Oil Changes - Honda Accord 2001 Sedan 4 Cylinder

The dealership I go to recommends oil changes every 3000 miles no
matter what. The Honda manual recommends oil changes every 7500
miles, unless driving under sever conditions. Is the manual correct
or is my dealership correct? Also, what qualifies as "Severe Driving
Conditions?"

Thanks,
J

 

3000 miles is overkill. The worst conditions calls for 3600 miles in Canada
(6000km). I f you feel that you don't match the severe conditions
explained int he owner's manual, I would settle for 5-6000 miles.

 

I am with the other poster and most of the other educated people around here
that know better than to have the oil changed every 3000 miles under normal
driving conditions. This is something that has been around for years and
does nothing but put money in the pockets of everyone else except the car
owner which is paying for the unnecessary services.

There is one GOOD reason to change oil so often, and that is because the
majority of people do not check their oil levels when they should, and a car
is allowed to burn up to a quart in a thousand miles without a dealership
(Ford specifically) acknowledging there is a problem. So let us just say
you are burning (or leaking or whatever) half a quart every thousand miles.
By the time you take your car in for your 3000 mile oil change you are down
1.5 quarts and your idiot light or pressure gauge never told you. Now
assume you waited until 5000 miles. By now your light would be going on
probably and you may have already done damage. So for some people it is
just a smart idea to go every 3000 miles but if you are checking your oil
level regularly then you can certainly stretch that out a bit.

It is kind of like when the doctor writes you a prescription for something
you can get off the shelf. Sure you can just get it off the shelf and take
it but your doctor doesn't trust you enough or thinks your too stupid to be
able to follow their instructions so he Rx's it to you so that the
instructions are clearly printed on the label.

This is all just to protect ourselves from our own stupidity.

CaptainKrunch

 

There are two highly profitable departments in a new car dealership:
Service and used car sales. New car sales are not where the real money is
made.

Most of the better-than-the-book-requires "recommendations" of your Honda
dealer are there to boost profits, not to help you.

John