Why I Don't Trust The Honda Dealer's Recommendations

Trusting your Honda dealership for maintenance advice is not the best idea anymore. In this video, I dive into why I don't trust the Honda Dealer's Recommendations anymore. With over 30 years of experience in the auto repair industry, we've seen the landscape change, and unfortunately, not always for the better.
From questionable maintenance schedules to contradictory advice on oil changes and transmission fluid, we break down the discrepancies between dealership recommendations and what's best for your Honda's longevity. Join us as we uncover the truth behind dealership maintenance packages, oil change intervals, and the importance of regular inspections.
Moreover, gain exclusive insights into our own maintenance schedule for Honda vehicles, a schedule that's not just based on theory but on real-world experience and a steadfast commitment to ensuring your car's safety and reliability. Don't miss out on expert advice that could potentially save you time, money, and unnecessary headaches. Watch now and take charge of your Honda's maintenance journey. And remember to like, subscribe, and leave your questions in the comments below!
00:00 Introduction
01:38 Reason #1 Oil
02:57 Reason #2 Transmission Fluid

[@Matys1975]

My wife once went to the dealer for an oil change and was told she needed new wiper blades after I changed her wiper blades literally that same week with brand new top of the line Bosch blades 😂

[@a.a.a.r5238]

It happened with me with a cabin filter. Replaced it myself with new oem couple of days before maintenance apt at dealership and they recommended to watch out for dirty cabin filter that should be replaced soon. Did not go back to them!

[@TheMarioBrosBros]

Bosch are the best, been replacing my family all with Bosch Icons.

[@waterloo123100]

@@TheMarioBrosBrosHonda wiper inserts are cheaper and better then aftermarket 😂

[@cgrf45]

Same thing happened to my wife last week. She was took her Tiguan in for service. Told her she needed new wipers, air filter, cabin filter, rear brakes and spark plugs. Total $1600. I told them just do the oil change. I told them I replaced the wipers 2 weeks ago and I checked the air filter and it was in goods condition. Monkeys is what they are.

[@Crook4Money]

Happened to me when getting my windshield replaced.

[@DCSPORTSTER]

This man is right on the money I do everything that he does preventative maintenance is the key to a reliable vehicle. I also have three Hondas. My cars all go high miles with very few problems. I have a 2007 Honda fit sport with 260,000 miles on it now it’s still very reliable and everything thing works as it should. Still drives like a brand new car. Goes through about a half a quart of oil between oil changes still has no leaks anywhere on engine or transmission.

[@Gleeleeglee]

My 08 civic 192k mi just recently uses almost one qrt at 60% oil change status. Hopefully at 20% it wont be another qrt.

[@nicholaspetre1]

Preventive maintenance is the key

[@nicholaspetre1]

@@Gleeleeglee what motor oil do you use and what are your oil change intervals?

[@mysticjedi6730]

You are having oil dilution as well. It's not one way.. Up your viscosity from 5w20 to 5w30 etc. Or use oil stabalizer. Go 5%, 10% etc until it stops.

[@RajSharma-mm9ou]

You are 100% right I don't even wait for 5000 miles because it is my car not dealer

[@MrDevior]

Great video! I agree with you. 2018 Honda Civic EX-Hs with CVT. Oil changed every 5,000 miles and CVT fluid changed at 30,000. 46,000 miles on her now.

[@vekthor5892]

Very clear sincere humble advise.. God Bless. More power to you Shadetree

[@russtaylor385]

In this case I don’t have a Honda - have a Toyota - but I highly rate your approach to maintenance and inspection and general advice and I learn something valuable every video. Thank you. Wish I lived nearer to you. Northumberland is a fair hike!

[@milfordcivic6755]

Honda can keep their "free" oil changes. I just bought a new Ridgeline and they will never touch my truck unless it's a warranty repair

[@nobujak]

In an online forum I found, a Honda technician in Japan confirmed that all Honda cars required scheduled transmission fluid flush. No exception. No such thing as life-time transmission fluid with Honda.

[@josephkelleher8820]

I agree with your recommendations. On my 12' Altima I have the CVT fluid changed every 2 years. To me years are just as important as miles.

[@fredhenry426]

Thanks again. I follow your advice & insight. Excellent.

[@ShadetreeAutomotiveLayton]

You are very welcome. Thanks for your support!

