Oil change at 7800

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bobcubsfan said:
I agree. But don't want to violate the Honda warranty. Next car I will demand that all service be included FREE.
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I believe under the act linked below...

1) A manufacturer cannot mandate that they provide service or parts in order to maintain a warranty in force.

2) Unless said service or parts are provided free of charge.

3) They cannot void a warranty based on non-factory parts or non-dealer service unless they can prove the parts or service in question were actually the proximate cause of the problem leading to the warranty claim.

I’m sure there’s more, but that’s what I recall off the top of my head.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnuson–Moss_Warranty_Act
 
All true. For $35 I just don't care. I will do another service next year, then in March 2021, the car will be returned to Honda.
 
JKroll said:
What a rip off ... I know we have discussed it to death (regarding premature oil change) but still dealer is charging like 58 for synthetic oil...If I knew I was going to pay this much for service would have bought a German car instead.
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A Porsche oil change will run you $300...
 
I know this has been mentioned elsewhere, but it is worth repeating- our car has been calling for its second A01 service at 15000 miles. By only rotating the tires and clearing just the "1", it is now giving us another 2 months before the next oil change - so for those trying to protect their warranty by following the maintenance minder, breaking out the rotation will give you more time before an oil change.
 
JKroll said:
What a rip off ... I know we have discussed it to death (regarding premature oil change) but still dealer is charging like 58 for synthetic oil.

Is it true that only synthetic is allowed?

Looks like a total waste for driving 1000 miles on ICE

If I knew I was going to pay this much for service would have bought a German car instead.
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In our locality, a third-party independent shop full synthetic oil change + filter runs about $45. The local Honda dealer advertises a synthetic "blend" oil change that includes a tire rotation for $55. But for the Clarity, p. 482 of the Clarity PHEV Owner's Manual clearly states that neither full synthetic or even synthetic blends are required, but that synthetics MAY (permissive) be used.

You can use any API certified 0W-20 (or other appropriate viscosity for your area's climate, etc.) detergent oil in your car at a far lower cost than synthetics (although it may be hard to find "real" oil if you use 0W-20 viscosity, but synthetic "blends" are out there and save some $). If you decide to change the oil at a local independent shop (if the dealer refuses to use anything but the more profitable full-synthetic oil), just make sure you document in your file the use of compliant oil and filter for your warranty purposes.

Currently you can purchase full synthetic Mobil 1 at Costco (with link already posted above) for just $4.67 / quart in a 6 quart box. But if you miss the Costco sale, then you might consider the AmazonBasic full synthetics at a very competitive "regular" price and which are getting some very good independent test results when compared with Mobil 1 (see ).

See Clarity PHEV manual page below.
 

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My local dealer Westbrook Honda is $12.95 even for synthetic, but I doubt they'll use synthetic if its not required. Don't know how long that will last!

FYI I recall reading an oil change for a Bugatti Veyron is around $20,000.00. And a set of tires are $100,000.00
 
There two reports are worth checking out. The first is by AAA comparing conventional oil to synthetic, and the second is an oil study by Honda.
 

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Ray B said:
There two reports are worth checking out. The first is by AAA comparing conventional oil to synthetic, and the second is an oil study by Honda.
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Great info. The Honda paper authors should be congratulated for the near excellent English in their paper not intended for the general public.

I'm not disagreeing with any of the findings, but I have never been able to make sense of the high requirements for modern engine oil versus the fact that in the sixties we had 2 stroke cars (Saab, DKW, etc.) which ran successfully for 100,000 miles on a lubricant that was 97% gasoline. Engine design of course has come a long long way but still...
 
My second oil change is coming up on the MM in the next 4 weeks.
I am at approx 12,700 miles or so.
Oil life is affected by many things besides hours.
Number of cold starts, hybrid operation in very cold weather, etc.
One concern I have is the Clarity's 175 degree thermostat with a hybrid engine in the northeast.
When I was a teenager, cars had low temp thermostats and the engines sludged up badly.
Automakers went to 195 degree thermostats and this helped evap/vent crankcase moisture especially for short trips.
Now we have hybrids that start/stop and with low temp thermostats and using the heater in cold weather half the year where I am - and I just don't know how automakers are addressing sludge.
 
