How to Read Honda Maintenance Minder Codes
The Honda Maintenance Minder system helps Honda owners keep track of any issues that may arise to keep their vehicles operating at their peak performance. The system helps drivers understand which maintenance service their vehicle requires at a specific mileage interval. MyGarage recommends understanding how this system works since it uses codes to indicate the vehicle’s specific maintenance service needs. Here are more details about the Honda Maintenance Minder system and how it works.
What is the Honda Maintenance Minder system?
The Honda Maintenance Minder system is an onboard computer that alerts Honda owners about maintenance they must address after a specific mileage. According to MyGarage, this algorithm-based system monitors the engine operating conditions, such as the ambient temperature, speed, vehicle use, and time to determine whether the vehicle needs an oil change. It also monitors other aspects, such as tire pressure, condition of the spark plugs, timing belt, and engine coolant, and recommends whether they need maintenance.
The Honda maintenance system indicates the engine oil life in percentages that drop as the vehicle racks up its miles. A car with fresh engine oil would indicate 100%, while one with used oil would indicate 0% to show its life is over. This system will then alert you with a warning light to tell you that it needs servicing and what services are due. These alerts are in the form of codes with different meanings.
To operate the Honda Maintenance Minder system, Apple Honda recommends you press the Select/Reset knob to know the progress of your oil use and press it again to return to the odometer. The system will display the oil life percentage anytime you turn the vehicle on. Once the system notes that the remaining oil life is at 15%, it will turn on the Maintenance Minder and the codes for you.
Which Honda models have the Maintenance Minder system?
Not all Honda models have the Maintenance Minder system. This system is only available in the following models:
- 2010 Honda Insight
- 2006- 2011 Honda Pilot
- 2005- 2010 Honda Odyssey
- 2007-2010 Honda Fit, Element, and CR-V
- 2006- 2010 Honda Accord, Ridgeline, and Civic
How to read Honda Maintenance Minder codes
The Honda Maintenance Minder system displays several messages about your vehicle’s oil life and what kind of other maintenance it needs. Here is a breakdown of the systems’ messages, symbols, and codes.
Messages
Oil signal at 15%: Service is due soon. Schedule an appointment for maintenance services.
Oil signal at 5%: Service is due now. Take your vehicle to a service center as soon as possible.
Oil signal at 0%: Service is past due. You need to take your vehicle for service now to avoid harmful damage. The system will also indicate the mileage readout of how far you’ve driven without servicing your vehicle.
Symbols for maintaining main items
A – Indicates engine oil needs to be replaced.
B – Indicates that the engine oil and filter need replacing. You should inspect various systems and components. Refer to the vehicle’s owner manual for additional information.
Number signals for maintaining sub-items
Curry Honda lists the following number codes to help identify other types of maintenance that your vehicle needs:
1 – Verify whether the tires have the correct pressure and are in the proper condition.
2 – Replace your vehicle’s air cleaner element, inspect the drive belt, and replace dust filters.
3 – Change the transmission fluid and transfer fluid if your vehicle is equipped with it
4 – Replace the spark plugs and time belts if your vehicle has one, inspect the valve clearance, and inspect the water pump.
5 – Replace the engine coolant.
6 – Replace the rear fluid if your vehicle has one.
How to decode the Maintenance Minder system
Once you understand the exact message the Honda Maintenance Minder system indicates with a particular code, it should be easy to learn how to decode it. This system can display several codes simultaneously, showing that you require several maintenance services. For instance, “A3” indicates that you need to replace your engine oil and replace the vehicle’s transmission and transfer fluid if it has one.
Please note that the messages are displayed periodically based on mileage and time intervals. Therefore, you may find a statement showing several sub-items. These sub-items indicate the kind of maintenance service you should consider. For instance, a message that reads A126 means that you should consider maintenance services indicated by codes A, 1, 2, and 6.
