CR-Vers,

My 2K CR-V is approaching 2,000 miles. I've heard I should change
the original oil at 3,750, as Honda uses special lubricants when it
ships the vehicle. I've also heard I should change the oil at 2,000
miles. The dealership said 7,000 miles, I could have sworn. Anyone
know the true score? Thanks!

EE
http://www.dancesforlucy.com

The dealer sent me a coupon for the free first oil change that had to
happen after it hits 3500 miles. I drove around the parking lot to get it
to 3501 because Honda won't pay for it until it goes past 3500. They said
I should get an oil change every 3500 miles after that, I live in Orlando
FL, which is considered a severe driving area because of the heat and
traffic. I don't know if I'll do it that often, maybe more like 4000
miles.

Troy

I have a new CR-V and was told the first oil change should not be done until
7,000 miles because of the special oil put in at the factory.

Erik,
The oil in your CR-V when "new" is commonly called peanut oil,the oil
and filter should be changed no more than 4,000 so 3,750 is a right
number,your engine will "shave" if any excess metal in those miles.. Happy
C-R-V-ing!!

7000 miles??? I thought it would be 7000 kms. Not miles.
 
 

The later change is the correct one. I wanted to change the oil early
because of a trip I was on. I was advised to change later rather then
earlier if I had to choose.
Regards,
Greg

In Canada, the upper range for changing oil the first time would be from
6,000 to 7,000 kilometers, with the corresponding mileage in the U.S. at
around 3,600 to 4,200 miles.

This is a hotly debated topic for this car, if you do a search you will find a lot of discussion regarding this. The opinion is divided. Some people will stick to the 8,000km because that is what Honda/Acura recommends in their documentation. Obviously if this is what the engine manufacturer recommends, then you can't really go wrong. It also helps that Honda is the world's largest engine manufacturer and knows a thing or two about building good, reliable engines. However, there is the other camp that insists that 8,000km is just too long for break-in oil, especially a thin 5W20 oil that is more prone to viscosity breakdown. Furthermore, during the break-in period, the engine will shed metal particles which will eventually find themselves in the oil. When you drain your oil, you will see little particles of debris. Part of the reason for the traditional early oil change was that you didn't want these metal flakes to be floating around your engine lubricant as an abbrasive. Road & Track recently investigated this Honda 8,000km oil change thing and discovered that there is no discernible difference between traditional oil and their so-called "break-in" oil. Secondly, they said that fresh oil never hurt an engine and they don't see a problem in changing oil ahead of the 8,000km mark. So in conclusion, I think 8,000km would be fine, but if you choose to change it ahead then it'll just cost more money but give you peace of mind. But you won't be jeopardizing the life of your engine, afterall Honda engines are quite durable. Personally, I changed at 5,000km and 10,000km the first few times. After switching to 5W30 Mobil-1 Synthetic at 16,000km I'm planning to extend it to the factory 8,000km recommendation now, because of synthetic's improved durability.

I noticed you are using Mobil-1 Synthetic 5W30. Do you notice any difference in smoothness, fuel economy? The reason why I am asking is I had my first oil change at 7000 with semi-synthetic 5w20 at Mr. Lube. Then I had second oil change at the dealership at 14000. After second oil change, I noticed that engine is noticably rougher than before the oil change. I was thinking about switching to 5w30 Mobil 1 but I was reluctant to do that because it's not recommended by Honda/Acura. I would love hear your opinion on this.

I've had Mobil-1 5W30 synthetic in my car since the beginning of summer and have logged 4,000-5,000km so far. I haven't noticed any change in gas mileage. In fact, on a recent drive to Montreal (from Toronto) I got 7.2L/100km with A/C and occassional bursts of acceleration. I switched to Mobil-1 during the third oil change at 16,760km and I did feel the engine running smoother, but it was pretty smooth after my second oil change also, while using Acura's 5W20. I think the first oil change is the most drastic change in smoothness. What I do notice is that after ignition, the engine "flattens" out quicker to a smooth idle than with the 5W20. This is due to synthetics better flow characteristics during cold starts, that's why synthetics protect the engine better during the wear and tear of cold starts. Many Honda/Acura owners reject the idea that our engines absolutely need 5W20. The subject is well documented, with many people claiming that Honda uses 5W20 to boost their fuel efficiency numbers. Ford is in the same predicament. The used to spec 5W30 in their Escape SUV, then in a following year they spec 5W20 without any major changes to the engine, leading us to conclude that 5W20/5W30 is interchangeable, at least for the Ford Escape. Because Honda changed the oil spec with the new Civic/EL/RSX models there is no such claims for Hondas. 5W20 is a very thin oil and how it holds up in the heat of summer is debatable. For sure, it will not be as durable as a 5W30. Obviously Honda wouldn't compromise the reliability of their engines, and the ordinary consumer doesn't have the equipment or knowledge to test if 5W20 is harmful. So while 5W30 is not recommended in the manual, the biggest harm might be slightly less fuel economy. If you really want to go synthetic but stick to 5W20, there is always Amsoil's 5W20 synthetic. If it is any consolation, I was reading on VWVortex.com (VW enthusiast site), some technical guys (lubricant engineer/chemical engineer) there had a big debate about this very subject. After doing an oil analysis and looking at the facts, it was found that Amsoil's 5W20 synthetic borders on the thicker side of 5W20 oils, while Mobil-1's 5W30 borders on the thinner side of 5W30 so that the difference was even smaller than what the oil 5W<x> classification suggests. This gave me a bit more peace of mind!

Thank you so much for all the information. I think I'll go with Mobil1 synthetic as well. I just read owners manual again and it suggests that if 5w20 cannot be found, 5w30 can be used instead until next oil change. So I don't see any problem using 5w30.