Hey Sammy,

Fellow 2005 EX-L owner here.

Ours only has 3400 miles on it, so the only thing I've done is change the oil. Yesterday was the 3rd oil change and I went to Mobil-1 5W20 Full synthetic.

As far as coolant, power steering fluid, and auto transmission fluid, I plan on making a trip to the dealer in a few more months and buying a jug of each. I also need some PS Fluid for my '95, so I will get an extra of that.

Brake fluid can be off the shelf DOT 3.

If you are getting your oil changed at a Quick-lube joint, I'd switch to the dealer if it is close by. If their prices are out of line, negotiate with them. Otherwise, tell the concrete termites NOT to top off your fluids under the hood except windshield washer fluid. Everything else should be from Honda.

 

maybe i have a different relationship with my local honda dealer than most folks, they are cheaper for an oil change than the crackheads at jiffy lube and the other quick lubes, and they know that the crush washer needs to be replaced. also, i get all my service al a carte and they dont push any service on me. for example, they charged just $55 for changing the tranny fluid. they said that honda recommends every 100-120k, but that if i wanted to do it at 50-60, they would do it for me, even tho they arent recommending it. they also told me to wait until i do the timing belt at ~100, to do the coolant. i had to have a bent wheel replaced, and my service writer suggested a few placed locally and online to find one. i got one for 57$ and honda only charged me 12$ to mount and balance it. and finally, i need new tires. i was thinking about getting them from tirerack. my honda dealer said i could ship them there and they would only charge 39$ to mount and balance them, valve stems, etc, included. that is cheaper than anywhere else in town. even cheaper than the recommended installers from the tirerack site. i will only go to the dealer, ymmv

 

i also have a good relationship with my dealer. the parts manager tells me order it from majestic if its a OEM part, or he tell me that if he does it he will get the part from napa and double the cost, so i might-as-well do it myself and save money.

 

wait, regarding the tranny fluid exchange
how often should you do it. because like i said in another post, i have a 2000 LX, and i changed it at about roughly 50,000 miles, since i bought it used and didn't know if the previous owner was a douche or not. am i good for how long?

 

for honda's "normal" driving recomendation, you can do it every 100K, but i did mine at 50K just to be sure. (not sure what the "severe" rec is). it's only $55 at the dealer, that why i did it at half the interval.

 

Thooks....and everyone else

was wondering about something...i understand how important a regular oil change is for your car...but do u really have to change it after 1K? Honda says 5K...i do it 3k ...i got about 8.5k miles on mine...my 3rd oil change is coming up NOW....cause nowhere in the manual it says that you gotta change it so frequently...

(sorry shonnv..i still kept the manual despite u tellin me to trash it..lol)

am i missing something?

 

if honda says 5 and ppl are puttin 200-300k miles on the engines, why would you do it at 3?

 

changing the oil also depends on how you drive... if you always drive your car hard the oil will break down faster (turn brown/black) which means you need to change your oil more often.

 

ahh...cool...didnt know that...i generally keep it around 2k rpm give or take...so i ll stick to 3...

 

Sammy:

I went to Mobil 1 5W20 at 3400 miles and I won't change it again until 10,000. At that point, I will send a sample to Blackstone and have them analyze it.

Honda says you can go 10k miles between oil changes with "normal" driving conditions and 5k with severe. If you will ask, there isn't a mechanic nor car nut around that will say many people fit in the "normal" conditions. But...

I can justify it partially due to this is my wife's car, and 50% of her mileage is at 50 mph+ and no red lights. I'd say most of the other mileage other than her going back and forth to work is highway miles.

I seriously doubt I will see an engine problem with this new car. Especially using the M1.

I will do an analysis at 10k miles and every 7500 after that through about 50k miles. After that, I'll do one every 25k miles or so, hoping to take the oil change intervals to 10k miles.


I will say I'd never, ever think I'd try that, but I've read a good bit, Mobil 1 is guaranteeing their product, so I guess I have convinced myself I will be wasting money and time changing it before 7500.