[@jamesgichuhi2174]

James from Kenya 🇰🇪 like your Honda explaining safety in engine very much

[@nicholaspetre1]

Very good video and channel as well. I have a Honda Accord 4 cyl 2012 with 190,000 miles. Used to have 5-6k miles intervals, but the older the got, I switched to 3K mile intervals. I used Mobil1 EP and Pennzoil UP 0w20 since their cSt Viscosity @100C which is 8.8 matches with Honda Ultimate Full Syn viscosity and other aftermartket are too thin. Also, after 3K miles/3 months oil just gets too dirty and I dont like the look of it when draining. With high mileage vehicles I recommend 3K mi intervals too all car owners. I extract and refill a full tank of power steering fluid and brake fluid every second oil change that is every 6k miles in my case. Coolant stays good for very long time so I change it every 3-4 years or about 50K miles. Air filter gets dirty close to 10k miles and I change it basically every 3rd oil change. Cabin filter is changed in my vehicle twice a year as it gets dirty pretty fast in the city, so I change it before summer and before winter. I change spark plugs every 60k miles and every time I do it I feel a great improvement in the way the car responds to the accelerator and also get better gas mileage immediately.

[@nicholaspetre1]

What 0w20 motor oil do you use in your shop when you service your Hondas?

[@ADUSN]

Way excessive intervals. With full synthetic you could at least do 5k. Your money though

[@nicholaspetre1]

@@ADUSN the engine is pretty dirty after many miles and prior long oil change intervals. I need to clean it and make sure car will last for more milea

[@Soh90]

Wow that is quite the meticulous maintenance schedule my friend. Maybe almost too meticulous lol. Now I don’t disagree with the notion of DISREGARDING the new extended maintenance intervals of manufacturers. My 2014 328d for example gets an oil change every 5,000 miles as opposed to the absurd 10,000 recommended by BMW. I also did the transmission fluid change at 90,000 miles even though BMW said its lifetime - funny enough, ZF (the maker of the transmission recommends to change the fluid at 8 years or 50,000 - 75,000 miles so I don’t know what the hell BMW is smoking). But other than that, I personally think there’s no need to be changing fluids and filters THAT much. 5k is good for oil. 25k is good for cabin/engine air filters. 60k is good for spark (or glow plugs in the case of the 328) and transmission and diff can pretty much be held off until 70k to almost 90k.

[@nicholaspetre1]

@@Soh90 Thank you for the comment. You know, it comes with time and experience. It is like clothes wearing, we do not change our clothes when it is obviously dirty and stinky, right. We send it to the washer when it is not fresh. The same approach is with the car maintenance. I change filters based on their condition as well, not simply mileage and time. When I check air or cabin filter after 6 month or 5K miles and I see it is dirty, full of dust and debris, bees, bugs and other insects, I throw it away in the garbage, I don't try to clean it and put it back and use it for 20K miles more because manual suggests this or the box says "change it every 30K miles". City driving wears components much faster than it seems. Regarding fluids, I don't wait till this moment comes when fluids acquire a soot color. The matter is that all these fluids as well as other things like tires etc they work properly while they are new, while they are in decent condition. After that they just sit, they do not work. Power steering fluid, for instance, yes, the pump still may work, but due to bad condition of the fluid the friction increases and those hoses inside tend to fall apart polluting the fluid even more with burned rubber debris. Coolant does not lubricate and harm the gaskets causing them to blow plus does not protect against corrosion. I had been working at the repair shop for several years and still in the parts business and I have seen how people loose their vehicles and got those ridiculously high bills because they simply did not spend $25-30 maintenance procedure on time. It seems to me so stupid. I can understand those who buy newer cars and keep them for 5 years MAX, they do not care, vehicles will still last till they get sold and it they become some other people's problem. But those owners who keep their cars for long should have more gray matter in their head to realize that it is much cheaper to maintain their vehicles than repair them especially these days when shops charge $150+ per hour. I realize that I can spend maybe $50 per every 3K miles more than any other driver out there, but at least I am confident in the condition all my vehicles and that is what maintenance is all about. At least I am not gonna be among those customers standing in the lobby with their dumb faces when they are announced to pay $6,000 and wait for 10 days because they didn't service their transmission on time or they got to pay $3,000 for the blown head gasket because coolant was never changed or that mechanic can do nothing about their car's terrible oil burn issue after 160,000 mileage because they religiously followed manufacturer's advice to change oil once a year of 10,000 miles like manual says using pure premium full syn oil that was good for 20K miles according to the bottle sticker. I hate to pay at the shop for my carelessness and I am doing my best not to.

[@patmcgillivray1926]

Im in Canada...oil change every 8000km (4971 miles) Honda CRV owner...2.4 litre N/A motor & last year of the 5 speed transmission. Im keeping it forever.

[@davidcampbell1899]

A Canadian here as well, Change oil every 6 months when I change the snow tires. May and November! Did the AT and Spark Plugs on my Camry at 130,000km and air and cabin filters every 2 years.

[@coloradosprings7147]

5000km

[@alanng4754]

Here here. I did my own full maintenance as well. I change my oil and transmission and differential oil. And radiator coolant change. I still have my brake fluid to change. All my brakes are inspected and/or changed after 5 years of driving. I did my oil and filter change every 3 - 5,000 miles due to the oil dilution problem on my CRV

[@theredscourge]

Toyota had an issue with piston design until about 2015 which was causing oil issues with the 10k mi oil changes, but this was since fixed. Other brands may not have caught it so early, hence the prevalence of problems with 10k mi oil change intervals. It was after the change to low tension piston rings where fuel could blow by and dilute the oil near where the rods connect. I know this affected some Audis until at least 2017 maybe longer too.

