Conflicting maintenance schedules

[kypriaki]

Hi
I have a recently acquired 2002 CRV, built in the UK. I live in Cyprus in the Eastern Mediteranean.
The engine oil has been changed every 6000 miles.

I think that this is too frequent as all my past cars have been around 7,500-10,000 miles, according to some UK websites the oil only needs to changed every 10k.
The dealer says that the oil needs to be changed more frequently at 6k because the weather temperatures in Cyprus are 10 centigrade/18 Fahrenheit higher than the UK, and also there is a lot of dust in the Summer.

I cant imagine why this is, as surely the running temperature of the car is determined by the cooling system and not by the weather.
I know that a lot of wear on the engine is due to cold weather running from cold starts, so living in a warmer country that would be less a problem.

As most of our members are from the USA, where weather temperatures vary quite a bit, would a CRV engine oil change be more frequent in say Florida compared to say Washington State?

Thanks in advance

[genep]

I've wanted to see Cyprus, looks like beautiful country in the photos I've seen. I certainly do not see any problems from a 6K oil change. I change my oil myself, so it it not very expensive for me. I change my oil at 6 K. I just feel better about it. Do you want to run more miles because of cost? What does your manual say about oil change intervals and standard vs. extreme service conditions? Follow the advice in your manual and you should be fine.

[kypriaki]

Thanks for that genep
The manual does say 6000 miles oil change, although I think that this is a conspiracy by Honda to con some people into spending more money at their dealerships.
As I said earlier the other cars that I have owned BMW, GM (vauxhall) Ford and Nissan were all less frequent, I believe some French cars like Renault only require oil changes every 20k.
Maybe Honda's reliability reputation is due to people spending twice as much on oil changes than everyone else and not because of their engineering prowess.
I'm only kidding but it's food for thought.
Cheers

[ajchien]

In general, the Europeans change oil much less frequently than in the united states. In the USA, there are many that believe in the 3000 mi oil change, as that has been a long time standard. I'm not sure what is the basis for the difference. There are many brands of oil in Europe that are not found in the USA. I think Europeans may use synthetic oils much more frequently too. Are the oil additives and formulations slightly different? Probably so. Are the warranties different? I don't know. Are there legal, political and ideological differences? Certainly.

In the USA, the 2002 CRV with 2.4L engine manual has 5000 mi intervals for severe service and 10,000 mile intervals for normal service, using a "conventional" API-SL standard or newer 5w20 oil.

[kypriaki]

Thanks ajchien
Many years ago when engine oil was mineral oil only most cars in the UK would have an engine oil/filter change every 9000 miles or so.
As oil technology advanced and semi synthetic and synthetic oils came on the market, people found them to be very expensive but were led to believe that the oil would last twice as long as mineral, so slowly but surely every body began to use these oils.
That expense is still there yet obviously with some makes of cars the oil change is more frequent negating the hype.

This is not to say that I wont follow the oil change interval of 6k, I want to keep the car for at least 10 years so if a more regular change is required to help the engine last longer then so be it.

[ajchien]

In your case, you may consider a used oil analysis if you're trying to maximize your oil change interval without increasing wear on the engine.

In the USA, http://www.blackstone-labs.com can provide the services, I don't know if there a UK equivalent, or is blackstone would do international service.

[kypriaki]

Thanks again

[TampaJim]

I think 6,000 miles is a healthy interval for a 2002 model. I change my 2000 CR-V every 5,000 miles and my 2012 CR-V when the MM indicates (about every 7,500). The former uses 5W30 Full Synthetic and the latter 0W20 Full Synthetic.

[kypriaki]

Thanks Jim

I was just looking at http://www.parkers.co.uk/ this is the largest car buyers guide in the UK. It road tests/reviews all new models released in the UK, gives data, reports problems, covers older models and also has owners reviews.
It makes interesting reading, according to the CRV oil/service it states 12k for 1st gen, 9k for 2nd gen, back to 12k for the 3rd and 4th gen.

I know it sounds like I am tight but 2x4ltrs of 5w30 here is €112 ($146) I've not priced the filter etc yet.

[TampaJim]

The owner's manual on my 2000 states 3,750 miles severe service and 7,500 miles normal service. Based on their descriptions of severe ... almost everyone should be using the severe service interval of 3,750 miles. Based on what you found online - 9,000 kilometers would be about 6,000 miles, so you are golden.