Resetting the oil life indicator on your Honda Civic is a straightforward process, essential to perform after an oil change to ensure your vehicle's maintenance reminder system accurately tracks your next service interval.
Resetting Your Honda Civic's Oil Life Indicator
After an oil change, your Honda Civic's maintenance minder system will still display the previous oil life percentage. To ensure accurate tracking for your next service and prevent unnecessary warning lights, you need to manually reset this indicator. This process typically involves using the "SEL" (Select/Reset) button on your steering column control panel.
Step-by-Step Guide to Resetting Oil Life
Follow these simple steps to reset your Honda Civic's oil life indicator to 100% after an oil change:
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Locate and Select "Oil Life":
- Ensure your vehicle's ignition is on (or the engine is running).
- On the steering column control panel, find the "SEL" (Select/Reset) button.
- Press this button repeatedly until the odometer or multi-information display shows the words "OIL LIFE" along with a percentage.
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Reset the Indicator:
- Once "OIL LIFE" is displayed, press and hold the "SEL" button for approximately 5 seconds.
- The display will begin to flash, indicating it's resetting.
- Continue to hold the button until the oil life percentage resets to 100%, confirming a successful reset.
Quick Reset Summary
| Step | Action | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Press SEL button repeatedly | "OIL LIFE" appears on odometer/display |
| 2 | Press and hold SEL for ~5 seconds | Display flashes, resets to 100% |
Important Considerations
Always reset the oil life indicator after you have performed the oil change, not before. This ensures the system accurately reflects the fresh oil and calculates the next service interval correctly based on your driving conditions and Honda's maintenance schedule. Resetting it without changing the oil will lead to inaccurate maintenance reminders and potentially premature wear on engine components.
