How to Check the Oil in Your Honda
Although you need to have your Honda’s oil changed every 5,000 to 7,500 miles, it’s worth knowing how to examine your oil level and quality in the interim. Learn how to check the oil in your Honda Civic, Accord, or Pilot from our Service Department at Pohanka Honda. That way, you know if your vehicle needs to be brought in for maintenance!
Preparation
You need to make certain that you get the car ready for an accurate oil reading before you examine it. You should do this by making certain that the car is not currently on or has not been running in the past 10 minutes. Another way that you should prepare to check the oil is by ensuring that you’ve parked your Honda on level ground. If you park on a street with an incline or decline, you won’t get an accurate oil reading. Lastly, you need to make certain that you have a paper towel or a cloth handy so that the oil on the car’s dipstick doesn’t leak onto other parts of your vehicle or the ground. Once you’re all set, use your Owner’s Manual to locate the engine oil dipstick, which usually has a yellow handle.
Observing Oil Level and Condition
Now that you’re all ready, take your cloth or paper towel in one hand and remove the dipstick from its tubular housing. Clear off the dipstick using the cloth and then reinsert it into the car. Remove it once again and look at the metallic piece. Toward the end of it that was inside the vehicle, you’ll discover two indicator marks. When oil is at the notch closest to the bottom of the dipstick, the engine is running low on oil. You may need to add some yourself or schedule a service appointment for an oil change. There is also a higher mark on the dipstick. Between the two areas is a safe quantity of oil for your vehicle, but above the upper mark shows that there is too much of the fluid in your engine. If you decide to add a quart of oil, you should wait another 10 minutes before taking another reading. If you notice that the fluid is very dark in color, is thick, or has granular particles in it, then you should have it changed soon to avoid damage to your car’s engine.
Final Steps
If your oil is low or shows signs that it is not in good condition, then book a time for an oil service with our team. Once you’ve decided to bring your Honda HR-V or CR-V to us for an oil change, make sure that you relay the information you gathered while checking your oil to our team. That way, we can adjust your car’s service timeline to meet its needs by changing the type of oil you’re using or lowering the number of miles between oil replenishments. While altering your vehicle’s oil change habits is more common with older vehicles, our Honda-trained technicians may use the information you gathered while checking your oil on a new-to-you car to establish a baseline for future service. In any case, our extensive business hours will give you ample opportunities to let us perform this service.
Key Steps for Checking the Oil
- Park the Honda model on level ground
- Shut off the engine and allow the car to sit for at least 10 minutes
- Locate and remove the dipstick, clean it off, and reinsert it into the car
- Take out the dipstick and read your oil level
- Examine the texture and color of the oil while looking for contaminants
- Add oil or make an oil change appointment as required
Dealership Information
Testimonials
“ I had a great experience here at the dealership! I had my A/C worked on and they beat the guestimated time, all the personnel were friendly and helpful, and my service was at what I considered to be a fair price. My service advisor, Mr. Trice, was very professional and displayed exemplary customer service! ”
“ Very professional and friendly ”
“ Pohanka Honda, will service your vehicle well, take your car in today. ”
“ Excellent customer service from Ms Lewis she is great for the company and takes care of all her customers in a pleasant patient manner great customer service will recommend to all family and friends also my insurance adjuster has made an appointment to visit Miss Lewis to purchase a car ”
“ Great customer service and feedback regarding my car. Although there is a Honda dealership closer to me, I travel to Pohanka for their service and care, including the multi point inspection and video. ”
“ Everyone was so friendly and helpful! Especially Sanitra. And Jose. Recommend! ”
“ My favorite place for my ride. Comfy lobby, reasonable prices, great staff. The lobby also has chargers and massage chairs. Cool place! ”
“ Easy to schedule. Service writer Marcus was excellent. Work performed was well done. Will always return there for service. Nice clean waiting area. Areas constantly being cleaned. New massaging chairs a really nice touch!! ”
“ Had me in for my service and out within an hour. ”
“ Positive attitude from agents , was well taken care of. ”
“ Jennifer was very helpful, when I picked up my car it was not as expensive as I imagine. I had to give her a big hug. Hooray for a great employee ”
“ High quality service from sales and finance. Honda vehicles and their owners deserve nothing less. High Five for Joseph, my sales consultant. I love my CRV ”
