vtechhef is right except you have to hold the trip odometer for 10 seconds.

 

The car cannot be cranked at the time though. The key has to be "on" but the engine cannot be running. Or as vtechef said - in "aux" mode

 

hold the button down when the ignition is off, keep holding it and turn the ignition to aux until the light disappears.

marbro: To live in Jersey, you need a car. Driving into Manhattan is insane, so I have to do both. Consider this-the Lincoln Tunnel cost $6 to get out of Jersey (free to get in .... that's why people are trapped in NJ). There is talk about an increase to $8. On top of that, a monthly parking spot near my office cost about $290 a month. Gotta love the NYC metro area economy!

 

There is no way you can tell by looking at the color of the oil, it is insignificant. It's a simple as this: change the oil & filter now, write the mileage down and keep it in the car. Now you will have a reference for the next time and are starting awritten record of changes. Also the world doesn't stop spinning if you've gone past 3000 miles. That is the single largest chunk of BS that oil companies, auto dealers, quick lube places, and the like have led you to believe. Was it true in the past? Yes but we are no longer in the 50's and 60's. Engines are better and so are the oils that lubricate them. A 5000 mile oil change interval is now the norm with regular oil, farther is certainly possible but 5K will keep you safe.

 

I heard synthetic can be used for 20k miles, but your engine is not efficient enough to use it that far...

I believe if you were running propane and changed the filter ever 5k miles,synthetic would last a very long time.