Hello fellow 10th-generation Civic owners!

Boskoman said:

Hi folks

Bought my 2016 Civic EX-L w/ Nav in Cosmic Blue with light gray leather on 05/27/16, and so far I totally love it. This car replaces my 2014 Jeep Cherokee 4x4 Limited that was totaled in an accident on 05/21/16.

It feels strange to be back in a sedan again, but this Civic is so well made, and has such awesome interior appointments and technology options, that it approaches Acura-grade refinement. The handling is excellent—the car really feels like it grips the road, and the turbocharged engine delivers plenty of power and quick acceleration. I'm really looking forward to driving this car and making it my own.

Some modifications that I will make in the near future:

• Carbon tinted windows - 35% on the rear, 45% on driver and passenger windows, and 70% on the windshield
• White LED light replacements for the map, dome, courtesy, trunk, license plate, and vanity mirror lights
• All-weather mats and trunk liner
• Whiter headlight upgrade when I find the right kind of bulbs

I'll be doing my first oil change this weekend since I'm about to hit 1,500 miles, and I'll use fully synthetic oil with a Wix filter. My second oil change will be at 5,000 miles, and then I begin my regular interval of 7,500 miles for oil changes after that.

All in all, I'm pleased to be a new Civic owner, and happy to be a part of this forum with the rest of you. I think we all made an excellent choice.

Take care everyone. Happy driving!

Click to expand...

Boskoman said:

There are a couple reasons why I change the oil and filter at 1,500 and 5,000 miles and then start the 7,500-mile regular change interval after that. Mind you, none of these reasons have been scientifically backed up or published in any peer reviewed journals or anything of that nature, and it doesn't say to do it in any car instruction manual. But I've had a lot of different cars and belonged to a lot of forums for those cars, and a lot of other drivers of a lot of different cars agree with the methodology behind such early oil changes.

Basically—and I'm sure we probably agree on this—the oil is perhaps the most important fluid in your car to keep clean and fresh. It's also important to put as reasonably high quality oil in your car as you can, and I'm partial to fully synthetic oil in that regard. I don't know what kind or brand of oil or filter went into the car at the factory, and while I'd like to believe it's of the highest quality, the cynical part of me doesn't think that's the case. I want to get the best oil and quality filter into the car as soon as I can, and a 1,500-mile interval seems appropriate for this change.

I've also read from many different places that the first batch of oil drained out may contain pieces of the factory and of the brand new engine it has been lubricating, in the form of microscopic metal shavings, dirt, or any other debris of that nature that you don't want in your engine any longer than necessary if it can be avoided. I would imagine that the break-in period (roughly the first 3,000 to 5,000 miles) of the car is a very important time to keep the oil as pure and fresh as possible, so changing the oil—and filter, of course—halfway through this period just makes sense to me. Best to keep the engine primed and as fit as possible while all the parts warm up and become accustomed to one another, and I want to change out the oil while all that happens so I get the best performance and life out of my purchase as I can.

I follow it up with my second oil and filter change at 5,000 miles for the same reasons, and pretty much to get anything out that the first oil change might have left behind or has accumulated since then. Again, none of this has been researched to any extent that I'm aware of, but it does make logical sense to me, so 40 bucks for some good synthetic oil (like Royal Purple, which is my preference) and a good filter (I like Wix) is worth the peace of mind and potential benefit I may be giving to my new car when considering things long term.

This practice of mine may not be doing a bit of good for all I know, or it may provide at least some benefit when considered with the logical things that may accumulate in the first couple batches of oil. Either way, it doesn't harm the car, and fresh oil for it is usually always a good thing, so I prefer to give it what I think it needs during that crucial 5,000-mile break-in period, so that I or whoever has it for the length of its life gets the most out of it as possible.

What do you think?

Click to expand...

CivicDuty said:

Sounds both reasonable and logical to me...since I've been doing the same since '86. Since the late 90's I've always used Amsoil, but if it's 100% pure synthetic (not blended), I don't think brands make much difference. My '98 Civic HX has ~230k miles on it and still going strong.

Click to expand...