My wife and I both drive 2004 Accord with the 2.4 L IVTEC engine. The manual reccomends 5,000 mile interval oil changes for adverse driving conditions-10,000 mile internval for ideal driving conditions. I have chosen to use teh 5,000 mile interval. BTW, our trips are usually at least 30 minutes in length and mostly highway driving. We live in Indiana so we do not have major temperature extremes. The dealer is saying to change the oil every 3,000 miles. I am assuming Honda does know it's products so I want to stick to the 5,000 mile interval. Am I wrong?

Thank you.

 

Hello DIFTW...
Welcome to the Honda Forums..Hope you stay around and add to the fun in here..

I would only stick whatever your dealer tells you to do, and dont miss doing any kind of service that should be done on time.

If you do they do not have to stick up to their warranty if you dont stick up to your end...

Again Welcome to you... [sm=groupwave.gif]

WheelBrokerAng

 

I have a different opinion.

Here is the definitive authority on oil: http://theoildrop.server101.com/cgi/...DaysPrune=1000
Once there you can read for months if you desire. There are thousands of members on the site, I am member #416 I believe.

The 3K oil change is a profit center, plain and clear. Any of today's name brand 5W20 oils will go 5K easily, longer with used oil analysis trending. The dealer is either light years behind the times, trying to get in your pocket, or both.

I am pro synthetic and have it in all vehicles, lawn mower, weed eater, the works. 10K change intervals is a cinch with a TRUE SYNTHETIC. Not all oils labeled synthetic are 100% synthetic due to a loophole in the definition. I prefer Mobil 1 because it is 100% synth, arguably the best, and its available everywhere. There are other excellent synthetics as well but most are mail order,considerably more expensive, and not proven to exceed M1 in actual use.

I change my own oil by personal preference. By using a buy 3 get 3 free coupon (for Mobil 1) found in the Pep Boys calender, a complete oil & filter change costs me less than $15.00. Let's do the math: 10,000 miles for $15 vs three dealer dino oil changes based on their recommended 3K interval. At roughly $25.00 per service totalling 9,000 miles, that's $75.00! I realize that not everyone wants to change their own oil. By following Honda's recommendations, as opposed to the stealer (sorry I meant dealer) you have still saved approx. $25 over the 10K miles.

Sorry for the long post but one of my pet peeves is a dealership trying to take advantage of someone that is trusting them to be knowledgable and have the latest information.
FWIW - ALWAYS confirm that the dealer is using 5W20 and ask the brand name. Not all dealers use the 5W20 and that is the only oil Honda says to use, period. If the dealer uses 5W30 or 10W30 it won't hurt a thing BUT.....technically they just commited a warranty violation.

Hope this helps,
RTF

 

Thank you both for your reply. RTexasF, do you use 0W-20 Mobil 1? Do you also use a Honda filter? Our driving patterns actually qualify for the 10,000 mile service interval under Honda's definition.

I fully believe in maintaining vehicles. We have a 1990 Civic with 225,000 miles and a 1998 Nissan Altima with 140,000-both vehicles have been well maintained. I do have a problem with the dealer jacking their service prices up almost quarterly and adding services the manufacturer does not specify.

Thank you.

 

Yes, M1 0W20, Honda filter. The 0W20 will soon be no longer available as ExxonMobil changes the formula to meet the new SM specs. It will be 5W20 which will be more recognizable to the average consumer. I am buying up all the 0W20, using the aforementioned Pep Boys coupons, as I think it is a slightly superior formula.

I changed to M1 @ 3500 miles or so although leaving the factory fill in for 5000 is recommended. If you go the M1 route change it and the filter after 5000 miles the first time. After that 10K is easy but I do recommend a few used oil analysis along the way to establish a trend.

Do not pay any attention to naysayers concerning the 0 or 5W20. It is an excellent oil and works well in tough conditions such as Ford V-10 work trucks.

Enjoy your new Hondas!

 

Thanks again RTexasF

 

I'll second the recommendation on Mobil 1 synthetic. I use it in my Honda motorcycle which is far harder on oils than cars due to the heat it creates.

Honda's stock oil filters are also top quality. More pleats in the actual filter itself vs. most filters and you won't find paper being used in the caps as with some over the more common filters such as Fram. Bosch also makes an very high quality filter which I use in my Interceptor and Accord without hesitation.

I've religiously changed the oil in my Honda cars every 3,000 miles. My reward for this consistency was putting 300,000 miles on my first Honda, a 1986 Prelude SI which I sold running and in very good condition given the mileage.

Texas, that's a good link. Thanks for posting!

 

The 3k oil-change interval is arguably the biggest myth of car maintenance.

And as for Mobil 1 being the best, that is debatable. Amsoil, NEO, and Red Line are all comparable. But of course, you can't buy these at Wal-Mart...

 

As previously stated: arguably the best. I am not claiming it is the best. Amsoil makes some superb products and I may go that direction one day. I've seen a long term used oil analysis of Amsoil S2000 0W30 in a 2.4l 2004 Accord that was superb. My gripe is I can't find it anywhere/everywhere and it is more expensive than M1. It may indeed be a better product but it hasn't been proven to me.......yet.

 

You are absolutley right. It is a myth. I normally go 6k when changing oil... I use synthetic any way. Now Quaker has oil that is designed to do around 15k!!!