Will I be OK to do the change when I get back?

Have you checked the oil level?
If the oil level is at the full mark, you will be OK to wait for that change. Did it indicate you need to change the Diff oil as well?

 

Oil level has been fine, hasn't moved. The dash screen just said "oil". I can't imagine a differential change would be due so soon?

Yeah, I thought a short highway trip wouldn't hurt

 

600 extra miles is not going to hurt anything. They have calibrated our MMs to get us to change our oil earlier apparently. My 2018 Sport was well over 7000 miles before the MM hit 15% for the first oil change. My 2025 RTL hit it under 5000 miles.

 

Dumb question - does Honda use synthetic oil in the factory fill?

 

Some dealerships may automatically use full synthetic 0W-20 oil, especially for late-model Hondas since that’s what is specified in most owner’s manuals. Others may default to a synthetic blend unless specifically requested or depending on their bulk supply. If full synthetic is important, always ask the dealer which oil type they are using before the service. The owner’s manual will specify whether synthetic or synthetic blend oil is required. Honda generally approves either, if it meets the API spec and viscosity rating.

 

The MM for oil change takes into account the mileage and time between oil changes. The manual states on Page# 472, quote:

If a Maintenance Minder message does not appear more than 12 months after the display is reset, change the engine oil every year.

For my '24 RL, the MM for oil change popped up around 3K miles, six weeks before becoming one year old.

Your '25 RL seems to be doing the same. Unless your trip is six weeks long, the chances are that the MM still shows 10 - 15% oil life remaining when you return. Just my guess...

 

With 4900 miles on the vehicle and with MM at 15% for MM to be at 0% the mileage would have to be 5700 miles. For a 600 mile trip that would have the mileage at 5500 miles. But the MM I believe takes into account other things other than just miles and the MM oil life might go down to 0% before 600 miles.

Frankly and this has been my SOP for all vehicles since the 1st is I try to arrange to set out on any "long" trip with fresh oil/filter in the engine. This doesn't mean I change the oil just to have fresh oil in the engine but if an oil change is due or nearly due I'll have it done.

A few times I had to leave on a trip in the middle of an oi/filter service interval. The solution was to arrange to have the service when due on miles done at a distant dealer.

 

With 4900 miles on the vehicle and with MM at 15% for MM to be at 0% the mileage would have to be 5700 miles. For a 600 mile trip that would have the mileage at 5500 miles. But the MM I believe takes into account other things other than just miles and the MM oil life might go down to 0% before 600 miles.

Frankly and this has been my SOP for all vehicles since the 1st is I try to arrange to set out on any "long" trip with fresh oil/filter in the engine. This doesn't mean I change the oil just to have fresh oil in the engine but if an oil change is due or nearly due I'll have it done.

A few times I had to leave on a trip in the middle of an oi/filter service interval. The solution was to arrange to have the service when due on miles done at a distant dealer.

I have found that the MM does extend the miles when going from short trips to taking longer trips within the OCI cycle. Therefore, his MM may trigger at closer to 6700 miles rather than 5700 miles.

 

According to Honda, the 1 year timer for oil changes uses the same reminder advance as the mileage advance - 85%. The longest distance you can drive before the Maintenance Minder pops up the advance oil change message is about 85% of 10,000 miles, or 8500 miles*. Similarly, the longest time you can drive before the Maintenance Minder pops up the advance oil change message is about 85% of a year.
85% of 365 is 310 days.
So the Maintenance Minder should pop up a message to "change the oil soon" at 310 days since the last reset.
If your Ridgeline Maintenance Minder was reset on October 31st, 2024 then 310 days later is September 6th, 2025.

It certainly sounds to me like you are running into the 1-year oil life timer here, not the actual mileage. So in my opinion, you would be perfectly fine to continue to drive your Ridgeline on this oil.

* - To be precise, the Maintenance Minder actually prompts at 16% oil life remaining, or 8400 miles on the oil.