[@charleswagenseil5496]

Great advice, no BS. Wish you guys had a shop here in Charleston SC.

[@Ron-kn6ur]

Same with the newer Toyota vehicles with these long oil change intervals. I get my oil change done very 5,000 miles or 6 months whichever comes first. I get it done at an independent garage.

[@wileymore]

Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience! I have found your channel to be very informative! Also, it is very rare that a shop has loaner cars for its customers. That definitely elevates your shop and I'm sure your customers appreciate that courtesy.

[@ShadetreeAutomotiveLayton]

Thank you! Yes our loaner cars have been a big pain in my butt...but my customers love them..haha

[@Whateva67]

I have a few Hondas in my stable. I just put new Koni shocks on the front of my 01 Prelude the other day in my garage. It was a lot cheaper than getting a shop to do it,easier than I thought but it’s a drag doing it on the ground and not on a lift, I still have to do the rears as well. I like the older cars I have as they are easier to work on. Greetings from British Columbia 😊

[@johnscerbo130]

100% spot on sir 👍🏼 knowledge is power

[@phillau3015]

Awesome! Appreciate you sharing the proper way to maintain a reliable Honda! 👍👍👍

[@usinebob]

Great, great video…thanks so much for sharing.

[@rhondamitchell2008]

Excellent advice. I own a 2017 honda CRV. I change my own oil every 4000 miles. Cvt fluid once each year and differential fluid once a year. Car runs like brand new.

[@artdeluxxe7647]

I basically have to force my dealer to service my new odyssey at around 5k miles. They always fight and tell me it's not due yet. I insist

[@freshamarni]

I love this . Its worth knowing, GOD bless you Chief

[@terrencebenjamin7241]

That’s a bad Honda Dealership. The one I got to tells me to change the transmission fluid every 25k-30k miles to change my transmission fluid. Even the manual says to change it at 25k

[@supertec2023]

I've never seen Honda recommend meaning the manufacturer for the transmission fluid to be changed at 25,000 me please State the name model year of that vehicle so I can look that up

[@terrencebenjamin7241]

@@supertec2023 2020 Honda Civic. Look at page 550 of the owner’s Manual. Along with the maintenance minders under the asterisk section it clearly states to replace the transmission fluid at 25k miles if certain conditions such as low speed driving or mountain driving is frequent.

[@alexgarcia7401]

@@supertec2023I believe the 25k fluid change applies to CVT transmissions. Your traditional transmissions I would change every 60k imo.

[@tk104]

@@supertec2023 That's the recommendation for driving in mountainous areas at low speeds. It's the combination that matters. It's not just driving in the mountains or just low speeds but the combination of the two that causes higher transmission temperatures and requires more frequent fluid changes. If that doesn't apply to you then 25K is probably too soon for your specific driving conditions.

[@Hardworkpays209]

@@supertec202323 hrv sport 2wd it says under normal operation 25k is what’s recommended but if you drive in harsh conditions. Hilly , dusty and muddy or snow 15k is recommended. I live in a harsh climate and I went 25k for the first interval to see what the fluid looked like. Nothing on the magnet but the guild was filthy I’m doing every 4th oil change now so 20k

[@genehanson573]

Very good information, purchased a 2017 Honda Accord Sport and plan on keeping it for a long time, it is ABSOLUTLEY insane for Honda and the dealships to recommend 10k oil changes and state the CVT transmission fluid as LIFETIME. This is totally wrong, most Honda vehicles use a very thin engine oil, 0-20 which as stated in the video breaks down in a much shorter time. It is IMPERATIVE that you stick to a 5k oil change schedule even with full synthetic oil and change your CVT transmission fluid every 30K, and ONLY use the Honda HCF-2 CVT transmission fluid.This will save you in the long run from huge costly repairs, I am just blown away the Honda dealerships/manufacturer would recommend such intervals, sounds to me like they want you to go by their intervals and make lots of $$$$

[@johnblum2829]

I have a 2017 honda accord sport also, I do all my own maintenance, penzoil ultra platinum every 3,000 oem transmission fluid every 30,000 wix filters all around.

[@slscamg]

I have found 0w-20 to be robust in NA applications. Definitely not taking it to 10k miles but when I have it tested at 5k it definitely has some life in it.

[@RitaLG1]

Thank you for this information. I just purchased a 2023 Passport at the end of last year and was wondering when things should be done.

