What Is The Best Oil For A Honda Civic?

How Often Do You Need To Get Your Oil Changed In A Honda Civic?

Mileage Recommendation

Honda recommends changing your oil every 3,000 to 5,000 miles, but that is most likely erring on the cautious side. If you use full synthetic oil, you may be able to go up to ten thousand miles before needing to change it, but every extra mile adds to the risk of driving on old oil. Some daredevils claim to get 15,000 miles on a single oil change, but we don’t recommend it if you value the health of your Civic.

Recommendation Based on Elapsed Time

What if your vehicle is rarely driven and instead sits in a garage collecting dust? Even if the oil isn’t being used, you should consider changing it after some time has passed and the engine has been idle. If you want to be extra cautious and ensure that your engine’s oil is always fresh and performing at its best, change it every three months. But, really, if you just change it every six months, you should be fine.

What Happens If You Go Too Long Without An Oil Change?

While driving your car, the oil in your engine will become dirty and thick. Even if you’re not driving, the oil will stagnate and thicken, and it won’t be able to properly lubricate the engine. Your motor oil will eventually turn to sludge. Don’t let it get to this point, because if it does, you’ll notice a lot of problems with your Civic.

Not only will your engine be poorly lubricated, but it will also become extremely hot. It’s extremely hot. The heat, combined with the friction, will damage and destroy parts of your Civic’s engine, causing it to be totaled. Before it completely dies, you will notice that the performance of your engine begins to deteriorate significantly over time.

The engine could develop a major but repairable (at a high cost) problem, such as a blown gasket. Or it could end up warping the engine and rendering it useless. Don’t put off one of the simplest and cheapest car maintenance tasks and let it turn into one of the most serious problems you could have with the vehicle.

Final Thoughts

You should be confident in always having fresh oil running your Civic’s engine now that you understand all aspects of changing your oil, including the cost, when to do it, and the risk you take if you don’t. Make sure you get some (preferably fully synthetic) 0W-20 oil from a reputable manufacturer, and your engine will thank you. Make sure you don’t wait too long, because if your oil becomes sludge, not changing it is asking for trouble.