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My 1st Service Pass Coming Up. Question

4K views 45 replies 17 participants last post by  wjfyfe 
#1 ·
I hope I posted this in the correct topic forum.
Im due for my first service soon. I have always done my own oil changes but for records and since it’s included Im going to let the dealer do it.
Reluctantly.
My question, is the dealer compelled to use Honda branded oil ? I ask because Ive seen 55 gal drums of motor oil there before. Sorry but I just cant put an unknown oil brand in my engine. I just cant, call me anal I get it.

Would you fellas agree that reading this:

The dealer is compelled to use Honda branded parts and oil ?

Opinions fellas ?


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#2 ·
When I was working at a Honda dealership we used a bulk oil that met Honda specs. We never in the thirty years I worked there had an oil related failure because of the oil we used. We also had Honda branded bottled oil to use if a customer demanded it. It was a little bit more than the bulk oil.

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#5 ·
I too am coming up on my first “free” service. My dealer only uses synthetic, but he did not specify it was Honda Branded oil. They also requested that I bring it in every 5,000 miles and not to wait for Maintenance Minder notice. They do not like to wait that long. As it’s free, and I always change mine at 5K also, I’m in full agreement with them. Since the dealer provided a FREE lifetime power train warranty (free for every new & used vehicle purchased there), I’m not too concerned if they use Honda oil or something else that meets specs. The warranty is backed by a 3rd party, so if the dealer were to change hands or go out of business, the warranty remains, good nationwide.
 
#45 ·
Just a heads up on those free lifetime power train warranty things... make sure you do ALL services at an ASE shop or Honda which gives you a receipt and records. Else, don't expect it to cover anything.

@wjfyfe Glad you have found a shop with a good experience in your new location. It can be a challenge!
 
#6 ·
I hope I posted this in the correct topic forum.
Im due for my first service soon. I have always done my own oil changes but for records and since it’s included Im going to let the dealer do it.
Reluctantly.
My question, is the dealer compelled to use Honda branded oil ? I ask because Ive seen 55 gal drums of motor oil there before. Sorry but I just cant put an unknown oil brand in my engine. I just cant, call me anal I get it.

Would you fellas agree that reading this:
View attachment 438154
The dealer is compelled to use Honda branded parts and oil ?

Opinions fellas ?


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Dealers also:

  • Change oil before the Maintenance Minder indicates an oil change is due despite the fact that Honda explicitly instructs them not to do so
  • Use additives despite the fact that Honda explicitly states not to do so
  • Perform fuel injection cleaning/flushing even though Honda says this is an improper repair procedure

It appears your screen shot is that of a Honda dealer's website. Honda's website reads a bit different:



Notice it doesn't say "oil" - just "parts". One could argue that oil is a fluid and not a part and that only the filter needed to be Honda Genuine.

Regardless, the only way I'd believe a dealer used Honda Genuine oil is if I watched them open quarts and pour it in the crankcase. Honda sells oil in drums, but very few dealers actually buy it.

With that said, I respect your choice to use Honda-branded oil even though any 0W-20 oil that meets the specifications listed in the owner's manual will work just fine.
 
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#7 ·
Thanks Roger.
I thought it was a caption from Honda. Maybe not. Anyway Ill ask the leave the empty bottles in the box i put in the bed.
“Trust but verify”
“If the drum oil meets the requirements”
Thats a big unknown if at a dealership. Where they even put in the proper weight grade is a big “if”.
Thanks again



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#11 ·
LOL
They will get whatever cheap oil they can find. Even Pepboys Proline oil can find a place in your engine.
The only way to be sure is to DIY.


Thanks Roger.
I thought it was a caption from Honda. Maybe not. Anyway Ill ask the leave the empty bottles in the box i put in the bed.
So easy to cheat.
Empty your premium oil in another container. Use the dealer's cheap oil.
Return the box of empty quarts to make you happy.
 
#14 ·
No I wouldn’t.
I know what they are intentionally and maybe worse, not intentionally capable of.
I know the most senior tech there. I ask for him or they don’t get my car, i know he smokes and i leave him a carton of Marlboros on the seat for a tip ( i get free cartons off ships as a gift for some strange reason). I mark the tires & the oil filter and Ill watch from a distance.
Because I know as much as anyone what dealers are capable of.
But as far as emptying bottles of OEM oil and doing what with it ? Then using the bulk oil and handing me the empty bottles is kinda…a stretch. Lets not get carried away.


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#15 ·
On Forester forum a woman brought her new Forester in for oil change.
“Your cars ready”
She got a few miles from the dealer and the engine seized.
The idiot drained but never filled.
She did get a new car out of it.

Dealers pay these guys like crap and for the most part we get what they pay for.


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#17 · (Edited)
👍 Thank you fdeno! If an owner has encountered any problems with their Ridgeline simply from the type of oil used by their dealer, then I am still waiting to hear about it? RIP common sense, (That is as much as I can say without getting banned for not being “politically correct!”) ☹
Bill
 
#18 ·
Does anyone really know if the factory uses “Honda branded oil”? Why don’t you ask the dealer what brand oil they use? If you don’t trust them to tell the truth then I certainly wouldn’t let them touch my vehicle. Also, hate to break this to you but they probably won’t change the oil filter on the first oil change. You ‘ll be able to tell if the filter was changed by whether or not the truck drips oil for a few days after service!
 
