Please critique my Amsoil Based Honda Maint Plans

[Matt89]

Ahoy gents;

Well, I put a crowbar in my wallet and bought two 2006 Hondas - a Civic Sedan and a CRV. I know, buying 2 new cars is crazy but I look at it as "I'm keeping the global economy going", and I saved up for them. So far two thumbs WAY UP...love these vehicles.

I've designed Amsoil-based maintenance plans for them...appreciate your feedback. The Civic owners' manual has almost all maintenance tied to the new "Maintenance Minder" system, while the CRV has a traditional maintenance schedule.

My assumptions:
- Honda recommendations are probably OK for reasonable performance and lifespan, but if it is work I can do myself I don’t mind doing it more often and/or using better parts & fluids if it will make a difference in how the car drives or how long it lasts. On the other hand, I don’t want to blatantly waste money/trash the environment.
- AMSOIL will cover my back if I have an engine/trans problem under warrantee -60K/5 yr powertrain. I’m willing to put the gloves on and fight it out if necessary.
- Want a no-brainer maintenance plan that will be good no matter what harsh climate/operating conditions I might face - severe cold / short trips is possible– vehicle will perform ‘like new’ until I decide to sell or it rusts away. Failure is not an option if my wife & child are in the car.
- I am diligent about checking tires/everything under the hood every weekend
- I have no real hobbies

, so I will look forward to doing maintenance on my cars.

Oil & Filter
Amsoil Series2000 0W-30 & Amsoil E0A13 filter annually or 15K
I will probably drive
Transmission:
Initial drain/fill -replaces about 40% of fluid w/ Amsoil ATF at around 5K
Then for Civic, drain/fill as indicated by MM
For CRV, drain/fill at 60K/3yr, then every 30K/2yr

Differential -CRV:
Drain/fill w/ Honda dual pump fluid every 30K/2 yr - Honda severe service rec is 60K/4yr

Coolant - Civic & CRV:
Drain/fill w/ Honda type 2 every 60K/5 yr - Honda rec 120K/10 yr
Replace radiator cap w/ drain & fill
Replace hoses at 120K/10yr, unless inspection reveals otherwise

Engine air filters -Honda OEM:
Civic: as indicated by MM - probably around 30K
CRV: Every 30K
I’ll plan to inspect these every 15K

Pollen filter - Honda OEM:
Civic: as indicated by MM - probably around 30K
CRV: Every 30K/2yr -per Honda rec

Power Steering -Civic & CRV:
Replace using turkey baster & Honda PS fluid every 60K

Brake fluid:
Flush lines every 2yr -Honda rec is every 3 yrs w/ Honda brake fluid

Tires:
Rotate every 10K -per Honda rec
Steering/brake/suspension/underbody inspections w/ rotation
Note: CRV has full size spare, so I would use 5-tire pattern

Spark Plugs:
Civic: Replace per MM
CRV: Replace every 110K -per Honda rec

Drive belt inspect/replacements:
Civic: Replace per MM
CRV: Inspect every 30K/2yr -per Honda rec

Valve clearance adjustment:
Civic: Inspect per MM
CRV: Inspect every 110K -per Honda rec

Batteries:
Free? load test annually in Fall starting at year 3. Replace as needed.

Idle Speed:
Inspect at 160K -per Honda rec

Timing belt:
None!!!

Other stuff:
Wax body & alloy wheels w/ NuFinish Spring & Fall
Grease weather strips w/ silicone grease Spring & Fall
Lube locks/hinges if needed - Spring & Fall
Techron fuel cleaner – annual before oil change
Change wiper blade inserts annually in fall -inspect in Spring
Wash body / undercarriage once a month during winter if possible

Questions:

1) Are there any items that are total overkill / underkill?
2) Would it really matter what time of year I choose for the 'annual' S2K oil change?
3) Should I bother with a torque wrench for wheel lugs/drain plugs...never have in the past, just do it carefully ‘by feel’. I do have alloy wheels instead of steel.
4) What do you think about an annual cooling system 'pressure test' after about 5 yrs?

Sorry for the long post, thanks for making it this far - Matt

 

[Pablo]

Don't these cars call for 5W-20? I would use 6 month intervals and the excellent 5W-20 XL oil for the first year or two. I would bag the 0W-30 and use the 5W-30 ASL after that, with 1 year intervals. A lot less money for a fairly equivalent oil.

Which tranny in each?

 

[Matt89]

Pablo;

Thanks for the reply.

Yes, they do call for 5W-20.

Each of the transmissions is a 5 speed automatic, I don't have the actual numbers handy.

My thinking on the transmissions is to do one drain/fill, then drain/fill over relatively short intervals (Honda severe service interval) instead of trying to replace all the fluid at once (3 changes in a row) and do a long interval because there's no filter and I think it would be good to get the crud out periodically. I used the Amsoil ATF in the 5-speed in an Oddyssey that I had with no problems.

Interesting that you suggest the XL 5W-20...is that what you are going to run in your new van? Is its performance over a 6 month,
Matt

PS - I'm thinking of making the move in the spring. Figure I'll give time for that Honda miracle break-in oil to work its magic.

 

[Pablo]

Amsoil ATF IS the ticket for Z-1 replacement. Contrary to some thoughts - there is nothing really special about Honda Z-1 fluid and I think it's plain weak.

Yep - XL 5W-20. So far ALL UOA and verbal feedback evidence points to the XL 5W-20 being a great oil. You just need to forget that it's a Group III oil.

PAO 5W-20 - springtime - maybe.