The one thing I didn't see in the manual is the location of the cabin pollen filter. Where can I access it to check or change it myself?
 
Most men should know how to change their own oil. It’s easier than cooking!
I changed oil for my BMW after the dealership maintenance expired at 50kmiles every year or based on the indicator (12kmiles-16kmiles) whichever came first. My car was absolutely flawless at 200,000+ miles now. I used Fully Synthetic Mobil 1 5W-30 from Costco or Walmart at < $5/qt!


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Walt R said:
The one thing I didn't see in the manual is the location of the cabin pollen filter. Where can I access it to check or change it myself?
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It’s directly behind the glove box.
Access by opening glove box and pushing inward on its two side panels to allow it to lower out if the way. At the top of the opening is the filter holder. It has latches on each side that must be pressed in and then the door hinges down to access the filter. Just reverse to reassemble. Easy peasy but remember to place filter in the same orientation relative to air flow.

I checked mine after just a few months and it had accumulated some large debris like leaves but wasn’t clogged with dirt so I shook it out and replaced.
Looks like in non dusty conditions that it will last a year.

I can only speculate that the instructions are not in the manual in order to discourage us from less expensive aftermarket cabin filters and DIY vs Honda and dealer profit.
 
KentuckyKen said:
It’s directly behind the glove box.
Access by opening glove box and pushing inward on its two side panels to allow it to lower out if the way. At the top of the opening is the filter holder. It has latches on each side that must be pressed in and then the door hinges down to access the filter. Just reverse to reassemble. Easy peasy but remember to place filter in the same orientation relative to air flow.

I checked mine after just a few months and it had accumulated some large debris like leaves but wasn’t clogged with dirt so I shook it out and replaced.
Looks like in non dusty conditions that it will last a year.

I can only speculate that the instructions are not in the manual in order to discourage us from less expensive aftermarket cabin filters and DIY vs Honda and dealer profit.
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same as other hondas
 
KentuckyKen said:
I can only speculate that the instructions are not in the manual in order to discourage us from less expensive aftermarket cabin filters and DIY vs Honda and dealer profit.
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Except, I think this makes it more likely we'll end up with a quick-change oil place providing the filter instead of perhaps buying the Honda one and installing ourselves - at least until the first time we see how they accessed it. I'm not paying a dealer to replace air filters. (But maybe I misjudge how many people are willing to go to a dealer for non-model-specific jobs.)

I'm not surprised it's behind the glove box, as that's where it is on other brands too. My glove box just didn't immediately drop past the catches when I first squeezed the sides. Thanks for the responses.
 
My wife had our odyssey oil changed at a dealer, they told her the filter needed changing, she of course thought they were taking about the oil filter and told them to change it. When she got home we looked at the receipt and saw that they had charged her $110 for changing the cabin air filter, the one that you can buy for $30 and change yourself, as explained above, in about two minutes.
 
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KClark said:
My wife had our odyssey oil changed at a dealer, they told her the filter needed changing, she of course thought they were taking about the oil filter and told them to change it. When she got home we looked at the receipt and saw that they had charged her $110 for changing the cabin air filter, the one that you can buy for $30 and change yourself, as explained above, in about two minutes.
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I would have a talk with the dealer's rep - ask them if overcharging you on this service is worth losing your business from now on (including the next car purchase). As the negotiating experts say - the worst that can happen is that they say "no" and you then decide whether to carry out the threat.

College Hills Honda has a Honda branded filter for $46, that leaves almost 1 hour of labor to do 5 minutes of work. Even for convenience, it seems the charge should have been about 1/2 what you paid. (Engine air filter is even cheaper, so it isn't even a mis-categorization.)

(Edit - those prices are for Clarity parts. I don't see an Odyssey filter on the website.)
 
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