Honda Maintenance Minder

Your Honda's Internal Service Clock

Honda vehicles are known for their reliability and longevity, but even the most dependable cars need proper care through regularly scheduled maintenance to operate at an optimal level and give you the best performance and driving experience throughout its life. Navigating a service schedule in an owner's manual can leave your head spinning, and basing certain service intervals on odometer readings is not ideal. Everyone's driving habits are different and scheduling services based on a certain mileage can result in excessive and unnecessary wear and tear on your engine.  That's why Honda introduced the Maintenance Minder to take the guesswork out of scheduled maintenance. Through simple dashboard displays, your Honda's computer will alert you when your vehicle's oil life is winding down and what additional services are required when you're getting your oil changed. Each of these services is represented by a letter and number code that appears below the oil life alert.

Understanding the Maintenance Minder

Honda's Maintenance Minder tracks your engine's oil life as a percentage displayed in your gauge cluster. When you get your oil changed, Sullivan Honda technicians reset the oil life to 100%. As you drive, that percentage decreases based on driving habits, equipment specific to your Honda, and environmental factors. When the percentage gets down to 15%, an alert will appear on your dashboard letting you know that you'll need to schedule a service visit soon. A letter and number code will appear below the oil life notice that lets you know other services that are needed to keep your Honda running at its best.

Schedule Your Service Visit

What Do The Maintenance Minder Codes Mean?

Each Maintenance Minder Code has a letter (A or B) and a number (1 through 6). The letter lets technicians know if your vehicle is due only for an oil and oil filter change (A Service) or an oil and oil filter change and a comprehensive multipoint checkup that inspects many common components that are subject to wear (B Service). The number that follows the A or B is a subcode that tells your technician about specific parts that need to be periodically changed or maintained, such as tire rotation, air filter replacement, cabin filter replacement, transmission fluid changed, engine coolant flushed, spark plugs changed and more. Depending on your mileage, more than one number will display after the main code letting you know that multiple items need to be serviced at this time. Here is a complete list of Honda Maintenance Minder codes to help you know what your Honda needs to run right:

Oil Life Messages

  • Oil Life 15%: Service is due soon. Start making plans to bring your Honda in to Sullivan Honda.
  • Oil Life 5%: Service is due now. Stop by Sullivan Honda for an oil change at your earliest convenience.
  • Oil Life 0%: When you're oil life gets to 0%, service is past due. To avoid unnecessary wear or potential damage, contact Sullivan Honda Service Center for an oil change as soon as possible.

Maintenance Minder Codes

Main CodeServices Needed
A
• Replace engine oil and oil filter


B
• Replace engine oil and oil filter
• Check front and rear brakes
• Check brake pads and disc thickness. Check for damage.
• Check calipers for damage, leaks, and tightness.
• Check parking brake linings for cracking, glazing, wear, and for oil or grease contamination.
• Check parking brake adjustment
• Check number of clicks ( 5 to 6) when parking brake pedal is pressed with 294 N (30.0 kgf, 66.1 lbf) of force.
• Inspect tie-rod ends, steering gearbox, and gearbox boots
• Check steering linkage.
• Check boots for damage and leaking grease.
• Inspect suspension components
• Check bolts for tightness.
• Check condition of ball joint boots for deterioration and damage.
• Inspect driveshaft boots
• Check boots for cracks and boot bands for tightness.
• Inspect brake hoses and lines including VSA lines
• Check master cylinder and VSA modulator-control unit for damage or leakage.
• Inspect all fluid levels and condition of fluids
• Engine coolant
• Automatic transmission fluid
• Rear differential fluid (AWD models)
• Brake fluid
• Windshield washer fluid
• Inspect exhaust system
• Check catalytic converter heat shields, exhaust pipes, and mufflers for damaged, leaks, and tightness.
• Inspect fuel lines and connections
• Check for loose connections, cracks, and deterioration; retighten loose connections and replace damaged parts.
Sub-CodeServices Needed
1
• Rotate tires, and check tire inflation and condition
• Follow the pattern shown in the Owner's Manual.
2
• Replace air cleaner element
• If the vehicle is driven primarily in dusty conditions, replace every 15,000 miles (24,000 km).
• Replace dust and pollen filter
• Replace filter whenever airflow from the heating and air conditioning system is less than normal.
• If the vehicle is driven mostly in urban areas that have high concentrations of soot in the air from industry and from diesel-powered vehicles, replace every 15,000 miles (24,000 km).
• Inspect drive belt
• Look for cracks and damage, then check the position of drive belt auto-tensioner indicator.
3
• Replace automatic transmission fluid
• Use Honda ATF DW-1.
• Automatic transmission fluid capacity:
• 2WD models : 2.2 L (2.3 US qt)
• AWD models : 2.6 L (2.7 US qt)
• If you tow a CR-V behind a motorhome, transmission fluid must be changed every 2 years or 30,000 miles (48,000 km), whichever comes first.
4
• Replace spark plugs
• Use ILZKR7B-11S (NGK) or SXU22HCR11S (DENSO).
• Inspect valve clearance (cold)
• Intake: 0.21 0.25 mm (0.009 0.009 in)
• Exhaust: 0.25-0.29 mm (0.010-0.011 in)
5
• Replace engine coolant
• Use Honda Long Life Antifreeze/Coolant Type 2, and if necessary, add Honda Extreme Cold Weather Antifreeze/Coolant Type 2 (concentrate) as need for prolong cold temperatures below -22°F (-30°C).
• Capacity (including reservoir): 6.23 L (1.646 US gal)
6
• Replace rear differential fluid (AWD models)
• Use Honda Dual Pump Fluid II.
• Capacity : 1.2 L (1.3 US qt)

Benefits of Following the Maintenance Minder Schedule

The Honda Maintenance Minder is so much more than just an oil change schedule. It is an internal health monitor for your vehicle's engine and operating systems. It takes into account the kind of driving you do, the frequency and length of your trips, the weather conditions outside and the specific equipment your Honda is equipped with and complies those factors together with internal sensors to gauge when fluids and components need to be checked or replaced. It ensures that your Honda will give you the continued reliability that you depend on each day and can extend your vehicle's lifespan to give you year after year of driving enjoyment. Proper service will improve the resale value of your Honda and also ensure that your warranty coverage remains intact. Schedule your next Honda Maintenance Service with Sullivan Honda and treat your vehicle right with the trusted Honda Service Center in Torrington CT.