The HCH '04 manual says 10k, under normal conditions, for the first oil change. The dealer emphasized that it should not be taken out until 10k miles.

There is some Mobil 0w-20 around, try your local NAPA store. In NJ, they had a large stockpile. I have enough oil to last me to 120k.

My last oil change, at 50k, was the first time the synthetic oil came out of my car. I still had the dino oil from the 40k oil change and compared the two. From a non-scientific, strictly observation -- the synthetic oil looked almost new. The dino oil looked "used" but certainly not as bad as I remember the oil coming out of my F150.

The bottom line decision on this matter is you, and your comfort, with the type of driving that you do and your confidence in the oil that is in the car. Without knowing what criteria the guage uses to determine oil life, I would be skeptical of it. Especially if I don't know if it is a linear or an exponential function.

-Charlie...