What Your Honda's Maintenance Minder Codes Actually Mean

Remember nan aged "Check Engine" light? That dash ray was conscionable cryptic capable to beryllium ignored by anyone who doesn't ain a codification reader. Honda improved connected that pinch its Maintenance Minder light, which is much circumstantial yet someway conscionable arsenic cryptic. If you're a Honda owner, you've seen nan small wrench accompanied by an alphanumeric codification that comes pinch that connection — usually an "A" aliases "B," followed by astatine slightest 1 number.

These codes person to do pinch important attraction items you shouldn't ignore. The bully news is that you only person to cognize what 2 letters and six numbers mean. "A" conscionable intends you request to get your lipid and select changed. "B" besides intends it's clip to get nan lipid and select changed — positive cheque a fewer different things. That would see nan brakes, nan emergency brake, tie-rod ends, steering gearbox and boots, suspension components, driveshaft boots, brake hoses and lines, each fluid levels and conditions, exhaust system, and substance lines and connections.

What astir those numbers? "1" intends tyre rotations. "2" intends cheque nan aerial cleaner element, thrust belt, particulate filter, and pollen filter. "3" intends it's clip to alteration nan transmission fluid. "4" indicates that nan spark plugs, timing belt, h2o pump, and valves request to beryllium checked. "5" displays erstwhile you're debased connected coolant. "6" intends cheque nan differential fluid. And "7" intends alteration nan brake fluid. Then there's nan lipid life parameter — 15% intends get an lipid alteration soon, 5% intends do it now, 0% intends you're overdue.

If you ain a 2018 or newer Honda model, your car mightiness show "0" alternatively of "A". If it displays "0" and "9," it's clip to execute nan aforesaid broad attraction tasks that nan aged "B" codification indicated. Simple, right? 

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So, really does your car cognize erstwhile you request to cheque nan brake fluid aliases nan timing belt? You mightiness deliberation it's a mileage thing, but it's astir much than mileage — time is important erstwhile it comes to lipid changes. Your car's onboard machine besides considers driving conditions, motor operating parameters, and biology conditions. 

What if your car needs an lipid change, but nan adjacent tyre rotation isn't owed yet? In cases for illustration that, erstwhile different work will apt beryllium owed soon, Honda's Maintenance Minder will move up nan different work truthful that some tin beryllium performed astatine nan adjacent attraction visit. This will thief you prevention clip and debar immoderate of nan inconvenience that comes from taking your car to nan dealership.

Is Honda doing that conscionable to stack services astatine nan dealership? We don't dress to beryllium capable to publication nan minds of automotive executives, but moreover if your tires don't person to beryllium rotated astatine nan nonstop clip your lipid needs to beryllium changed, they will request to beryllium rotated eventually. It conscionable makes consciousness to harvester those services truthful you don't person to make aggregate trips.

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Maybe you conscionable hap to beryllium looking astatine that small sticker successful nan apical near area of your windshield. You know, nan 1 nan speedy lube head slapped connected your windshield without moreover asking. But arsenic you're looking astatine it, you recognize you haven't gotten an lipid alteration successful almost a year. Your lipid life parameter isn't lit up, though. Does that mean you don't person to interest astir it? Not necessarily, and it's debatable really overmuch you tin trust nan lipid life show successful modern cars.

There whitethorn beryllium occasions erstwhile your Maintenance Minder isn't, well, minding nan maintenance, and a reminder hasn't travel up erstwhile it should. Honda owner's manuals admit this, and specifies nan intervals astatine which you should get definite attraction tasks done. For example, nan manual for nan 2016 Civic (this nexus will download a PDF to your device) says to get your lipid changed astatine slightest erstwhile a twelvemonth (not each 3 months, for illustration nan feline astatine nan speedy lube halfway says), moreover if nan lipid life parameter hasn't travel on. 

Likewise, nan aerial cleaner constituent needs to beryllium changed each 15,000 miles if you thrust successful dusty conditions. Meanwhile, nan particulate and pollen select should beryllium changed each 15,000 miles if you thrust wherever location are precocious concentrations of soot successful nan air. If you thrust successful nan mountains, alteration nan transmission fluid each 25,000 miles, sloppy of what Maintenance Minder says. The brake fluid needs to beryllium changed erstwhile each 3 years.

Those figures are specifically for nan 2016 Honda Civic. You'll want to cheque your owner's manual for nan attraction intervals for your Honda. That's besides wherever you'll find retired what those Maintenance Minder codes mean.