[@street_booler9026]

Fellow Utahn here, please keep making these helpful videos 🙏🏽

[@ShadetreeAutomotiveLayton]

Thank you! You got it

[@christanner8104]

I wish we had honest guys like you here in the UK. The wife has a 2020 Mazda 2 and just been caught out on the annual MOT check at the main dealer. It was OK when she took it in (I checked beforehand as I do regularly) but got stung when she went to collect. 😮

[@davidlampe4153]

Good information and clearly right on the money. Your video outlines all the important schedules for maintenance I’m very grateful there’s still a few mechanics and business that are working hard to educate people about car maintenance. I’m a little surprised that you left the Honda dealership with a maintenance agreement but they can be persuasive you just got caught up in the moment. You should get a couple of magnetic sign’s and cover up your own wrap with a feed store sign or something innocuous so any casual observer might not recognize your car in the dealership quick lube for service.

[@ShadetreeAutomotiveLayton]

Haha..I bought it from a buddy of mine and he actually gets in a little trouble from management if he doesn't sell a maintenance package or extended warranty. He made it work within what I was willing to pay him for the car.

[@MrSamPhoenix]

We work on our Honda/Acura vehicles and maintain them religiously. This is especially true when it comes to the transmissions. We do a simple drain and fill once a year. This keeps our CVT, 5, 6, 9, & 10 speed transmissions very happy.

[@Leehuss5582]

The reason why they implemented "lifetime fluids" in car engines is that when it breaks down and it will, your going to have to take the car to their mechanics to rectify/fix the issues....a manufacturer depends on after care....if the product was fault free then a large chunk of monies would be not available to them....

[@anthonygreco12]

Great info-My 2008 Ridgeline has only been dealer serviced and has 304K on it. They do everything you do, only thing I have not done are the struts, still original and truck drives the same as new

[@Jagshemasher]

Really good advice being given here - this is how I look after our family's cars. Spending money on maintenance really saves you money in the long run and is critical if you plan on keeping your car a long time. There is no such thing as "lifetime" oil . . . if you don't change it the "life" of the transmission will be severely reduced (run away as fast as you can from anyone claiming otherwise). Change transmission oil at least every 50,000 miles with normal automatic gearboxes and more frequently with crappy CVT's - this is way cheaper than paying for a new transmission - a colleague of mine just had to replace the CVT in his Nissan and it was not a particularly high mileage car. I own a BMW in which the service manual recommends 12,000 mile oil change intervals which to me, as a mechanical engineer is asinine and simply a way to make the maintenance costs seem lower (at least until the engine coughs up is crank bearings). I reduced that interval interval by half. Air filters and cabin filters . . . every 18 - 24 months is usually okay and if you buy decent aftermarket parts from reputable parts companies these particular parts are not expensive and very easy to change yourself so even if you want to do it every 12 months its not going to break the bank.

[@robertomorales1562]

Great video thanks so much for take your time i make this kind of videos. I appreciate i have a honda civic si 2020 how long i have to change my pvc valve? Thanks for your answer

[@ThatGuyFromMiamiFL]

Great advice! What If your car sits or just doesn’t even hit 5k miles easily? Would you recommend changing the oil every 6 months instead? I have a ‘20 Accord and I’m worried I’m not driving it enough and the oil may go bad over time.

[@Halum_Movies]

Great video! Our Subaru dealer told us the same thing about our 2017 Legacy. No shops will touch the car to change transmission fluid because the manual says not to touch it. The dealer wants to flush the transmission at 100k miles, but I've heard negative things about that as well. Very frustrating

[@robertneal6878]

@Halum_Movies From what I have read from Mechanics such as Scotty Kilmer and others, Do NOT have a transmission flushed! It breaks stuff loose that would not have caused a problem, but it Now will. Drain it and replace the fluid with the Same amount that was drained.

[@Halum_Movies]

@@robertneal6878 that's exactly what I've heard and that's my fear. I feel put in a position by Subaru to fail

[@youngandballin92]

Honda technician here. Our dealership recommends 5k oil change service intervals and 30k for CVT transmissions. It varies from dealership to dealership. Manufacture recommendations aren’t the end all be all because most customers don’t even understand their maintenance minders. They rely on the oil change sticker and the service advisor telling them what they need.

[@glfarwell]

I know this is blasphemy, but I drive a Lexus RX350, and this advice is good for all. My "Lifetime, non checkable auto transmission, is not going the distance Lexus says. So I pay up for the fluid to be replaced. Now that I'm retired, I drive less than 5000 miles a year, I still get engine oil replaced even if I am less than 5000 miles but at the one year interval. Pay attention or Pay the price.

[@joseleysa5137]

Thank you for your honesty.

[@usinebob]

I just bought a new 2024 Honda Pilot elite. At what mileage would you recommend the transmission oil change? 30,000 miles or 50,000 miles?

[@freshamarni]

In Africa Ghana where I live with most untarred roads, I mostly change cabin filters & the Air elements every 5000km, sometimes every other oil servicing.

