I used to be an employee of Penske and the the Honda dealer still gives me employee pricing for parts. I got the cabin and panel filter for $13 each, oil filter and crush ring for $5 and I ended up getting Mobil 1 at WalMart. I was amazed how dirty the cabin filter was but then my buddy reminded me how much we use the a/c.

I wonder if switching to synthetic will yield any improvements on the mpg's???
WalMart was still cheaper with the synthetic than what the dealer would sell me the conventional for. I will still follow the service intervals from the maintenance minder.

The tranny will be next and when that time comes it will be switched to synthetic as well. I am just wanting to extend the life of this car. I really think that I will drive this car till the wheels fall off. I see that gas keeps creeping up in price so I think this car will be with me for a while.

 

If your transmission is the HCHII CVT (it's not clear), I would stick with the Honda Fluid: that fluid is stipulated, not recommended. That's one change that it doesn't hurt to do a little early. The fluid is pricey though: $16.27 per US quart through my Canadian dealership, and that was slightly discounted I believe.

 

Thanks for the heads up. They were real strict in the tranny fluid in the S2000 as well.

 

Had to add this comment -
Here's my comparison against Orient Express's list. This is what Honda demand in Scotland;

Oil every 12,500 miles
Oil filter 12,500
Cabin air filter 25,000
CVT fluid 50,000 miles/5 years then 37.5k and 4 years
Tyres rotation 6250 (deos anybody do this as often as recommended, I doubt it!!)
Brake fluid 3 years
Spark plugs 25,000
Valve adjust 25,000
Coolant 120,000/10 years then 60k and 5 years

For Stevielive - Our dealers over here demand service intervals are adhered to else warranty is void!! I don't know how you guys get away with it. We can go to any reputeable garage as long as they use genuine Honda parts but, they can't always get hold of them and with the fancy electrics it is hard to find anyone other than Honda dealers to do the work in this country.

I will post this seperately as a new thread for everyones' info

 

Hi Dougal;
It sounds like your Dealer is ripping you off. Do you not have MM in your cars that tell you when you need service? Here the MM calls for oil filter ever other oil change and spark plugs and valve adjustment after 100,000 Kil. CVT around 50,000 k's or when ever the MM tells you. Mileage can very, depending on the type of driving you do or the type of driver you are! Cheers, H

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dougal

For Stevielive - Our dealers over here demand service intervals are adhered to else warranty is void!! I don't know how you guys get away with it. We can go to any reputeable garage as long as they use genuine Honda parts but, they can't always get hold of them and with the fancy electrics it is hard to find anyone other than Honda dealers to do the work in this country.

I think it's just a difference in consumer protection laws between the US and Scotland, the 'most important' of which is the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, which basically says that as long as a repair/maintenance part is physically and functionally compatible with the OEM part, the warranty can't be voided for using it (this is why, for example, we can use Mobil-1 motor oil and K&N air filters instead of "Honda Genuine" stuff).

 

To Dougal,

Your mentioned Valve adjustment interval of 25,000 (25,000 miles?) is very telling. In North America, the interval is..., well, no one's quite sure, it's really up to MM, but looks to be inline with OE's number of 100K (100,000 miles?).

There's a gulf of difference between those numbers. Historically, Honda's recomendations were around your more conservative interval. Why they currently have 2 such disimilar numbers is strange.

Anyway, I did mine around 55,000 kilometers, myself, and can attest nearly without exception all the valves were out-of-spec on the loose side. Not grossly, but enough to make me feel I wasn't wasting my time doing the check.

For reference, here's my thread on that check:

http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17946

For anyone contemplating doing this, I would recommend removing some trim pieces at the bottom edge of the windshield, it's almost necessity for access. I've posted some pics, and I believe link to a pdf for block heater install which outlines this trim removal in detail.

 

In the US there are emission reliability requirements that dictate the 100K mile interval for valves and spark plugs. These 2 subsystems are part of the emission systems and 100K miles is a milestone for reliability that has been imposed by the EPA.

 

I just had my first oil change done this morning...came out to just under $100. It takes a bit of getting used to...(I used to do the Jiffy-Lube thing every 3000 miles or so in my other car) I think I had about 6650 miles on the Civic with 15% oil life left. The dealer told me that it varies based on how much driving, how you drive, where you live, tempuratures etc etc...
I figure...2 oil changes at 3,000 miles would have been about $60-70 bucks and then the tire rotation and other checks...I'm ahead of the game!

HBJ

 

100 dollars just for an oil change?? Thats too expensive. Where did you go?

I go to my dealer for oil changes and its always between 50-65 bucks depending on my discount.