My new Honda Civic has an ';oil life'; indicator. Can I use synthetic oil at my next oil change?

Would the ';oil life'; indicator still work properly? Synthetic oil gets me better gas mileage.My new Honda Civic has an ';oil life'; indicator. Can I use synthetic oil at my next oil change?
the oil life indictor is predicated on how the engine is used and mileage algorythems based on the use of conventional motor oil.





you can use synthetic oil but for the purposes of the Honda warranty you would have to change it in accordance with their recommendations.





the maintenance minder system takes into account mileage driven, engine load and fuel consumed and time since the last service to determine when you should have the oil changed. the range of the light coming on is between 4,000 and 12000 miles per service.





if you decide to go with a synthetic (and I don't see an advantage of doing so given the high quality of conventional oils v. the slight if any increase in fuel economy v. the cost of the synthetics) keep in mind that once you change to a synthetic you can't change back to a conventional oil or you'll get oil leaks from most of the seals in the engine.





if you decide to use the synthetic, just have the light reset following the instructions in your owner's manual and keep a log as to when you need to change it based on the recommendation of the synthetic oil manufacturer. the light can be reset when it starts flashing (15% useful life remaining) without doing any service on the car.





hope that helpsMy new Honda Civic has an ';oil life'; indicator. Can I use synthetic oil at my next oil change?
I have a 01 honda civic, and my mechanic says you can change back and for th no big deal. He did say that the one disadvantage would be the leaks. Report Abuse

i got full synthetic in my 07 civic. i was told also i cant go back to conventional oil too. i think its better for the car all the way around except it is alil more expensive. Full Synthetic Mobil 1 baby!
You're oil life indicator will work fine if you change to synthetic oil. I have a 2008 Honda accord and i run Mobil 1 5w20 synthetic.
Oil life indicator should not be on if it's a new oil. I would recommand to change it ASAP. Synthetic oil no doubt will give you a good mileage.