Honda maintenance schedule?

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CFM300
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Honda maintenance schedule?

Post by CFM300 »

UPDATE

The original issue of what additional service to get has been answered. And the issue of whether to follow Maintenance Minder has been thoroughly discussed (in this thread and others). But here's a new question that I posed below:

Those of you who have 2012 or later (9th Gen) Honda Accords and who follow Maintenance Minder, at what mileage did you receive the "3" code to change your transmission fluid?

ORIGINAL POST

I have a Honda with 28,000. The original 3-year warranty expires in a few days, so I want to take it in to the dealer to have them look at something.

Maintenance Minder says the oil life is 30%, and so is not displaying any maintenance codes at this time. But I need to get the oil and brake fluid changed anyway. (Owner's manual says change the oil at least once per year, and brake fluid at 3 years.)

My question is: What else should I have done?

I can't rely on MM, because it's not displaying any codes. If I just get the oil and brake fluid changed and have MM reset, then it will assume that I performed the other maintenance that would have been displayed had I waited until the oil life was at 15%.

I've reviewed the owner's manual carefully. There is no maintenance schedule. Just instructions on reading the codes from MM.

Thanks.
Last edited by CFM300 on Thu Aug 25, 2016 3:22 pm, edited 1 time in total.
mrnutty
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Re: Honda maintenance schedule?

Post by mrnutty »

A lot of the newer Hondas don't have fixed schedules.

If you want to see what the upcoming code is going to be, press and hold the button for ~10 seconds while on the oil life screen and it will show the next code. Release the button and don't press it again (or else the maintenance minder will reset).
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Toons
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Re: Honda maintenance schedule?

Post by Toons »

Take care of your investment,
If you plan on keeping it for years.
Follow recommended service schedule.
Others may say "cherry pick" your services.
Not for me though.
Honda owner here. :happy
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CFM300
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Re: Honda maintenance schedule?

Post by CFM300 »

That worked.

"B 1" is what appeared, so I guess it's oil and filter, plus brake fluid replacement, and a bunch of inspections.

Thanks.
miles monroe
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Re: Honda maintenance schedule?

Post by miles monroe »

CFM300 wrote: I've reviewed the owner's manual carefully. There is no maintenance schedule. Just instructions on reading the codes from MM.
i have an element. same thing. i think not having a maintenance schedule in the manual is ridiculous.
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hand
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Re: Honda maintenance schedule?

Post by hand »

Ask dealer to check software versions and update if free.
Also ask if any outstanding recall items that can be addressed for free.
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Re: Honda maintenance schedule?

Post by RyeWhiskey »

hand wrote:Ask dealer to check software versions and update if free.
Also ask if any outstanding recall items that can be addressed for free.
This. :beer

I find with Hondas (I've owned two), and perhaps with most vehicles, it's best to have a good relationship with a local mechanic. I go in for my routine oil change and routine tune-up at the given mileage marks, and if anything seems off I just ask (or they'll tell me if they find anything). I don't usually deal with dealerships and warranties as I buy used and prefer my local auto place; in retrospect--upon reading OP, I'm glad I do it this way because relying on MM and dealership advice seems to become more and more complicated as time goes by...
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CFM300
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Re: Honda maintenance schedule?

Post by CFM300 »

hand wrote:Ask dealer to check software versions and update if free.
Also ask if any outstanding recall items that can be addressed for free.
Good advice. Thanks.
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Re: Honda maintenance schedule?

Post by Chip »

I don't think you mentioned which model Honda you have. I have a 2013 Accord, so my comments apply to it.

My Maintenance Minder (MM) comes on about every 10K miles. So 30,500 was my third oil change and codes A, 1, 2 came up. These are oil change and engine air filter and cabin air filter changes. My fourth oil change, at 40,800, had codes B and 1, like you're getting now.

At my fifth oil change, at 51K, I got codes A, 1, and 3. 3 is a CVT fluid change. The 3 code did NOT appear when I was using the "preview" method that mrnutty mentioned. That preview was at about 48K miles. As best I can tell from reading the Accord forums, almost everyone gets the code 3 somewhere around 50K miles, no matter what their "normal" oil change frequency.

So my speculation is that some of the MM items are just tied to oil change frequency. e.g. do this at every second oil change, do that at every third oil change, whatever. Then some other things, like the CVT fluid change, are hard coded in so that they come up at any oil change that's close to a given mileage level. In this case, 50K miles.

I don't hate the MM, but I like to plan out my maintenance and the lack of a schedule for most items takes some getting used to.
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Re: Honda maintenance schedule?

