General Fit TalkGeneral Discussion on the Honda Fit/Jazz.
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I will be going to LA.. then to San Diego... Should I change my oil before I go or wait.. I think it's a dumb question, but thought I'd ask anyways.
I would wait. If Honda thought you should make your first oil change earlier they would program the car accordingly. The oil life sensor is reliable. I took a trip from Orange County to Vegas when my Fit was new and had about 40% oil life, you're not going to hurt the car.
(Just an observation, I mean no disrespect)
I've noticed that the hardcore car guys and professional mechanics are slow to believe Oil Life Systems. My dad's the same way... you're brought up with 3 months/3,000 miles drilled into your head and then all of a sudden car companies come out and say wait for the car to tell you. Next thing you know you're going 7-8,000 miles on the same oil. It doesn't feel 'right'.
I've changed my oil twice since September '07, I have a little over 15,000 miles on the car and 40% oil life left.
I've noticed that the hardcore car guys and professional mechanics are slow to believe Oil Life Systems.
Actually it's the case that some of us stero typed users understand what's in there and can tell the difference between magic and technology.
For the record:
1) On the 1st change, the normal 15% interval is just risky and foolish considering what's at risk and the $$'s involved. My Blackstone UOA sample proved me right.
2) I use and recommend the use of Lab testing that actually looks at what's in the oil and how it's shifted from new. That in my opinion is the best way to determine WHEN to change oil.
On your next oil change, spend some $$'s and get the used oil tested here Blackstone Laboratories
only then will your really know what the OIL cond was when drained.......
If you have deep pockets, but insist on the best, send your used oil sample to this guy DYSON ANALYSIS
Statistical speaking, I'm sure the Honda maint minder "model" is OK if you use a +$4 qt oil and drive normal. Problem is I do not trust that fit all model and like to fully understand what I'm doing. So I spend a tad more and get the data and answers right.
All that said, if you are like many of the users on here and DO NOT expect to keep your Fit very long, disregard everything I have offered up. It would be a total wast of time.
__________________ Paul 2008 VBP Fit Sport Man 5 spd trans
208US Gal saved in the last 20,000miles
At the end of the day, change it at whatever frequency you feel comfortable with. I'm completely fine with following the recommendations of Honda. I can't imagine they want to be in the business of selling cars that develop engine failures as a result of problems with their maintenance guidelines.
Ok if there was any risk in waiting to the 15% mark to change the oil would honda tell us to wait that long. I think not because than they would be fixing things under the warranty right. The 3 month 3,000 mile deal was in the past with older oils and cars. If HONDA says wait to 15% i would wait why would they say that. Would they want us to break are engine no becasue than they would have to replace it with the warranty. But if u want to change it early it wont hurt anything ethier just wasting money and hurting this place we live called earth. ONCE again if we were suppose to change the oil at 3000 miles ur manual would say that. Just look in the manual its there for a reason right.
Some actually have an optical sensor, but those are euro-luxo brands.. Hondas is probably math based on transmission gear / speed / overall distance / temperature.. which is probably pretty accurate, but it cant differentiate between good and bad oils... And the whole thing was just created to get people to get their oil changed at the dealer more often instead of quick lube... (I assume the dealer has to reset the sensor?)
So yes i think im agreeing with the post above mine :P
LOL...It'll be nice if honda put optical sensors on an eco car though. Dealer doesn't have to reset the sensor, you can reset it yourself using the odo button on the dash.
Also, the fit is not a performace car. 109 hp engine doesn't need the best oil in the world. And considering that engine size is only 1.5L, it needs less oil than most other engines. If you want to reduce oil risk, keep your RPM low where oil doesn't burn as fast and the engine doesn't experience as much friction.
Even with good oil, running an cold engine hard at high RPM with the best oil can possibly result in mechanical damage.
If you're supposed to change it early, how come there is nothing in the manual under "Engine Break In" ??? I checked it, and I didn't see anything.
I'm really curious why there isn't any mention... seems like kind of a big deal.
I also think the die-hard engine guys who say "change it early" are used to building engines up from 0.0 miles. Who knows how long the engines in our cars were tested in the factory before they were put in. Just because the odometers says 0.0 miles, I doubt that is the first time it's been started.
I'd go out on a limb and say that the oil that was in your car when you drove off the lot is not a "break in oil." It's probably the good stuff that will take you 3k miles or more. Otherwise I'm sure we'd be told either by the dealer or the manual that you need to change early.
I'm gonna trust the maintenance minder until someone here is able to prove that I should do otherwise. Unless I get scared, then I'll be driving to Honda!
__________________
2008 Honda Fit Sport AT
Blackberry Pearl
How shall I modify you?
" Why should I wait to change the oil the first time?
* Your Honda engine was delivered with an oil that is specially formulated for new engines that have not yet developed their "natural" wear patterns and may contain minute particles from the manufacturing process.
* American Honda strongly recommends this special oil be left in the engine long enough for these wear patterns to develop, usually until the first maintenance interval specified in your Owner's Manual, based on your specific driving conditions."
This is a funny thread. Everybody on the board apparently trusts the engineers at Honda in terms of the quality of the vehicle but then some of you don't think they know what they're doing when it comes to recommended maintenance.
