I’ve been wondering when it’s best to go for an oil change…
A. The cars “oil life” percentage
B. The distance driven since the last oil change
C. The amount of time since the last change
my moms 2013 Honda Odyssey (144xxxkm) has “free” oil changes when the oil life is at 15%, and we’re only at 20% now after well over 8000km. Oil didn’t look to bad either.
my 2010 Acura RDX (194xxxkm) has gone 4500km since it’s last change and is only at 50% oil life. But I’ve heard oil should be changed every ~5000km
we also have a 2012 Honda Civic (52xxxkm) that sits most of its life and hasn’t had its oil changed for well over a year but has been driven barely 1000km since that change.
So I’m wondering since I’ve read that you should change it every x km/miles, or by the indicator in the car which the dealer says to go off of? For the RDX and Odyssey. I know that waiting for the indicator light saves more money, but which is better for the car?
and for the civic, should we get an oil change on it due to the age of the oil?
All oil changes are done at our local Honda dealer.
This is a car forum. As you can imagine, the oil change question gets asked hundreds and hundreds of times. Nothing much has changed since the 1st time it was asked. Is there any reason why all those answers (which you can find with the search box) aren't good enough for you?
Personally, for that specific Honda with that mileage, it’s better to play it safe and stick with your original 5,000km (3,000mi) oil changes.
I have a friend who has one, same year but with about 250,000mi (~400,000km) and she changes her oil every 3,000mi, like you had mentioned. I personally change the oil in both of my trucks at 3,000 and 5,000mi respectively.
Also, regarding the Civic, I would definitely change it’s oil ASAP if it’s really been well over a year, regardless of the mileage driven. It’s better to change it every 3,000-5,000mi or once a year to make sure the engine stays in tip top shape.
Hope this helps!
Ah okay, the “oil life” percentage had me thrown off with all the cars😅
It’s best to go off the mileage, rather than the supposed percentage despite what the dealer might say?
Thanks!
1 year/5k miles, whichever comes first, using full synthetic oil.
Those maintenance minders on newer Honda’s throw me off. The computer guesstimates the oil life based on your driving style and mileage.
Personally I ignore the maintenance minder and just go by the manuals schedule.
I do know some folks that live but the maintenance minder.