 

Gadzooks. the MM is a 'minder'; its not stormtroopers holding a plasma rifle to your head. You can go many more miles than what the MM says without ill effects... A road trip or a few extra days of commuting won't grenade your engine.

MM's are relatively new, before that oil changes were largely "Kentucky windage" based on miles or time.

 

Of course not, driving beyond the miles will definitely not grenade the engine.

This is the first car I've ever owned where I'm letting the dealer do the oil change. I didn't want to get into a beef with the dealer.

I typically use Penzoil Platinum Pure Synthetic in all my vehicles to this point, with a good oil filter (Pure One typically) and changet it every 10,000 miles. I have a little over a million miles in my last four vehicles with this regimen. I'll do that after break-in

 

You'll be fine to get it after your trip.
As for the oil being synthetic, I have yet to see a 0-W20 that isn't! ...Unless some miracle of science has produced a dino-oil on the 0 cold viscosity range and the world has been hiding it from me.

 

See my question -the factory fill has to be synthetic, right? They used to say don't change that too early or the vehicle wouldn't be fully broken in

 

They used to say don't change that too early or the vehicle wouldn't be fully broken in

What
It's exactly opposite, and back in days when the cars required explicit engine break-in, changing more often in the beginning was even more important.
But anyway, using synthetic blend and changing every 5K would likely be better than stretching full synthetic up to 7K+.
Also switching to more dense oil may be an option if you want to trade a tiny bit of MPG toward long term (150K+) engine condition, esp. in hot climate.
For a disclaimer, 2017 with 120K+, Arizona, I do Costco full synthetic 5W-30, changing every 6 mos / 5..7K, mainly highway traffic. And I think this is about the best I can practically get.

 

The factory fill is just oil...the engine has molybdenum in it, I believe, that conditions the engine. That's why you don't do an early change, but that wouldn't likely destroy your vehicle either unless you were abusing it as well.

 

Ah, thanks for that info, makes sense with those miles.

 

I change my oil every 5000 to 7000 miles. In hundreds of thousands of miles in may different cars and trucks, never an engine problems

 

600 miles wont make a difference. I always change my oil and rotate my tires every 5k. Just easier to remember. The oil from the factory will be low. They fill it to the bare minimum.

 

Change it now, I change my at 40%

 

No, as long as your oil level is good, there is absolutely no reason to do this. I doubt you will go past the 15% left, and even if you did for a few hundred miles, you are using synthetic oil.

 

Change oil every 7,000 to 10,000 miles, even in my expensive classics - never had an issue...

Wix filters and synthetic oil, but options are limited for classic solid lifter engines, the oil must contain high levels of ZDDP; Mobil 1 15W-50W is one of the few synthetics with that additive.

 

It may not hurt, but let me ask, do you really like the car? then by all means get it changed, here's a perspective from an old wrench, who is sickened by todays miracles, that have entirely changed the automotive common sense..... not.........the recommended svc is 5000 miles but I as well as many of us old timers recommend 3500 on a new engine, even engine builders will tell ya 3500. reason being? assembly Lube oil, filter picking up debris in engine after running 3500 from new, basically a common sense issue. But here come the nay sayers, 'Ohhh the assembly lube they use today doesn't clog or gel up" Ohhh they manuf tens of thousands of engines this has never been an issue" OMG!!! synthetic oils last twice as long, that oil changing at 3500 for a new build is a joke anymore. Ok then lets look at it this way, yes engines fail from bad assembly, oh it's not a huge number unless you are say Kia, Ford or GMC, oh wait!!!Stilantis. ooops did I post that? So here we are, say just 10% of those million engines fail due to a plugged oil filter or gummed up excessively hot oils which will show during an oil change, say it's YOUR vehicle that does, you know like that 1 in a million chance in life, lightning strikes you. Sometimes the older ways are best. New engine, break in, new oil and filter between 3500 and 5000 miles. Do what you want to. I just had a knock down drag out with Honda dealer on kids CRV 2025, they refused to change her oil until 5000 miles, her being in college, the car was 9 months old before she got to 5k for honda to change the oil. (she's in another city in state) so even the dealers, the bonafide dealers exceeded even Hondas recommendation for 5,000 miles or every 6 months, hmmm oh and they tried to sell her a washer fluid reservoir 400,fuel injection clean 298, and lets not forget ashtray clean 500/Oh wait!!! CRV doesn't have an ashtray!!!! Honda needs a service bulletin asap!!!! Then last week on our PP which just hit 40k miles they said needed fuel injector clean, 298.00 I passed. Called Honda Ney York, they explained they don't recommend it at 40k hmmmmm things we learn huh?? On a side note OP stated" Is diff ok?" lesson learned, had other hondas 4x4, and odyssey, prelude, I let a 2nd mkt dealer change diff fluid once, they used I believe STP or some mker brand, found out the hard way only honda diff fluid will work and stops chatter, lesson learned on that one. good luck with you car,

