How to Care for Your Honda Automobile

Honda offers a 3-year, 36,000-mile limited warranty, and a 5-year, 60,000-mile drive train warranty. Here are a few additional pointers on how to care for your Honda automobile.

Keep It Clean

We can’t stress this enough—getting the salt, mud, dirt, grime, and debris off your car goes a long way toward keeping it running longer. Use products recommended for the part of the car you are cleaning, and work from the bottom up to clean wheels. Wheels can get pretty grimy, so cleaning them first keeps you from splashing wheel grime onto the paint of the body when you move to the upper part of the car. Products to clean and wax wheels may differ from formulas made to gently clean paint, and also are different from glass cleaners, so be prepared with the right materials to clean each part of the car. Don’t forget the interior. Vacuum and clean interior surfaces with products made for that purpose.

Mind the Minder

Newer Honda models offer a “maintenance minder” feature. The onboard computer monitors the engine operation, including detecting speed, temperature, and time of use. Drivers can use the select-reset knob to display the life remaining in the engine oil, expressed as a percentage. A wrench icon will light up when maintenance is due.

The car may also display a main code and subcode to indicate what kind of maintenance is necessary. Code A means to replace only the oil, while code B indicates the need to address the oil filter, a brake inspection, or other items that may be particular to the specific car. Numerical subcodes may indicate that maintenance, refill, or repair is due for things ranging from tire rotation to spark plug replacement to replacing transmission or differential fluid. Check your owner’s manual to learn what the code appearing on your dashboard means.

Remember Belts, Plugs, and Batteries

Some types of maintenance are less routine but every bit as necessary. Check the manual each time the reminder alerts you that maintenance is necessary. As time passes and you put more miles on your car, less frequently changed items like belts, sparkplugs, and your car’s battery may need inspection or replacement. This can cost more money, but attending to these items will pay off in more years of useful life for your car.

Using your reminders as reasons to inspect your wheels for dings and dents is another way to care for your Honda automobile. The WheelerShip carries replacement wheels for many makes and models, including 2008 Honda Accord rims, plus wheels for later model years.