 

[Matt89]

Thanks, Pablo. Sounds like a good plan. I'll get hold of you in the Spring to make an order

What do you think about the coolant? I'm leery about 120K/10 years - a drain/fill is easy to do so I'll do that midway through.

The differential is the only thing on the CR-V that I am completely unfamiliar with. Figure if I change the Honda stuff regularly I should be OK.

Any other thoughts on the rest of the plan? Are you planning to do anything different with your van?

 

[Dick in Falls Church]

If you are using AMSOIL for everything else, why not use the coolant, too?

Go ahead and use the 5W-20 XL oil the first change. Then you might want to try the 0W-30 and see if you get any mileage improvement sufficient to cover the cost. Or, by that time, AMSOIL may well have a long drain formulation 0W-20 available.

 

[IslaVistaMan]

Maybe I didn't see this in your post Matt89, but do you have access to the OEM service manuals for both vehicles? If not, you can probably buy them here:

http://www.helminc.com

Nothing wrong with your plan, but there are a few changes I'd make (and again, this is only because I've owned new cars before and really like to keep them that way):

-- Stick with the OEM Type-II blue coolant. This is already pre-mixed and can be bought in gallon jugs relatively inexpensively. Use it for flushing the system as well as providing the final re-fills when changing the coolant. This is exactly what Toyota calls for when changing coolant, and I would imagine Honda does as well (see their Service Manual).

-- Turkey baster your P/S fluid at every engine oil change using only Honda fluid. Cheap, easy and effective.

-- Differential and transmission: fluid changes every year (Amsoil in the trannies, Honda only in the CRV diff).

-- Cut your oil change intervals to twice yearly, regardless of mileage or OLM readings.

-- Spray your CV-boots down with silicone spray (Pyroil makes a cheap non-staining one) at least yearly, if not more often.

You're right on with the rest, except I'd pull the sparkplugs on both vehicles now and apply a little anti-seize to the threads. That'll make getting them out years down the road a lot easier. You also might want to goop some di-electric grease on as many electrical connectors as you can find, as this will go a long way toward preventing gremlins and head-scratching sessions (remove the negative cable from your battery, but check to see if this will affect your radio presets and other stuff first).

A little more than you bargained for? Probably, but then again, they *are* going to be your hobby....enjoy them for sure!

 

[The Critic]

quote:

---

Oil & Filter
Amsoil Series2000 0W-30 & Amsoil E0A13 filter annually or 15K
I will probably drive

I'd go by the Maintenace Minder system in a way, even while using Amsoil 0w-30. I'm agreeing with Richard...do the first oil/filter change when the Maintenance Minder system drops to 15%, but use Amsoil XL 5w-20 for the first use. Keep careful notes of the fuel economy, and run the fill until the Maintenance Minder system calls for a change again. When its time for the second oil change, use Amsoil 0w-30 with the EaO-13 and run it for TWO cycles of the Maintenance Minder System...that should end up between 12-13000 miles for most people (at least on the TL boards).

quote:

---

Transmission:
Initial drain/fill -replaces about 40% of fluid w/ Amsoil ATF at around 5K
Then for Civic, drain/fill as indicated by MM
For CRV, drain/fill at 60K/3yr, then every 30K/2yr

---

I'd do two drain and refills with Amsoil ATF on both cars at the first oil change, which will replace about 60-70% of the fluid, then do a single drain/refill every 50K.

I think time will tell whether Amsoil has their thickening problem resolved with the 0w-30, if they have, I think they really have a winner with that new SM/GF-4 formulation.

 

[Pablo]

Again I would not use the 0W-30. However, IF the thickening issue is solved, then I'll change my opinion to maybe. I certain would not go longer than the MM during waranty, but that's just me, I guess. The old stuf was just TOO THICK!!

Use Honda coolant for the first 300,000 miles.

I need to find out more about the Honda diff juice, but yes use it.

 

[thrace]

You have carefully planned a really extensive maintenance program that covers all the bases. I hope all goes well. One thing to remember is that vehicles are tools. Do not fall in love with a vehicle. A vehicle is not a family member or a pet dog. A vehicle cannot love you back. Be logical. A machine can fail or get in an accident and need to be replaced due to extensive problems before it is supposed to fail. In that case, move on. The 5 speed auto in particular has been a major problem for Acura CL, TL, MDX, and Odyssey owners. Do not be blinded by love for a car and deny the facts when reliability falls below what a Honda is supposed to be. Don't fall in love with a car so that you can be rational about maintenance and replacement.

 

[Matt89]

Boy,I guess I have some digestion to do.

One thing of note...Islavistaman, on the ride home from the dealership, the headlamp of my CRV blew out. Figure someone must have put a fingerprint on the bulb or nicked it somehow. Anyway, I wasn't going to be able to go the the dealer anytime soon so I bought a new bulb. When installing it I found plenty of grease smeared all over the connection for the headlight bulb.

I was impressed. Made in the United Kingdom, by the way.

 

[Matt89]

thrace;

Good point - I think my wife was trying to tell me that last night as I was poring over my owners' manual. The real danger in falling 'deeply in love' with a car is that if (aye, when) the love fades you start treating it like an ex-girlfriend

I think it's as much about control as it is about love. Car has a finite number of parts. The rest of life is complicated in comparison!

I've got some time to finalize my decisions I guess. Might just decide to go syn in the engine & transmission (the 2 big pieces that I would probably junk a car for if they wore out early), follow Honda's maintenance schedule for everything else and call it good.