My dealer service person says that the initial oil/filter change should not be done until after 5K miles. I asked him why and he said that the factory puts in a "special additive" that is supposed to stay in the engine for the first 5k miles. Not sure I blelieve that one. I think the oil just normal Honda oil from a bulk container. Any Honda Techs etc. have any input on that one? Thanks...phasfit

 

yes it is true, you should go by your maintenance minder, and not change the oil until then.

It's a break in oil. Ignore what you were told by your father and grandfather, New cars do not need an oil change every 3000, change it when it tells you to.

 

I used to change my oil every 3,000 on my former cars up until around the late 90's. Now I change it every 5,000, but I'm sure it's safe to change at 7,500 as well. A good gauge would be to pop open the hood and check how dirty the oil is.

 

If they were trying to screw you they would have you change it sooner/more often.

 

Molybdenum

because:

" (MoS2) is used as a lubricant and an agent. It forms strong films on metallic surfaces, and is highly resistant to both extreme temperatures and high pressure, and for this reason, it is a common additive to engine motor oil; in case of a catastrophic failure, the thin layer of molybdenum prevents metal-on-metal contact."

 

good info !!!!!!

 

When we analyzed our oil from initial change at about 500 miles there was no secret ingredient; molybdenum sulfide is a common additive for its slipperiness and attraction to metal surfaces and we detected no unusual amout.
Honda and others are just catering to the 90% owners who think changing oils is a huge waste of money. (I've seen 3 year old Civics and Accords traded in with a thick ridge of oil around the filler neck in the head cover, a sure sign of not regular oil changes and the owners 'swear 3000 mile oil changes'. Owners aren't much more honest than sales people.)
At least waiting for 7500 miles might cause the customers to get it done.

 

yes, like a subaru dealership.

 

Owners who are trading in (selling) their cars are in fact sales people at that point.

 

IRON CHEF HONDA FIT!

now you must make five courses in one hour!

 

When I had my DC5 I changed the oil more often than the recomended amount, those motors tend to burn oil. They don't tell you that. Not sure about the L15, but i'd leave the first oil change alone. They also tell you that you should change the oil if the car has been in service for a year and not broken the recommend milage.

 

I changed the oil in my DC5 every 6-7k miles. I also used Redline oil though. My car never had a problem with burning oil. There were so many others who did though. The damn tranny grind though loved my car even after syncro replacements... TWICE!

 

Molybdenum Disulfide (or disulphide for the English) is a very good lubricant when ground sufficiently fine for it not to get trapped in the filter. I have a tub of it that I bought from a lubricants dealer, it's finer than talc and if you spread it on your finger it makes you look like the "silver surfer" from spiderman.

I add a small scoop to a clean quart of oil and shake the quart (take some out before you do and it will mix better) for a few mins. The oil that comes out is black and shiny. I put that in the car then top the rest up with regular oil.

I've done this with all my vehicles and haven't had issues with any of them.

 

If you ever took the car into high RMP then you burnt oil, they have squirters that spray oil onto the walls of the combustion chamber.

 

Hmm... Wierd.. never had a problem with burning oil and I drove my car to 8.5k rpm all the time.

 

Ok, so call me ignorant... but I am looking for advice. In the past, I've always changed my oil at the 3k mark.

My uncle (toyota mastermechanic) says to change oil every 3k or 5k if you are using synthetic. I told him the salesman at Honda said not to change my oil for the first time till 10k. My maintenance minder is counting down towards this as well.

He said, go ahead and wait--you'll just ruin your engine. And, isn't that how the dealerships/service shops stay in business? Fixing and new cars?

I'm about 5,500 miles right now. My husband is really pushing to change my oil. I told him ok as long as he puts whatever additive back into it. I see the reference above, but it also notes it isn't in any abnormal range. Further, I remember seeing another thread (but I can't find it) discussing what the "special additive" was.

We are looking at putting in the fully sythetic Mobile 1 5w-20 and doing the change now. What are your thoughts on the additives?

And, if you remember that other thread, could you point me in that direction?

 

I think it would be good for you to do the oil change now but not with synthetic yet. Wait till 10 or 15k. Don't use any additives.

 

This is not advisable for others, not because 'moly' is not a good lubricanrt but because it has to be metered carefully into the oil. The concentration is critical to avoid having spotty lubrication. And there needs to be some dispersing agents to keep it suspended. otherwise it would just settle out in the oil pan.

 

Parrafin based oils should be changed at 3000 mile intervals and napthene based oils at 2500; good synthetics are good for at least 5000 miles. The problem with lengthy oil changes is the contaminant capacity of the oil filter so oil changes much beyond 7500 miles on synthetics is not feasible even though the oil is still a very good lubricant. Once contaminants such as various acids, sludges, etc are recirculated in the engine because the filter went on bypass corrosion or etching may scar many surfaces and shorten their life. It doesn't have to be, it just more likely to happen. And typical oils pick up or disintegrate more easily than synthetics which is why they dshould be changed more often.
The first oil change gets rid of a lot of debris that occurred when the engine was assembled, no matter how carefully. In race environments engines are assembled in medical type clean rooms for that reason. Even then, many will flush (change oil) after only a half-hour breakin to flush that stuff out.
We change our new car engine oil at about a thousand miles and have it analyzed for suspect metals and organics. And immediately change too synthetic. So far in probably well over a million miles of owner service, no engine failures other than overreving the engine. (good oils won't prevent valve to cylinder contact).
Most oil change periods are decided by marketing, not engineering. So check the disclaimers in your owner's manual about how often to change oil. In the maintenance tables
We've used Mobil 1 for more than a decade with excellent results. A couple of back-to-back dyno tests showed typicall a 3% gain in horsepower and mpg. Not great but when you're racing ...
No additives are ever needed unless you need stop a leak or otherwise address a engine defective condition. The ones we tried all showed no advantage anywhere.

 

i love these oil-related threads.