New 2015 Honda Fit, oil/OCI recommendations?

[fourside]

Hey guys. Just bought my first new car in a few years, and it's got one of these "Maintenance Minder" things rather than a solid recommendation for the oil change interval. Should I trust this thing - which seems to calculate when you should change your oil based on your driving habits and stuff - or what?

Also, I was thinking I might just use regular Eneos 0w20 but any suggestions as to what might be better/best would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Stewie]

Your owner's manual probably has a recommended OCI interval for the basic model of ur car.

OCI depends on your driving conditions and habits

 

[BikeWhisperer]

The Oil Life Monitors are calculated using what the recommended oil and filter are for the vehicle. As long as the oil you use meets or exceeds those, you will be fine.

I've used OLM's on two vehicles using synthetic (conventional was required) and they worked great. No engine issues on either for over 100k miles.

 

[dino33]

That's good oil. I'd also suggest a good filter like an Ultra, or Amsoil, Rp. Maybe buy a filter magnet if you plan to keep your car long term 200k+

 

[Stewie]

Originally Posted By: dino33
That's good oil. I'd also suggest a good filter like an Ultra, or Amsoil, Rp. Maybe buy a filter magnet if you plan to keep your car long term 200k+


Wouldn't that cause issues with the pressure of the relief valve?

 

[virginoil]

Originally Posted By: fourside
Hey guys. Just bought my first new car in a few years, and it's got one of these "Maintenance Minder" things rather than a solid recommendation for the oil change interval. Should I trust this thing - which seems to calculate when you should change your oil based on your driving habits and stuff - or what?

Also, I was thinking I might just use regular Eneos 0w20 but any suggestions as to what might be better/best would be appreciated. Thanks!


Welcome to BITOG.

No user OEM user manual came with the car ?

It is under warranty and I suggest you work with your dealer if your conditions are extreme and take BITOG comments that depart from OEM guidelines with a grain of salt.

 

[Oily_hair]

If the owner's manual says to trust the OLM then trust it. If not, then change it twice a year or call Honda customer care for advice. With a brand new car under warranty you should be following your Owner's Manual and probably pay very close attention to the entire maintenance chapter so you do not void your warranty.

 

[SJohnson]

I have a 2008 Civic with a MM. At around 7500 miles, a little wrench light comes on. That corresponds to 15% left on the MM. I usually change the oil then. The owners manual says you can take it to 0% or 1 year, which ever comes first.

 

[tc1446]

MM on my '13 Accord gets down to 10% at about 10K miles. Prior to
the wonders of MM's I ran a good synthetic 10K anyway. Driving is predominantly open road, some in town, no short tripping.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Honda's maintenance minder is a pretty good system from what we have seen on here.

 

[rjundi]

I have an older version of Honda maintenance minder in my 07 MDX. It seems pretty accurate given the driving I do and temperatures. The oil change interval ranges from 4000 miles in winter with
Acura is the early test bed for many of the features that trickle in Honda branded products.

 

[sir1900]

On the current fill in the Civic, it's 90% city miles and I am currently at 10% on the OLM after around 6800 miles. The OLM drops 10% at every 650-700 miles. That should give you a rough idea what the expected OCI will be for your Fit.

Eneos is good stuff and imo, worth it if you can get it on sale. Otherwise, any 0W20 full synthetic off the Walmart shelves will do the job. These Fits are easy on oil.

Go with a Fram Ultra if you plan to follow the MM and change the filter every second oil change, otherwise, a Wix or a ToughGard at every oil change will do the job just fine.

 

[stockrex]

Fit has a large sump, the olm goes to 9k miles if driven regularly.
I would take it to dealership and do oil change at 30% OLM or 5k miles till warranty is good.

mine, I do a lot of idle time, about 20 hrs a week, I use any major brand synthetic and go 5k miles OCI. Oil is cheap

 

[andrewg]

I just purchased a new Fit in December.

From the miles I've put on the car so far, my OLM drops 10% about every 1k miles. I drive 80% highway.

I figure I'll change out the FF at 20% or so and after that just follow the OLM.

With the Honda factory warranty in place and a purchased warranty that brings it up to 100k miles, I plan on having all my maintenance done at the dealer. For oil, I will be using Honda labeled synthetic oil. I've forgotten who makes the oil, but it matters little.

An aerodynamic cover has to be removed using clips and other fasteners to get to the oil drain. At this point in my life...and with a very bad back...I'm no longer 'game' to do that stuff anymore.

Most Honda's will last for a very long time with just basic maintenance and using dino fluids. So....while you can use whatever you want (being mindful of the warranty), this car should be perfectly fine no matter if you use higher quality synthetics or not.

 

[sasilverbullet]

I own 3 2014 Hondas, two civics and an accord.

