My girlfriend's Fit is at about 4,000 miles, but the dealer said that the oil doesn't need to be changed when the oil life reaches 15% left. i don't entirely trust this system. Oil deteriorates over time, not just mileage. what do you suggest?

 

I changed mine at about 6100 miles / 30%, switched to Mobil 1 synthethic. I don't trust computers either, partly because I work in the computer industry and know there is no such thing as a 100% reliable pc of technology, anyone that tells you otherwise is just trying to sell you something so they make their commision.

 

yeah, her oil life meter shows 40% and it's at 4,500 miles. we're about to take a road trip from orange county to san francisco, so I'd rather do it and have the peace of mind. it's cheap enough and easy enough. much easier than on a K20 motor

 

I too did mine early. It had about 4k miles and was 3 months old. No matter what the computer says thats enough for me. I think mine said 50% life left. It had been through lots of stop and go and a 1k mile trip to Canada.

 

yes... mine says 50% now..but i drive at least one a week to Birmingham,which is an hour away. and ive only had the car for a month and already have 3700k miles on it... im going monday to change it

 

Better safe then sorry. Regardless, the oil life reminder is based of oil temperatures, engine revolutions, etc. There is a LOT that goes into it. Since you're about to take a road trip it's probably not a bad idea. Otherwise I'd stick to what the maintenance minder says, why spend money on stuff (oil changes etc) if you don't need to!

 

today's engines are so efficient now. you can change oil at almost 10,000 miles. so i'm pretty sure if the owners manual says to change oil at 15% oil life left, than i'm pretty sure the engineers at honda knew what they were doing.

 

to keep my car in top running order, i change my oil every 3k miles with Mobil 1 synthetic oil...i'd never trust a gauge...

 

LOL...Hey i say the same thing thou but somehow I need to trust a gauge at least the odometer gauge! I called the dealership, was told to change the oil at 15%, called American Honda, was told 15%, consulted the manual 15%. Why? Well, i was told that these engines are more efficient and burn cleaner. I was told by a mechanic that it really depends what type of oil the may have used GF3 or GF4. By all means I am switching to Mobil1 Sync otherwise I would stay with Castrol GTX.

 

1) go with your Gut.

2) yes oil is better now... but you know when you break in a motor.. extra filing wear.

3) it wont hurt it.

I changed it at 3K,6K, 9K,12K then I put in synthetic. I will go 6k on synthetic.

 

im thinking about doing mine around 5k or around 15% left on the
gauge which ever comes first. i have a free oil change ticket from
the dealer but i'll probably just end up doing it myself. i bought a
filter and washer set from collegehills for like $5.

 

10,000 miles on standard mineral based oil,,,,,NOT IN MY CAR,,,NEVER
I change mine every 4000. Used to do it at 3000, but I do 95% highway driving now and bumped it up a bit. I use Castrol and feel it's better to get rid of dirty oil sooner so if there is anyting in there floating around I lose it every 4000. Synthetic oil is great but I can't stand to leave it in the motor long enough to reap the bennies for the reason stated above,,, OUT with the old,,,, IN with the new is what works for me,,,to each his (or her) own,,,,
Honda engineers say change at 6000 or so,,,(they want you to believe thier car is low maintenance)
motor oil companies say change it at 3000 (they want to sell oil)
Grouser says go middle of the road and call it good at 4000 (I have nothing to gain)

 

Changing the FIRST oil change too soon can interfere with the break-in process. It's very important for optimum engine performance to have all those moving parts thoroughly mated.
If you change to an excellent synthetic oil before the piston rings are fully seated to the bore, your engine may burn oil for the rest of it's life.
I'm taking the first oil change to 15%, as Honda recommends, and after that, I'll change it on my terms.

 

COLOR!!! if you check the dip stick on your engine, and that oil is dark brown or black, its due. amber is good. clear is questionable, and if it smells like honey, you got issues. same with auto tranny fluid.

 

actually, you can't go by just the color... you'll have to get it chemically
analyzed to see if the oil really broke down or not. it can be all black, yet
still structurely sound.


btw, i got my free oil change done at the dealer last week. guess,
i'll do the next one using M1.

 

i usually chage my oil every 3000 miles, but for some reason i got lazy and its been about 5000 miles since i last changed. the guage says its at 15% so i odnt know, might be accurate

 

Wow, too bad we don't live close. I'd take your used oil off your hands and run it another 7k miles😄

 

Oh just shut up and piss away your money on frequent oil changes. Like the last quote I wonder why every Honda source said 15%. Like they do not want to do more frequent changes because they would make money?

My Fit is going on 7 years old. I am low mileage so do not hit 15% within a year so once a year AS Recommended by Honda I get the oil and filter changed at Honda. I have had no problems.