I have a question regarding oil change frequency for my Civic.

First off, I live in Canada, and according to my owner's manual, I should change my oil (5W-20) every 8,000 kms (approx 5,000 miles). This is a different interval than my sister's 2000 Civic, which recommends that the oil (5W-30) be changed every 5,000 kms (approx 3,000 miles).

Is there a reason for this change in intervals? The only relevant difference I can see would seem to be in the type of oil used. Does 5W-20 provide longer lasting protection? I want to keep this car for a long time, so I just want to make sure that an oil change every 8,000 kms will not cause any excessive wear on the engine (as opposed to changing it every 5,000 kms).

Thanks.

 

Which model is your civic, and which model is your sister's civic?
One possible reason I could think of is the differences between the two engines.

The differences in oil viscosity could possibly be a reason, but i'm not sure.

Also, it could also be due to the 5 years in between the cars. What I mean is, maybe between 2000 and 2005 they discovered something that led them to believe the oil didn't need to be changed as often.
Besides, the 3000 mile oil change is a marketing scheme created by auto shops so that they can make more money by having customers bring their cars in more often.
I'd say that either type of oil and both of those cars don't need 3000 mile oil changes. I think 5000 miles is a much more reasonable number.

 

Well, my sister's 2000 Civic is the EX model, and my 2005 is the LX-G (I think this is equivalent to the EX version in the US, but I'm not sure). Both models are equipped with the base egine (non VTEC) for each year; the 1.6L in 2000 and 1.7L in 2005.

I tend to agree that the 5,000 mile interval is perfectly adequate, since I find it hard to believe that Honda would intentionally try to decrease the useful life of their cars. I was just curious what prompted the change.

Thanks.

 

My 2000 EX has the service trip that's set to go off at 7500 miles for an oil change. I try not to go over 5K on the oil changes though. Every time it hits 5K the oil is extremely black. I'd say don't go over 5K, unless the oil still has some honey color to it at that point. And that's if you're using synthetic oil - which rocks.

 

why would color really matter? a lot of the reason the oil turns black is from mixing with the crud in your engine
i would do a tactile test on the oil. make sure it isn't gritty at all, and that it is nice and smooth.
regardless, i would make sure you replace your oil at least every 5000 miles or 3-4 months, whichever comes first