spyked

Here goes:

2011 TSX.
Build Date: Jan 2011
Delivery Date: July 2011

Current miles: 4,000
Oil Life per dash: 40%

So, this means the oil has been sitting in my car for over a year now, with me only driving it since last summer. Car isn't asking for oil change.

Am I asking for trouble? Change it now? Or is it REALLY ok to follow the maintenance minder?

If the cars came with synthetic factory-fill I wouldn't sweat it, but since it's just dino oil....not sure what to do with this "break in" oil.

Thoughts? Advice?

Thanks.

ceb

Oil should be changed once a year or when the mm tells you to - whichever comes first. Make sure you use the correct oil and stay very far away from the "iffy lube" places. Find a good indy, go to the dealer or DIY.

MrOtocinclus

^ what he said, plus here's the text pasted directly from page 227 of the manual:

*1: Change the engine oil according to the Maintenance Minder, or annually, whichever comes first.

iamitman

But should you wait a whole year for the first oil change?

Professor

I'm in the same boat. Bought April 14, 2011 and still have 35% on the MID. I'm waiting until April.

Robert4

Hey spyked, at 4,000 miles you have used 60% of the original life of your oil. That means that for every 1,000 miles, the minder is deducting 15% from the life of the oil. At that rate, in about 1700 more miles, you'll be at 15%, which is oil change time.

ceb

Re-read my response to the first post. It is very simple - follow the monitor or change the oil every year. Anything more is a waste of money and resources.

Ask yourself this question "Who knows my car better, the people that designed it or a random bunch of people on the internet?"

My wife got 300k miles on her old Civic following the manufacturer's recommendation and 200k on her '09 following the monitor. The 300k Civic is still on the road and the '09 was traded in without any issues.

MoaarLow

Dependent upon on how drives for the remaining oil life. It can go another 3000 miles of he does mostly highway commuting. There's people with 7000 miles on an oil change. And others like myself who will see only about 3000-5000 miles out of our oil with constant stop and go.

either way, the oil has sat in there for a year, follow the Manual, It's time for a change.

spyked

Thanks for the replies everyone.

My dealer DOES NOT want to change the oil, even if I pay for it. They say the car isn't one year old yet since I bought at end of July. And yes, had the car been built in July 2011, I'd be waiting with no anxiety as it's not July 2012 yet.

How much does oil degrade when sitting in car from Jan 2011 to July 2011 is the REAL question, I guess. Probably not enough to be a concern, and that's why the maintenance minder isn't asking for oil change.

I wonder when the maintenance minder "comes to life" - on the assembly line or when car is delivered to customer (as part of some dealer PDI work)?

s40 driver

I feel confident in following the instructions in the book. Oil is made very well these days and the maintenance minder will alert you when its gone to shit. Even my Wrangler goes 7,500 between changes.

TSXy Luster

keep driving until the maintenance minder comes up, then bring it in for the oil change. Your dealer will HAVE to do it then.

08r3308

Why not just replace oil yourself if you worried.
Then once its time to service get a new fresh change

benben01

Why would the dealer turn away business unless you are getting the oil change for free? I am in the camp of DYI so i can see how much oil is being consumed. Winter time, I run the factory recommend 0-20. Summer time, I go either 0-30 or 5w-30 since I am a bit of a spirited driver. My oil of choice is Castrol Syntec Titanium with either a Mobil-1, Bosch, or K&N oil filter.

ceb

You are not doing your car any good by running non approved oil and viscosity. It seems like you have the old school mentality that oil needs change with the seasons. You are actually harming your car and setting yourself up for oil starvation.

benben01

You are absolutely right.. I am kicking it old school. However, the oil passages on this engine is not microscopic and a 30 weight will flow thru those passages just fine. Besides, the recommended 20w oil is for auto manf to boost MPGs and advertisement claims.

pinatubo

Whoever said not doing your oil change was a very honest person 'cuz most of them will do it, especially asked by clients.
Anyway, unless you park your car for a long period of time and not even turn the engine on, you SHOULD WAIT until the MM tells you so for the very FIRST TIME. After that, either do what the MM says or every 12 months whichever comes first.

denwhat

I think MM just factors in distance and driving conditions. I wouldn't worry about it and just follow it. Engines are supposed to come with a special blend of oil to help break in the engine from the factory, so you may be doing more harm than good by changing it out early.

That being said, I have also seen very stupid oil changing patterns. I know people who keep oil in their cars past 10k or with over a quart low. This is by all means horrible for the engine, but yet these cars have still been running for over 100k+ miles. Modern engines are really well built and can handle varying degrees of abuse. What I'm trying to say is that you should just follow the MM and not worry too much. My doing so I feel you are already doing much better than a lot of people out there.