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Maintenance Minder and Recommended Maintenance

27K views 17 replies 12 participants last post by  Umair Kazi 
#1 ·
Just wondering if we can get a thread going on a collection of knowledge of Maintenance to the cr-z.
I'm currently at 9,600 miles and I just completed my second oil change. I'm just shy two months of having the car for a year now.

My main concern is i'm not sure of the exact points at which some maintenance should be completed. (those that do not automatically get addressed by the MM system) On my previous scion, the Service Maintenance manual included exact times/mileages to replace items as needed, whereas the manual for the cr-z only gives the same checklist on every page. One could argue, only replace items when they look worn or seem to be at the point of needing a replacement.

So i'll start off with

Oil Changes. What I have learned so far is that:
Honda specifically told me to replace the oil after the oil life percentage displayed on the Information screen reaches 30% or lower.
The Honda Oil used as the break in oil and that is also available through honda is a Mobil 1 product.
The recommended oil viscosity is SAE 0W-20. Honda says synthetic oil may be used if it is labeled with the API Certification Seal. (page 247 of the US owners Manual.)
For oil, both times I have replaced the oil myself, I have used Castrol EDGE with titanium SAE 0w-20 fully synthetic.
For oil filters the first time I used a Bosch Distance Plus D3323 filter, and the second time I choose the K&N HP-1010 filter.
A lot of people will say the filter choice doesn't really make much difference, but should I have went to the dealer and purchased the Honda filter for the car? Same with the oil for that matter? If someone has repurchased another Honda oil filter can you please list a price you paid?

Next up, replacing the
Engine Air Filter and Cabin Air Filter what I have learned so far is that:
The OEM Cabin Air Filter is manufactured by microAir. It's microfiber medium protects you from: pollens, road dust, abraded particles as well as soot, bacteria, industrial dusts and other respirable ultra-fine particles. From the dealer I have heard it cost's as much as $50.00+usd. It does not have carbon embedded in it so therefore it does not eliminate odors or mold. There is an aftermarket replacement available from Fram, part number CF11182 as CR-Z / Insight cabin filter. It does in fact have carbon embedded for protection against odors.
How often should this be done? Has anyone replaced these and got their parts directly from Honda? To my knowledge there is no specific time frame listed in the manual for replacement.

This is just a start. I'd also like to learn more about replacement of Transmission fluid, Engine Coolant, etc.

I like to be on top of maintenance and ensure my car is running at 100%. Any help or experience on the cr-z would be appreciated
 
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#3 ·
I use the Castrol Edge with Titanium 0w20 and the K&N filter. When going 10K or one year between oil changes, the filter IMO is a major consideration. When changing every 3-5K, the filter is probably not a real issue. I use the maintenance minder. Last oil change was when it was about 15%. Different driving conditions/styles will dictate what the MM will recommend.

On the cabin filter. I just keep an eye on it. Check it every couple of months. Depends on where you live (pollen, smog and if you smoke [using recirc]) etc. I just got mine from an autoparts store.. Don't remember what brand.
 
#7 ·
The logic pulls it from various calculations such as driving habits, average MPH and other calcs.

I copied and pasted the minder recommendations that I just posted from the actual owner's manual. There are other threads on this. I believe I did the same post in a thread early in 2011. But long dead.
 
#10 ·
i'm a little pist.... dealership pushed a brake fluid change on my cr-z when I took it in for the 30k service. (about 1.5-2 years of ownership).

I didn't remember seeing the brake fluid change in the manual, so I didn't have enough info to turn it down, kinda annoyed now.

the maintenance costs on this car are so low im sure the dealerships are just trying to find creative ways to extract more money from owners.
 
#16 ·
The maintenance costs on this car are so low im sure the dealerships are just trying to find creative ways to extract more money from owners.
The last time I took my car in for maintenance the dealership attempted to push the need for a new engine intake and cabin air filters. The gentleman I was speaking to was shocked to find out that I had already replaced the engine air filter with a K&N filter. The look on his face when I told him the filter would outlast the car was priceless. They still try to push the cabin air filter on me even though I've told them that I'll take care of it and to stay out of my glove box haha.
 
#11 ·
On my BMW motorcycle they tested the brake fluid to determine when to replace it.
If my dealer can't test it on my CR-Z and they still work as designed (in my opinion) I won't have em do it. Otherwise my car tells me when it needs anything, right down to air in the tires. 29,000 plus miles and almost ready for the 3rd oil change.
Al
 
#13 ·
on the information display, tab over until youre at the screen you want, for example; if you want to reset oil change, tab over to the oil life %. Then hold down SEL/RESET button for 10 seconds. Once done, the information display will change prompting you to select to reset it, by hitting SEL once more.
 
#15 ·
Scheduled Maintenance Included up to 2years 24000 miles

To all concerned with basic routine maintenance. I believe that If you purchased your Honda new from a dealership and it has less than 24,000 miles on it all basic maintenance including oil and filter changes should be done for FREE at your local Honda dealership.

Honda Care Maintenance includes the following services:

•Oil and filter2
•Tire rotation
•Air intake filter
•Cabin air filter
•Automatic transmission fluid
•Rear differential fluid
•Transfer case fluid
•Brake fluid

They also preform free inspection of the followingcomponents

•Multi-point inspection: - Front and rear brakes
- Parking brake adjustment
- Tie rod ends
- Steering gear box and boots
- Suspension components
- Drive shaft boots
- Brake hoses and lines (including ABS/VS)
- All fluid levels and condition of fluids
- Exhaust system
- Fuel lines and connections
- Drive belts
 
#17 ·
We need a comprehensive maintenance schedule!

I have searched for weeks for an official comprehensive maintenance schedule for CRZ's but everything I have found points to the Maintenance Minder. I want to schedule so that I know what is coming up and I can have the parts/fluids before it becomes due. Im sure most of you are frustrated when the maintenance minder comes up for maintenance "ALL OF THE SUDDEN" because if you are like me, the chances of me having the money for the service right when the MM reminds me are slim. I have to save money in order to service my car correctly. IT ALSO DRIVE ME CRAZY because I am an Air Force Helicopter Mechanic! And we dont fly until the maintenance is done! I cant exactly stop driving my car because the maintenance is due. SO INFURIATING, because I do all of my own car maintenance!

With the invention of the internet I feel as though we should be able to have at least a comprehensive list of schedule maintenance. I mean, does anyone work for Honda on here? Anyone know an engineer? or work at a dealership? C'mon people, we can do better then this!!!

The next time I got into the dealership
 
#18 ·
Hi, I'm a new CRZ-er from Karachi, Pakistan. I've bought at 2012 CRZ but its the Japanese Domestic Market model. So almost everything is in Japanese. I'm having trouble finding the Maintenance Minder in the display. It cycles through everything else (settings, average, trip, etc.) but nothing to indicate the oil life (which is the entrance screen to MM, as far as I understand). Is it possible that my model does not have MM, or worse, that it was disabled by some previous owner? Any other 2012 JDM owners here in a similar situation?
 
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