By the way, my local dealer uses regular old Valvoline (with a ridiculous upcharge if you want them to use synthetic). You can buy Honda brand oil in the parts dept but they don't use it themselves.
I've owned Civics that had well over 200,000 miles on them and didn't burn any oil...just using regular old oil at the recommended maintenance intervals. I don't see any reason why the Fit won't do the same.
Resetting the Engine Oil Life Display:
1. Turn on the ignition switch to the ON (II) position.
2. Press the select/reset knob repeatedly until the engine oil life is displayed.
3. Press the select/reset knob for about 10 seconds. The engine oil life and the maintenance item code(s) will blink.
4. Press the select/reset knob for another 5 seconds. The maintenance code(s) will disappear, and the engine oil life will reset to "100."
* Your Honda engine was delivered with an oil that is specially formulated for new engines that have not yet developed their "natural" wear patterns and may contain minute particles from the manufacturing process.
* American Honda strongly recommends this special oil be left in the engine long enough for these wear patterns to develop, usually until the first maintenance interval specified in your Owner's Manual, based on your specific driving conditions."
Which means that once the wear patterns are developed, the oil can be changed. This means FAR less than 3,000 miles.
The only part that takes a while to break in are the rings. Old style hard rings broke in AT MOST in 1,200 miles. How do I know? I used to build 911 engines that cost far more than your whole Fit. We tested ring break in by dyno as well and a leak down meter readings.
Quote:
i'm not going to argue with you about this. i'm following the instructions that the people that MADE THE CAR gave. the maintenance minder isn't a dumb computer that tracks only miles driven. it actively monitors the quality of the oil. if it doesn't say it needs to be changed, it doesn't need to be changed.
You shouldn't argue at all, you have no clue what you are talking about.
Just because they made the car doesn't address any of the problems in a logical manner. There is a lot of pressure on the industry to have cars that require low maintenance. Why do you think we have 100k before the plugs need changing? Playing the card "they made the car" is just a stupid fallacy.
As other have pointed out, leaving oil with metal particles in it WILL damage the engine. Changing the oil early is not a dumb waste of money. There is no magical unicorn that stays in the oil until 7,000 miles and then everything is magically correct. The facts of the matter are that your engine is fully broke in at 1500 miles, much less 3,000 or 7,000. The only reason the factory doesn't use full synthetics is to get the rings to break in as fast as they can, which a full synthetic will delay.
Yes, the maintenance minder is just a dumb algorithm. Don't believe me, go change your oil and don't reset it. It will stay the same. It has no way to read the condition of the oil.
Quote:
This is a funny thread. Everybody on the board apparently trusts the engineers at Honda in terms of the quality of the vehicle but then some of you don't think they know what they're doing when it comes to recommended maintenance.
Just because they say 7,000 doesn't mean it can't be changed before and be a benefit. I could also argue that they are fully aware of the oil life span and 7,000 miles is a MAX value of what the engine can take without incurring damage.
Last edited by lostpacket; 09-25-2009 at 10:59 PM.
All this talk of oil changes made me think to check mine. I only have 2,700 miles on it so I thought it should still be golden.
Wow, was I dead wrong! My oil was dark, really dark, like black. If you cleaned the oil stick on a white towel you could really see how dark the oil was.
My Fit is driven mostly (80%) highway miles or more and at most 20% city miles with at least 5-7 miles round trip. It has only been over 3,000 rpm a few times just to see how the engine pulled and to kick in the special rocker function above 5,000 rpm.
Needless to say I ran out and got some Mobile 1 and a Mobile 1 filter. Autozone had a great deal, 5qts and a filter for $29.
Long story short, no matter what they say, dirty oil is bad for the engine. Once oil can no longer absorb dirt, engine damage will occur. What I saw today was a shocker as to just how dirty it is. Moral of the story, check you oil and see what it looks like. If it is dirty, change it regardless of miles.
On a side note, I was curious about the construction of the OEM filter vs Mobile 1 since it actually felt kind of heavy like it was quality built. The link below shows both cut open and analyzes the inner workings. You are better off using a Mobile 1 filter instead of OEM as it is just build better. (like I really expected Fram to build a good filter) http://rdx.acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=682139
Do what you want, but Mobile 1, while good, isn't the ultimate oil anymore. Lots of good stuff out there, all full synthetic...Valvoline, Castrol Edge. A lot of the time, Mobile doesn't even make the correct weight oil for som cars.
It does make the correct weight for the Fit. I'm kind of curious what make/model of car Mobile 1 doesn't work with.
here are the viscosity ranges of Mobile 1
Mobil 1 0W-40
Mobil 1 5W-20
Mobil 1 5W-30
Mobil 1 10W-30
Mobil 1 15W-50
Mobil 1 High Mileage 5W-30
Mobil 1 High Mileage 10W-30
Mobil 1 High Mileage 10W-40
Mobil 1 Truck and SUV 5W-30
Castrol and Valvoline are not fully synthetic despite what the label says.
Honeslty, in my experience as a mechanic, those that always changed thier oil on time had significantly less wear, cleaner internal parts, and less damage than those that never changed the oil until it was dirty. So as long as you don't abuse your engine and change you oil before it is too dirty, it really doesn't matter what oil you use*.
*A few oils are really complete crap, but the majority out there are not.
Last edited by lostpacket; 09-27-2009 at 09:38 PM.
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