Oil Life question

[Gr3y Goose]

this isnt really a problem but just a question for the guru's or anyone with knowledge

im just under 4k miles on my 07 ggm coupe and just recently at about 3750 approx the oil life went at 15% and it has been reminding me every couple hours while driving...im going tomarrow to get it changed but my question was, has anyone noticed that when it gets that low the car kind of holds itself back somewhat..i tried to gun it a bit on the highway to pass a car and it felt like some of the power just wasnt really there...maybe its in my head but has anyone experienced that?

if thats the case +1 to honda for making these 8th's that smart

[Yodums]

Have you checked your oil levels? I've driven it to 5% without any sort of surging or resistance.

[ryryninja]

I have gone thru numerous oil changes.. and never had experienced this lackluster feeling that you are getting.

Like ^ said.. maybe your si is just thirsty :)

[twistedframe]

No i don't think they made it that smart because if you just forget to reset it (like i have) they wouldn't want it acting all stupid for no reason.

[gsrsiguy]

I would say its in your head. Make sure you are checking your oil levels during every refuel. Its not bad if you are low and inbetween changes to add a quart or whatever accordingly. Make sure you are changing it every 3000 miles. I would also reccomend mobile one synthetic with a good cleaner everytime. Good luck to you.

[televascular]

If you're using synthetic oil, DON'T change your oil every 3,000mi... that's a waste of money and resources. Wait until 5,000mi; it can most definitely handle it. If you wanna change at a shorter interval, use a mineral oil so you're not wasting money or product.

[gsrsiguy]

Thats a myth and your oil should be changed every 3k. They tell you that because people want to save money. Just like in your manual it says to change every 5 to 7k. This is something honda does to keep maintenance costs down. If you race or have fun with the car especially. If you got your si for your grandma then yea go ahead and change it every 5k miles but for us people here we have fun so change it every 3k. Good luck guys

[dextor]

Originally Posted by gsrsiguy

Thats a myth and your oil should be changed every 3k. They tell you that because people want to save money. Just like in your manual it says to change every 5 to 7k. This is something honda does to keep maintenance costs down. If you race or have fun with the car especially. If you got your si for your grandma then yea go ahead and change it every 5k miles but for us people here we have fun so change it every 3k. Good luck guys

Ummmmm.... what?
Are you being sarcastic?
In case you're not: It's a MYTH you have to change your oil every 3000miles, I'm positive at least 90% of the people on this board are smart enough to agree.
As for your argument: It doesn't make sense; how does Honda keep maintenence costs down? Why would they recommend you to change oil when indicator says 15%, which is usually 5000 miles or above? If what you're arguing is true then they would print 3000miles in the manual, not 15%.

[mrgisriel]

Originally Posted by televascular

If you're using synthetic oil, DON'T change your oil every 3,000mi... that's a waste of money and resources. Wait until 5,000mi; it can most definitely handle it. If you wanna change at a shorter interval, use a mineral oil so you're not wasting money or product.

Agree 100%, I used syenthic in my old car and changed every 7500 miles or so, no problems 160,000 miles later.

Derek

Originally Posted by http://www.8thcivic.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34065

So how do I know when to change my Oil?

I strongly recommend either changing it when your engine tells you its dirty, or when the manufactures manual suggest. If you have a newer car and have no idea, I suggest 5,000 miles, if it is older I suggest 3,000 miles. Additionally, if you have an old used car that has not been taken care of, you may want to change the oil frequently. Changing the oil 5 times at 1,000 miles intervals can help clean out the sludge build up from previous owners’ poor habits. .

[GalaxyGreySi]

I have no problem with letting my car go to 5000 miles between intervals. I work at the dealership as a honda tech. Have you seen what the oil coming out of a new K20 looks like? It's dark amber!!! The stuff is hardly dirty at all! I follow the maintenence minder, and I tell my customers to do the same. The only reason I can possibly see changing it sooner is if you're running a lot of boost. Reason for that is, you've got oil running through that very hot turbo, causing the oil to degrade sooner, and you've got more blowby in the crankcase, which means that the oil is being dilluted with gasoline more quickly than normal. If you are NOT that guy running 10psi+ on a turbo setup, then IMHO you have been tricked by the jiffylubes of the world, and are wasting your money.

[shipo]

Originally Posted by gsrsiguy

I would say its in your head. Make sure you are checking your oil levels during every refuel. Its not bad if you are low and inbetween changes to add a quart or whatever accordingly. Make sure you are changing it every 3000 miles. I would also reccomend mobile one synthetic with a good cleaner everytime. Good luck to you.

Wait! Are you saying to use Mobil 1 AND some kind of snake oil cleaner every 3,000 miles? I suppose that makes sense in a warped sort of way. I mean, you're recommending that we take perfectly good oil (that will easily last way longer than the factory recommended OCI) and then pollute it with some kind of an after market garbage. I suppose if I ruined my oil in that way I'd dump it after 3,000 miles too.

