Oil life at 15% - Do I have to get it changed right away?

[anniebeagle]

The MM just came on in my '08 CR-V. The oil life indicator is at 15%. I have about 9,000 miles on it, and this will be my first oil change. I'm going out of town tomorrrow (driving the CR-V about 130 miles away). Do I need to take my CR-V in for the oil change and tire rotation before I leave, or is it something that can wait until I get back on Monday?

When I do get it changed, should I take it to the dealer? I would rather take it somewhere else if it would be OK. I want to use good oil so I can keep getting lots of miles between changes. What kid of oil should I use? The manual says 5w20 and that Honda oil is recommended (of course). If I don't go to the dealership, though, what kind of oil should I ask for?

Thanks!

[perfchris]

You should be OK to do oil change after your trip. I would strongly suggest doing your oil change at a oil change shop that gives you the choice of putting synthetic 5w20. Keep your bills and your are good to go if any warranty issues ever arise.

Good luck !

The MM just came on in my '08 CR-V. The oil life indicator is at 15%. I have about 9,000 miles on it, and this will be my first oil change. I'm going out of town tomorrrow (driving the CR-V about 130 miles away). Do I need to take my CR-V in for the oil change and tire rotation before I leave, or is it something that can wait until I get back on Monday?

When I do get it changed, should I take it to the dealer? I would rather take it somewhere else if it would be OK. I want to use good oil so I can keep getting lots of miles between changes. What kid of oil should I use? The manual says 5w20 and that Honda oil is recommended (of course). If I don't go to the dealership, though, what kind of oil should I ask for?

Thanks!

[anniebeagle]

Thanks! So, is Honda oil synthetic?

[Black Pearl]

Honda oil is not synthetic.

When your maintenance minder reaches 15%, the wrench icon will light up on the dash when you start the car. You can turn the icon off by hitting the display button once. At 15% you still have 15% life and you don't have to service the car immediately. With your current mileage, 10% is roughly 900 miles so you can go on your trip without any concern. If you get to 0% on the maintenance minder, the light will blink and not go out. At zero%, you are supposed to get the required service performed immediately. My advice would be not to let the oil life get past 5%.

One word of caution on synthetics. You can safely use them in your Honda, but to maintain your factory warranty and any extended warranties, you must follow Honda's oil change schedule and not the oil manufacturer's advertised recommendations.

Personally I would not use a "oil change" place unless you know them very well and are sure they will take care of you. We have had too many reports of shennanigans and incompetance in these establishments. I am no fan of the dealers either--same reasons although one would hope incompetance to not be a factor. (I do mine own maintenance). A trusted independent mechanic is your best bet.

[07exlowner]

Personally I would not use a "oil change" place unless you know them very well and are sure they will take care of you. We have had too many reports of shennanigans and incompetance in these establishments. I am no fan of the dealers either--same reasons although one would hope incompetance to not be a factor. (I do mine own maintenance). A trusted independent mechanic is your best bet.

You should definitely listen to what Black Pearl is saying here. I just dealt with a situation where Jiffy Lube screwed up my oil drain plug on my first oil change and it caused a real problem for me when I tried doing the second. Luckily, all worked out in the end but it was a real pain in the butt.

I know how you probably feel. The dealer is so darn expensive and you're wondering if another place will do a good job. My advice? Have someone teach you how to change the oil so you can do it yourself.

Regarding synthetics, I feel a bit more comfortable using them and knowing they last a bit longer, especially since I'm waiting until the maintenance minder gets down to 15% each time before changing the oil. However, if you plan on changing yours earlier (say every 3-5k miles), you might want to consider saving some money by buying regular oil. Just one of many opinions on these boards.

[aslguy]

The MM just came on in my '08 CR-V. The oil life indicator is at 15%. I have about 9,000 miles on it, and this will be my first oil change. I'm going out of town tomorrrow (driving the CR-V about 130 miles away). Do I need to take my CR-V in for the oil change and tire rotation before I leave, or is it something that can wait until I get back on Monday?

When I do get it changed, should I take it to the dealer? I would rather take it somewhere else if it would be OK. I want to use good oil so I can keep getting lots of miles between changes. What kid of oil should I use? The manual says 5w20 and that Honda oil is recommended (of course). If I don't go to the dealership, though, what kind of oil should I ask for?

Thanks!

I was in this (almost) exact same position last weekend. I left Thursday for Missouri and was looking at about an 1200 mile round trip. My Maintenance Minder® was at 20%. On the drive down I hit 15% and I called my dealer and made an appointment for today at 7 AM. On my way home it hit 10% and it was at 10% when I took it in today.

You should be able to wait until you get back.