[@johnsradios484]

I’m gonna follow this oil change recommendation! Also CVT fluid will be changed .

[@Harold_Callahan]

6:15 Exactly right. Inspect first then replace if needed. Just replacing based on mileage alone is lazy shop work.

[@dlzchaos588]

I can tell you that these recommendations can easily vary wildly by dealership and honestly service advisor and technician. I work on cars and I tell people these things listed below Oil change every 5k check your oil level before changing the oil to make sure you’re not burning any. If you don’t then you will eventually get a P0341, it will jump time and potentially destroy your engine, or the timing chain tensioner/ VTC actuator will rattle on start up. Either one of these will result in a new chain, tensioner, guides, VTC actuator, and in the case of engine failure you trading in the car because you’re gonna say screw putting in a new engine. Trans drain and fill every 30k for CVT( 9/10 speed every 50k, 6 speed auto do a flush(Hondas main weak point honestly has always been their transmissions. I do a flush because the fluid in these pilots after 30k is usually pretty dark and the pilots like to get a P0741 which if that pops up then you’ll need a torque converter. DO NOT USE A FLUSH MACHINE. Drain and refill the transmission fluid and then drive the car to cycle the fluid through the torque converter and repeat this process until the fluid is cherry red. Trust me it works and sometimes if you have a P0741 then it’ll keep it away. This flush will work/help any Honda that takes ATF-DW1.) change the fluid sooner if you tow or haul anything frequently). Transfer case and rear differential fluid every 15k ( I know he said every 30k in the video but I’ve seen some cars come in with a vibration when making sharp turns and when I change the fluid it goes away. These customers waiting 30k instead of 15k. It’s not every car this happens to.) Brake fluid every 3 years or if it’s dark Multi point inspection and tire rotation every 5k. Power steering fluid I usually don’t change unless I’m fixing a leak and need to add some. Flushing it out usually causes a blockage and swelling of the inner tie rod boots. Forcing that fluid around just sometimes causes leaks that weren’t previously there due to aging seems so just leave it alone unless there is a leak. Spark plugs, timing belt w/ tensioner, drive belt, water pump, associated pulleys, and valve check and adjustment every 100k( only use NGK or Denso spark plugs. Not changing the plugs usually makes the coil packs work harder and eventually burns them out. Usually they’ll start to fail under load. If the coil pack does fail only use HONDA products because usually the aftermarket coil packs fail WAYYYYYYYYYY faster and customers are always in disbelief when I tell them the coil the just replaced at autozone has failed. Carbon cleaning every 50k if you have direct injection. All direct injection cars carb up on the valves unless they’re using a dual injection system like Toyota. Hope someone finds this useful and don’t let people talk you into those carbon cleaners where all they do is spray stuff into the throttle body. Half the time it’ll result you needing a catalytic converter sooner than you normally would. My dealer tries to push them but I purposely don’t sell them. The best way to remove carbon is to take the intake off and actually clean the valves manually so it doesn’t get in the catalytic converter. That spray shit barely works at all and just isn’t worth the hassles knowing that a new catalytic converter can be thousands of dollars. My Honda has over 270k on it and I follow these intervals and have had zero issues. Also adding half a quart to a quart of ATF-DW1 every oil change can help keep the engine clean as it does serve as a detergent inside the engine but that’s optional. I usually add about half a quart.

[@TommyG11814]

Great advice no matter what you drive.

[@juanfersan]

Thanks. This also applies to their non cvt hybrids? (eCVT) ?

[@adamu3706]

Excellent advice. What service intervals do you recommend for the hybrid inverter fluid? I can't seem to get a straight answer from the dealership. They tell me the cars computer will let me know.

[@patrickhall6755]

Honda is following every other manufacturer. It’s something created back in the 80’s called cost of operation. Volvo does lifetime atf back in the early 2000’s. Remember it’s a race to the bottom.

[@edwinsantos827]

Shade tree, good article and I do believe all you mention to be true. I do have a question for you. I have a 2016 pilot. It has 183k on the clock. All services have been done including its second timing belt. What I am having a hard time deciding on is a complete strut replacement brand to go with. Looking at Honda oem, they require individual purchase for all the strut components compared to the brands that offer a complete strut for the diy’er. Question for you is what brand of strut company that offers a complete strut assembly do you guys use there in your shop for customers that require struts? The cost between the oem and complete assemblies is rather dramatic. Thanks in advance if you decide to provide some guidance. Things are a bit tight for me but I do recognize the need to stay on top of my maintenance. It just must be on a tight budget.

[@johnlee270]

I do my every 25 thousand miles on my Honda Civic CVT fluid, 5 5,000 miles on engine oil! Serpentine belt at 90k miles now it is 99k miles have zero issues!

[@jimbike8064]

2020 Accord exl owner. Maintenance minder will let you know when to change oil based on a number of variables, besides mileage. I usually change my oil when it gets down to 40%, which is around 7,000 miles. So probably could do 12k and still be under manufacturer guidelines.

