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In my old prelude (which by the way you gotta see some pictures, a 2 ton oak tree landed on it recently) I used to change the oil every 3k miles. I now have 5k miles on my civic and was wondering when Ishould change it. Is the honda manual/website's reccommendation of not changing it till 10k miles accurate? that seems a long wayto go on the car's first oil.

 
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i change my oil every 3k and u should to if u want ur civic to last long and perform good to.

 
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The salesman I bought my car from told me 7,500...but I switched to synthetic on my first change (5,000), and now I'm going to change my oil every 5,000 with synthetic (even though I could go 7,500 with no problems). The only problem with going synthetic is it's freakin' expensive, but the Civic runs smooth as silk with it, so I think it's worth it .

 
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Oh yeah, if you are looking for 5w20 synthetic, go with AmsOil. You won't find any Mobil1 for our car, and AmsOil is made for high revs !

 
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ya sythetic could be changed at 10k but regular oil should be changed at 3k. cause if you look at the manual it recommends synthetic oil thats why they say 5k/10k and not 3k

 
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I go with amsoil synthetic I change mine every 5000 miles. If I used regular oil I would change every 3000. But that is just my suggestion.

 
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Ya knowi I was wondering the same. I have a little over 3k on my ride now and am going to change the oil next weekend.

I had read a bunch about synthetic vs regular, this brand vs that brand etc but really wasn't sure what to do. Mobil1 was recommended as was Penzoil. I have also seen that AMSOil around on signs here, but only noticed it because alienmeatsack short is AMS, so i thought it was cool.

Anyone used the AMSOil, and can recommend it? Or recommend any other brands/weights?

I live in Oklahoma, so the temps are pretty high during the summer and not too bad during winter. I do auto-x and some high speed touring stuff (or plan to). Will I need a particular oil suited for my region?

 
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i'd change it at 5k, cause they have a special "break-in" oil the first time around good to let it sit in there for about 5k[IMG]i/expressions/beer_yum.gif[/IMG]

 
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The first oil change should not be performed until 7500-8000 miles...reason being there is an additive that Honda puts in the engine to help lube and condition all seals/gaskets. After that, you can switch to synthetics....I have tried Mobil1 and on the last oil change I put in Royal Purple synthetic--more expensive but it's supposed to be worth it. I have noticed an improvement in mileage plus smoother idle with this oil.

 
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where are the pics?????????
-jro

 
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I just done got mah change on fur da ferst time=), my rizzide has 13,556 miles on it...(I'm Not Joking, this was the first time i changed it)GO HONDA!!!!!!!!

 
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First of all, I talked to the salesman at my dealer, and he told me that someone had done a comparison at a lab between Honda's "break-in" oil, and normal oil. They found NO DIFFERENCE. No additives, no "nutrients", no lubricating chemical...nothing [IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif[/IMG] . So I switched to synthetic at a little before 5,000 .

Second, I'm using Ams Oil, and I have to say that I have never felt a smoother running Civic. I can barely hear or feel my car while it's idling, and maybe it's just a mental thing but it feels like the revs climb a little faster. I would definetly reccomend Ams Oil .

Last, how did you guys' oil look on the first change? Was it dark black? Mine was a whole lot darker than I thought it should be after a little under 5,000 miles. I hope it's not a bad omen .

 
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I did my first change at 5250. I asked for synthetic but the service advisor basically refused to put it in my car. He said that the honda oil that comes in quarts was the same as the so called "break-in" oil from the factory. So, I went with that for 30 bucks.

Oh, and to my knowledge, no manufacturer has ever recommended the oil to be changed in 3000 mile intervals. The 3000k oil change interval is/was a marketing ploy that was started by Jiffy Lube and other garages that specialize in changing oil. The reason is very obvious.

On a side note, there is no concrete evidence showing that synthetic motor oil is superior to conventional. It may last longer and have a few better properties, but to my knowledge, it has never been shown to reduce wear in the engine more so than regular petroleum.

If anyone has read books, articles, websites, etc...that pertain to the testing of synthetic oils and were conducted by independent scientists, please point me in that direction.

 
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Here's a few articles:

Amsoil and Mobil synthetics compared

Track and lab tests of synthetics

Synthetic vs. "regular" oil

 
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Gracias 2k1dood, I was about to post some of those sites. Plus, I don't have to have scientific proof to tell the difference that synthetic makes. All I have to do is pop the hood, and listen to how smooth the engine sounds. Or sit behind the wheel, and NOT HEAR OR FEEL my car idling. That's all the proof I need .

 
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I don't hear or feel my car idling either. And this stuff about the engine running smoother is more than likely all in your head.

And so sites really don't offer much.

 
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Stick to every 3k, its better that way!

2Hottie

 
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Oh well...it's all good. Neither one of us will change our ways either way [IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/IMG] . No use getting flustered over it .

 
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Any body try REDLINE 5-20 Full Synthetic,,,,Its in the back advertising section in Sports Compact & Import Tuner.....I called them and they sell a case of 12 for $90 but only needs to be changed 15,000-18,000 miles......Any one out there?????

 
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Hey, I have seen you post that you work for a dealership, well so do I. What do you do for the dealer. I am a tech, and just finished this years Honda Tech training coarse. I asked a visiting engineer, about the so called "breakin additive" from the manufacture, and he laughed. It's a hear say about the so called additive.

 
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I wasn't trying to persuade anyone into changing what oil they use or argue over it. I have just been thinking about switching to syn because a lot of people seem to live by it. However, there really has never been any concrete evidence to validate the perceived superiority of it. I just wanted to reduce my cognitive disonance.

 
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One of the main reasons I switched to synthetic was because I like to rev my car high on a somewhat regular basis. From what I've read, synthetic holds up to high revs better than normal oil, so it's perfect for me. Hope I didn't sound like I was attacking you Mbow, I'm just trying to explain a few reasons why I use synthetic [IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/IMG] .

 
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Nah, I just didn't want you to think that I was trying to argue with you or something. [IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/IMG]

 
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Can anyone recommend a good place to find AMSOil like OReillys or PepBoys that would be local drop in type of store? And a good filter to use for my car? The only thing I see around is Fram and I dislike them.

 
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I ordered the Amsoil online....I might start selling it on the site if I like it.......

 
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Another advantage to syn is the ability to go with really light weight oils. I'm currently running M1 0-W30 in my car. It starts much easier and gets the oil circulating faster than heavier weighted oils. I guess the only downside is that heavier oils tend to muffle the engine noise a little more, but I don't really notice the difference.

 
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ha! that's a plus for me. when i'm tired...i.e. driving home from work...i hate having to listen to my loud buzing four cylinder.
-jro

 
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Jro, are you driving on the highway for the commute to work? I almost can't stand driving on the highway because the engine just buzzes like you need to shift up a gear. It drives me nuts.

 
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mbow, i drive on the interstate quite a bit. the speed limit is 70 and i go about 75. the engine is reving quite high (anywhere from 3400-3700) and is damn loud at that speed--stock. the only advantage to this is that i usually don't have to downshift to pass. i wish i had a 6th gear! the wierd thing is that with the engine spinning so fast i still get 39m.p.g. on the highway. woohoo!
-jro

 
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NEVER, EVER TRUST A SALESMAN. I am in the business and we attempt to give them as little information as possible. To be safe, the recommendation is to change it every 3000, but it did begin as a marketing ploy by the oil companies. Every 5k should be adequate. Synthetics tend to bond a little better to the engine parts and have a higher boiling point, but no conclusive evidence to show it is doing better than conventional oils.