# Should I follow the oil life gauge on my 2011 Odyssey or change it more often? **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Tags:** odyssey, oil, honda\ **Created:** [July 10, 2013, 11:59pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/should-i-follow-the-oil-life-gauge-on-my-2011-odyssey-or-change-it-more-often/80278 "2013-07-10T23:59:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![WheresRick](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/wheresrick/32/2717_2.png) [@WheresRick](https://community.cartalk.com/u/WheresRick)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 5:12am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/should-i-follow-the-oil-life-gauge-on-my-2011-odyssey-or-change-it-more-often/80278/21 "2013-07-12T05:12:26Z")
@bing Yes I understand what you are saying, but the car has 235k with no trouble. In fact he just changed spark plugs at 200k. They were pulled out at 100k miles, they looked fine so back in they went… He drives over 45 miles to work one way so he piles on the miles quick. The car has hit 2 deer and several racoons. He plans on keeping the car until the transmission or engine give, or it gets totaled. I will keep everyone updated… I would feel better with synthetic for sludge protection. ---
**Author:** ![db4690](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/db4690/32/2583_2.png) [@db4690](https://community.cartalk.com/u/db4690)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 6:06am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/should-i-follow-the-oil-life-gauge-on-my-2011-odyssey-or-change-it-more-often/80278/22 "2013-07-12T06:06:41Z")
@Bing Most any mechanic, me included, will tell you to change the oil at least once a year. I’m not certain, but I believe some owner’s manuals even state this. Unfortunately, the OLM doesn’t always take time into consideration. That’s where we come in. ---
**Author:** ![db4690](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/db4690/32/2583_2.png) [@db4690](https://community.cartalk.com/u/db4690)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 6:08am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/should-i-follow-the-oil-life-gauge-on-my-2011-odyssey-or-change-it-more-often/80278/23 "2013-07-12T06:08:22Z")
@WheresRick I’m amazed that anybody would remove plugs with 100K on them, and put them back into service. Plugs are not THAT expensive. ---
**Author:** ![WheresRick](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/wheresrick/32/2717_2.png) [@WheresRick](https://community.cartalk.com/u/WheresRick)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 6:51am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/should-i-follow-the-oil-life-gauge-on-my-2011-odyssey-or-change-it-more-often/80278/24 "2013-07-12T06:51:03Z")
@db4690 He wanted to see how far they could go. He pulled them out so they didn’t get seized in the head. Keep in mind that the civic takes 5 minutes to pull plugs. The civic still has the original drive belts on it. Its on its second set of brake pads, original rotors that have no pulsation and have never been machined. Rear shoes are thin but so are the new ones. The car has had to have a new a/c compressor, and a few radio button lights are out. It also needed a new evap canister, but he would always fill the tank to the brim and he inflicted the damage on it. Also a new battery was put in last year. Other than that its all original. ---
**Author:** ![TwinTurbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8baadc/32.png) [@TwinTurbo](https://community.cartalk.com/u/TwinTurbo)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 4:08pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/should-i-follow-the-oil-life-gauge-on-my-2011-odyssey-or-change-it-more-often/80278/25 "2013-07-12T16:08:36Z")
@Bing “Just as an aside, does GM really allow employees to hold their own patents?” Every place I have worked allows the inventor to “own” the patent. It is assigned to the business that funded it so they have financial ownership and rights. Is he actually listed as the assignee? ---
**Author:** ![MikeInNH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@MikeInNH](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MikeInNH)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 4:17pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/should-i-follow-the-oil-life-gauge-on-my-2011-odyssey-or-change-it-more-often/80278/26 "2013-07-12T16:17:56Z")
> Just as an aside, does GM really allow employees to hold their own patents? I would have thought that patents from work done on the payroll would be the property of the employer. Maybe Dr. Scwartz was a contractor. GM will hold the patent…but Dr. Scwartz will be listed on the patent. ---
**Author:** ![UncleTurbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e9a140/32.png) [@UncleTurbo](https://community.cartalk.com/u/UncleTurbo)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 4:19pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/should-i-follow-the-oil-life-gauge-on-my-2011-odyssey-or-change-it-more-often/80278/27 "2013-07-12T16:19:23Z")
8K to 10K with full synthetic seems reasonable to me. I’d follow the indicator. The Honda motors run very clean and don’t add a lot of pollutants to the oil. Water condensation from short trip driving is a more significant factor in oil contamination. If you are driving mostly highway miles that would confirm the indicator is doing its job accurately. More frequent oil changes can’t hurt, but might not be needed. ---
**Author:** ![ken\_green](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/ken_green/32/816_2.png) [@ken\_green](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ken_green)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 6:11pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/should-i-follow-the-oil-life-gauge-on-my-2011-odyssey-or-change-it-more-often/80278/28 "2013-07-12T18:11:46Z")
Today I’m changing the oil on my 1979 Chevy pickup @ 70647 miles. I change it every couple of years … I thought ? Checked the history and found the last oil change was @ 69383 miles…9/2/2004 ! Some kinda ''car guy ‘’ I am…can’t even change my own oil as I advise others… mileage –OR– TIME ! Hello me ! anybody in there listening to your own advice ?? ---
**Author:** ![TwinTurbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8baadc/32.png) [@TwinTurbo](https://community.cartalk.com/u/TwinTurbo)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 6:43pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/should-i-follow-the-oil-life-gauge-on-my-2011-odyssey-or-change-it-more-often/80278/29 "2013-07-12T18:43:30Z")
@Bing I just looked it up, GM and/or subsidiaries of GM hold ownership of all of Dr Ellen Shirley Swartz’s patents related to OLMs. This excerpt from the page referenced above also supports that- “The algorithm was developed over the course of many years by several lubrication experts at GM Fuels and Lubes, spearheaded by Doctor Shirley Schwartz who holds the patents **(with GM)** for the algorithm and the oil life montitor.” I’ve bought the rights to patents but it’s usually something the holding company is no longer involved in or has a vested interest in protecting. The GM OLM is unlikely to fit that bill anytime soon… ---
**Author:** ![TwinTurbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8baadc/32.png) [@TwinTurbo](https://community.cartalk.com/u/TwinTurbo)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 7:14pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/should-i-follow-the-oil-life-gauge-on-my-2011-odyssey-or-change-it-more-often/80278/30 "2013-07-12T19:14:49Z")
Ken, I have numerous cars that are in the same situation. ~1000 miles in 8 years? I thought I might be the only one here in that situation. Glad to have the company… I only have a couple very expensive engines with racing parts that are so loose that I am concerned about them enough to flush the oil every fall. The other ones have been motoring on like this for decades and frankly, it will never be my problem. I’ll be dead before any of those engines exhibit any problems from lack of changing the oil, if they ever do at all. [Previous page](https://community.cartalk.com/t/should-i-follow-the-oil-life-gauge-on-my-2011-odyssey-or-change-it-more-often/80278.md?page=1)