Rep Power: 0

Okay, so I've recently become a proud owner of a 2005 Civic. I have less than 4000 miles on it at this point, and the issue has come up about oil changes...

My dad is big on cars, but I think he's stuck in the "every 3000 mile" paradigm that we've all been exposed to.

When I got the car, the dealer (confirmed by the owner's manual) suggested waiting for about 7,500 miles (since we live in Texas and quality for "extreme conditions") for the first oil change, his reason was something like "to make everything seals up right" if memory serves correctly.

Now, back to my dad. He really thinks I should change this oil pretty soon. His reasoning is that with the manufacture of a new engine, there may be loose tiny bits of metal lingering around from that which could theoretically cause damage if left in there (and one of his other car buddies seems to think this as well). Changing the oil would, of course, get rid of most of these little shards that may or may not be there.

This goes way beyond my car expertise (or lack thereof) and I can see both sides to this argument, so I'm turning to you guys. Now I'm tending to trust the dealer, but could there be truth to the "metal shards" theory? Could performing the first oil change too quickly actually be a bad idea (prescribing to the "let everything get sealed right" theory here)?

 
Rep Power: 425

The car has a special break in oil in the engine from the factory. Leave it in there for 5000 miles so all the seals and stuff do what they're supposed to. Then change it. If you decide to go synthetic, do so before 10K. The 3000 mile interval is old news as far as I'm concerned. Refining has come along far enough and engine tolerances are so tight these days oil lasts longer. 7500 is probably pushing it, 4000-5000 is pretty safe.

 
Rep Power: 0

I agree wholeheartedly with Boilermaker. Leave the oil in for 5k.

My dad was also old school (every 3k with thick oil) and no matter how much I tried to convince him, he just became more entrenched.

Appreciate that your dad was being prudent and doing the right thing when 3k changes were expected but just like with the invention of washing machines, microwaves, computers and cell phones, technology makes things better and oil is one of those things along with filters.

5k intervals with a good quality syn are no sweat for your car. Even in TX I'd run the M1 5w-20 and wouldn't give it another thought.

 
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Yeah, I know he means well, so I do appreciate his view of it. Thanks for the advice!

 
Rep Power: 335

how about change the oil with the same oil (honda)?

if hes worried about the gunk in the oils

 
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sorry to bump a old thread, but my dealer told me to change the oil at the first 1000 miles, then bump it up to the next 2000 miles/oil change. then every 5000 miles. was I being mislead? my car is now at 4000 miles and, the first oil change was at ~1000 and the second was at ~ 2500 miles

does changing the oil too much have any negative effect?

 
Rep Power: 0

Well, as it was pointed out, the "break in" oil is a thinner, less viscous fluid that allows for some necessary "wearing in" of the moving parts, and it should be left in; my owner's manual said 5,000 miles for the first oil change, but the dealer rep crossed that out and wrote in 3,750 miles, "since we're in Texas", so I did it then. I've since changed my oil about every 3,000-3,500 miles (I'm rather 'old school' myself - I figure, what the heck, I'll err on the side of caution).

1,000 miles just doesn't seem long enough of a break-in for the engine oil -- to me, anyway.

 
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so i just ruined the engine's break in period... i remember my dealer told me specifically to change it at 1000. i live in ny/nj if that helps.

 
Rep Power: 0

Any dealer who is claiming to change the original break in oil prior to the recommended service interval is telling you to do so only to pad their pockets. They aren't doing you any favour. As stated before, the factory oil is a specially formulated oil to aid in break in. You cannot buy it from the dealer or anywhere else. In fact, I received a printout from the Honda dealer at the time of my vehicle delivery which explicitly said do not change the break in oil prior to 8000km. You will only delay the break in of your engine by changing it out too early. If you routinely change oil before the recommended service interval, you've got way too much time and money on your hands. Downsides to that would be less disposable income, and greater envirionmental damage...

 
Rep Power: 335

the dealers dont know nothing. but the techs are more likely to know about the car.

when i first got my brand new civic from the lot with 6 miles, i ran it for 1000 miles. the reason i ran it for only 1000 miles is because idk how long the car was just sitting there at the lot. in most cases, oil should be changed every 5k or every 6 months, and i bought my car at the end of the year so i didnt take no risk. i eventually changed it with honda genuwine 5w-20 around the 1000 mile mark and ran that for 2.5-3k miles. THEN moved on to mobil 1 5w-30 fully syn.


to this day (25k miles), i have not one single mechanical problem with my engine and my driving habits are spirited. i redline the car probably once every other week.

 
Rep Power: 401

yeah 1000 miles is way too soon. the addpacks and moly counts in the factory breakin oil is important for the first 5000 miles of the engine's life.

changing it early may or may not have any subverse effects, but it COULD shorten your engine's life. you just won't know about it til long down the road.

as for changing your oil too much, there is some debate about that. when you first change your oil, there are things that are burned out that collect in your catalytic converter. after 1000-2000 miles, they have been burned out of the oil, and your catalytic converter starts to naturally work out those addatives.

if you change your oil every 1000 miles you could fry your catalytic converter in as little as 20,000 miles.