HandA
01-31-2011, 02:29 PM
Here's an interesting writeup that Honda sent around to all the dealers several years back on their service policies.
• Do not use oil additives. As an authorized Honda dealer, you are responsible for accurately representing the information in the owner's manual. Honda owner’s manuals state that engine and transmission oil additives are unnecessary.
Recommending and selling oil additives creates unnecessary expenses for our
customers.
• Fill tires with dry, compressed air only. Our research has shown that there is no practical value added from filling tires with nitrogen. Therefore, only fill tires with dry, compressed air, which is already approximately 80 percent nitrogen.
• Do not perform engine flushing on the lubrication system. There is absolutely
no reason to perform engine oil system flushing as a maintenance procedure.
American Honda’s Tech Line is hearing about an increasing number of cases in
which catastrophic engine failures have occurred soon after this procedure was performed. The expense of engine failures that occur after this procedure has been performed will be the dealer’s responsibility.
• Fuel injection (induction) cleaning/flushing is not recommended by American
Honda. This is an unnecessary maintenance procedure and an improper repair
procedure. If a Honda vehicle is experiencing a fuel injector malfunction, the
faulty injector should be replaced.
• Only perform oil changes in accordance with the maintenance schedule. All
vehicles have a model-specific established maintenance schedule that can be
accessed on the vehicle’s maintenance minder or in the owner’s manual. By
recommending increased frequency of oil changes, the customer’s cost of
ownership increases, which causes unnecessary inconvenience, wastes vast
quantities of natural resources, and creates hundreds of thousands of gallons of hazardous waste.
• Do not use transmission flushing machines. In the very rare instance where a flushing process is necessary (such as to remove improper fluids), a procedure is available which does not require special tools. Use of additives, solvents, cleaners or conditioners as part of a flush or as a performance enhancer is absolutely unnecessary and may affect transmission shift quality that would not be warrantable by Honda. Transmission fluid replacement (not flushing) should be recommended only at the mileage intervals specified in the owner's manual.
-As an example, the transmission fluid replacement interval for a 2001 Accord is 120,000 miles under normal use and 60,000 miles under severe use. If you wish to use a flushing machine to reduce repair time, you should be aware of the risks associated with loosening fittings to connect the equipment, and you should use only Genuine Honda Transmission Fluid as your flush medium. Honda expects that service costs would be the same or less when using flush equipment; otherwise, we recommend against its use as it offers no significant benefit to consumers.
• Engine cooling system flushing is recommended only if the customer has
installed incorrect coolant in their engine. In the very rare instance when
flushing is necessary, a procedure is available that does not require the use of
special tools. There is no difference in the service interval for coolant replacement between normal and severe conditions. Using a 2001 Accord again for an example, the recommended coolant replacement interval is 120,000 miles and every 60,000 miles thereafter. There is no justifiable reason to recommend coolant replacement more often.
-If you wish to use a flushing machine to reduce repair time, you should be aware of the risks associated with loosening fittings to connect the equipment and you should use only Genuine Honda Coolant as your flush medium. Honda expects that service costs would be the same or less when using flush equipment, otherwise we recommend against its use as it offers no significant benefit to the consumer. Use of cooling system flushing machines that “recondition” the existing coolant should never be used, as the procedure cannot completely reverse the chemical deterioration that occurs to the coolant during use.
Trevor
http://www.HandA-Accessories.com/odyssey.html
• Do not use oil additives. As an authorized Honda dealer, you are responsible for accurately representing the information in the owner's manual. Honda owner’s manuals state that engine and transmission oil additives are unnecessary.
Recommending and selling oil additives creates unnecessary expenses for our
customers.
• Fill tires with dry, compressed air only. Our research has shown that there is no practical value added from filling tires with nitrogen. Therefore, only fill tires with dry, compressed air, which is already approximately 80 percent nitrogen.
• Do not perform engine flushing on the lubrication system. There is absolutely
no reason to perform engine oil system flushing as a maintenance procedure.
American Honda’s Tech Line is hearing about an increasing number of cases in
which catastrophic engine failures have occurred soon after this procedure was performed. The expense of engine failures that occur after this procedure has been performed will be the dealer’s responsibility.
• Fuel injection (induction) cleaning/flushing is not recommended by American
Honda. This is an unnecessary maintenance procedure and an improper repair
procedure. If a Honda vehicle is experiencing a fuel injector malfunction, the
faulty injector should be replaced.
• Only perform oil changes in accordance with the maintenance schedule. All
vehicles have a model-specific established maintenance schedule that can be
accessed on the vehicle’s maintenance minder or in the owner’s manual. By
recommending increased frequency of oil changes, the customer’s cost of
ownership increases, which causes unnecessary inconvenience, wastes vast
quantities of natural resources, and creates hundreds of thousands of gallons of hazardous waste.
• Do not use transmission flushing machines. In the very rare instance where a flushing process is necessary (such as to remove improper fluids), a procedure is available which does not require special tools. Use of additives, solvents, cleaners or conditioners as part of a flush or as a performance enhancer is absolutely unnecessary and may affect transmission shift quality that would not be warrantable by Honda. Transmission fluid replacement (not flushing) should be recommended only at the mileage intervals specified in the owner's manual.
-As an example, the transmission fluid replacement interval for a 2001 Accord is 120,000 miles under normal use and 60,000 miles under severe use. If you wish to use a flushing machine to reduce repair time, you should be aware of the risks associated with loosening fittings to connect the equipment, and you should use only Genuine Honda Transmission Fluid as your flush medium. Honda expects that service costs would be the same or less when using flush equipment; otherwise, we recommend against its use as it offers no significant benefit to consumers.
• Engine cooling system flushing is recommended only if the customer has
installed incorrect coolant in their engine. In the very rare instance when
flushing is necessary, a procedure is available that does not require the use of
special tools. There is no difference in the service interval for coolant replacement between normal and severe conditions. Using a 2001 Accord again for an example, the recommended coolant replacement interval is 120,000 miles and every 60,000 miles thereafter. There is no justifiable reason to recommend coolant replacement more often.
-If you wish to use a flushing machine to reduce repair time, you should be aware of the risks associated with loosening fittings to connect the equipment and you should use only Genuine Honda Coolant as your flush medium. Honda expects that service costs would be the same or less when using flush equipment, otherwise we recommend against its use as it offers no significant benefit to the consumer. Use of cooling system flushing machines that “recondition” the existing coolant should never be used, as the procedure cannot completely reverse the chemical deterioration that occurs to the coolant during use.
Trevor
http://www.HandA-Accessories.com/odyssey.html