[@soapa4279]

Remember people, service manuals are also written and vetted by lawyers. It’s there to protect them from getting sued. As for the subject of oil or fluid changes, it’s cheaper to change more often than it is to wait and have complete failure that could cost thousands.

[@Hardworkpays209]

The owners manual says 25k idk where they got lifetime fluid from…

[@soapa4279]

@@Hardworkpays209 Not sure, but other manufacturers like BMW also suggest CVT fluid is “lifetime” Which we all shouldn’t believe.

[@Hardworkpays209]

@@soapa4279 they will say lifetime fluid then deny your warranty claim when your tranny dies because the fluid wasn’t changed every 25k like the manufacturer recommends…

[@jasonwilliams6005]

My dealership says exactly what you say. Oil every 5k and transmission every 30k.

[@crlaw75]

You should do a video on "why I don't trust GM dealer's recommendations".

[@MPCM1776]

I run Civic GX natural gas cars and I mirror your service recommendations. Though you didn't mention valve adjustments. My 2013 GX get adjusted every 30k miles instead of 60k as the nat gas explosion is twice as hot as gasoline and with no rocker arms it's critical to adjust to maintain motor performance, or so the cng crowd says.

[@toyorobo]

Even Nissan CVTs can go farther if the fluid is changed every 30,000 miles. This is great advice. Also, 10,000 mile oil changes are a recipe for disaster, but that disaster will likely show it's face after 150,000 miles. This gets people into a newer car and they hope that customers can justify 150,000 as the "lifetime" of their car and move on without as much of a fight. The manufacturers care about them, not you.

[@ricksays7133]

I will only use Eneos brand for my '22 Civic Sport for its engine oil and CVT fluid. This brand is OEM for most Japanese cars. I find their engine oil lasting up to 6000 miles, and their CVT fluid still looks good after 30,000 miles but I change it before it reaches 40,000 miles with new CVT filters, pan gasket and o-ring seals in the CVT cooler housing.

[@Andrew-vd2ko]

I am in New Zealand and I change my Honda Accord cabin filter every 20 to 30k kms. The NZ Honda recommend new spark plugs every 100k kms. We have found Honda wheel bearings only last 90 to 170k kms. I also found alternator and starter motor both needed to be replaced around 160 to 220 kms and it's common with 2.4 Honda Accord.... Just thought I would share my experience....

[@jeeperoloco9962]

With the hybrid I noticed driving around town in a day that’s not too cold the engine will be off half the time so technically is half the miles that your engine is running. On the highway it does run like 90% of the time though.

[@jd5179]

I always replace trans fluid 40-50k miles , oil change 4-5k miles . Never fails on me and all of them reached over 200k miles with no issues .

[@mds2465]

I hate it when they tell people that the transmission fluid is sealed for life! That’s bullshit! I change mine every 30k miles as well! My current Honda is actually a stick shift. It’s a 2005 Honda CR-V and I recently switched to redline manual transmission fluid in my daily driver and the difference is night and day. I think it’s every 30k miles or 50k miles that those should be changed out as well. I also did a LiquiMoly engine flush and oil change with the MO2 additive. I like to do that on my older cars to ensure the longevity of the engine. This one burns no oil at all but with over 200k I figured it was best to go ahead and do that service. I also installed NGK spark plugs and I actually had Honda do the rear differential fluid on this car when they did some other work on the car for me. I do need to do struts as well. That’s probably going to be next on the list

[@lionheart1916]

I'm over in the UK and independent honda specialists are rare and the honda dealers here spec the oil change at 12 months or 12000.! I have a civic and got a service package but do extra oil changes with genuine filters (they are non the wiser) clearly these service schedules are sales driven not longivity driven...

[@casey6518]

I have ordered a 2024 Honda Civic Hatchback Sport Touring with a 1.5 L turbo, it's supposed to be built between 11th & 17th of this month. I agree with you I would never follow the 10,000 mile oil change, my current car is a 2007 Pontiac G5 GT I'm trading in has a 157,300 miles & has always been change by the percentage gage which was around 7,500 miles. I've never had a problem with the car but a brake master cylinder went bad about 135,000 miles, The car has mainly been driven to work 60 highway miles a day 5 days a week running Mobil 1 5-30 full Synthetic since new after the 1st oil change at 3,000 miles. I believe Honda uses their brand full synthetic 0-20, what mileage do you recommend for my 1st oil change, I've always went 3,000 to get the break in oil out?

