Mine says 5W-20. I'm not sure how that compares to the Civic but I know it's 5-something.

Fortunately my Honda dealer's main advertising slogan is "Home of teh $24.95 oil change" and it's always cost the same for the Civic (haven't had the Accord long enough for its 7500 mile oil change.) One thing I'll probably do though is start the Accord on Synthetic (which is probably $1/quart more) - They were advising that if you're going to do synthetic, it's usually better to start a new car off that way, rather than switch over on a high-mileage car. Less likely to develop leaks as the hi-detergent synthetic oil breaks down all the little bits from the dino oil that might have "filled in the cracks" in your engine over time.

I just figure it's that much less reliance on fossil fuels

5W-20 is correct for the non-hybrid Civic. Although, the HCH does take 0W-20.

I feel that way, too. I'm thinking of sticking with the 7,500 mile oil change interval in my HAH. Especially now since I've switched to M1. Everyone is concerned about using less fuel. How about using less oil?

<Best Tank Economy!><Best Tank Endurance!>

I definitely vote for less oil! Modern cars just DON'T need an oil change every 3000 miles *(unless you're driving under pretty harsh conditions like short inner-city trips.)

Plus I have two different "warranty books" that expect me to follow the regular service intervals - HondaCare wants you to go by the book on that stuff to keep your warranty running smoothly, and my car came with a "free tires for life" (when the tires wear out, they replace them with like tires - Mine came with Michelins) but ONLY if you follow the mfr service intervals.


That makes me wonder tho: the "service minder" doohickey on the car - is that a "dumb" one that is based purely on miles driven, or is it like my former BMW that's a "smart" one that's based on how you drive the car? The BMW would decide for you (based on how you drive) when it was time to change the oil.

its a dumb one- 7500 miles since the last time it was reset (starts to blink for 10sec at 7000 or something like that- its in the manual)

the HCH-2 is a smart one- tells you how much 'life' is left in the oil based on driving. I recall reading that there's an optical sensor that determines condition based on clarity.

Another easy and quick DIY 5000 mi. oil change this weekend, this time at 20, 000 mi. I did notice the blue "OEM" filter that I purchased recently from the dealer parts counter was not stamped "Filtech" as all the previous were. This time it was stamped on top with the Honda logo and "genuine parts", made in Canada. In fine print near the bottom are the words "Honeywell". That's somewhat disappointing, since Honeywell is also the producer of Fram oil filters.