Just completed the final portion of my first (A1) maintenance by doing the tire rotation. For those interested in the process, I offer the following blow-by-blow description...

1) I pryed the plastic covers off, then removed the locking lug nuts and loosened the others a little. I didn't want to be tugging on bolts while the car was balanced up on jack stands and the jack.

2) Per suggestions posted by others, I decided to jack up the rear from the rear center tie-down hook. I used my floor jack on a level surface, and it went up straight and even. I raised it enough to fit my jack stands under the normal jacking supports (on the sides, just in front of the rear wheels). Lowered the jack and went up front.

3) I placed the jack under the lower support bar in the center (front). I carefully raised it up until the two front wheels were just off the ground. I was surprised how stable everything was with the car resting on just the three points.

4) Removed all the wheels and followed the "X" pattern for rotation shown in the owner's manual under non-directional wheels.

5) Hand tightened all lug nuts and then gave a quick jab with my impact wrench to get a little torque on.

6) Lowered the front and moved the jack to the back. Raised it enough to remove the stands, then lowered it to the ground.

7) Torqued all wheels to 82 ft-lbs, then popped on the plastic covers.

8) Logged the completed maintenance in the Honda maintenance book.

All done on my NO COST tire rotation! Total cost for my A1 maintenance = $25 (oil, filter, drain plug gasket).

 

Jeff,

That was a very informative post. I have purchased the Mobile 1 0 - 20W oil, and a fram filter. I also plan on rotating my tires. Did you have any trouble with the plastic clips that hold the plastic under car cover?
Thanks,

 

They were tricky. Most were a little "stuck"... using a small screwdriver to pop up the center required some coaxing. Some popped right out; others felt like they had sand or grit in them preventing smooth movement of the pin. One of the pins was broken before I touched it (perhaps a rock... perhaps a weak part). The head (center pin AND the surrounding plastic) was completely gone.

All in all, these clips look like trouble to me. They're over engineered and they use fragile plastic. Seems a bit uncharacteristic for Honda.

For the broken clip, I just used a "christmas tree" style clip (looks like a plastic screw, but with fins instead of threads). I'll eventually replace it with the proper clip (and I'll buy a few spares for the future broken ones!)

Good luck on your oil change.