Oil change

Are people really going till MM light comes on? I do all highway driving at 65-70mph I'm at 5k on the oil and it says 50% oil life left. I use only OEM filter and mobil1 0w20 innthe jug from walmart. For aroumd $30 it seems like cheap insurance or is it just my goofyness lol
 
notmighty Si said:
Are people really going till MM light comes on? I do all highway driving at 65-70mph I'm at 5k on the oil and it says 50% oil life left. I use only OEM filter and mobil1 0w20 innthe jug from walmart. For aroumd $30 it seems like cheap insurance or is it just my goofyness lol
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Why waste your money by second guessing millions of dollars in R&D by world-class engineers? Do you really think Honda would want you to have a bad experience and ruin a car due to their recommendations? Their job is to try an ensure your next car is a Honda.
 
notmighty Si said:
Are people really going till MM light comes on? I do all highway driving at 65-70mph I'm at 5k on the oil and it says 50% oil life left. I use only OEM filter and mobil1 0w20 innthe jug from walmart. For aroumd $30 it seems like cheap insurance or is it just my goofyness lol
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You'll probably go around 7500 or so before it's at the 15-20% range. A lot of newer cars are suggested for 7500 miles between changes. A lot of people have done oil analysis at that range or higher and their oil was fine....and the lab suggested to go another 1k or 2k and have their oil analyzed again.
 
squiggy said:
Why waste your money by second guessing millions of dollars in R&D by world-class engineers? Do you really think Honda would want you to have a bad experience and ruin a car due to their recommendations? Their job is to try an ensure your next car is a Honda.
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Valid point! I gues the 0w20 makes me nervous. Even at 5k it is very dark in color and doesn't smell at all. I hardly ever beat on the car so I guess I'll wait till the MM comes on.
 
notmighty Si said:
Valid point! I gues the 0w20 makes me nervous. Even at 5k it is very dark in color and doesn't smell at all. I hardly ever beat on the car so I guess I'll wait till the MM comes on.
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First, color doesn’t necessarily mean anything. Oil can be very, very dark (black even) and still be effective. However, as a general rule:
  • New, clean oil is amber in color
  • As engine oil gets darker, it can indicate a) high heat, b) contaminants, or c) the presence of additives that cause the oil to darken during normal use.
Therefore, the best way to determine what color your oil should be is to observe how your oil changes color over time. Just pull the dipstick every few days, make a mental note, and at some point you’ll learn to “read” your engine’s oil by color, i.e. you may find that your oil starts to look dark brown after 3,000 miles, and very dark brown after 5,000. If your oil is supposed to be changed every 5,000 miles, than you know that “very dark brown” likely means it’s time.

Of course, if you change oil brands or types, all bets are off. Weather can effect color too (to a lesser degree), so diagnosing oil by color is never going to be an exact science.

Therefore, the best way to evaluate oil color is to look for the obvious issues (outlined below) and then look for other signs of a problem.

Some engine oil colors indicate problems:
  • Milky, foamy, and/or cream-colored oil can be indicative of a head gasket leak, especially if you’re seeing white smoke in your exhaust and your vehicle is losing coolant.
  • Thick AND dark oil usually indicates dirt or contaminants. If you’ve gone off-road and exposed your engine to a lot of dust (for example), your thick and dark oil probably means it’s time for an oil change.
  • Oil with a creamy, frothy texture can also indicate water contamination, so if you are NOT seeing white smoke and low coolant levels (or contaminated coolant) in your vehicle, than water would be the next likely source of contamination.
  • Oil color won’t generally be effected by gasoline contamination, but oil smell will change quite a bit, as the oil will smell much like gasoline. Therefore, you don’t need to look at the oil to check for fuel contaminants, you need to smell it.
 
For me, when my first oil change was needed, I changed the oil AND the filter. To be honest, I read later that you just change the oil the first time. I wouldn't trust the same filter for that long since I was planning on switching to Mobil1 0w-20.

Oil is one of those things where if you ask or say "best oil" you will get countless threads, articles, blogs, etc... on which oil is the "best". In the end, it's what's not bad instead good and you are happy with. I really wanted to go with Honda Synthetic but I decided to go with Mobil1 instead.

I currently use Mobil1 0w-20 oil and Mobil1 EP filter and a new washer from Honda (they sell it for like 40 cents each)

My car's MM requested it's first oil change at 6,800 miles. I did an oil and filter change.

Currently I am at 13,280 miles and still doesn't need an oil change. I'm at 30%

I'm kind of glad I changed the filter as well. Don't think it would of been good to have the same filter for 13k miles. IDK my 2 cents.

If I had to choose my options would be:
1-Mobil1 0w-20 AFE with Mobil1 EP filter
2-OEM Synthetic 0w-20 with OEM filter

I really trust honda makes GREAT reliable long lasting cars. Although they make oil for their cars, i just feel like other companies like Castrol/mobil1, etc... are in business for doing nothing BUT oil. That is their business.

I tend to go with OEM for almost everything but don't really trust 100% of what car companies recommend. I had a BMW prior and they had their 15,000 mile oil change. Then years later they changed it to 10,000 or when the car asks for it sooner. There were a number of car having engine failure due to long oil change. That's with OEM oil. Not saying their oil is bad, but I feel they kept the 15,000 mile oil change because after 5 years, it's someones car, not theirs.

I wil go OEM with everything else for our cars though. Filter, CVT oil, AntiFreeze, etc..

BTW, I am not a mobil1 employee.
 
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Use a Honda filter. Oil pumps aren't all the same and only Honda knows exactly what flow rate and pressure differential is best. I learned the hard way with my truck that Ford knows best what Ford's engines need.
 
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Here's something nobody mentioned. Always go with OEM equipment, even if aftermarket is better. If something, anything, goes wrong manufacturers and dealers will almost always try to blame the aftermarket parts and not honor any faults or warranties. Blown motor due to collapsed oil filter? "We found a fram filter, call them for an engine replacement".....
 
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