Post by CFM300 »

Chip wrote:I don't think you mentioned which model Honda you have. I have a 2013 Accord, so my comments apply to it.

My Maintenance Minder (MM) comes on about every 10K miles. So 30,500 was my third oil change and codes A, 1, 2 came up. These are oil change and engine air filter and cabin air filter changes. My fourth oil change, at 40,800, had codes B and 1, like you're getting now.
This is very interesting. I have a 2013 Accord as well. My third oil change was at 24,000, and the codes were A-1-2.

My fourth oil change will be tomorrow, though premature, since I still have 30% oil life. The advance codes I'm getting are the same as your fourth oil change: B-1.
Chip wrote:I don't hate the MM, but I like to plan out my maintenance and the lack of a schedule for most items takes some getting used to.
I agree.
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mephistophles
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Re: Honda maintenance schedule?

Post by mephistophles »

Have had Hondas for many years. Now, I use the memory minder and cross check the owners manual maintenance section and do what they say.
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Re: Honda maintenance schedule?

Post by CFM300 »

mephistophles wrote:I use the memory minder and cross check the owners manual maintenance section and do what they say.
That's what I'm trying to do. But the problem is that the owner's manual says that I need to change my oil (because it's been one year since the last change) and change my brake fluid (because it's been three years), and yet Maintenance Minder is not giving me any codes and saying that I have 30% oil life.

If I were to just do the oil and brake fluid change, and reset MM (to put oil life back at 100%), then I could be skipping OTHER maintenance items that would have appeared had I let my oil life drop to 15% when the maintenance codes are shown.

It doesn't seem like it's actually an issue in this case, since I was able to preview my codes and they show "B-1".

But if they had shown "B-3", then I would have missed the CVT transmission fluid change. And there's no schedule for transmission changes in the owner's manual. You're just supposed to do it when MM tells you to.

The system seems flawed, IMO.
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gatorking
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Re: Honda maintenance schedule?

Post by gatorking »

A little googling led me to this website. I don't know how accurate the information here is so use with caution.
http://www.driverside.com/service-sched ... id=4112266
Pick your model by clicking on the Change Car button.
capgain
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Re: Honda maintenance schedule?

Post by capgain »

The maintenance minder was supposed to make it easier . . . .

Try this site -- it has been useful for me (2nd Honda): http://owners.honda.com/service-maintenance/minder
Random Poster
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Re: Honda maintenance schedule?

Post by Random Poster »

I'm pretty sure that the MM doesn't have a time component to it, just a mileage and use one, which is why it doesn't "know" that it has been a year since your last oil change.

I picked a service schedule brochure for my CR-V a while back that showed all of the various service intervals and changes needed correlated to mileage and MM codes. Going off of memory, the cabin air filter gets changed roughly every 20-25K miles (or every other oil change), the brake fluid gets changed every 3 years or 30K miles, and the transmission fluid gets changed every 2 years. Not in the brochure, but I change the battery every 4 years. The spark plugs gets changed at 110K miles (I think...). Coolant is something like 8 years and 110K miles or something---I can't recall exactly.

The one fluid that isn't mentioned anywhere that I can find is the power steering fluid. At 84K miles and on the car's 7th birthday, the dealer suggested changing it, but said "it could wait another year." I'll wait a while longer but I'll change it myself using the turkey-baster drain and fill method a few times.

It might be overkill, but I'm not aware of any car that has suffered a premature death due to changing its fluids too early. And, in the overall scheme of things, the fluid changes aren't all that expensive. Note, though, that the engine and cabin air filters can be--if you buy them at your home dealership. You can buy them online through various Honda dealers and replace them yourself for about half the price (or more).
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Re: Honda maintenance schedule?

Post by Grt2bOutdoors »

Easiest way for a perfectly good engine to meet its demise is by not changing the engine oil on a timely basis. One year is the max I would go before changing it. Change the engine oil and filter, rotate the tires if you have not done so, change the engine air filter, change your wiper blades. Change your battery at year 4, it could last 5 years but you run risk it conks out on you. Inspect the brake pads, see how much life you have left - half, a third? I'd change if a quarter or less and I am sure dealer is going to make argument to change pass it you are doing brake fluid (good guess). Check all other fluid levels and top off of needed.
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Re: Honda maintenance schedule?

