'04 Civic says change oil every 7500 miles

[jeremyp969]

Does anyone know what change they made to the car so that we now only have to change the oil every 7500 miles?

It seems a little risky to wait 2 and half times the normal interval to change the oil. Is this dangerous? Should I still be changing every 3k?

Thanks guys!

[i_a_n112784]

The car makers say a long time, like the 7500mi, oil makers and filter companies say 3000mi. Personally, my oil is dirty when I change it (between 3000-4000mi), so until I have a car that the oil is clean after 3000mi, I will continue to change it every 3000-4000mi.

[mycivic]

Thats odd. I have the 2003 and it has the same engine/generation. Mine says 5000. At more or less 4000 miles, my oil is still clean...but not that clean. So I change it every 5000 miles. Even at 5000 miles, oil seems to be fine and not dirty at all.

[Beastiek2]

yea go between 3-4 g's i have been doing that and it has been working fine i have 8 g's on mine now

[Miataracer]

i change mine every 3,000 even with synthetic. i am a hard driver and oil is there to protect your engine. oil doesn't cost that much, an engine rebuild does. to me i would rather spend a little more here and there to keep good clean oil in my engine then chance it by waiting till 5-7000 to change oil

[mycivic]

Originally Posted by Miataracer

i change mine every 3,000 even with synthetic. i am a hard driver and oil is there to protect your engine. oil doesn't cost that much, an engine rebuild does. to me i would rather spend a little more here and there to keep good clean oil in my engine then chance it by waiting till 5-7000 to change oil

Im thinking about changing my changing oil habits. I do it every 5000 miles. I drive 95% freeway. You think I should change it at 3000-4000 miles?

[Miataracer]

eh, i cant really tell you what to do but i know i dont want to screw my engine up. when you think about it the oil in your engine is all that is protecting things from metal to metal contact. yes, the engine has "bearings" in it, but as far as I am concerned they are not really bearings (needle and ball bearings), they are in fact bushings, these need good oil in between the contact surfaces to keep them from getting f'ed up.

[spooleffect]

7.5k is fine. As long as your running good oil and filters it'll last 7.5k no prob. Oil and filter companies say 3k because the more often you change the more they profit. I go 7.5k on my 170k mile Jeep and I live in the Desert. If your oil is dark when you change it that doesn't mean its old that means the additives are in effect. Its only when its straight black, then you went a little to far in between changes. It makes no sense to change your oil every 3k when you don't really need to.

[mycivic]

Because when I look at my oil at nearly 5000 miles before changing it, oil is still in the level it used to be when it was newly changed and not even that dirty at all. Could it be because its more freeway driving and not stop and go?

[PoisonFangs]

are you sure your not looking at what they recommend for the break in period. The dealer mechanic told me to wait till 7500 just for the first oil change during break in and then 3000-3500 every one after that.

[GScivic7]

holy shit, break in period is usually 750-1000 miles for a new car. Everytime my family gets a new vehicle the first two oil changes occur at 1500 miles and 3000 miles, then every 3000 after that.

[Beastiek2]

Originally Posted by PoisonFangs

are you sure your not looking at what they recommend for the break in period. The dealer mechanic told me to wait till 7500 just for the first oil change during break in and then 3000-3500 every one after that.

your right my dealer said the same thing but nopesss
i changed it early cause i beat the car

[mycivic]

Even if manual says every 5000 miles? Thats what it says for the 2003's.

[GScivic7]

The factory recommended intervals are for ideal driving conditions with the ideal driver behind the wheel. So basically, a granny driver that drives at a constant 45-55 mph basically.

[mycivic]

Originally Posted by GScivic7

The factory recommended intervals are for ideal driving conditions with the ideal driver behind the wheel. So basically, a granny driver that drives at a constant 45-55 mph basically.

So that would be 10,000 miles for normal driving conditions for 2003's and 5000 miles for harsh conditions? Thats what also said in the manual.