Long road trips = longer oil life. One of the oil life indicator variables is distance travelled with the engine running. Lots of long trips will give better oil life than lots of short trips.
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Vivid Blue Pearl 2007 Honda Fit Sport MT
My list of Goodies... JDM Honda stuff: LED tail lights, armrest, leather shift knob, coin tray, roof console, steering mounted radio controls. Honda Canada stuff: rubber floor mats, trunk liner, cargo cover, cargo net, re-keyed locking gas cap, exhaust tip finisher, lock nuts. ICE: JVC KD-AVX33 headunit, PAC SWI-JACK. Other items: Eibach Pro springs, CL map lights with Homelink, LED 3rd brake light, tint.
hmmm....so its safe to say my constant stop and go from work (which is 80 miles or more per day) is gonna dramatically lower my oil life this time compared to last where i had two trips of 350+ miles non stop of open highway....
this is my first post, and might as well started sharing some info. though i know everybody loves their fit and wants to take care of it, sometimes the maintaince light just doesnt go off after an oil change, but here goes...hopefully nobody flames me nor will the dealer
Turn key to Acc
Hold odometer push-button in
Turn key to On
Watch the odometer reading turn to dashes
Watch the dashes slowly disappear
When the dashes all go away, and turn to zeroes, release thodometer button
PUT IT ON THE MAIN ODOMETER, NOT TRIP!
if it should work with every car, if your car doesnt have a trip odometer, dont worry about it.
I got my Fit two month ago...
The dealer told me there is a viscosity probe in the oil telling the computer when to change the oil...at the right moment when the viscosity drops...This could explain a lot of things...
mine was just abit under 4k, it was 4974, but i have had mine sinc ethe first day of release back on April 20th, and just finally got the oil changed on Oct 25th, so 6 months it took me.
I've always used seasons, as well as miles, as a gauge for when to change...4 times a year is usually what it boils down to.
By the time you get to 5k, it doesn't HURT to change it. No point in trying to eeek out the last of your oil life to save $15. I've seen lots of fuss about letting the 'special' factory oil do its job to help engine break-in. Now that you've let it go close to that far, change it!
I was about like you are, and then mine dropped pretty quick (kinda like the gas gauge!!) and I change mine when it hit 15% a little over 7K miles. I changed to Mobile 1 0W-20.
I'm now over 12K miles, and the oil life is back down to 50%. This is strange for me, as I've always done every 3K miles in the past. But, I'll trust that the folks who make the cars know more about it than I do!!
Engine efficiency (gas mileage) won't be directly affected by an oil change, at least not significantly. Synthetic oils may produce a slight change.
Most people believe engines wear in to their optimum clearances after several thousand miles. I asked a while back about whether Honda pre-runs their engines...because if they do, the majority of the 'break in' would occur there...I have to believe they do at least some form of test run at the engine factory.
Many who are acustomed to working with older engines are usually believers in immediate oil changes after initial start up. When I fired up my small block Ford for the first time, I change the oil after several engine runs....after this, it was back to regular intervals.
EDIT: I should note here that the major reason oil change is recommended is due to the camshaft design. Flat tappet or hydraulic lifter cams are required to be doused in engine assy lube due to the amout of shear force on the cam lobes during startup. This is a significant source of potential harm for the engine...not to mention the new bearings, valvetrain and rings. With roller camshafts, this pre-lube is usually not required, as the roller cams were much harder (steel). This may be the case for Honda OHC engines as well. I'm not sure.
Last edited by sonorliteman; 10-31-2006 at 12:50 AM.
My 15% light came on at about 5880 miles on Thursday of this week, and I'm taking it in to the dealer on Wednesday of next week for its first oil change. It was at around 30% at 5000 (probably a bit less, since the indicator really means 20-30%), so I assume that my maintenance minder is right on target.
This may be a little behind, but from what I have seen, Car Manufacturers typically run the motors for hours before they are even installed in the car for breaking in of the engine
Linear Mode