Post by CFM300 »

Random Poster wrote:I'm pretty sure that the MM doesn't have a time component to it, just a mileage and use one, which is why it doesn't "know" that it has been a year since your last oil change.
Sure, I get that. But the problem is that I don't know what other maintenance would be recommended were I to wait for the oil life to drop to 15%.
Random Poster wrote:I picked a service schedule brochure for my CR-V a while back that showed all of the various service intervals and changes needed correlated to mileage and MM codes.... the transmission fluid gets changed every 2 years.
Interesting about the transmission fluid. I've had my Accord for three years and that has not come up yet on MM. And the owner's manual only says to follow MM with respect to that particular bit of service.
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Re: Honda maintenance schedule?

Post by sunny_socal »

I pay no attention to the MM and stick with this schedule:
- Oil and and tire rotation every 5k miles
- Air filter & cabin filter every 15k miles
- Transmission oil every 30k miles
- Brake fluid when it's dark (every 4 years)
- Brake pads when worn or when they start to squeal
- Brake rotors when they look worn out
- Coolant every 100k miles (every 4 years)
- Timing belt & spark plugs every 100k miles on the V6, spark plugs every 100k on the 4 cylinder
- Other parts when they break (tie rods, shocks, engine mounts, ignition coils)

This is more frequent than any MM for many items, but I Don't Mind :mrgreen: I go through the included warranty mileage about 18 months after purchase so making sure I meet warranty requirements means little to me.
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munemaker
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Re: Honda maintenance schedule?

Post by munemaker »

sunny_socal wrote:I pay no attention to the MM and stick with this schedule:
- Oil and and tire rotation every 5k miles
- Air filter & cabin filter every 15k miles
- Transmission oil every 30k miles
- Brake fluid when it's dark (every 4 years)
- Brake pads when worn or when they start to squeal
- Brake rotors when they look worn out
- Coolant every 100k miles (every 4 years)
- Timing belt & spark plugs every 100k miles on the V6, spark plugs every 100k on the 4 cylinder
- Other parts when they break (tie rods, shocks, engine mounts, ignition coils)

This is more frequent than any MM for many items, but I Don't Mind :mrgreen: I go through the included warranty mileage about 18 months after purchase so making sure I meet warranty requirements means little to me.
I am curious why you don't follow the MM?
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Re: Honda maintenance schedule?

Post by Random Poster »

CFM300 wrote:Interesting about the transmission fluid. I've had my Accord for three years and that has not come up yet on MM. And the owner's manual only says to follow MM with respect to that particular bit of service.
One note about the transmission fluid: it isn't a complete change of the fluid, but rather just a drain and fill so that roughly 1/3rd is swapped out each time. Again, maybe it is overkill, but I figure that it can't hurt and I'm reasonably convinced that it helps the transmission keep shifting like new.
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Re: Honda maintenance schedule?

Post by LadyGeek »

Don't forget - tire pressure every few weeks. That's not in the manual, but is one of the most important safety items that's easy to take care.

Unless you really know tires, make sure the pressure is at the level specified in the owner's manual. More practically, the pressures are listed on the inside frame of the driver's door.

Warranties don't cover as much as you would expect. Subject: Geico Mechanical Breakdown Insurance - Is it worth it
LadyGeek wrote:...I can't see the reason for this insurance. It's secondary to a manufacturer's extended warranty, what could be covered that an extended warranty does not? If you're concerned about breaking down, add a towing option to the policy which is a LOT cheaper.

As for extended warranties, let's take a look at the fine print:
FB01 wrote:EXCLUSIONS: MBI does not include regular maintenance services such as tune-ups, suspension alignment, wheel balancing, filters, lubrication, coolant and fluids, spark plugs, brake pads and lining, brake shoes and tires (includes tire wear and/or tire damage). Breakdown repairs made necessary by intentional damage, rust and oxidation, misuse, or improper maintenance are not covered. Mechanical Breakdown coverage is in excess of coverage provided by the manufacturer's warranty.
I underlined "such as" to emphasize that is not a comprehensive list. I just experienced an exception that's not mentioned in manufacturer or extended warranty packages. What is it? Struts.

It was time to replace the OEM tires on my 2012 Honda CR-V. I went to my local tire place and unexpectedly discovered that 3 of the 4 strut seals had blown and were leaking fluid. That would explain why my ride seemed to be getting harsher over time. It was more than the tires. :annoyed

The strut seals should not have failed with only 37,000 miles. However, my car is 4 years old and the manufacturer's warranty period had expired. Is it covered under my 5 year 60,000 mile power train warranty? Nope, struts are not part of the power train.

Both the local shop and the dealer were very clear that struts are considered maintenance items. No warranty will cover them. So... $1,100 later, I have 4 new struts. This is a fair price - not the cheapest, but fair. The local shop did the work, as you need to know what you're doing. It turned out that the bolts through the rear anti-sway bars were rusted and they had to cut them off with a torch, replace the bars, and get new bolts from the Honda dealer. Fun stuff, they earned the labor.