There's a huge thread started by me a while back about Honda and their Oil Life Indicator (OLI) system. http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/3498755/1

Since your new to BITOG (welcome!) I'll sum up the major camps here for you:
1) Do whatever the manufacturer says - trust the OLI systems and only change it when it says to.
2) Don't trust the OLI's completely and just use them as a guide. (I'm in this camp)
3) Don't trust OLI's at all.

Camp 1 seems to want to squeak every last mile they can from the oil before changing it.
Camp 2 wants to strike some balance between camp 1 and 2.

My neighbor is the head mechanic at a Honda dealership. From conversations with him, threads here on BITOG and my own common sense, here's what I'm doing with my new Honda's:
1) Factory fill - drive it to 20% on the OLI
2) From then on running Mobil 1 extended 0W-20 and a Mobil 1 filter and running it to 30% on the OLI.

Oh, one other thing, I use the "dip stick/smell/feel" method also. Regardless of the OLI, if the oil feels like crud or smells of too much fuel I'm changing the oil.

I know this post will get a lot of heat, but to me oil is cheap, engines are not.

Edited: one Civic is at 12K, changed oil at 40%/6.5K and did a UOA. Lot's of life left on the oil. The two other cars are still on factory fill, one is 30% and the other 40%.

 

[stockrex]

Originally Posted By: sasilverbullet
I own 3 2014 Hondas, two civics and an accord.

There's a huge thread started by me a while back about Honda and their Oil Life Indicator (OLI) system. http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/3498755/1

Since your new to BITOG (welcome!) I'll sum up the major camps here for you:
1) Do whatever the manufacturer says - trust the OLI systems and only change it when it says to.
2) Don't trust the OLI's completely and just use them as a guide. (I'm in this camp)
3) Don't trust OLI's at all.

Camp 1 seems to want to squeak every last mile they can from the oil before changing it.
Camp 2 wants to strike some balance between camp 1 and 2.

My neighbor is the head mechanic at a Honda dealership. From conversations with him, threads here on BITOG and my own common sense, here's what I'm doing with my new Honda's:
1) Factory fill - drive it to 20% on the OLI
2) From then on running Mobil 1 extended 0W-20 and a Mobil 1 filter and running it to 30% on the OLI.

Oh, one other thing, I use the "dip stick/smell/feel" method also. Regardless of the OLI, if the oil feels like crud or smells of too much fuel I'm changing the oil.

I know this post will get a lot of heat, but to me oil is cheap, engines are not.

Edited: one Civic is at 12K, changed oil at 40%/6.5K and did a UOA. Lot's of life left on the oil. The two other cars are still on factory fill, one is 30% and the other 40%.


sasilverbullet is on the $$$$.

Here is the problem with Hondas, the fuel dilution kills the oil, the OLM will not measure that.
This is my experience, hence I go 5k with full syn, sometimes I do filter every other oil change.

 

[fourside]

Thanks for the help guys. Like sasilverbullet I'll try to strike a balance between following the OLI and my own sense. It's a good little car, though with only 200 miles on it thus far I've already got a squeaky clutch pedal and a couple of other little odd issues. Hopefully this isn't too indicative of its build quality.

 

[andrewg]

Originally Posted By: fourside
Thanks for the help guys. Like sasilverbullet I'll try to strike a balance between following the OLI and my own sense. It's a good little car, though with only 200 miles on it thus far I've already got a squeaky clutch pedal and a couple of other little odd issues. Hopefully this isn't too indicative of its build quality.


What model do you have?

 

[fourside]

It's a white EX with 6-speed. Feels a little weird bringing in the car to the dealer for little squeaks but oh well. It's mainly the clutch pedal squeak that bothers me, but I'd heard some concerns over whether the factory in Mexico might have some issues (not because it's in Mexico, just that it's a new factory). My previous Hondas were all made in Japan and were the most reliable cars I've ever had by far, so I hope this one lives up to that.

 

[andrewg]

Originally Posted By: fourside
It's a white EX with 6-speed. Feels a little weird bringing in the car to the dealer for little squeaks but oh well. It's mainly the clutch pedal squeak that bothers me, but I'd heard some concerns over whether the factory in Mexico might have some issues (not because it's in Mexico, just that it's a new factory). My previous Hondas were all made in Japan and were the most reliable cars I've ever had by far, so I hope this one lives up to that.


Ok...since you have the EX...be sure to keep an eye on the rear wheel well. Honda placed this pressed fabric-like sound proofing (or rust proofing?) material in there. Many folks have had this material start to fall down or not hold it's shape. I've seen pics of this material becoming separated enough that you can see it pulling away from the inside wheel well, exposing bare metal and looking unsightly. Some say it gets worse with rain.

Mine is fine so far but more than a few complaints about this, over at a well known Honda Fit website message, board have surfaced.....with pics.
Might expect a recall or fix soon.

Just thought I'd give you a heads up.