Like or don't, UOAs prove quite conclusively that a fully synthetic oil like Mobil 1 0W-20 will easily go twelve to fifteen thousand miles between changes in a car like the Civic. Please don't get me wrong, I would probably err on the side of safety and change mine at the 10K mark were it that I was going to buy one in the near future. Then again, there is an individual that I hear from on a different board with an 8th Gen that after having a couple of UOAs performed, has gone to a 20,000 mile OCI.

Slice it and dice it anyway you want, recommending that folks should use a 3,000 mile OCI is more akin to blind adherence to some cult figure than a good quality recommendation based on scientific analysis.

[GalaxyGreySi]

^^^Great post, Shipo. +rep. NEVER and I mean NEVER EVER EVER put additives in anything!! Not your gas, not your oil!! Just say NO!!

[trogers8]

Definately agree with the rest of the posters on this thread, about changing your oil with what your maint. minder says. But in repsonse to the OP's post, I don't think your car would underperform just because it's ready for an oil change. I've gone like -300 miles one time on my maint. minder and the car was fine. Just get it in for a change when you can, don't think you need to worry about it acting up.

[ameuba10]

i say ever 3000. no matter what. i dont use synthetic because i believe that its just a way that oil companys scam you out of your money. its just a placebo. no matter your oil, dirt and grime gets into your oil. so i use valvoline every 3000. cant go wrong with it, and im not wasting a ton of money on a label.

[dextor]

Originally Posted by ameuba10

i say ever 3000. no matter what. i dont use synthetic because i believe that its just a way that oil companys scam you out of your money. its just a placebo. no matter your oil, dirt and grime gets into your oil. so i use valvoline every 3000. cant go wrong with it, and im not wasting a ton of money on a label.

But you are wasting money on not squeezing 2000 extra miles out of that oil of yours

And when you say "i believe that its just a way that oil companys scam you out of your money", doesn't that also apply to the oil companies persuading car owners to prematurely change their oil every 3000 miles as well?

[shipo]

Originally Posted by ameuba10

i say ever 3000. no matter what.

Care to support that post with some factual evidence? You cannot simply because your position is indefensible.

Originally Posted by ameuba10

i dont use synthetic because i believe that its just a way that oil companys scam you out of your money.

You can believe it all you want, that ain't going to make it true.

Originally Posted by ameuba10

its just a placebo.

That is a statement that you can in no way prove. See above.

Originally Posted by ameuba10

no matter your oil, dirt and grime gets into your oil.

Agreed, however, modern engines, with modern ignition controls, burning modern unleaded fuel will generate byproducts at the merest of a fraction of what engines did thirty years ago when 3,000 mile oil changes were a good idea. What you are also missing is that good high quality synthetic oil is far more pure than the relatively inferior Valvoline that you're using, and as such, it can safely hold far more water, acid and particulate matter in suspension than can dino juice.

Originally Posted by ameuba10

so i use valvoline every 3000. cant go wrong with it, and im not wasting a ton of money on a label.

Actually you can go very wrong by using an inferior oil. Miss a change, run a little low, drive a little hard in hot weather, nail it a little too soon after a frigid winter cold start, and you engine will suffer from the oil you champion where it wouldn't have been affected if you'd simply used a good Group IV synthetic.

[dextor]

except there isn't "much" differences between different brands of oil, in the end there are only a few oil refineries. Dino oil is not as bad as people think.

[televascular]

There are lots of misconceptions on this page.

The only "myth" here is the 3,000mi OCI myth. This is a trend endorsed by the quick lube industry in order to increase sales. Even modern (name brand) mineral oils can stand 5,000mi oil changes. It's true that Honda (and every other automaker) tries to lower Total Cost of Ownership by increasing recommended oil change intervals. However, they have lots of engineering expertise to back up their claims; Honda will not jeopardize their reputation for reliability by skimping on oil changes.

Synthetic oils are a scam by the oil companies? You've obviously never done any real research concerning engine oils. Swing by the BITOG forums and spend some time there. You can learn about base stocks and additives, and take a look at the Used Oil Analyses. Also, if you have time, AE Haas wrote a dissertation on motor oil, and it actually convinced me to switch to 0W-30. Soak in all the information. Then try to convince yourself that synthetic oil is a "placebo".

And don't use oil additives; they will disrupt the careful balance of additives already present in the oil. If you feel your oil needs an additive, it's time to find a new oil.

[vicSi]

this is what i do, If i race and keep my rpms high about 15 times or more in one whole month and i do my oil change at 30% if not then i just change it at 15 or 20%

BTW i use Motul 8100 5w30 , and HEMP oil filter...

[Skylinegtr06]

I dont use the meter, i change every 5k