[@zeljkodjukic5889]

Also please let me know I have 2013 honda crv ex awd on how many miles I have to change oil in transmission and and also rear differential please let me know and also timing change

[@joeb7576]

Transmission fluid changes are recommended on all Honda's. The interval is built into the onboard maintenance minder and should occur at approx 80,000km. It's listed in the owners manual and is maintenance code #3

[@chrisjagielski338]

I to like Honda Accords - I had a 1990 and have a 2003 and a 2011 - I change the transmission fluid around 30,000 miles - there is a transmission fluid filter that I replace, but it’s never mentioned in the owners manual as to the interval

[@charlesharnois3684]

Same B/S From SUBARU, I've Had CVT Fluid Changed Twice, 140 Thousand On My 15 Outback No CVT Issues! I Change Engine Oil Every 4 To 5 Thousand. Small Local Independent Shop Does Competent Work!

[@robstephens]

What oil do you recommend for Honda manual gearboxes? Seems like the latest Honda brand MTF is really thin now - probably to improve fleet gas mileage. I was wondering if maybe 15W40 motor oil or GM synchromesh fluid might be a better choice.

[@bryanx590]

My question is should I go by the oil life gauge in the car or by millage only? If it gets to 10% I then change the oil is what I have been doing in my 2020 Civic. Have done like 6 oil changes and its 30,000 miles on it right now. Also the CVT it has a transmission filter that needs to be changed.

[@my3636363636]

I just found out last service visit here in Calgary that the original owners of Honda sold to people who are not family oriented. The service guy told me things have really changed and that they are to go longer on oil changes . He said the tension is really bad there. So sad

[@emiliog.4432]

Excellent advice. But, my dealership now wants to charge me for a cvtf re learn procedure. The price went up and they want to justify the increase with an unnecessary trans re learn after a cvtf change. Wow. I know better.

[@edwardclark8808]

The 10k service interval come from customers surveys done by automotive manufacturers. Since most cars are leased; the customers do not like going to the dealership for servicing often. This has led to 10k or one year oil changes by the new car dealership service departments

[@joet4806]

What do you recommend the Manual Trans Interval ( 2015 Accord 6 spd manual) ?

[@MrManuel1329]

My Honda dealer is really good with a maintenance minders we print out 5k oil stickers and all fluid are reccomended when they are actually due.

[@bikingmoments]

Can you comment on the coolant? Should it be replaced at 100k, then every 60k as Honda says, or longer?

[@patcupolo9274]

Good advice, I would and did follow, but now I lease my civic, so longevity falls on them. Correct or not

[@topdog19945]

I'm saving up to buy my mom's 2016 HRV from her and I do plan on doing a complete fluid change. The car has about 120,000 miles on it and I know with some cars if the transmission fluid hasn't been changed with that amount of miles on it it can cause the transmission to fail, but hers has the 6 speed manual. Should I be safe to change it?

[@kylelangley8818]

Lol the shade tree automotive in the background is the cherry on top. But agreed, one dealership refused to service my transmission fluid insisting its lifetime. The other down the street agreed to flush & drain given the vehicle 5yrs age and mileage. Lifetime = Till it Breaks

[@LTGONZ0]

Thank you, couldn't have came out during a better time. I just purchased my 2024 accord last night. Question, so for the Accord EX 1.5, my dealer recommended 87 octaine. I was confused because I'm fairly certain it's 91. And I feel you on the topic of trust when it comes to dealers

[@jimbike8064]

87 octane for a Honda accord ex 1.5 I have the 2020 accord exl. I've heard some people recommend higher octane because it helps with potential head gasket problems.

[@LTGONZ0]

@jimbike8064 thanks. Yeah, it seems like that's what a lot of others have been saying, and also sticking to a consistent fuel station when possible . I think I'm going to use 91, and use Chevron since it's near me

[@jamesvw769]

The 1.5 has a huge oil dilusion issues. Some say high octane helps.

[@jimbike8064]

@@LTGONZ0 I heard Ahmd from the Car Care Nut channel say that...try to stick with 1 brand. Had never heard that before. Of course it should always be a top tier gasoline, which Chevron is. I use Shell 95% of the time. Only something else in a pinch. I'm at 52,000 miles on my Accord. No problems, knock wood.

[@fordprefect5304]

My last maintenance at a Honda dealership was when my Pilot had 22,000 miles on it to get the oil changed. The service person came out with $700.00 in recommended work to be done. The first item on the list was to replace the cabin filter and vacuum out the fan area for $180 I said no to everything and replaced and vacuumed for $12 And I have not gone back.

[@robertduklus6555]

My cabin filter is easily accessible and i change it once a year. Its always quite dirty filled with debris. A lot depends on the enviroment you are driving in but every 2 years by default is not the best

[@joeymasterson4395]

Great info

[@DollarBill01984]

The oil change interval should be as follows 6 months or 5,000 miles period. Use full synthetic oil only! Nice feature that you offer loaner vehicles too!

[@Kevin19700]

Everything on this vid is spot on! This guy knows what he is talking about.

[@ShadetreeAutomotiveLayton]

Thank you!

[@lontarian2228]

What about manual transmission oil change ? what would be the recommended mileage to change it ?

