[zroger73]

Btw, does anyone have an idea what is the chronological order of the MM code? Did Honda publish anything regarding that, or there's only empirical data?

There has never been a distance-based maintenance schedule for any Ridgeline. Honda says nothing other than "follow the Maintenance Minder", so we can only go by owner reports.

Honda says the engine oil and transmission fluid life are calculated based on actual driving conditions. The other maintenance items are aligned with the nearest oil change.

Based on observations the "average" driver will see the following (+/- a few thousand miles):

A1 (engine oil, tire rotation) at about 8,500 miles.
B16 (engine oil, oil filter, tire rotation, rear differential fluid) at about 17,000 miles.
A12 (engine oil, tire rotation, engine/cabin air filters) at about 25,500 miles.
B1 (engine oil, oil filter, tire rotation) at about 34,000 miles.
A136 (engine oil, tire rotation, transmission/transfer fluid, differential fluid) at about 42,500 miles.
B12 (engine oil, oil filter, tire rotation, engine/cabin air filters) at about 51,000 miles.

(This information is based on my observations of owning five Ridgelines, the reports of @silkiechicken, and other members of this forum.)

Keep in mind that not every owner will see this exact sequence since it varies based on actual driving conditions and when the maintenance is performed.

Honda says to change the rear differential fluid at 7,500 then every 15,000 and the timing belt every 60,000 under specific, "severe" conditions. They also say to change the engine and cabin air filters every 15,000 under specific "dirty" conditions. Otherwise, "follow the Maintenance Minder".

Individual Maintenance Minder codes can be reset by a Honda dealer using their scan tool. For example, if the transmission fluid is replaced before prompted by the Maintenance Minder due to a repair, the transmission fluid life can be reset while leaving the other maintenance items including the engine oil life unchanged to keep the Maintenance Minder in sync with actual maintenance needs.

 

[crackjackx]

Thanks a lot @zroger73!

I got a technical paper which provides some insight into the oil life monitoring system. It's from 2003, so not sure whether it's still used:

 

[zroger73]

Thanks a lot @zroger73!

I got a technical paper which provides some insight into the oil life monitoring system. It's from 2003, so not sure whether it's still used:

Yes - that technical paper explains the basis for Honda's oil life monitoring system.

Of note:

The Maintenance Minder assumes the use of "oils that deteriorate faster" (i.e. "bulk oil" used by dealerships) and the fact that some of the old oil remains int the engine and includes an offset for potential error.

 

[48218]

It's been a while since I read that tech brief. I had recollected Honda to have done more or done things differently than what that says. Thanks for re-linking it.

 

[dirty-jack|]

So I just scheduled my RL for A136 service. I'm around 46,000 miles. Since I had the transmission fluid changed in October as part of the diagnostics before the torque converter replacement (also in Oct), and I just took my snows off last month, I told the service rep I only needed the oil, transfer and differential fluids replaced. He said their computer indicates that the first transfer fluid replacement comes at 60,000.

Has anyone else heard this? I'm thinking I'll tell them to do it anyways.

 

[zroger73]

So I just scheduled my RL for A136 service. I'm around 46,000 miles. Since I had the transmission fluid changed in October as part of the diagnostics before the torque converter replacement (also in Oct), and I just took my snows off last month, I told the service rep I only needed the oil, transfer and differential fluids replaced. He said their computer indicates that the first transfer fluid replacement comes at 60,000.

Has anyone else heard this? I'm thinking I'll tell them to do it anyways.

If the dealer changed the fluid seven months ago, they should have reset the transmission fluid life in the Maintenance Minder and you should not be seeing code 3. If you do, that means the dealer didn't follow the instructions.

Transfer is done with transmission when code 3 appears which is normally around 45K for the average driver then every 30K for the 6-speed.

The information your service rep is seeing on his computer didn't come from Honda or he's misinterpreting it. You could always show him the owner's manual where it states that the transfer fluid is to be change with the transmission fluid is changed when code 3 appears on the MM.