That doesn't include the money I spent for 4 new tires and alignment. The alignment was fine.

I'm glad I didn't buy the extended warranty when I purchased the car, as this failure would not have been covered. This unexpected expense is coming from my Emergency fund. The money is there for a reason, this is one of them.
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Re: Honda maintenance schedule?

Post by mephistophles »

CFM300 wrote:
mephistophles wrote:I use the memory minder and cross check the owners manual maintenance section and do what they say.
That's what I'm trying to do. But the problem is that the owner's manual says that I need to change my oil (because it's been one year since the last change) and change my brake fluid (because it's been three years), and yet Maintenance Minder is not giving me any codes and saying that I have 30% oil life.

If I were to just do the oil and brake fluid change, and reset MM (to put oil life back at 100%), then I could be skipping OTHER maintenance items that would have appeared had I let my oil life drop to 15% when the maintenance codes are shown.

It doesn't seem like it's actually an issue in this case, since I was able to preview my codes and they show "B-1".

But if they had shown "B-3", then I would have missed the CVT transmission fluid change. And there's no schedule for transmission changes in the owner's manual. You're just supposed to do it when MM tells you to.

The system seems flawed, IMO.
This is what I do. I follow the owners manual in these cases as the maintenance minder is based on mileage, not time. I have all my work done at Honda for very reasonable prices. They reset the maintenance minder and it works just fine for the future.
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Re: Honda maintenance schedule?

Post by grabiner »

Chip wrote:So my speculation is that some of the MM items are just tied to oil change frequency. e.g. do this at every second oil change, do that at every third oil change, whatever. Then some other things, like the CVT fluid change, are hard coded in so that they come up at any oil change that's close to a given mileage level. In this case, 50K miles.
2007 Civic owner here, and I noticed the same thing. At my last service (mileage 102K), the service code was A134; 4 is change the spark plugs. The mechanic's notes said that spark plugs would be changed at the next service because they are due at 105K; he always gives a sticker recommending the next service after 3000 miles. But I follow the maintenance minder, which calls for an oil change every 7000 miles since I drive mostly on freeways, and thus I asked for the plugs to be changed at the 102K service, rather than waiting until the next service at 109K.
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Re: Honda maintenance schedule?

Post by sunny_socal »

Munemaker , I don't follow the MM since I don't want a 10k oil change interval. I'd rather change it than track oil burn. Better to rotate tires sooner too (I do all my own work.)
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Re: Honda maintenance schedule?

Post by Chip »

CFM300 wrote: It doesn't seem like it's actually an issue in this case, since I was able to preview my codes and they show "B-1".

But if they had shown "B-3", then I would have missed the CVT transmission fluid change. And there's no schedule for transmission changes in the owner's manual. You're just supposed to do it when MM tells you to.

The system seems flawed, IMO.
Yes, especially for those like you who hit the 1 year oil change interval. Or like me, who are a little OCD about maintenance. :)

I'd be interested to see if my speculation about the 3 code and 50K miles holds in your case. And whether it shows up in your "preview" at around 45K miles.

BTW, the dealership supposedly has a tool they can use to reset individual MM codes without affecting others. For example, if you had A,1,3 but couldn't get the CVT fluid changed along with the oil, the dealer could reset the A and 1 without affecting the 3.
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Re: Honda maintenance schedule?

Post by Chip »

grabiner wrote:2007 Civic owner here, and I noticed the same thing. At my last service (mileage 102K), the service code was A134; 4 is change the spark plugs. The mechanic's notes said that spark plugs would be changed at the next service because they are due at 105K; he always gives a sticker recommending the next service after 3000 miles. But I follow the maintenance minder, which calls for an oil change every 7000 miles since I drive mostly on freeways, and thus I asked for the plugs to be changed at the 102K service, rather than waiting until the next service at 109K.
Thanks for the confirmation. I didn't realize the MMs on Hondas from 2007 had that many items programmed in. Is 3 a trans fluid change on your Civic?

But I should note that the OP's complaint is that he doesn't have a published maintenance schedule to rely on. Even w/o the MM, you and your mechanic knew the plugs had to be done at 105K. For those of us with 2013s and later, there isn't anything official from Honda about a mileage or time to change trans fluid, spark plugs, or engine coolant.
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Re: Honda maintenance schedule?