[@lorenzopaez9567]

Quick question! If the recommended mileage interval for performing the transmission service is 30k miles, is there a recommended time interval as well? My wife only drives 6k miles a year on her '23 Honda HRV and we know that time is just as important as miles

[@325xitgrocgetter]

I've owned a few Hondas...and it was oil changes every 3750 miles or 7500 non severe service. My more recent Honda purchases use the maintenance minder. I've had arguments with some service writers....you're only at 50 percent....you don't need the oil changed. My response, I'm paying for this...change the oil. So I reset Trip B and when it gets between 4 to 5K miles I get the oil changed. I did have an outlier where I had the oil changed, and my wife was doing a ton of highway driving. I didn't have ready access to the vehicle for a few months and she said the Maintenance Minder is advising service....she had gone about 9,000 miles on an oil change....I make it a point to check the trip b mileage when I can access the vehicle.

[@savethemanuals1597]

I noticed one of your Civics has the 2.0 engine. Very smart choice. Not sure if the other one was the 1.5 Turbo which isn't too reliable.

[@Marbind]

I believe that the main problem is customers going with cheap oil and filters. I'm with the camp that follows the maintenance minder but use high quality oil and filters. I have a 130K miles odyssey that follows the built in maintenance minder which is well known for long intervals between oil changes. No issues with oil consumption or anything related. I seen oil analysis done on Hondas that follow the MM recommendation and all metrics are within range. 🤷‍♂ Will continue to follow the MM no matter what in my new Acura too.

[@Brian-nx3yp]

Yeah, his "guarantee" for engine problems by 200K if you go 10K is false. I follow the MM which is typically 10K and my '09 Civic has 320K without issues. I use a full synthetic and burn about 1.5qt between MM changes.

[@HR-wd6cw]

well, as Scotty Kilmer says, "It is lifetime fluid if you want your transmission to only last 60-100k miles". I mean it will last the lifetime of that transmission, but the transmission life might be shorter than it would have been had you replaced your fluid at regular intervals (which IMO 30k to 50k for CVTs and 60-100k for geared automatics and manuals). I mean if you figure you pay someone to do it, it's not necessarily cheap (maybe $300-$500 each time perhaps) but if's far cheaper than replacing your transmission even with a rebuilt one (which may still cost you $3k at least with labor and porbably more). $3k would probably still be more than you would have paid in the end if you just do the maintenance at regular intervals, so let's say every 50k miles for $350 average, so for about 300,000 miles, it would have cost you about $2100 to have regular fluid changes, which is probably still much cheaper than having even a rebuilt trans put in for $3k+. Basically ignore the "lifetime fluid" nonsense and change it regularly. It's cheaper and less of a headache, in the long run.

[@eliberto87]

I like it except shocks struts. But I agree with 30k transmission oil agreed 100k miles sparkplug agreed cabin air filter 30k yep.yep I'm with u

[@lisamoss3146]

I agree. I own a 2013 Accord EX w/CVT which I bought in 2017 and it had 20k mi. Years later, when I had added 50k to the odometer, I was trying to figure out when to change the CVT fluid. There was no maintenance schedule in the manuals so I called a Honda dealer and asked. I ended up calling several because they weren't too clear on when to do this, nor did they seem to agree with other dealerships' answers. I was given 30k, 50k, 60-100k so I finally asked my mechanic, who I have used for 20 years, and he said he would do it at 80k. So .. at 80k he did a flush for me. The only thing that worries me is should we have changed the fluid, rather than doing a flush? I've heard the machines they use can cause damage. This was 2 years ago, and I have 100k now. So I'm guessing no damage was done but for next time should I change or flush?

[@ShadetreeAutomotiveLayton]

What concerns most people with the verbiage "flush" is not really a problem any more. Most shops either do a drain and fill or use a machine for a fluid exchange. Either way has its place.

[@sjay149]

The Honda 9 speed transmission has expensive fluid, where do you get yours…from a 55 gal barrel?

[@kalmtraveler]

my local Honda stealership told me that I desperately need to change the spark plugs and get a valve lash adjustment. I did both of these less than 6 months and 2500 miles ago.

[@savethemanuals1597]

Well, I guess I'm lucky in my 13 Honda Accord Sport manual. I change the oil that is recommended in the Honda manual or whenever the indicator on my dash shows up change it. Every 16,000 km. I ignore what any garage says to replace your oil every 5,000 km. I've had no single issues so far with 476,000 km from new.

[@nevv8581]

Thank you! Agree 100%

[@Change4ADollar]

I wish you had an older car for sale. I would love to buy a car from you, You definitely take care of them for sure....

[@ShadetreeAutomotiveLayton]

Thank you!

[@goblue9389]

Any maintenance advice for Honda hybrids?

[@4Runner21]

I stay as close to 3K mile intervals as much as possible. 21 4Runner and 13 RDX.