Little old lady...

[OneEyeJack]

Question. A little old lady here, just took delivery of a new Honda Accord, 4-cylinder. She drives 2 miles one way to the Hospice Center where she works as a volunteer 3 days a week and 1 mile to the shopping center about once a week. She drives on back roads with no traffic but hits a few stop signs along the way. I'd say that with her driving this car won't ever see more than 35 miles per hour. I'm going to be changing her oil and other minor maintenance tasks that I can handle in my driveway like I do for my 2 vehicles.

For an OCI I suggested that she let me take the car out on my once a month commute of about 100 miles round trip to get everything warmed up, use Mobil 1 0w-20 and change the oil every 6 months and the Mobil 1 oil filter every other time. The problem here is that this car will see mostly very short runs and less than 2K miles per year. She may also be cutting back to 2 days of volunteer work in the near future. This little old lady made the same comment about this car that I've made about my 84 Civic, that it has to last long enough so that she/I can drive it to her/my funeral. There will be no second chances. I'm worried that the oil change minder is not optimized for such short service. I picked Mobil 1 because with a little planning I can get it on sale and besides being a very good oil it's available everywhere. Any thoughts or criticism?

 

[jayg]

The oil change minder will account for short tripping and warmup time. It will probaly recommend changes of 3-4k or 1 year max. I would put a nice 0w20 (cheapest one) and not worry about it. You dont *have* to take it and do 100 miles on it to burn everything off and it would still be fine.

 

[IndyIan]

My old Neon had the same usage for 6 years in Manitoba with lots of idling to warm up the car from -20,-30C, then driven a mile, sat for 2 hours and then driven home(maybe the oil got above freezing on the way home but probably not...)
It was fine when it was used normally for a couple years after that, and was still fine when I started autocrossing it. Motor and trans are still fine, just the body has seen better days.

 

[splinter]

Good on her for volunteering with hospice patients!

Wife's Honda OLM accounts for her ~2 mile (each way) workaday commutes.

 

[bigt61]

Just go by the OLM - OM and keep it topped off. Short trips in California aren't going to hurt it. Any 0W-20 will be fine. I'd worry about the liability of driving someone else's car 100 miles a month.

 

[Eddie]

Agree with the OLM. ed

 

[Shannow]

Originally Posted By: jayg
The oil change minder will account for short tripping and warmup time. It will probaly recommend changes of 3-4k or 1 year max. I would put a nice 0w20 (cheapest one) and not worry about it. You dont *have* to take it and do 100 miles on it to burn everything off and it would still be fine.


^agreed

 

[OneEyeJack]

Okay, I'll give the oil change minder a shot and see what happens. But I'm still going to use the Mobil 1 0w-20 oil and Mobil 1 filter. This difference is so little and you young people many know appreciate that a car has to last some indefinite amount of time.. I've cleared space in her garage and installed a garage door opener so the car can be kept inside when not in use. Beyond that I went thru the car and checked everything. I was really disappointed to discover the as delivered tire pressures, LF-20, RF-28, LR-32 and RR-20. The windshield reservoir with just a few drops of fluid and the front floor mats on the wrong side. I guess good service is an old fashioned concept.

 

[Dallas69]

Let her put the miles on it and dont worry about the oil
It will be fine

 

[Eddie]

I'd call the dealer and talk to the dealer manager. Tell him how disappointed you were to see that the tire pressure were not set and window washer fluid was non-existent and.... ed

 

[DaHen]

Its nice of you to help take care of her means of transportation for her.

 

[C4Dave]

She needs an electric car.

 

[OneEyeJack]

The dealer was contacted and redid the PDI, washed and waxed and vacuumed the car today and gave here a certificate for free oil changes and all regular scheduled maintenance for 3 years. This was done by the general manager. He looked at the car and he came up with the idea that the PDI was either only partially done or just plain skipped and he was absolutely furious. He found several things and pointed out that they must have been skipped. He loaned us a car while the work was being done and comped lunch at a nice upscale restaurant. So she's now on her way with a new car and it looks like she's off to a good start. I've got to say that this Accord is a very nice car and the 4 Cylinder engine is all you need in a daily driver. I continue to be surprised at how smooth and powerful this engine is.

 

[Nick1994]

Originally Posted By: OneEyeJack
The dealer was contacted and redid the PDI, washed and waxed and vacuumed the car today and gave here a certificate for free oil changes and all regular scheduled maintenance for 3 years. This was done by the general manager. He looked at the car and he came up with the idea that the PDI was either only partially done or just plain skipped and he was absolutely furious. He found several things and pointed out that they must have been skipped. He loaned us a car while the work was being done and comped lunch at a nice upscale restaurant. So she's now on her way with a new car and it looks like she's off to a good start. I've got to say that this Accord is a very nice car and the 4 Cylinder engine is all you need in a daily driver. I continue to be surprised at how smooth and powerful this engine is.

I don't think customer service could possibly get any better than that.

 

[crazyoildude]

How old is she i was curious what you consider an old lady... In any case she is a hospice volunteer and im sure she is a wonderful person so take care of her and keep up the good work!
Thank You

 

[OneEyeJack]

75, 4'10" tall, 90 pounds and a Norman Rockwell prototype of the Grandmother we'd all like to have. I grew up as an orphan and have adopted her as my Grandmother although she claims to have adopted me. I help her out around the house and she bakes deserts for me that I shouldn't eat. It's a great deal for both of us. I must say to all you young people out there that it's okay to get to know and help an older neighbor. I can state without exception that you'll receive more than you'll ever give. I can say for a fact that you don't know what you don't know and life's too short to live it thinking you do know.

 

[crazyoildude]

that is really nice !

 

[Kuato]

Originally Posted By: OneEyeJack
75, 4'10" tall, 90 pounds and a Norman Rockwell prototype of the Grandmother we'd all like to have. I grew up as an orphan and have adopted her as my Grandmother although she claims to have adopted me. I help her out around the house and she bakes deserts for me that I shouldn't eat. It's a great deal for both of us. I must say to all you young people out there that it's okay to get to know and help an older neighbor. I can state without exception that you'll receive more than you'll ever give. I can say for a fact that you don't know what you don't know and life's too short to live it thinking you do know.


Well said, good on.ya both.

 

[Nick1994]

Originally Posted By: OneEyeJack
75, 4'10" tall, 90 pounds and a Norman Rockwell prototype of the Grandmother we'd all like to have. I grew up as an orphan and have adopted her as my Grandmother although she claims to have adopted me. I help her out around the house and she bakes deserts for me that I shouldn't eat. It's a great deal for both of us. I must say to all you young people out there that it's okay to get to know and help an older neighbor. I can state without exception that you'll receive more than you'll ever give. I can say for a fact that you don't know what you don't know and life's too short to live it thinking you do know.
75 is an old lady? Aren't you 70?

 

[HM12460]

Bravo Zulu and a hearty "well done" for both you and your adopted/ive grandmother. It's important to give something back to society, and to help other's when we are able to do so.