Maintenance minders

[powayroger]

I’m one of these guys that would prefer that the owner’s manual have a listing of the intervals of when certain services should be done, such as transmission, radiator, brake /power steering fluid, timing belt, etc. Newer vehicles, for the most part, have gotten rid of those written instructions so we are supposed to rely on the maintenance minder indicators to tell us when and what to get serviced.

Again, I’m one of these guys that would prefer to see the recommended manufacturer intervals and then get my vehicle before that, such as transmission. I like to get my transmission fluid changed every 30,000 miles. Might be overkill, but I tend to think that 60,000-100,000 miles between change is a bit too much. I just want to know what the manufacturer’s intervals are.


Thoughts?

And yes, I am talking about my 2016 Honda Pilot.

 

[The motor guy]

I think it depends on your transmission honestly. 60,000 is the service interval for service conditions and 120,000 for light duty like driving down the highway. I changed it at 60,000 and it didn't look any worse then the stuff that went back in.

 

[gabriel9766]

i do the Oil changes by the OLM with PP full syn. ill do brake flushes when i do brakes. coolant 5 yrs/150k and ill do a drain and fill on the trans every 25k and a flush on it every 50k.(MSI is 45k in severe driving conditions)

 

[deoxy4]

In 2003 the Honda Pilot did not have a maintenance minder. Written maintenance tables were provided in the manual. The link below is for a 2003 Pilot. Should be applicable.

I have a Honda with a manual transmission and change out the transmission fluid out earlier than the schedule as well as the power steering fluid and clutch fluid. Honda automatic transmissions have been problematic so I think an early change is a good idea. I also clean and lube brake sliders annually. Premature brake wear due to pads contacting rotors when the brakes aren't applied has been a Honda problem on some models.

http://techinfo.honda.com/rjanisis/pubs/OM/AH/A9V0303OM/enu/PI0303OM.pdf

 

[mclasser]

I'm not a MM fan either. Supposedly for Honda's, if you change the oil and reset the MM before 15%/when the wrench appears, it throws off all the maintenance intervals.

In my Pilot, I follow/will follow 5-6K syn oil changes (usually rotate tires here also), 3 yr brake fluid, ATF every 25K, VTM-4 every 25-30K, transfer case around 60K, air & cabin filters when crudded up and turkey baster PSF every few years. Honda coolant's good stuff so I leave the FF in for the specified 10 yrs. T-belt and spark plugs will be @105K.

 

[CT8]

When in doubt change it out. It gets the break in metals out.

 

[Bud]

I don't like the MM nannies either. I will work out my own schedule. Been doing it for years and my vehicles have lasted a long time, so no reason to change. I think the MM is for folks who don't pay attention to their vehicles and need a reminder.

 

[Nate1979]

GM still does maintenance schedules. Write your own schedule if you don't like the MM.

 

[Pop_Rivit]

Originally Posted By: powayroger
Thoughts?


If it's not spelled out in the owners manual, is it really that difficult to figure out a maintenance plan on your own?

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: mclasser
I'm not a MM fan either. Supposedly for Honda's, if you change the oil and reset the MM before 15%/when the wrench appears, it throws off all the maintenance intervals.


Technically, this is not correct. If you perform a service before the subcode appears, you can perform a manual reset of that subcode item using an appropriate scan tool.

Snap-On's software allows you to manually code the mileage (rounded to the nearest hundred) that a particular item was performed. This way, if owner decides to strictly follow the MM going forward, they will be prompted for a service at the appropriate time.

Here is an example:
Untitled by The Critic, on Flickr

On the vehicle above, I had replaced the spark plugs, performed a valve clearance inspection, replaced the coolant and service the transmission over the course of several months. I coded the mileage into the vehicle's computer so that the Maintenance Minder could correctly reflect this information.

 

[supton]

The light comes on every 5k in my Toyota's. Not sure it's really necessary at that point, I guess some owners would like, I can do without. From what I understand, Toyota wants to "see" every 5k, and do a tire rotation, and on some models an oil change. Every other is an oil change on most models. No oil life monitor at that point, so it's a simple mileage reminder--I guess if one wants to do things every 7,500 then that light is a nuisance.

One thing I don't like in my manuals is that it puts what to do across several pages, like a checklist of what to do at each service. You have to read through each of the checklists to find out that plugs are due at 120k and not every 30k. The checklist is nice, but I'd like a second view which has a simple "do the oil every 10k, plugs every 120k, etc". Yeah it's not real hard to read several page to find that info, but that traditional "do this every x miles" is what I'm usually after, not a checklist.

 

[Doog]

I do mine by mileage and event:
every:

5000- oil change & filter
10,000 tire rotation
20,000 air filter and fuel system cleaner
50,000 coolant and ATF and PS fluid, clean MAF
brake reline: bleed brake fluid (75,000 approx.)
70,000 serpentine belt
100,000 clean TB
120000 spark plugs

I am considering taking the 50,000 interval to 60,000

 

[KrisZ]

I have no experience with MMs as the Grand Caravan is the firs vehicle that has one and it hasn't triggered yet. I hear it can go quite the distance, so perhaps running synthetic could be a good idea to take full advantage of it.
For my Mazda I just use the free maintenance stickers I got a while ago. Works great!

 

[mclasser]

Originally Posted By: The Critic
Originally Posted By: mclasser
I'm not a MM fan either. Supposedly for Honda's, if you change the oil and reset the MM before 15%/when the wrench appears, it throws off all the maintenance intervals.


Technically, this is not correct. If you perform a service before the subcode appears, you can perform a manual reset of that subcode item using an appropriate scan tool.

Snap-On's software allows you to manually code the mileage (rounded to the nearest hundred) that a particular item was performed. This way, if owner decides to strictly follow the MM going forward, they will be prompted for a service at the appropriate time.

Here is an example:
Untitled by The Critic, on Flickr

On the vehicle above, I had replaced the spark plugs, performed a valve clearance inspection, replaced the coolant and service the transmission over the course of several months. I coded the mileage into the vehicle's computer so that the Maintenance Minder could correctly reflect this information.

But how many DIYers have access to those high end scan tools??

 

[PeterGreen]

On my Acura, I have no idea if the SH-AWD interval has been screwed up because I do my own oil changes when the MM gets down to 40%. As it is I have changed the SH-AWD differential fluid twice in 52000 miles.