So last week I finally changed the oil on my Fit. The MM was at 20% and I had 9,757 on the odometer. The oil had been in there for a little over a year and per the instruction manual, change the oil at a year or 15% on the MM, whichever comes first.

I actually posted up a few weeks ago how upset I was in the reliability of the MM because when I checked my oil it was black, therefore I was assuming the MM was not actually doing an oil analysis, but basing its calculation on something else like engine revolutions, which is hardly accurate. I was referred to as a "dinosaur" for basing my oil change frequency on the color of the oil and instead should follow the guidelines of "modern" tech like the MM. Well, excuse me, but before things like maintenance minders all us "dinosaurs" had to go by was either a fixed time limit - say every six months - or the color of the oil. I suppose the real anal types get an oil analysis every time they're supposed to change their oil, but that's too much work for me. If the oil is black, it's time to change, done!

Anyway, getting back to the post title, I was shocked at how difficult it was to get the oil filter off. I even used the Honda OEM oil filter wrench and that sucker would not budge except for after a few attempts. It took a great amount of effort to finally get it off. You're only supposed to hand tighten the damn thing and there is no way that filter was applied by hand, more like welded on by a machine. I will say the Honda oil filter worked quite well and was worth the money.

I was warned about how tight Honda makes those filters from the factory and now from personal experience I can say they do, and I don't understand why.

 

x2

The excessively tight OE filters seem like a good excuse to have the dealer do the first oil change....


At least the one in my Fit was more accessible than the one in my 2.4L V.

 

I remember that insult in the older post. What ignorance. I too was insulted by that person's response. I suppose such folks also believe that the Government is going to solve all of our problems, and that world peace is a common goal? Anyway... I digress.... back to the issue at hand...

I have issues with the Maintenance Minder (MM) too. I agree, dirty oil should be changed, period. There is no way for the MM to monitor dirt, and these 10,000 plus oil changes are far too long for one oil filter. I change my oil every 5-7.5k. I also use the heavier weight oil Honda prescribes for this car (and this 1.5 litre engine) in other countries. I have found (in reading) that eventually heavier oil will break down to 5w-20 anyway. I wonder what viscosity 5w-20 break down to??
It's just like my old CR-V, Honda states 5w-20 for all temp ranges, but the same engine, albeit with some Acura mods (it's in the TSX), the required oil was 5w-30. That engine had higher compression, etc.. that requires HEAVIER lubrication.
In other countries the recommended oil is 10w-30/10w-40. It's winter, so I am using 5w-30.
While most religiously follow Honda's MM, Oil is cheap insurance if you can afford it. I can.
p/s I also change the Air Filters whenever they appear dirty too. Or should I wait until the recommended miles?

Also, I have a spring loaded vicegrip-like oil change wrench that will clamp down on the filter with ever increasing force until it turns. It was $10.00 10 years ago. I think such a small investment has been well worth it. I haven't seen anything like for sale at wallyworld or other big chains.

 

Modern detergent oils are supposed to turn black relatively quickly; color is not a reliable indicator of oil life. I'm comfortable with 10K/annual oil change interval with 5W-30 synthetic. That said, other than the first oil change, you're not going to harm the engine with changes at shorter intervals than Honda recommends.