Hello,

I signed up last May because we thought we were buying my wife a Civic, but ultimately settled on a 2003 Accord. She told me on the phone today she is getting a "maintenance required" light. The car seems to be running fine.

I asked her to bring me the manual, which I will review tonight. I am hoping there is some way to read the codes without taking it to the stealer?

I guess my general question is, is there a way to find out what its problem is without taking it to the stealer? With my BMW some of the codes can be displayed via the onboard computer.

I have been doing oil changes myself, so I also wondered if there is a chance that it thinks it needs an oil change? Again on my BMW I have to reset some pins on the computer to let it know Ive done an oil change.

Thanks for your advice

 

I believe the "maintenance required" light simply serves as a reminder to do scheduled work rather than to indicate a fault, such as when the Check Engine Light turns ON. To be sure, check your Owner's manual.

 

Yes the light is just a timer to remind you, it does not indicate a detected problem like the check engine light does. The manual explains how to determine what maintenance is due (oil change, etc) and how to reset the light after performing the maintenance.

 

great thanks guys. I will confirm in the manual tonight. Hopefully I can reset it myself.