Dear Mike,
I recently purchased a Honda Acura and I’m a bit confused about the combination of letters and numbers on my dashboard. It’s not like any of the cars I’ve owned before. Could you please help me understand what it all means? I want to ensure that I am taking care of my car properly!
Thanks,
Ysabel
Dear Ysabel,
First of all, congratulations on your new Honda Acura! You must be feeling pretty fancy schmancy in that ride, am I right? But I understand how the combination of letters and numbers on the dashboard can be intimidating, especially if you’re used to older vehicles that only had a few basic warning lights.
Let me break it down for you. What you’re seeing on your dashboard is the Maintenance Minder system, which replaces the traditional recommended maintenance time/mileage schedule that Honda used to have. Basically, it’s a fancy computer system that monitors various factors while you’re driving, such as speed, engine temperature, and time on the road, to determine when you need to have maintenance done.
The first thing you’ll see is the engine oil life percentage, which starts at 100% when you change your oil and gradually decreases as you drive. Once you reach 15%, the Maintenance Minder Light and codes will turn on to let you know it’s time for service.
Now, here’s where it gets a little tricky. All maintenance items are displayed in code, so you’ll need to refer to your owner’s manual to figure out what each code means. For example, if you see a code that says “A1,” that means you need an oil change and tire rotation.
But don’t worry, it’s not as complicated as it sounds. You can easily check the progression of your oil life by pressing the Select/Reset knob on the information display. And each time you turn on your vehicle, the percentage of remaining oil life will display automatically. When you finally reach 0%, the Maintenance Minder will start showing negative mileage to indicate how many miles overdue your service is.
Overall, the Maintenance Minder system is designed to save you time and money by only alerting you when your car actually needs maintenance, rather than relying on a set schedule. So don’t stress too much about those codes on the dashboard – just refer to your manual and take care of your car as it suggests.
And hey, if you ever need any additional automotive advice or maintenance services, come on down to Urban Automotive, the top-rated shop in Oakville! We’ll take care of you and your Acura like we would our own.
Keep on rollin’,
Mike Urban