engine speed building smoothly rather than jumping to the torque peak and sitting there. Engine speed rises and falls as if it were actually changing gears instead of just moving its ratios around. The only complaint is that it's a little jerky at parking lot speeds; something we hope is unique to our pre-production test cars.

 

If the car has a surge, hesitation, or judder on light acceleration from a stop, there was a service bulletin for certain VINS to change the CVT's lower valve body with an updated valve body kit and update the software. The bulletin was issued in July 2013. Normal warranty applies.