Oil Change Reminder Lamp: Description and Operation

Oil Change Minder

The message center provides an oil change minder to inform the driver that an oil change is required. The duration of the interval between oil changes is calculated in the PCM and varies due to driving conditions. The PCM assumes a base mileage of 16,093 km (10,000 miles) or 1 year for normal driving. However, this number is adjusted down for conditions such as high engine temperature, high engine rpm, use of flex fuel and possibly low oil level. The PCM calculates and provides an oil life status message to the IPC (Instrument Panel Cluster). The IPC (Instrument Panel Cluster) further converts the remaining oil life using the driver's configured oil life start value and displays the oil life percentage, indicating the remaining oil life. The oil change minder can be reset at any time by the driver.