Blue Bitch 2K

Here is the deal, I have an '03 with 1500 miles on it, and I've had it for almost 3 months. Do I change the oil now at 3 months, or wait until 3000 miles? I don't want to screw anything up since I'm so in love with this car. On all of my previous cars, I changed the oil at 3 month intervals. Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks.

OhioRacer

Blue,


Honda recommends you keep the "factory break-in" oil for 3,750 miles (if the car operates in extreme conditions), or 7,500 miles (under normal conditions). Also, do not use synthetic until after 10,000 miles. Do a search on "oil". There is a ton of good info on the subject.

Crabby Guy

I have just 1200 miles on my '03, so I'm facing the same decisions. Although people in the US argue about oil changes more than politics, here is what the conventional wisdom boils down to for me.

Since the factory fill starts out with a completely clean engine and has additives in it for break in, I plan to keep it in the car for 5,000 miles, roughly splitting the difference between 3,750 and 7,500. I'll change the oil using some high-quality, non-synthetic and Honda oil filters at 5,000 and 7,500 miles, switching to a magnetic drain plug at 5,000. At 10,000 miles, when everything should be broken in, judging by when oil consumption usually falls on these cars, I'll put in Mobil 1 and an upgraded filter. (Mobil 1 filters seems to be the best @$13 but the STP and one of the Bosch filters are essentially the same design with somewhat different materials @$5. The US and Canadian Honda oil filters are poorly regarded on all the oil change forums. It's essentially impossible to buy JDM Honda oil filters outside of Japan.) Changing the Mobil 1 with an upgraded filter every 5,000 miles seems perfectly adequate unless you are running on a track, based on oil testing done every 1,000 miles by some fanatical person.

Although there are somewhat better synthetics out there than Mobil 1 in some regards and some people want to change their oil weekly because doing so makes them sleep better, I have convinced myself that the schedule above will keep the engine alive as long as any other process.

RazorV3

for breakin, it should be changed at 3750 for severe conditions...ill probably change it around that since most of my trips are in the city.

ntphan

I changed mine at about 4000 miles after 6 months. I think OhioRacer is right about Honda's recommendation.