 

Honda does not recommend mileage-based oil changes. They recommend MM-based oil changes, which are much more accurate.

 

You will be fine to change when you get back. Just check and make sure your oil level is between the fill marks on your dip stick. If it is low just top it off to bring within fill marks but don’t overfill with oil.

 

The maintenance minder takes your driving pattern into consideration. My 2025 TrailSport went to 9400 miles before 5%/change now showed up. My first code was B16 = change engine oil without filter, rotate tires, change rear diff. I expect you could make your trip before change now pops up and it too will be B16.

 

@gbski , thanks for bringing up the owners manual. Honda really does a CYA on this section. The 0w-20 Honda oil is full synthetic and as someone earlier mentioned, that weight is only available in full synthetic.

I'll likely switch to Penzoil Platinum for future changes in my garage and do a Blackstone oil analysis. I typically do the analysis at 20k, 100k, 200k, 300k and 400k on my vehicles. At 400,000 miles in my Nissan Altima, Blackstone said I could push oil/filter changes to 15k. I always did 10k changes and felt no need to push it. The tranny failed just after 400k, but the motor didn't use or leak a drop of oil. My Lincoln MKZ (V6) used half a quart between 10k changes.

 

You should not need oil change this fast. Do you still have the break in oil in? check oil level. Consider taking to dealer to be sure.

 

Hi there your fine 15 goes to 10 then 5% . I usually get it as close to 15% but 1 trip might drop it to 10% . Your rear diff will also need a change( Super easy to do).

 

Welcome to the forum - Valid Arizona poster

 

I would get the oil changed. Several months ago, I got my oil changed with 4000 miles on the oil days before I went on vacation and traveling over 1000 miles during my trip. Most dealers will let you make an appointment even 2 days ahead of time.

 

I put 330,000 miles on that car and changed oil/filter every 3k

The last part of this sentence explains the first one

Because it took the motor longer to break in with synthetic oil, Chevy didn't recommend an early change

This is interesting, because if two oils belong to the same API service category (lubrication rating), there's no difference in short term (say 5K and below). But as the break-in process basically is - that the engine moving parts are polishing each other, going slower but more gently is exactly what you want for better result and longevity, and lower risk of burrs. Perhaps the correct way of timing oil change during break in is - to watch contamination level.

 

Your due both in time and miles/percentage. Will it hurt, no. But I would. Hopefully you have kept an eye on the level
during break-in. And Honda uses synthetic, and I believe 2025 is 0-16. I would also use Honda filter and oil at least until out of warranty. If you do it yourself keep records and receipts, or in my case my dealership is very reasonable for oil changes. Very honest too. Check other fluid levels and your air filters too

 

I let the dealer handle all of that. They are NOT more than others and I know they are taking care of it. They give me a report that everything is checked and OK or whatever. I trust the dealer to get it right.