“ (Translated by Google) Excellent service, they work very well and very quickly, they handle all the paperwork. I highly recommend them. (Original) Muy buena atención y trabajan muy bien y muy rapido hacen todo el papeleo lo recomiendo ”
“ Great experience and customer service. Even after purchase didn’t go “ghost” with follow up questions I had. AJ was really good too and personable. ”
“ Excellent ”
“ Pohanka Honda takes care of my Honda baby every time!! Marcus N. is the bomb!! ”
“ Service was great and glad that they had a shuttle to take me home and pick me up. ”
“ I am always pleased with Pohanka Honda's Service Department. The team there are always professional, knowledgeable, and very personable. Even though I bought my 2019 Honda from another Honda dealership and got discouraged at my treatment there, I tried Pohanka's service department and have been overwhelmingly pleased ever since. I was pleasantly surprised to receive a video recording from the technician/mechanic of recommended services for my vehicle. That was a nice touch. My sincere appreciation to Pohanka. ”
“ I had the best experience in getting my vehicle. Omar was my sales consultant and when I tell you he was patient, very knowledgeable, professional, and friendly. SHOUT OUT to this Honda dealership. SHOUT OUT TO Randy, Adrienne, and one last person (can’t remember their name) were AMAZING. ”
“ Kevin was very helpful. ”
“ Very happy with their service, although didn't like the service of two other Honda dealerships in that area ”
“ I go to Pohanka Honda, for repairs to my vehicle. My go to guy is Nelson. He is very knowledgeable, professional, and keeps you up-to-date, pertaining to your vehicle. ”
“ Hello, my 2026 Honda CR-V was due its first maintenance service. On May 18, 2026, I was greeted by Jacqueline. She was assigned to me and she made sure I was totally satisfied before leaving Pohanka parking lot. Jacqueline was professional, pleasant, she assisted me with my questions, washed my car and help me with setting the drivers seat settings. I received excellent service as always. Keep up the awesome work, Jacqueline. ”
“ Omar and Adam helped me out. They did a amazing job getting me a approval customer service was top tier best experience I’ve ever had at a dealership ”
“ The Staff were very helpful and considerate they had a free coffee bar and television in the waiting area. Everything was geared to comfort and good customer service. ”
“ Marcus was amazing!! ”
“ Purchasing my CRV EXL was a pleasant experience. My sales representative was very knowledgeable and made sure I knew the initial features of the vehicle. I would recommend this dealership to anyone in the market for a new or used vehicle. ”
“ On-time, with the service. Not long at all, great service ”
“ It was a fantastic experience. I bought a lot of cars. It was one of the best car buying experiences. I had the young lady that helped me was fantastic. She knew the vehicles and she knew the business. It was quick efficient and very satisfying. ”
“ Marcus Nelson is the best Service Advisor ”
“ I bought my car in because it cut off on me several times and I had to get it jumped. My service advisor was Kevin Moran and he was so pleasant and professional he answered my questions, explained what was done and what I should expect down the road. He greeted me with a smile . I would love to have Kevin as my advisor every time. Because of Kevin's professional service, on a scale of 1-10, I would rate him a 100!! 😀 ”
“ It is always GREAT. Marcus Nelson is my Service Advisor great job. I have been with Pohanka 19 years this is my third Honda vehicle. Five Stars ”
“ Marcus is a no nonsense guy and make positive suggestions about his experience in regards to your personal vehicle situation. And for the first time in a while the service was not as expensive ”
“ Everyone was good, I was in and out in less than hour and half. Once again customer service was excellent. ”
“ Recently went to Pohanka Honda for service. No issues. Jennifer, my service tech, is always pleasant and professional. She keeps me informed about my car. Jennifer is great. ”
“ Whenever I go for service my service pro is always knowledgeable. I like that I may be given a courtesy ride home or an area to relax while I wait for my car. Unfortunately the complimentary car was is never satisfactory. I am not looking for a detail but I would like for the exterior to be clean. They must do better than just rinsing my car off with the hose. Next time I will post pics of not sufficient. ”
“ I like the nice clean waiting room. ”
“ The total experience was pleasant. The wait time was exactly the correct time, like the Technician said. ”
“ My last visit to Pohanka Honda was very smooth. I went in expecting a long wait and a ton of problems with my car, but Kevin got my car in front of a mechanic very quickly and the diagnosis of the issues was very thorough. All in all, it was a solid mechanic/dealership experience. ”
“ Service was exceptional! ”