I mentioned in another Honda oil filter thread that I recently met someone who worked at Honda's engine plant in Columbus, OH. I had the opportunity to talk with him briefly this weekend about the reasoning for Honda's recommendation of using an oil filter for two oil change intervals. While he wasn't an official Honda employee at the plant, he did work for the company that provided the testing equipment for the engines and was permanently placed inside the plant to be able to troubleshoot any issues as they arise. Therefore, he was there as the testing was being conducted and saw everything with his own eyes as it happened and was able to discuss with Honda's engineers the various results and reasoning behind their decisions.
The first thing he told me was that Honda's testing showed that in a clean, properly functioning engine, the OE Honda filter can go two OCIs according to the MM without any issues. In fact, the testing proved that the filter can hold up to three OCIs before any potential issue crop up. The main one of those issues was the potential of the filter media to break down and dislodge from the filter. He stated that this was a very rare occurrence, but a possibility none the less.
With testing proving that the filter can go multiple OCIs, the reason that Honda recommends doing so is because they want to be viewed as an environmentally conscience company. Simply, they don't want a filter that can be run another OC to be wasted, so they recommend using it another go around. I see the logic with this, as across the large number of cars they sell every year it would cut the amount of old filters to be recycled/trashed in half.
Now the disclaimers. He also said that Honda knows full well that very few of their dealers actually follow the recommendation and change the filter every OC. Honda has no say in that practice, and they've found out that the major reason most dealers do this is to reduce any chance of a problem under warranty. The dealers figured out that warranty claims early in a car's life leads their customer to buy a different brand down the road, so anything they can do to get a repeat customer they do it. This is probably why Honda turns a blind eye to the practice, even though the data says otherwise.
And for the record, he also said that even though he's seen the data as proof, he still changes the filter in his personal cars every OC simply because even though they are under warranty the $8 cost of a new filter is a good investment compared to having to be without a car if anything would happen. I can't blame him for thinking this way even in the face of hard data saying otherwise, as I wouldn't want my family to be without the current vehicle if it had to sit at the dealer for weeks waiting to be fixed.
I think this is the closest we'll ever get to an official word from Honda why the recommend what they do for filters. He asked me not to use his name or what company he worked for, but was perfectly fine with posting on the internet what he had seen and heard during the testing process.
The first thing he told me was that Honda's testing showed that in a clean, properly functioning engine, the OE Honda filter can go two OCIs according to the MM without any issues. In fact, the testing proved that the filter can hold up to three OCIs before any potential issue crop up. The main one of those issues was the potential of the filter media to break down and dislodge from the filter. He stated that this was a very rare occurrence, but a possibility none the less.
With testing proving that the filter can go multiple OCIs, the reason that Honda recommends doing so is because they want to be viewed as an environmentally conscience company. Simply, they don't want a filter that can be run another OC to be wasted, so they recommend using it another go around. I see the logic with this, as across the large number of cars they sell every year it would cut the amount of old filters to be recycled/trashed in half.
Now the disclaimers. He also said that Honda knows full well that very few of their dealers actually follow the recommendation and change the filter every OC. Honda has no say in that practice, and they've found out that the major reason most dealers do this is to reduce any chance of a problem under warranty. The dealers figured out that warranty claims early in a car's life leads their customer to buy a different brand down the road, so anything they can do to get a repeat customer they do it. This is probably why Honda turns a blind eye to the practice, even though the data says otherwise.
And for the record, he also said that even though he's seen the data as proof, he still changes the filter in his personal cars every OC simply because even though they are under warranty the $8 cost of a new filter is a good investment compared to having to be without a car if anything would happen. I can't blame him for thinking this way even in the face of hard data saying otherwise, as I wouldn't want my family to be without the current vehicle if it had to sit at the dealer for weeks waiting to be fixed.
I think this is the closest we'll ever get to an official word from Honda why the recommend what they do for filters. He asked me not to use his name or what company he worked for, but was perfectly fine with posting on the internet what he had seen and heard during the testing process.