Post by munemaker »

miles monroe wrote:
CFM300 wrote: I've reviewed the owner's manual carefully. There is no maintenance schedule. Just instructions on reading the codes from MM.
i have an element. same thing. i think not having a maintenance schedule in the manual is ridiculous.
Under the old system with a maintenance schedule, Honda and others would have a normal schedule and a severe schedule. Somehow almost everyone would convince themselves they came under the severe schedule and have a lot of unneeded maintenance done. With the Maintenance Minder, they don't have to limit you to normal and severe...it can be anything in between depending on your situation. The Maintenance Minder is much more accurate than a standard maintenance schedule.

Regarding the comment about only 1/3 of the transmission fluid being changed, Honda knows this and factored it in to the algorithms that the Maintenance Minder uses. You don't have to second guess the Maintenance Minder, just follow it.
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Re: Honda maintenance schedule?

Post by jharkin »

We have driven Honda's in my family since my Dad got his first CVCC civic in '77.

Before the switchover to maintenance minder the service intervals went something like this (this is generalized and Im going off memory - DO NOT take this as gospel or applying specifically to you car, just a rough staring point).


Oil and filter interval
- varied from 5000mi (for conventional when they used 5w-20 or 5w-30) up to 7500 or even 10,000 (for syn 0w-20)
Coolant - when they went to the blue type2 stuff they started recommending a first change at 120,0000 and then every 60,000. A "full change" involves draining out the block as well and its a bit of a pain so I just do a simple radiator drain/fill every 60k that changes about half of it.
manual transmissions - was every 30,000 and then they upped it to first change at 60,000 then every 30,000
automatic transmissions - intervals changed a lot over the years. a long time ago it was every 30,000, then they said every 60,000 I have no idea what it is now. Note that a drain and fill only changes a third to half of hte fluid (and a flush is a BAD idea) so whatever the interval for a full change is I just do a drain/fill twice as often

brake fluid - every 2 or 3 years, regardless of mileage

cabin filter - typically every 15,000
engine air filter - typically every 30,000 miles for normal driving or 15,000 for dusty severe service

spark plugs - typically change at 90,000 or 105,000 for iridium plugs. Some people like to pull them by 60k just to make sure they dont seize into the head

timing belt - (if equipped - most of the 4 cylinder engines are chain) typically 105,000 or 8 years now. Most mechanics change the belt, tensioner and water pump
serpentine accessory belt - no change interval, just check every 30,000 and replace if it gets noisy or the tensioner shows its excessively stretched out

valve adjustment - the V6 engines call for a check and adjust of valve gap at 105,000 *if noisy*

The Pilot and Ridgeline has other intervals for the 4WD components but you don't care about that.....
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Re: Honda maintenance schedule?

Post by CFM300 »

munemaker wrote:Regarding the comment about only 1/3 of the transmission fluid being changed, Honda knows this and factored it in to the algorithms that the Maintenance Minder uses. You don't have to second guess the Maintenance Minder, just follow it.
So my car is exactly three years old, has 29,000 miles on it, and I just dropped it off at the dealer for service. Maintenance Minder had not come on because oil life was at 30%. But I checked the upcoming service codes using the trick mentioned by "mrnutty" in the second post in this thread.

The upcoming MM service codes were "B-1", which does NOT include a transmission fluid change. However, the dealer recommended that I have the transmission fluid changed. He said it was part of "their" 30,000 mile service.

My inclination is to NOT have the transmission fluid changed, and to just wait until the "3" code appears on MM. If it hasn't shown up by 50,000 or 60,000 then maybe consider getting it changed at that time.

Does that make sense, or should I just get it done now?

Thanks.
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Re: Honda maintenance schedule?

Post by hand »

[quote="CFM300] The upcoming MM service codes were "B-1", which does NOT include a transmission fluid change. However, the dealer recommended that I have the transmission fluid changed. He said it was part of "their" 30,000 mile service.

My inclination is to NOT have the transmission fluid changed, and to just wait until the "3" code appears on MM. If it hasn't shown up by 50,000 or 60,000 then maybe consider getting it changed at that time.

Does that make sense, or should I just get it done now?

Thanks.[/quote]

Overspecifying service is a typical dealer "revenue generator". Likely in your best interest to decline.

Unless I personally believed that transmission fluid was an issue, or valued having a dealer record of the service (perhaps you're planning to sell in the next couple years?) I would pass on the dealer "suggested" service at 30k miles and wait until Honda / MM recommendation.

