Okay, so I'm almost to 25,000 mile on my 2006 SE Accord. I bought it used with 15,000 miles in February of 2009, so, as you can see, I drive a lot. However, I hope to mitigate excessive wear on my car with common sense maintenance and use of quality maintenance parts. With that in mind, here are some topics that I'd like some feedback on if you gents don't mind:

1) OIL: I'm using plain old Castrol 5w-20 and a Bosch oil filter. I do my oil changes every 4,000 miles; however, I'm thinking of going with a synthetic next time around. Mobil 1 seems to get good press.

2) TRANSMISSION OIL: The Honda Service History Guide is recommending that the trans first be changed at 60,000, but I thought I read somewhere that one should change it at 30,000, anyway, because this will help flush out any metal debris that is floating around during break in?? Don't know about that one.

3) BRAKE FLUID: I guess I'm do for a brake fluid change, as my car is a 2006 model. I don't know how to do this, so I'm gonna take it to a trusted mechanic; however, I think I'm going to buy the HONDA brand brake oil to give to him.

4) SPARK PLUGS: Maintenance book says to change every 60,000 miles? Really?! I used to change these bad boys out every 30,000 on my CIVIC. What say you guys? And which brand do you guys recommend?

5) ENGINE COOLANT: I thought you were supposed to change the coolant EVERY year, but the maintenance manual is stating to change it whenever the computer tells you to do this.

6) AIR CLEANER: OOPS, I'm behind on this. Need to buy one. Maybe a K&N?

LAST THING: Where can I get genuine HONDA parts for cheap on the internet? I had a website that had a lot of Honda parts and even Honda fluids but I can't find the site anymore. I found this site: http://audi.bernardiparts.com/default.aspx but it is not the one that I remember, as their prices were still somewhat lower.

 

1) OIL: Unless you increase the oil change interval significantly, I would stick w/ your current products.

2) TRANSMISSION OIL: Good idea. You can't be too conservative w/ trans since it is high cost and has been much more likely to fail than the engine. Both are good, but engine is much more reliable than trans.

3) BRAKE OIL: Changing brake fluid is easy. Drain old fluid from reservoir w/ suction bulb. Refill w/ new fluid and bleed brakes (top off fluid periodically) until new fluid appears at every wheel. Use premium DOT 3 or 4 brake fluid. Dot3 is good enough unless you are a professional racer or drive like a BOH.

4) SPARK PLUGS: I think every 60K is very conservative w/ newer long life plugs.

5) ENGINE COOLANT: Every 3-5 yrs. I never go longer than 3, but newer coolants are very good. Yearly is overkill and not very "green".

6) AIR CLEANER: Stay w/ OEM air filter or good aftermarket. CAI are for teen agers.

LAST THING: Nowhere are OEM parts cheap. I like Bill Kay Honda for online parts, but they're not very different from other sources. I buy some things OTC to avoid shipping charges which can be punitive in some cases. Used parts for some things can be excellent values (check car-part.com).

good luck

 

Thanks for the reply, it's much appreciated.

 

How many of these 12 oz bottles are needed in order to do a complete brake fluid change? I couldn't find specs denoting this information. Thanks.

[url]http://www bernardipart com/Honda-Brake-Fluid__08798-9008.aspx NO DIRECT LINKS ALLOWED>>

 

I think one will do the job.

good luck

 

1) Castrol GTX is good oil. Yours has a maintenance minder, right? I've had oil analysis done on my Civic when the minder said 10% (GTX 5w-20). Blackstone said I could have left it in awhile longer. That tells me that Honda's maintenance minder does a good job.

2) I refuse to believe that ATF lasts 60k miles. I'd change it at maybe 30k intervals. Changing it on that interval, maybe you just do a single drain/fill. Only do multiple drail/fills if it comes out dirty.

3) I've used non-Honda brake fluid. Castrol LMA, Pentosin DOT4, or ATE Blue depending on where I buy it. Usually a liter by the time I flush all 4 corners.

4) My 2003 says the spark plugs go 110k miles.

5) Factory-fill coolant lasts a long time. Once you've changed it, the interval is shorter but still not yearly.

6) The maintenance minder can't tell if you drive in a dusty area or not. Get an air filter & don't lose sleep unless your old one was completely plugged up.

www dot manhonda dot com
www dot hondaautomotiveparts dot com

 

my 2 cents worth.....
do not rely solely on the maint reminder,,,,,,,,

engine oil replace oil + filter every 3-3.5k miles 5w20 will do,,

tranny fluid every 15k ,once a year , trust me,, ur tranny will love it
coolant every 2 years ( 3ok miles )
brake fluid every 30k miles, any brand will do dot IV

spark plugs , it also depends on driving habits ( city--hwy ) driving ,,,,,,,75-100k miles

 

Please lengthen your message to at least 5 characters.

 

I hear ya about the tranny fluid, but yearly? I guess I'm thinking about costs, as I don't know if changing the transmission fluid is something I can do. However, the yearly cost is better than having to fix a broken tranny, right?

The coolant and brake fluid intervals appear to be reasonable.

I tell ya, good maintenance ain't cheap.

 

Called two Honda dealerships to inquire about service costs and maintenance intervals. Here's what they had to say:

Dealership #1

Transmission fluid replacment: $129 for standard fluid exchange. The service guy said it's not a full blown fluid replacement as they no longer utilize the "power machine" that would force all of the fluid out, which is about 13 to 15 qts of fluid. He said something about the machine possibly damaging the transmission, which they would be liable for. He stated that Honda America had informed them that doing a standard flush is okay even though you're only able to drain about 3 quarts of oil this way. Hmm, so that leaves A LOT of dirty fluid in there. Tech stated that there is a non-power machine that which can drain all the fluid out as well and is the best way to go, but that he didn't know who may have one. Tech stated that 30K intervals are what would be best.

Brakes: $79.00 for fluid replacement. Tech stated that every three years is a good interval.

Coolant: $89.00. Said that places that only have a "full flush" service are full of it as that is only needed if the original coolant is somehow contaminated, which mine is not. He stated that 3 year intervals are recommened, but that 4 years is okay. Tech went on to explain why the full flush is not needed and why it is something that they don't really do unless the coolant is "contaminated."

Fuel injector maintenance: Tech stated to have these cleaned out at 45K. Price not addressed.

Spark plugs and valve adjustment: Tech stated to replace plugs at 105K and adjust valves at this point. Prices not addressed.

Dealership #2

Transmission fluid replacement: $225 as the tech stated they do a full fluid flush with a "power" machine that will get all the old/dirty fluid out. Stated that they add some additive that will remove sludge and other contaminants out. Tech stated that he hadn't heard of the maching damaging the transmission, but stated that doing the flush on a high mileage car that never had a full flush may cause issues. Tech recommened that the transmission be flushed at 30k and every 30K thereafter.

Brakes: $90.00 to have the fluid replaced. Also recommended to have fluid replaced every 3 years.

Coolant: $169.00 as they do a "full flush" and stated that it should be done every three years.

I didn't talk to these guys about spark plugs or valve adjustments.
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I think the power flush of the transmission is the way to go, but I will be going to DEALER #1 for the rest of the stuff, as their prices are more reasonable. Plus, I got the feeling that DEALER #2 was trying to get the most out of it's customers money-wise.