Description of the Maintenance Minder System
Taking the Mystery Out of the Maintenance Minder System
To help vehicle owners know when scheduled maintenance is due, Honda has introduced the maintenance minder system in these Acura models.
- 2005-2006 RL
- 2004-2006 TL
- 2006 TSX
The maintenance minder system shows engine oil life in the information display to let you know when it's time to have the engine oil replaced and regular maintenance done. There is no longer a maintenance schedule in the O/M.
The system shows engine oil life as a percentage, which drops over time as the vehicle racks up miles. It starts out at 100% with fresh engine oil, and winds down to 0%, signaling the oil life is over. The system counts down oil life based on engine operating conditions (both normal and severe). If the engine runs at higher temperatures and rpm, or at low temperatures during short trips, the oil life will deplete faster than an engine running under more normal conditions.
Depending on the oil life percentage, the system shows three different messages when you turn the the ignition switch to ON (II). Here's what you could see:
When the oil life reaches 15%, you�ll also see a two-part maintenance item code.
This code tells you what items need servicing when you have the engine oil replaced. The first part of the code is the main code. It's either A or B, never both. Here's what they mean:
The second part of the code is the subcode. It's numbered 1 thru 5 in vehicles without 4WD, and 1 thru 6 in vehicles with 4WD. These subcodes can show up in any combination. Here's what they mean:
The system automatically moves up maintenance items or delays them so they get done along with engine oil replacement. For example, if tire rotation is normally done at 7,500 miles, but the oil life ends around 6,000 miles, the system will move up tire rotation. Or, if the oil life appears to be ending around 9,000 miles, the system will delay tire rotation. In either case, you would see the maintenance item code A1 in the information display.
Some scheduled maintenance items are independent of the maintenance minder system. The brake fluid should be replaced every 3 years, the idle speed should be inspected every 160,000 miles, and the valves adjusted if they're noisy.
And there are driving situations where a few maintenance items deviate from the maintenance minder system. These items are affected:
- Air filters - the air cleaner element and dust and pollen filter should be replaced every 15,000 miles if you drive the vehicle often in areas that are regularly dusty or dirty (high concentration of soot from industry or diesel powered vehicles).
- ATF - the ATF should be replaced every 30,000 miles if you use the vehicle mostly for towing or you drive in mountainous areas.
- Timing belt (if equipped) - the timing belt should be replaced every 60,000 miles if you drive the vehicle often in areas that commonly have temperatures above 110°F or below -20°F.
Keep in mind only a small percentage of vehicle owners are actually involved in these driving situations. All other vehicle owners should follow the maintenance minder system.
For owners who only drive their vehicles occasionally, and the oil life never reaches 15% at the end a 12-month period since the engine oil was last replaced, the engine oil should be replaced and the oil life indicator reset to 100%. When resetting the oil life indicator, the system will flash the maintenance item code that would have come up when the oil life reached 15%. Make sure all maintenance is done according to that maintenance item code.
The maintenance minder info is stored in the ECM/PCM and in the gauge control module. The ECM/PCM keeps track of the oil life, while the gauge control module handles the service items. If you replace the ECM/PCM, make sure you transfer the maintenance minder info from the old ECM/PCM to the new one. And if you replace the gauge control module, remember to transfer the odometer reading from the old gauge control module to the new one.
When replacing the ECM/PCM, if you run into any problems transferring the maintenance minder info, replace the engine oil. The system will start the oil life at 100%. BSN 30818 (0509)