This is a new experience after owning cars for the past 17 years...


Maybe I'm a little old school, but I change my car's oil every 3,000 miles (except for the Daihatsu, which is every 1,000 miles, or about a year). The Fit is no exception.


Since the car's purchase in October, 2014, it finally racked up 3,000 miles. The oil life meter on the dash read that it had 60% left.


Regardless, it's better to be safe than sorry, and I made an appointment with my Honda dealer about 20 miles away. I drove down there last weekend. The service advisor asked how miles were on the car. "Just over 3,000". And then he checked the computer: "it's got over 60% left, you don't need to."


I mentioned I'd rather just do it, because the car could be 2 years old before it gets an oil change going by that logic. He just shrugged and said that they always go by the computer regardless of situation. He then said to come back when it's 15% or below, and shooed me away. That was a waste of time, gas, and energy to drive down there.


I think I'll just do it myself when we visit my parent's farm the next time

 

It is odd, but I respect the dealer for being environmentally conscious (if that had anything to do with the refusal).
To me that is the main reason I would recommend not changing the oil prematurely. It's a waste of resources.

In your situation, I would definitely get it changed (not critical, but definitely before it's a year since you bought the car).
I am sure there will be 99% of other oil change places that would want your business.

Now, the dealer might be justifying it by the supposed Honda's advice to keep the break-in oil in the engine until the meter minder says to change it.

Btw, the 3000 miles intervals are a thing of the past, just like ignition point adjustments, carb adjustments, etc. The oils and the engines have advanced to where they are perfectly well protected for up to 10000-miles changes with synthetic oil.

 

Honda is unique among automakers in that they deliver their cars with special break-in oil. Changing it prematurely isn't a good idea.

Back in the old days of sand cast blocks the usual routine was to do an initial run, change the oil, go 300 miles, change the oil, and then change every 3000 miles thereafter. These days, cleaner manufacturing procedures and the ability to accumulate data about how the car is driven has pretty much made the 3000 mile oil change obsolete except in the mind of the quickie oil change places.

 

OP since you don't drive that much it is best to change the oil every year regardless of miles. Reason being is that oil does oxidize over time and also moisture build up in the engine mix with combustion by products forms acid that will break down the oil. Folks that have normal average annual miles don't worry about moisture cause it all evaporates away from more use so not much acid forms. No concern of oxidation either cause these folks rack up the miles so they will change oil long before a year passes.

A car is well broken in after 1k miles.

 

I thought the same and called Honda Service. The scheduler asked me if the wrench light was on. I said it wasn't. He told me to watch the wrench and to call him only when it comes on. So that's what I do. Oh, and then I read the manual to verify his recommendation.

 

Why read TFM?

Oil change is pretty simple. When it reaches 15% or one year whichever occurs first.

 

What everyone else said. Wait until Oct to change it. Keep the specially formulated break-in oil in it as long as you can. Then change it every year.

 

I, too, am from the 'old school' days when I changed my dino oil every 2-3K, a strategy which worked well with the old beaters I used to drive back in the 70s-90s.

The first car I ran full synthetic in was my '00 VW New Beetle TDI, and I ran Mobile 1 at 10K intervals. Sold the car with 219K on it and the high school kid that bought it has probably added another 10-20K since then. The last time I had the timing belt done, the rocker area was clean as a whistle.

I have absolutely no problem running my Fit at 10K intervals (and I'm now at 23K miles, so I've done two changes).

The data (as opposed to decades-old experience or "feelings") would indicate you can trust the mileage minder (they tend to be conservative)…

Of course, it's your car, and if you still feel you want to change the oil more frequently, that's your decision, but as you discovered, you'll likely have to do it yourself (I'd avoid the jiffy-lube places like the plague).

es

 

Also keep in mind that Honda specs synthetic for our cars, so you really don't need to change it that often. Push it to at least every 6k or so.

And as others said, keep the break-in oil in as long as possible.

 

Cost of an oil change is insignificant to the cost of ownership. According to the little Fuelly app.. I'm spending about 7 cents a mile on gas. I do my own maintenance.

My wife's Toyota takes 6.5 quarts, and the Fit 3.5. Buy two 5 quart 0w20 Mobile 1 jugs and I can change both. I spent $70 for two jugs and two oil filters (Honda dealer sells filters for like $7 a pop). Changing oil at 4500 miles (yeah it hurts, but I wait) is $35/4500 or $0.08 a mile. Make it 10,000 miles and it's $0.04/mile. Insignificant. So what if it was good for twice as long I don't care.

I gave up a 06 Mustang GT that I loved after 150,000 miles. I changed the semi-synthetic every 3500 miles. I recently took off the valve covers and it was factory fresh, zero sludge.. just discolored. In it's VVT system, there's a 0.045" diameter hole that feeds oil to the cam phasers.. I'll call it good.

 

I am a flight instructor, and our mechanics have a simple saying: Oil is cheap. Engines are not. When was the last time you saw an engine wear out from changing the oil too often? When was the last time you saw one wear out from NOT changing it?

