Got an 07 E in November 2009 with 27K miles, certified. It now has 31K. I have called the Honda dealership a few times and no one I've spoken with has a clue how often I should change the oil. The manual has all this chatter about oil life. I was kind of hoping to have a mileage guide if possible - every 3,500 miles, or every 5,000 miles or every 7,500 miles, or whatever!
First the dealership sent me a chart that said every 7,500 miles except for the first change at 3,750. I called to confirm this info was correct because the sheet just said "Honda" and I wasn't sure it applied to the Element. The 2folks I spoke with said they've never seen the chart before, even though it was that dealership that sent it to me. One of these folks said every 3,700 or so, another said go maybe 3,000-5,000 depending upon how I use the car, but they couldn't explain what that meant.
I also couldn't get a straight answer re: whether the oil was changed when the car was certified or if they didn't do it because it wasn't at an interval where they felt they should, so I have no clue when the oil was last changed.
Is there a way we can make this not rocket science? Help would be much appreciated! Thanks!
JJ
First the dealership sent me a chart that said every 7,500 miles except for the first change at 3,750. I called to confirm this info was correct because the sheet just said "Honda" and I wasn't sure it applied to the Element. The 2folks I spoke with said they've never seen the chart before, even though it was that dealership that sent it to me. One of these folks said every 3,700 or so, another said go maybe 3,000-5,000 depending upon how I use the car, but they couldn't explain what that meant.
I also couldn't get a straight answer re: whether the oil was changed when the car was certified or if they didn't do it because it wasn't at an interval where they felt they should, so I have no clue when the oil was last changed.
Is there a way we can make this not rocket science? Help would be much appreciated! Thanks!
JJ