I have always done this on all my cars , I did on my last car which was a 97 vette . However , I would like to do it on my new civic hybrid . Has anyone done this before on the 06 hch..? , and what was the difficulty..? , and I also noticed it says 3.4 quarts of oil total for capacity including what would be in the filter , could I just go to 3.5 quarts to be right on money with guaging how much I put in..? Got a few questions as well..

1. http://www.handaaccessories.com/civmaint06.html , Here I noticed I can buy the honda oil filter , can anyone confirm that is the right filter for the hch..?

2. Which is by far the best oil to use as of now..? Mobil 1 , honda's own etc..? In regards to FE.. , Looking for the least amount of friction .

3. Or should I just go to the dealer and have them do it..

Thx..

 

Not sure about the 06 but changing the oil in my 04 is easy. Actually it takes more time to remove the plate under the engine compartment than to change the oil and filter. It takes me about 30 mins. from start to finish. I use 0w-20 Mobil 1 but I've had several vehicles that I used nothing but Dino oil and had NO problems with the engine. I use syn. oil now only to not have to change as often. The only problem I had was finding ramps that were low enough for the 04 HCH. Someone on here told about using 2x12 and they work. I have them about 4' and then have another one about 18" nailed on top and it raises the car just enough for me to get under. kevin

 

Hi MadMax;

This is just my opinion. I would have the dealer do the oil change and the reasons are:
If you have any up-dates they will do them while they have your car. Software-Up-Grades.
Dealer usually gives you (Free) 1st Oil-Change Certificate;
Dealer might see something that needs to be done to car, you might miss.
Dealer changes your oil, they keep Record of (All) work done on car.
Dealer has Record of Oil-Changes, if anything later happens to car, it is {Covered Under Factory Warranty}.
Dealers Do-Not make money on Oil Changes, it is provided to Customers to keep them coming back to dealer so that maybe when customer gets ready to Trade or Buy something, hopefully it will be from that dealer.
Dealer has the Proper Tools to do the work right.
Dealer has the Container to get Rid of the Old-Oil. WE DON'T.
Dealer does the work on your New HCH II, maybe, just-maybe the dealer will cut you some slack when you need them somewhere down the road.

This will give you some things to think about.

Remember, If you do nothing through your Dealer. Later on and you need that same Dealer to do something for you and they pull your {SERVICE-HISTORY} up and you Never spent the 1st Penny with them. What do you think the chances are that the same dealer is going to bend over backwards to Help-You?
Service and Sales are "Separate" Departments at Dealerships.

I'm taking this time to explain more to you than I probably would usually for two reasons.
(1) You live in the Same Area that I do.
(2) I work for a Dealer for the past 10-yrs. and I am Giving you 1st Hand Information as to how Customers are viewed from the Dealers View Point. I really hope you take me serious about this and continue to enjoy your Brand-New-HCH II.

HTH;

Terry

BTW; Just think how much are you {Really-Saving} to even mess with it.

 

I'd let them do the first oil change so that they can check out the car. Ater that, do it yourself. You learn more about your car and it saves you money. I have an '03 and have been changing it myself. I guess the biggest decision you have to make is which oil to use! I use one litre of M1 0W20 and fill the rest with mobile 5000 5W20. It works for me! Ya, my wife calls me cheap but I like to think I'm frugal!!

 

is this true? "If you have any up-dates they will do them while they have your car. Software-Up-Grades."

btw, how is the software update being done? is there a ethernet kind jack to the car's computer or what?

 

Hey masgian;

If you are referring to my Post? tigerhonaker; This is what I said in that Post concerning Doing Your own Oil-Changes.

{If you have any up-dates they will do them while they have your car; Software-Up-Grades.}

I am not saying that there are Up-Dates/Software, I am saying that generally speaking that when the vehicle comes in the service lanes to be written up, that the Service Consultant runs the Vin# and that tells them/dealer that there is out-standing Software UpGrades that need to be done. The dealer will perform that software UpGrade while the vehicle is in the shop for service.

One of the (IMO) Software UpGrades that will be coming to the HCH II is to, Fix the Problem with (SOME) HCH II's having the problem with the FE Gauge Readouts. I am doing nothing more than Guessing, but it would not surprise me that this Problem may end up being Fixed with a Simple Software UpGrade.

HTH;

Terry

BTW; Sorry I don't work for Honda so I don't know how they Plug into their vehicles to do Software UpGrades.

 

Terry , I work for a dealer to , am actually a service consultant for Beaman Automotive here in nashville.. , so yeh , I understsand where you are coming from..

 

I have the HCH-I but probably most advice is still good:
o - I use 2x4's cause my old ramps were too tall. 2x6's would be better.
o - Others have recommended keeping a supply of those little plastic inserts
that hold on the platic plate underneath, cause they tend to break.
o - If you do your own oil, please wait until 5k miles before the first change.
Rumor has it the special break-in oil is good for engine longevity.
o - serious hyper-milers in this group use M1 0-20. I am not one, but I use it too.
o - consensus is that waiting until well over 5k miles is fine (except maybe the
first one). I shoot for 5k-ish, but don't sweat if it goes to 6 or 7. :-)
o - keep your receipts to prove your maintenance in case of a warranty claim.

After writing this I have almost talked myself out of owner maintenance (mostly due to the warranty claim issue), but I will recover, the main thing for me is I *like* to do my own work. :-)

 

I really have no interest in changing my own oil. I know I can do it so I have nothing to prove to myself. I just don't see that it saves me anything, more likely, it's a waste of time. I would pay two bucks a quart for oil in the store, plus five to ten for the filter - that's at least $13 right there, plus three trips (one for oil, one for filter, and one for disposal). Having it changed in the shop costs $25, and realistically it hardly takes more time than the checkout line at Wal-Fart.

It is SO NOT worth it to deal with the time, hassle, mess and waste products for ten bucks. My time is worth something, and for a few extra dollars I am happy to have it done where they have the right facilities and tools, and they can properly dispose of the waste.

I also agree that it's a good idea to have the dealer know you and to have them on your side. Be an all-weather friend and they may just cut you some slack when you need it. Plus they also usually do the lube fittings, fill the fluids, check the tires, and my dealer even throws in a wash every time my car's in the shop. Definitely worth a few extra dollars.

So... my answer: Definitely NOT worth it to do it yourself, take it to the dealer.

(Remember too folks, not that I think you would dump it, but one quart of motor oil contaminates a million gallons of groundwater when improperly disposed of.)
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