If I wanted some cheap entertainment, I would press the dealer on 1) why Honda's schedule was incorrect, and 2) what was wrong with my make/model of car that it required additional service - does this mean it should be eligible for a lemon law buy-back? :twisted:

That being said, I do go out of my way to change transmission fluid around every 50k miles mark on my vehicles (~$150 as DIY effort) as cheap insurance against longer term transmission issues. Tinfoil hat time, but I believe dealers over spec service to make money, and manufacturers underspec infrequent services to minimize the all important 5 year / 100k True Cost to Own number and sell more cars.
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Re: Honda maintenance schedule?

Post by Chip »

CFM300 wrote:My inclination is to NOT have the transmission fluid changed, and to just wait until the "3" code appears on MM. If it hasn't shown up by 50,000 or 60,000 then maybe consider getting it changed at that time.

Does that make sense, or should I just get it done now?

Thanks.
I would definitely wait. As hand pointed out, it's just one route to more dealer profit.

If you look at your owner's manual (footnotes on p. 491 in mine) you'll see that Honda does suggest a 25K mile transmission fluid change for severe service. Typically these severe service intervals are about half the mileage of the normal service intervals, which implies 50K is about right for a normal interval. I'm assuming you don't meet their definition for severe service.
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Re: Honda maintenance schedule?

Post by CFM300 »

Chip wrote:I would definitely wait. As hand pointed out, it's just one route to more dealer profit.

If you look at your owner's manual (footnotes on p. 491 in mine) you'll see that Honda does suggest a 25K mile transmission fluid change for severe service. Typically these severe service intervals are about half the mileage of the normal service intervals, which implies 50K is about right for a normal interval. I'm assuming you don't meet their definition for severe service.
Thanks guys, I appreciate the quick responses.

I'm going to wait until I receive the Maintenance Minder code before getting the transmission fluid changed.
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Re: Honda maintenance schedule?

Post by CFM300 »

NEW QUESTION

Those of you who have 2012 or later (9th Gen) Honda Accords and who follow Maintenance Minder, at what mileage did you receive the "3" code to change your transmission fluid?

Chip already said that his occurred at 51k miles. Just curious when it occurred for others.

Thanks.
Last edited by CFM300 on Thu Aug 25, 2016 3:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Honda maintenance schedule?

Post by Sid »

I'm on my 4th Honda. If I were you, I would change my engine air filter and my cabin air filter and that is it. I noticed someone said they changed the transmission fluid at 30k. IMO that is just a waste of money. Nothing to be gained by replacing perfectly good trans fluid.
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CFM300
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Re: Honda maintenance schedule?

Post by CFM300 »

Sid wrote:If I were you, I would change my engine air filter and my cabin air filter and that is it. I noticed someone said they changed the transmission fluid at 30k. IMO that is just a waste of money. Nothing to be gained by replacing perfectly good trans fluid.
Thanks, Sid. I replaced the engine and cabin air filters at 24k, and I'm going to skip replacing the transmission fluid until MM tells me to.
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Dutch
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Re: Honda maintenance schedule?

Post by Dutch »

Does anybody know if the current Civic engines have a timing belt or a chain?
Mudpuppy
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Re: Honda maintenance schedule?

Post by Mudpuppy »

CFM300 wrote:The upcoming MM service codes were "B-1", which does NOT include a transmission fluid change. However, the dealer recommended that I have the transmission fluid changed. He said it was part of "their" 30,000 mile service.

My inclination is to NOT have the transmission fluid changed, and to just wait until the "3" code appears on MM. If it hasn't shown up by 50,000 or 60,000 then maybe consider getting it changed at that time.

Does that make sense, or should I just get it done now?
Sounds like the dealer is still selling the old maintenance schedules (e.g. 30k, 45k, etc.) instead of going with what the maintenance minder says to do. As others said, it's probably not needed at this time.
tacster
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Re: Honda maintenance schedule?

Post by tacster »

Dutch wrote:Does anybody know if the current Civic engines have a timing belt or a chain?
Google says it has a chain. Usually you can tell by looking - if there's a removable plastic cover it has a belt, no removable cover it has a chain.
INSERT PITHY QUOTE HERE
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Kenkat
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Re: Honda maintenance schedule?

Post by Kenkat »

I know you asked about Accords, but we have a 2014 Odyssey. It has about 28,000 miles and is showing maintenance code A123 with about 10% oil life left so it is indicating a transmission fluid change is due (the "3" in the A123).
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sunny_socal
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Re: Honda maintenance schedule?

