Economical Oil Change

As can be guessed by the title of the post, my 2010 Accord went in for an oil change yesterday.  This was the car's sixth oil change, and it will very likely turn 60,000 miles next week.  What???!!!  Shouldn't I have changed the oil about 20 times by now??!!  If I was to follow the old 3 month, 3,000 mile rule, then yes, I should be on my 20th oil change.  Had I followed the Lia Honda oil change reminder sticker religiously over the last two years, I would be on my 12th oil change (they recommend it every 4 months or 5,000 miles).

But, thankfully, I read my owner's manual immediately after taking delivery of my car.  I learned that, while some makes and models still go by a specified oil change interval (Subaru actually demands that, on six cylinder Outbacks, the first oil change occur before the 5,000 mile milestone), Honda (among others) now uses a "Maintenance Minder" system in its vehicles.  A computer (probably one of many) monitors how the car is driven and, by illuminating a wrench icon on the dashboard and a code in the odometer display, calls for maintenance accordingly (pardon the pun; my car is an Accord).  My car has been averaging approximately 10K miles between changes, likely due to the fact that most of my 60K miles have been easy, steady-speed miles.  Had most of my driving been in stop-and-go traffic, in colder weather, I'd likely be seeing closer to a 7,000 mile interval.

As previously mentioned, when maintenance comes due, a wrench lights up, and a code appears.  The codes can indicate maintenance needs such as oil changes, tire rotations, transmission fluid changes (which, amazingly, my car has not called for yet), various inspections, etc.  The "A1" code is the one I've gotten on most occasions, and it stands for a simple oil change (the filter doesn't even need to be replaced, though I've had this done) and tire rotation.  However, I got a "B12" code this weekend.  The manual told me that this service included the expected oil change and tire rotation, as well as the replacement of the engine and cabin air filters (something I'd done recently) and a slew of inspections.

I could have paid the dealer an exorbitant fee to do the "B12 service", but I did not.  Realizing that they'll inspect anything that could go wrong (and make them money) any time the car is in for service, and that my filters had been changed recently, I opted to pay for an oil change and tire rotation, a la carte.  Why pay for inspections that I'd get for free anyway?  I'm pretty sure I paid less than half what the B12 service would've cost.  I was out the door for about $42, including tax.  And the car checked out great!

So, here's the moral of the story.  Read your owner's manual, and only pay for what you need to pay for, even if it means doing your homework and turning down unnecessary services recommended by the dealer.  Beyond saving money, you'll be doing your part to save the environment (prematurely replaced motor oil isn't exactly the cleanest thing to dispose of).

Feel free to share your $0.02 on this topic!