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#19 ·
Does anyone really know if the factory uses “Honda branded oil”?
According to the vice president of Honda's Alabama Auto Plant when I visited, the vehicles are filled with the same Honda-branded oil made by Phillips 66 that is sold to consumers in quarts except that it is delivered by tanker trucks which refill storage tanks outside the plants - about 1,300 gallons of it it every day. :)
 
#31 ·
Me too. I let the dealer do the first oil change on our Pilot. They changed the filter too. The next morning I had oil drips on my garage floor from the mess they left on the subframe. On my son’s Pilot they cut a chunk out of the fender well liner to gain access to the oil filter. (And for some reason swapped out his EarthDreams engine cover for one without the EarthDreams emblem.) This dealer generally does a good job with service work, but I wonder if they contract out oil change work.
 
#26 · (Edited)
However, there are good dealers!😊

Traveling thru Billings Montana, while opening the console, I had a can of Frontier Bear Spray partially discharge! 😳👎. Unbelievable!! I drove straight to the Honda dealer.

It was wedged in and every time I tried to open the console, it would spray more. The protective wedge had come undone, somehow, on the trigger. the salesman and mechanic worked on it for over an hour. Got it out, largely defumigated, would not accept any pay. Bear spray now goes in the bed trunk , double garbage bag sacked.
 
#28 ·
We got our ‘21 Venza (hybrid) , Japanese made, based largely on previous Lexus hybrid experience and the overall Toyota hybrid reliability. The servicing required is likely the least and easiest of any current vehicle made. Even the eCVT fluid change is as easy as our RL transfer case. Electric, external fuel pump, hyd lifters, 4 easy to get to sparkplugs, simple oil change, timing chain, port/di FI (intakes valves stay clean).

High reliability and minimal maintenance have become higher priority factors for me.
 
#29 ·
On the subject of Honda Service Pass and the Ridgeline...

This program covers maintenance specified by the MM during the first 2 years or 24,000 miles.

For the typical Ridgeline owner, this will include:

  • A1 (tire rotation, engine oil change) at around 8,500 miles.
  • B16 (tire rotation, engine oil/filter change, rear differential fluid change) at around 17,000 miles.

That's it. The actual value of these services is about $200. Honda increased the starting price of the Ridgeline by $660 for the 2023 model year when they added Honda Service Pass.

I would choose to do the work myself and know that it was done properly and without damage to the vehicle even if these services were free (which they aren't - they're included).
 
#32 ·
Have the oil sent in for analysis, old and new. You can see if the additive package is the same and watch the contamination change as the engine breaks in.

This way you will have specific information rather than just expecting the worst based on a hunch.
 
#35 · (Edited)
We haven't become associated with a dealer here yet in Montana. Billings is a bit of drive but if they are as good as you say they are, I do have a brother there so that could be made to work. I will drive further to patronize a good service provider. To put myself into a hypocritical position, our local Honda dealer here in Great Falls is owned by Lythia, but past experience with two Lithia dealers in he past where both have proven themselves to be unscrupulous so presently I am avoiding them. We do have a dealer in Helena, but I have little to no information about them other than they also handle Toyota and Ford, but they are probably who we will try first when the MM pops here soon.

Bill
 
#36 ·
The solution is easy. Buy a used car in good mechanical condition as inspected by your mechanic and then have him service it going forward. I have a shop I frequently visit for yearly state inspections and between him and my transmission buddy I'm calm cool and collected at the service shop. And it's NOT a dealer. I've also had my cars inspected at a Firestone dealer shop as well when I was them to be CRITICAL of the vehicle. But mostly, I do all the simple servicing myself and my shops know I do that. Brakes and such are easy repairs along with fluid changes that I can do in the heated and air conditioned comfort of my garages. It's way too easy to work on a SUV or the Ridgeline anyway as mostly you barely have to jack them up even. And any of my warranty work has their own service stories as I've had a lot of cars over the years. Full Transmissions (think Ford Windstar) and engine replacements (think 99' Celebrity Eurosport) happened. Not frequently but often enough.
 
#41 ·
Unless you see an actual bottle of Honda oil the rest is hearsay. If you're that specific with oil requirements best to eat the free oil change and do it yourself, eliminates all the guesswork.
Actually the dealership and the service was great.
For me it wasn’t about what I wanted them to use but more about what I didn’t want. The unknown 55 gal, more profitable for the dealership oil. Yep Im that anal always have been especially with my bikes. Lol
Anyway Jim who is the most senior tech there did the A-1. He came out told me he did the auto start update and the empty Honda Ultimate 0w20 Bottles he put in the bed in the box. One would have left over oil. Customers can actually view the work being done from the lounge n
He also changed the filter and even though Honda doesn’t pay for that on A-1 the dealer always charges it anyway at no charge.
I tipped both him and the service writer and Ill use them again for sure as they earned my business.
The Toyota dealer across the street which Ive had prior service experience with, this was a 180.


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