Post by sunny_socal »

Sid wrote:I'm on my 4th Honda. If I were you, I would change my engine air filter and my cabin air filter and that is it. I noticed someone said they changed the transmission fluid at 30k. IMO that is just a waste of money. Nothing to be gained by replacing perfectly good trans fluid.
Transmissions are very expensive to repair, possibly even worse than the engine. No way I'd try to stretch the life of transmission fluid. The "full flush" is a big operation but most vehicles only allow you to drain a portion of it through the drain plug, maybe 4 qts. It is an extremely simple operation and not at all expensive.

I've never had a transmission blow up. It's well worth my peace of mind to spend $30 every couple years to freshen up the transmission fluid. (Well, that's once a year for me, once every two years for my wife due to our driving patterns.)

I'd rather do some simple maintenance rather than be one of the guys who posts here wanting to dump his 7 year old Accord due to a "flaky transmission" :shock:
mhalley
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Re: Honda maintenance schedule?

Post by mhalley »

My Acura TL (luxury accord) just had the b1 come on at 39k miles. I decided to go ahead and take it in to the dealer, and they charged $150 for it. I take it to my local valvoline for the regular oil changes.
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grabiner
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Re: Honda maintenance schedule?

Post by grabiner »

Chip wrote:
grabiner wrote:2007 Civic owner here, and I noticed the same thing. At my last service (mileage 102K), the service code was A134; 4 is change the spark plugs. The mechanic's notes said that spark plugs would be changed at the next service because they are due at 105K; he always gives a sticker recommending the next service after 3000 miles. But I follow the maintenance minder, which calls for an oil change every 7000 miles since I drive mostly on freeways, and thus I asked for the plugs to be changed at the 102K service, rather than waiting until the next service at 109K.
Thanks for the confirmation. I didn't realize the MMs on Hondas from 2007 had that many items programmed in. Is 3 a trans fluid change on your Civic?
I believe it is.
But I should note that the OP's complaint is that he doesn't have a published maintenance schedule to rely on. Even w/o the MM, you and your mechanic knew the plugs had to be done at 105K. For those of us with 2013s and later, there isn't anything official from Honda about a mileage or time to change trans fluid, spark plugs, or engine coolant.
I don't have a published schedule either. I told the mechanic, "Do service A14; skip the transmission fluid because it was needed at the previous service and done then." He wrote in the service notes, "spark plugs due at 105K, to be done at next service." I requested that they be done at this service after seeing the notes
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Chip
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Re: Honda maintenance schedule?

Post by Chip »

grabiner wrote:I don't have a published schedule either. I told the mechanic, "Do service A14; skip the transmission fluid because it was needed at the previous service and done then." He wrote in the service notes, "spark plugs due at 105K, to be done at next service." I requested that they be done at this service after seeing the notes
Thanks. I didn't realize it had been at least 10 years since Honda had abandoned the mileage-based schedules and began relying solely on the MM. From the way people complain about it you'd think it'd happened yesterday. :shock:
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CWRadio
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Re: Honda maintenance schedule?

Post by CWRadio »

A little off subject.
I purchase a 2016 Honda Civic EX Sense last week and the Pre-Delivery Inspection document was not filled out correctly.
A few thing missing or not correct:

The VIN number was not correct on the document.
No Technician name.
Missing signatures to certify that the inspection was done.
Battery charging information not entered.
Emission control system signature missing.
The air pressure in each tire was 38 psi. According to door sticker the correct tire air pressure is 32 psi.
The date code on the tires were 4315 (Week of Oct 19,2015).

Should I be concerned? The dealer apologized and would like to perform the Pre-Delivery Inspection again.

What do you think? The Civic is running fine and no problems (220 miles on car). Thanks
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sunny_socal
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Re: Honda maintenance schedule?

Post by sunny_socal »

CWRadio wrote:A little off subject.
I purchase a 2016 Honda Civic EX Sense last week and the Pre-Delivery Inspection document was not filled out correctly.
A few thing missing or not correct:

The VIN number was not correct on the document.
No Technician name.
Missing signatures to certify that the inspection was done.
Battery charging information not entered.
Emission control system signature missing.
The air pressure in each tire was 38 psi. According to door sticker the correct tire air pressure is 32 psi.
The date code on the tires were 4315 (Week of Oct 19,2015).

Should I be concerned? The dealer apologized and would like to perform the Pre-Delivery Inspection again.

What do you think? The Civic is running fine and no problems (220 miles on car). Thanks
I wouldn't worry about it, obviously they just stuck the wrong (boilerplate) form in your car. As for the PSI - be thankful they're actually a little high! (Indeed to be sure you should learn to check them yourself, just get a $5 gauge next time to stop for gas.) I run all my tires @ 40 PSI if the max sidewall is 44, 45 PSI if the max sidewall is 50, 75 PSI if the max sidewall is 80. The door jamb pressures are only applicable for the tires that came with the car and for those wanting a plush ride. It has more to do with liability than anything else - the manufacturer doesn't want another Firestone fiasco on their hands.
ArmchairArchitect
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Re: Honda maintenance schedule?

