new civic oil change?

Not as far as I'm concerned!

1980 Toyota Corolla, 244,000 miles, first change at 1500 and then every 3K after that.

1987 Honda Accord, 220,000 miles, first change at 1500 and then every 3K after that.

1985 Toyota Corolla GTS, 259,000 and still running, first change at 1500 and then every 3K after that.

1988 Tpyota Supra, records indicate changes at 4K miles, 208,000 and running great.

I use Castrol GTX at the specified weight, most of the crankcases are 4 quarts including filters, I put in 3.5 Qts of Castrol and 1 Qt of Marvel Mystery Oil. On all the cars listed above except the Supra. I use Castrol High Mileage oil in that, and the seal blow-by smoke it was blowing after being stored for winters is now negligible.

But I put my 2005 Scion TC on Castrol Syntec, and set the Service light for 4500 miles. Manufacturer's spec is 7500, as it has always been on Toyotas.

Make sure you don't change the oil the first time till it's time as that is not standard oil in there.

After that, you can change the oil more often than necessary, but why bother? The oil life indicator measures a number of factors to determine the interval and it will be slightly different for each change. It monitors engine temp, RPMs, length of trips, etc... Which are all real factors in determining the interval.

My '01 V-6 Accord, I never change the oil till the light starts blinking (somewhere in the 7000 to 8000 mile range as I drive mostly highway). I'm now at 179,000 miles only using dino oil and the engine still starts right up, run smooth and quiet.

You cannot change it too much for the car, but changing it more than it needs is a waste of money and resources.

The maintenance minder system works. It was designed by people that know how to build and maintain a fine automobile. Just change the oil when the minder tells you to, and you'll be fine.

If you go to Jiffy Lube or similar places more oil changes means more likelihood they will really screw up your car. As long as a good mechanic does it I don't see the problem.

I am a believer in having oil changes done by the primary care mechanic. Give him (even if it's 'you') a chance to look for things like CV boots cracking and leaks starting.

Mike

Use the maintenance minder.

3K changes are crazy unless you are driving in the harshest environments.

I change every 7,500 in my Hondas before the MM cars. I use Synthetic rated at 7,500. I have oil analysis's done periodically, and never a problem.

Okay, maybe I'm damaging my cars, but the '96 I'm still driving has 185k on it now and in 7,500 miles it may use 1/2 qt of oil.

But do what makes you feel better. I hate to see you wasted money and oil!

G-Man

Or you want every chance to keep it absolutely as long as possible, and are happy to pay the very cheap insurance that oil changes provide to keep the engine going.

Yeah, you could end up with a totalled car at 100K miles. So what? All of life's a gamble. But that's better than having a perfectly good car with a ruined engine because of something like sludge due to marginal engineering choices within the engine.

Not standard oil? What is it?

"Break-in" oil. Has extra additives.

Google this group for more information as it has been discussed many times.

What the hell is "break-in oil?"

Seth wrote:

Has extra additives.

Google this group for more information as it has been discussed many times.

The idea of "break-in" oil is to deal with the metal surfaces lapping in. It is important to leave the oil in as long as the owner's manual states and no longer.

When I worked in aviation non-detergent oil was often used for piston engine break-in. I don't know why... I was a radio weenie, not a mechanic.

Mike

At least the 'not a mechanic' part is obvious!

"Edward W. Thompson" wrote

Michael Pardee is one of a handful of regulars here who gives competent, in-depth, and honest advice on Hondas, based on experience he occasionally describes. He would never call his automotive repairs background "impressive," but I do.

When rebuilding any of my old "tin" or anything else for that matter, I have a strict regimen for the "break in" period.

Non Detergent Oil (ususally 30 weight)

First change at 100 miles Change again at 250 miles Change again at 600 miles Change again at 1000 miles to detergent multigrde (usually 10-40 Change again at 2,500 miles Change at 5,000 miles there after. (optional oil filter change at every 2,500 miles)

It might sound like overkill, but it has never failed me.

I will do the same for any Honda that I "refresh" should I be able to locate a good core (EJ1) for the "flock" of '82/83 Hondas..

JT

Save yourself some money and the environment a little wear and tear by just changing it when the car tells you to. A great deal of R&D went into the development of oil life monitors. The only people who really hate them are the quick lube places which have made a business out of the 3,000 mile religion.

John