Honda A12 Service Explained (Prices & Reset Procedure)

The Honda A12 Service is a scheduled maintenance service that should be performed whenever the Honda Maintenance Minder indicates.

This service includes an oil and filter change, tire rotation, cabin and engine air filters change, and a thorough inspection of your vehicle’s major systems and components.

Just like the B12 service, the Honda A12 service is integral to keeping your vehicle in top condition and can help prevent minor problems from becoming big ones.

Frequent servicing helps keep your vehicle’s major systems and components in good working order.

What’s included in the Honda A12 Service?

The A12 service code indicates three main tasks that the Honda mechanic will perform:

• Change Oil and Filter
• Tires need a rotation service.
• Replace the cabin and engine air filters.

Here’s a quick breakdown of the tasks and time intervals:

Task	Miles	Months
Oil and filter change	7,500	12
Tire rotation	7,500	12
Replace cabin filter	30,000	24
Replace engine air filters	30,000	24
Vehicle inspection	7,500	12

Oil and filter change

The oil and filter change is the most important part of the Honda A12 Service. This service helps to remove dirt, debris, and other contaminants from your engine oil.

Fresh, clean oil is essential for running your engine smoothly and efficiently. The oil filter traps even more contaminants and helps to prolong the life of your engine oil.

Under normal driving conditions, Honda recommends performing an oil and filter change every 7,500 miles or 12 months. In severe driving conditions, the distance driven at which one should replace their oil and filter is half, 3,750 miles or six months. This is usually recommended for Canadian drivers.

Tire rotation

Rotating tires includes moving the tires to different positions on the vehicle. This helps to even out tire wear and can extend the life of your tires. This is a popular task among every car service, as it will prevent the owner from replacing the tires earlier than required.

Tire rotation is included with every service and should occur every 7,500 miles.

Replace cabin filter

Replacing the cabin filter is part of the Honda A12 Service. This service includes replacing the filter that helps to keep the air inside your vehicle’s cabin clean and free of pollutants.

According to Honda Service Schedule, the cabin filters should be changed every two years or 30,000 miles.

Replace engine air filters

Replacing the engine air filters is one of the items included in the Honda A12 Service. This involves removing the old air filter and replacing it with a new one. The process is relatively simple and can be done by most do-it-yourselfers.

However, if you are unsure of how to do this, or if you don’t feel comfortable doing it, you can always take your vehicle to a Honda dealer or service center and have them do it for you.

Honda recommends that the engine air filters, referred to as the air cleaner element, should be changed every 30,000 miles or 24 months, whichever comes first.

Inspection of vehicle’s safety systems

Depending on your location, some Honda dealers will also visually inspect some of the safety mechanisms, such as brakes, parking brake, or the driving belt. While not a bad idea, it does add some extra costs.

Like rotating the tires, inspecting various vehicle elements should be performed with every service.

How Much Does the Honda A12 Service Cost?

The Honda A12 service cost should be $200-$250 and should not take more than one to two hours to perform. Assuming you take the car to a dealership for its service schedule, this is the cost.

As usual, the parts won’t cost that much, but the labor rate drives the cost up.

Of course, it is always possible to save a couple of bucks by choosing a Honda specialist over the dealer and reduce the cost by more than half if you can do it yourself.

However, I recommend having the car service by the dealership if the car is still under warranty. It is not worth risking hefty repair bills by saving a couple of bucks here and there.

How to Reset the Service Light on a Honda A12 Service

If you decide to perform the service yourself, you must reset the Maintenance Minder manually. Resetting the service light is a standard procedure after each service, and it is somewhat similar on most Honda models.

Keep in mind that some steps might differ depending on model trim and year.

Here is what you need to do:

1. Press the start/stop button twice. If you have an older model, turn the key to the second position. Don’t start the engine.
2. Look for the wrench and maintenance notifications.
3. Use the left-hand side button on the steering wheel to get to the oil life window.
4. Hold down the same button for at least 10 seconds, as this will get you into the maintenance reset window.
5. Now you can select what you want to reset.

For How Long Can You Drive After the A12 Service Notice Came Up?

There is no fixed answer as to how many miles you can still drive the car after the Maintenance Minder System indicates that it is time for the A12 service.

You should not delay the service for too long, but driving the car for another 1,000 miles won’t hurt the engine, especially if it’s driving on the highway.

If the car just sits in the garage, you can delay the service by a couple of months without a problem.

In Summary

Each car service aims to maintain the driving experience as smooth as possible and prevent any unpleasant surprises.

While some might argue the importance of sticking to a strict service schedule, I think it is the most important thing you can do for your car to offer you happy ownership.

The Honda A12 service mainly covers three key areas of the car: oil and filter, tire rotation, and cabin and engine filters.

The A12 service cost is not too high, but not cheap either. It is cheaper than Honda’s premium brand, Acura, but in line with its main competitor, Toyota.

Sources

Honda maintenance schedule