Post by ArmchairArchitect »

Not sure why you're asking these questions on a finance forum. There are countless Honda forums you can join and ask your question there.
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LadyGeek
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Re: Honda maintenance schedule?

Post by LadyGeek »

sunny_socal wrote:...I wouldn't worry about it, obviously they just stuck the wrong (boilerplate) form in your car. As for the PSI - be thankful they're actually a little high! (Indeed to be sure you should learn to check them yourself, just get a $5 gauge next time to stop for gas.) I run all my tires @ 40 PSI if the max sidewall is 44, 45 PSI if the max sidewall is 50, 75 PSI if the max sidewall is 80. The door jamb pressures are only applicable for the tires that came with the car and for those wanting a plush ride. It has more to do with liability than anything else - the manufacturer doesn't want another Firestone fiasco on their hands.
No, the pressure is determined by the engineers - not lawyers. This is not good advice. See: What Air Pressure Should I Use in My Tires? or google "correct tire pressure"
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sunny_socal
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Re: Honda maintenance schedule?

Post by sunny_socal »

LadyGeek wrote: No, the pressure is determined by the engineers - not lawyers. This is not good advice. See: What Air Pressure Should I Use in My Tires? or google "correct tire pressure"
Then we must disagree:
- Engineers also determined the tire pressure during the Firestone debacle: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firestone ... ontroversy
- Engineers determine the max sidewall pressure

The door jamb is fine if you just want comfort, but there is not harm in any value between the door jamb and the max sidewall. I've never seen uneven wear with higher pressures. If you read the hybrid vehicle message boards, many people run tires above the door jamb pressure.

And specifically for truck tires, there is good reason to run higher pressure in E-rated tires. These far exceed the performance of the stock tires but also require higher pressure to work properly. The door jamb is meaningless in this scenario:
http://www.souzastireservice.com/tires- ... ssure.aspx
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Frugal Al
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Re: Honda maintenance schedule?

Post by Frugal Al »

sunny_socal wrote:The door jamb is fine if you just want comfort, but there is not harm in any value between the door jamb and the max sidewall
That statement is not true, and the article referenced points out that there are many variables that determine the optimal tire pressures. Let's not read more into the article than is there. Most people would be ill-served by running the max tire pressures listed on the sidewall, they are max for the tire, not the vehicle. Some cars would be downright dangerous at max pressures. Every vehicle has different handling dynamics, and the types of roads and temperatures add even more variables. Most engineering specifications are the result of compromises, erring on the side of safety. Most people will be best served by staying within 10% or so of the door jamb listed pressures. There will always be exceptions, but most people aren't in that category. The advice by Tire Rack is correct for most.
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sunny_socal
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Re: Honda maintenance schedule?

Post by sunny_socal »

Frugal Al wrote:
sunny_socal wrote:The door jamb is fine if you just want comfort, but there is not harm in any value between the door jamb and the max sidewall
That statement is not true, and the article referenced points out that there are many variables that determine the optimal tire pressures. Let's not read more into the article than is there. Most people would be ill-served by running the max tire pressures listed on the sidewall, they are max for the tire, not the vehicle. Some cars would be downright dangerous at max pressures. Every vehicle has different handling dynamics, and the types of roads and temperatures add even more variables. Most engineering specifications are the result of compromises, erring on the side of safety. Most people will be best served by staying within 10% or so of the door jamb listed pressures. There will always be exceptions, but most people aren't in that category. The advice by Tire Rack is correct for most.
I don't disagree - most should stick with the door jamb. My point was that if the door jamb says 32, but someone at the dealer pumped them up to 38 it's likely fine since the max pressure is likely 44 to 50 PSI depending on the tire. It's not worth worrying about.

While the door jamb is a fine compromise for most people, it is NOT a one size fits all value. If you're the type that only sticks with 'stock' tires then go with the door jamb. If you get oversized rims and aftermarket tires you likely should not use the door jamb. (But I understand most BH readers are the Accord/Camry drivers who would consider aftermarket parts a waste of $$....)

If you're really worried, take a look at the vehicles around you next time you're on the freeway. Many vehicles have at least one tire that is visibly under inflated! It takes a lot for modern tires to look flat, that means they are probably running about 20 PSI.
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