Does it make sense that the oil change light went on after the first 3,000 miles? I thought they changed to synthetic which lasts 6-8k?

 

Not only does it not make sense, Honda considers an early oil change of the factory oil bad. Why? As I understand it, Honda (like many other manufacturers) uses various assembly pastes inside the engine which do double duty as special break-in additives, and said additives should be left in the engine for the duration of the first oil change interval.

 

Did you drive 3000 miles in first gear? Do a lot of idling? Lot of drag-racing? Lots of cold-starts & very short trips? The maintenance monitor keeps track of all that stuff.

Otherwise I can't imagine why it's calling for an oil change so soon.

 

Just Normal NYC driving. No extended idling, drag racing, extended 1st gear use etc...guess I'll be heading to the dealer.

 

Hey Shipo, I never heard of that but could make sense. I guess I'm thinking old school and would want to dump the oil sooner than later. Not to question what your saying but where would you find info on this as I'm getting mine EX-L in June now.
Thanks.

 

I first learned about the assembly pastes when I worked for Mercedes-Benz back in the 1990s; I was rubbing shoulders with lots of different types of engineers (I'm an engineer as well), and about then was when the new 3.2 liter V6 was being developed to replace the old I6, MB was converting to synthetic oil, long oil change intervals (like 15,000 miles before the *first* oil change). I've also done work for both Volvo and Chrysler (before their Mercedes years), and have seen lots of parity in technical development.

The first I heard of Honda using the assembly paste/oil additives was when the Gen 8 Civic came out; since that time I've heard confirming reports that Honda dealers are being compelled to deny early oil change requests as the factory fill is required for the full duration of the first oil change to assure maximum life from the engine.

 

Thanks for the info, good to know.