Nicotine

toss in lucas. nuff said.

SaYjAiBaO

i don't understand why people make such a fuss about holding off oil changes? it's 30 something dollars to change it. what's the big deal? you purchased a brand new car for quite a bit of money but you won't bother with forking out *** change for an oil change? i wouldn't hold out for more than 5k no matter how new the car is. dealer don't design their maintainence system to make sure your car last as long as possible. it's meant to make money off you. why let the oil break down to the lowest point to change it? do you think that oil at 15% is protecting your engine as much as it would at 50% life? the main cause for oil break down is heat cycles. the more heat cycles you go through, the faster the oil breaks down. don't forget that oil also affects your fuel mileage so by "wasting" money on frequent oil changes, you're also saving some on gas money.

MPR

A lot of deposits, sludge, and carbon crap in your oil is from your oil breaking down. Since synthetics do not break down as easily as regular oil, your oil filter (and other oil related components, pump etc.) will last longer as there is less crap to filter out. I use fram oil filters and have had no issues with 10-15k oil changes over the past 2 years (running mobil 1 and now amsoil).

fingolfin

what's amsoil run?

the price of syn has gone down a lot over the last 5-10 years ... after my next oil change (i have the jug already) im going to be going over the syn, and extend my oil changes from the current every 5000Km to 8000Km

MPR

At crapy tire amsoil runs about $9.95 per quart. My B16 took 5 quarts so thats about $50 + filter. $65 total (for parts and do it yourself). Expensive yes, but the fact you can go 3 times the distance between oil changes means your saving in the long run. $30 for regular change times 3 changes ($90) over the course of one $60 synthetic change, means savings of $30. I made my choice. lol.

chris_v2

What do you mean the oil pump and other components will last longer because there is no crap to filter out? Does synthetic oil magically trap and disappear particles? No, the filter that was designed for 5000km does. I bet if you did a pressure test with 15xxxkm old oil and 0km old oil the difference would be much more than conventional oil at 5xxxkm.

Either way man, do what you want. But I would change the filter every 5000.

MPR

ugh...

Reread what I wrote, I don't think you understand what I'm trying to say.

Basically if your oil lasts longer, as will the filter. Filters are not necessarily designed for 5000km. They are if you use conventional oil. But I believe they last much longer with synthetics. A lot of the deposits in the oil is from the oil itself breaking down. If it does not break down as fast the filter does not get dirty as fast. Get my drift?

DumbasSi

I kinda follow my maintenance minder. I use Amsoil synthetic, but I still don't go past 8 or 9k's. Not for longer intervals, but I've found that using synth, my car gets slightly better gas mileage and the motor "feels" like it's running smoother.

07Ex

^ That's very interesting Mike. I think I might try the same oil you are using on my next oil change.

MPR

The reason it feels like it's running smoother is because it is running smoother.

starboy869

I run Mobil 1 5w30 in my lawn mower. I can vouch it runs smoother and gets a little more running time on each tank of fuel. On regular oil I always had to to top up my fuel tank before my yard was done. Now with Mobil 1 I don't have to.

szuberi

X2 here....i have been reading and researching on synthetic for some time now and i think i wanna go with it too. question is...does honda dealerships carry it cuz i aint doing the oil change myself? can i simply take the oil to honda and pay for the labor and oil filter only?????

07Ex

I am sure that you can take the oil and filter to Honda and have them change it for you. Just like you, I also wont change the oil myself.

What I wonder, however, is if it's not cheaper to take the car to an authorized Honda dealer or a shop rather than Honda itself, but then again, the difference in price might be negligible.

DumbasSi

I get my Amsoil from one of our vendors http://www.carst.ca/OilGuyOnSite/Welcome.html
and I get my dealer to change it. A few of the Techs actually wanted to know where I get it because it is hard to find. The stuff they sell at C-T is the lower end Amsoil XLF, not the better kind ASL or SSO.

If you order it thorugh Carst, you can pick up your order at the Amsoil warehouse in Mississauga and save yourself the shipping cost.

I'm also using the Amsoil synthetic MTF and my tranny shifts like butter.

seanv98

I know you can do that at Mr. Lube

MPR

I think I may try using their mtf as well, mine has been getting a bit notchy.

The canadian tire up where I am has the good amsoil, surprisingly.

G2 Speed

One of the most convenient and important features on your Civic Coupe is the advanced technology of the Maintenance Minder System. The maintenance requirements for your Civic Coupe are determined by an internal algorithm, which considers the engine starting temperature, driving distance and engine RPM. The onboard computer also judges your driving conditions and habits, and then calculates the remaining engine oil life, displaying it as a percentage. The technology of the Maintenance Minder System allows you to enjoy your Civic Coupe without the worry of when you are due for your next servicing.

The remaining engine oil life and maintenance service symbols are displayed in either the odometer/trip meter area or in the multi-information display area. As part of the Maintenance Minder System, a separate "wrench" icon also appears indicating that required maintenance service is due. Based on engine operating conditions, the onboard computer in your Civic Coupe calculates the remaining engine oil life. When the remaining oil life is approximately 15%, the Maintenance Minder will indicate that an oil change is due soon. When it reaches 5%, the system will show that an oil change is due now. When it reaches 0%, the system will show that an oil change is past due by an indicated mileage. Along with these reminders, the system will also display either a Maintenance Main Item A or B along with Maintenance Sub-Items 1 through 6 as required.

Source: Honda Lol ;P

phuviano

Amsoil MTF is amazing. I have used it in my car for 2 years now. I've used both Honda MTF, and Amsoil, and I've change them a 1 week a part from each other. I did a test comparison myself. First week, I used Honda MTF. Very smooth shifts for the first 3 or 4 days, and then it feels like how your shifting normally is. Second week I used Amsoil MTF. Starts out even smoother shifting than Honda MTF, and stays like that for about 2 weeks. Pretty much effortless shifting. After that, I guess you just get used to it. It has stayed smooth ever since. Honda MTF works fine by the way. Amsoil MTF just works better though.

Amsoil MTF may perform differently on different cars. However for my car, it worked out fine. I think you should try it out. If it doesn't work out, you can always put back in Honda MTF.

szuberi

so for a new 08, when can i change the MTF or when the first change is recommended?

MPR

Your manual should tell you how often to change your mtf. I change mine about once a year, just to get all the debris and metal filings out.

I'm actually running royal purple synthetic mtf, and it hasn't been doing it's job too well. Going to try switching to amsoil mtf this spring.