 

This is true and it would be best to change them sooner then 3k but it is not necessary with modern oil and engines. Todays oils stomp all over the old stuff, and with engines running cleaner with tighter tolerances it is just a waste. OP can change it every 1000 if he wants but he is just wasting his time and money IMO.


The engineers at Honda are pretty smart, if they are ok with I am too.

 

I am a pilot (zing!) but also work for a Fortune 50 manufacturer of earthmoving equipment and diesel engines. Downtime for our customers can cost them big money, but changing the oil before it's "worn out" also eats into profit. Owners of large fleets want to change fluids at the *optimal* time, which, with modern manufacturing, filtration and oil compositions, is significantly longer than it used to be.

As stated, the Maintenance Minder on your Fit (and pretty much any car with an oil monitor) is somewhat conservative, and mine has shown 15-20% life left at both 10K oil changes I've done (23K on the car so far). I personally am comfortable with 10K intervals based on that (and based on prior history running 10K intervals on my TDI New Beetle for 12 years and 219K miles – and diesels are pretty tough on oil).

All that to say, if someone wants to change the oil at 2-3K intervals, there's nothing to stop them other than the fact they will spend more in owning and operating costs over the life of the car, and dump twice as much used oil back into (hopefully) the recycling stream. For someone who wants to optimize cost vs. longevity, a 6-10K interval should work just fine, cost less and have less of an environmental impact in the long run.

es

 

It's your car, do what you want. I ain't gonna stop you.

 

The key to me in the OP's original post is the phrase "I'd rather just do it".

You can debate the "wisdom" of changing at 3000 while the maintenance minder still say's the oil life is at 60% BUT...

As a service department, I believe they should be supporting the customers desire. Break in Oil or not, I don't believe a premature Oil Change is going to do damage, therefore worst case scenario, the Service Department makes money doing an Oil Change, and the customer is happy instead of questioning why The Service Department is refusing to do what he wishes.

The recommendation that it isn't needed? Probably arguably valid. But absolutely refusing to do it, once and if the customer states they'ed rather just do it? Not professional. In terms of an Oil Change? If the customer has made an appointment, drove to the dealership, and wants it done? Then IMO they should just do it.

As owners, and owners paying for service, I think we have a right to maintain our vehicles using any established or chimerical thought process in regards to maintenance we feel happy and comfortable applying. The Customer Is Always Right should trump The Maintenance Minder says it's unneeded.

 

Times have changed. 3,000-mile oil changes have gone the way of the dinosaurs, and any facility that hustles you to do it that frequently is just after your $$.

If you check your owner's manual, you should see that the recommended oil-change interval is essentially: when the oil-life indicator drops below 15% (the wrench will light up) or once a year, whichever comes first. That's certainly what our GE Fit manuals say.

So wait until that one-year interval has passed, go back to the dealer with manual in hand, point to the relevant sentence and tell him that if he doesn't do it then, you'll hold him responsible for voiding your warranty. That should change his tune.

On our 2009, the wrench comes on after about 13 months from the last oil change if we let it go that far. That works out to a bit over 10,000 miles between changes. It has over 57K miles on it, takes over 7,000 miles to drink a quart of oil, and is not driven around with a feather throttle foot. That's a consumption rate I wouldn't complain about no matter what the oil-change interval was supposed to be.

 

Thank you Fitchet,
You are spot-on about my feelings. I know that the car is probably fine if I wait until 6,000 miles (although it'll take me close to two years to get there). I just grew up with an old-school Dad and was taught by a traditional high school mechanics teacher that 3,000 is the magic number. Cars have advanced in that time. But like someone said, an engine has never blown up by changing the oil too many times.


It's really just the principal. It is my car, and there's no harm in being cautious with the car's maintenance. And the fact that I made the appointment, drove the 20 miles each way to the dealer, and wasted about 1 1/2 hours and 40 miles of gas to be just turned away was off putting. Even if the service advisor thought I was whacko, he should've just taken it in.


Not to sound like Will Smith in "I Robot", but I don't want to put all of my faith in a machine and computer to tell me when to do the oil change.


Oh well, I've come to peace with it. However, the car is driven maybe about 20 miles a week now since I got the Ford Explorer, so it's going to take a while to get to 15% oil life if I go off the computer

 

Change the oil in a year if you don't get to the 15%...see the manual.

 

I mean, I understand you grew up with the old 3k interval, but with every piece of research you can do and everything people will say here... it seems clear that that old interval is absolutely irrelevant. The dealer inconvenienced you for sure, and from a customer service perspective (based on "just do what the customer wants" type "service") maybe he should have done it, but he was definitely not wrong in telling you you don't need one. I am positive he has more customers complaining about being charged for unnecessary service than he does those complaining about NOT having unnecessary service performed - strong emphasis on unnecessary service.

Maybe he didn't understand how put out you were by the whole thing, and maybe in that sense they owe you some type of gesture. But that doesn't change the fact that your oil is fine and your car is no worse the wear for this.