Ridgeman - yep, you will get all kinds of opinions and usually oil change intervals (OCI) are based on only one factor - experience. I am 56 years old and ever since I have owned cars I changed oil/filter just like you, every 3000-5000 miles. I have never had an engine related problem although I must admit I do not put many miles on my vehicles before I trade them. Nor have I ever worried about the kind of oil I used or the filter (my only filter criteria was that it fit). I'll bet if I applied that same kind of thinking to the Ridgeline it would still outlast me!
However, new technologies in oils, filters and the cars themselves have made me wonder if there might not be a better, more efficient and possibly less costly way of doing things. The advent of oil life monitors seems to be a break-through in this area as does synthetic oils, blends and new filtering systems. All these kinds of things might make things more efficient but I doubt they will be any better for your engine than doing it the way we always have - with a good dino oil and filter every 3,000-5,000 miles.
My point in starting this thread was to determine what folks are showing in mileage at certain points of HAL's oil life monitor. As you may recall, Nicholas went by the OLM and then had his oil analyzed. The results came back as one would expect for his first oil change so HAL was pretty much on target. If that trend continues I may be more comfortable with the system telling me when to change oil and leave it at that.
The GM engineer I spoke of earlier who posted at the oil geeks forum and worked on the GM oil life monitor system made some great points about how their system works (I assume it is similar to Honda's system). He talked about how important it is to take into consideration driving habits and other factors that effect oil stability in the specific engine being monitored. None of these factors are considered in the 3,000-5,000 mile or six month intervals we have always relied on in the past.
Yet, like you and me, there is a mentality that comes with experience that says if it ain't broken don't fix it, regardless the advance in technologies and information. That mentality is hard to break, especially when it still works.
