Originally Posted by josephp732
Congratulations on your Honda Pilot - I have a Ridgeline so same engine and close to the same vehicle. For your DI engine you want low calcium, low ash, high Moly/Zinc and low Noack.
You will need to a run 0W-20 SN + oil for your warranty period. After the warranty is up you might want to look around experiment with some other choices. I have run M1 0W-40 Euro - just to see how the engine behaved, and it ran extremely well on this oil. I would not run this oil as my standard because of the high calcium levels but as a test it worked very well - no issues detected with the VVT.
I am waiting to see a VOA on the new Pennzoil Platinum Euro 0W-40 New Formula API SN+ , one of the first Euro oils with an SN+ rating. This might be a good fit for DI engines depending on its properties.
I would think the MM will go off before your 7,500 mile OCI target, mine goes off around 6,000 miles. If you have an AWD version the rear differential oil will need it's first changing around 12,000 miles (B16 Maintenance Code - Oil Change, Tire Rotation - Diff Fluid) - this is an easy DIY job - easier than an oil change. You will two quarts of Honda Dual Pump II Differential Fluid - two different size crush washers and a bottle hand pump all available on Amazon for about $30. Just document your work and your good to go and will save yourself ~$300 from the dealership.
How many miles do you have on your Ridgeline now? I only have about 1,500 miles on the Pilot and it is AWD. When my wife was driving the CRV (the same way she will be driving the Pilot) the MM would go off right around 7,500 miles. I'm not sure how the Pilot is going to be though since it's so new. I will not go past 7,500 miles or the MM (whichever comes first). I do all my own maintenance, so I'll be keeping up with differential, oil, transmission, etc. Thank you for your comment and recommendations.