Definitions: Honda owner's manuals, Maintenance Minder section (2016 and 2024 Civic, 2013 and 2018 Accord, 2017 CR-V, 2018 Odyssey, 2016 and 2021 Pilot). Manuals: 2024 Civic Hatchback Type R Owner's Manual, 2021 Pilot Owner's Manual. Your own manual decides which items apply to your engine and drivetrain.
A123 means four jobs at one visit: A (replace the engine oil - oil only), 1 (rotate the tires), 2 (replace the engine air filter and cabin filter, and inspect the drive belt) and 3 (replace the transmission fluid). It still has no oil filter change and no inspection - with those it would be B123.
Each number has its own clock. The A and the 1 follow the oil life and driving the Minder calculates. For the 2 Honda prints no normal-driving mileage; 15,000 miles is its severe-duty figure for dusty or high-soot driving on the Civic, Accord and CR-V. For the 3 there is no normal-driving mileage either; the severe-duty figure is 25,000 miles for those models' CVTs and none at all for the Pilot. A123 is the visit where all of them land together.
The quote is where A123 goes wrong. It costs more than an oil change because of the filters and the fluid, but it should cost less than B123 - if the number looks like a B service, ask whether an oil filter and inspection were added. On an all-wheel-drive Pilot the 3 includes the transfer fluid; the table below lists the fluid Honda specifies for each model.
A123 bundles four jobs, but it is built on an A, not a B: Honda's table puts the oil filter and the full inspection under B. So the biggest A code is also one with no brake, steering or suspension check. If it has been a while since the last B, ask for the inspection or do a walk-around yourself.
Many shops fit a new oil filter anyway. Ask whether it is on the quote.
The oil, rotation and two filters are easy driveway jobs. The transmission fluid is the one that needs the right fluid for your model (see the table below) and a correct fill level. Many owners DIY the first three and book the transmission fluid.
Quote each line separately when you phone around, because the filters and the fluid are where the price swings.
The three sub-items have different logic. The 1 is a straight rotation. The 2 has two condition-based footnotes: the engine air filter every 15,000 miles in dusty conditions, and the cabin filter every 15,000 miles in sooty urban air. The 3 is the transmission fluid, with a heavier-duty figure of every 25,000 miles for CVTs driven in mountains at very low speeds (2024 Civic manual; other models are in the table below).
None of these is a normal-driving mileage. An A123 simply means the Minder has all three due together.
Honda's table also says to adjust the valves during an A, B, 1, 2 or 3 service if they are noisy, and A123 has the A and all of 1, 2 and 3. If you hear valve tick, ask for it now rather than waiting for sub-item 4.
Separately, if no Minder message appears within 12 months of the last reset, Honda says to change the oil every year. A123 is the code where that yearly oil change and three other jobs can all land on one visit.
| Item | DIY | Shop |
|---|---|---|
| Oil change (0W-20) | $25-$45 | In the all-in price |
| Tire rotation | Free with a jack | $20-$50 (often bundled) |
| Engine air filter | $15-$30 | $40-$70 |
| Cabin (dust and pollen) filter | $15-$30 | $40-$75 |
| Transmission fluid (drain and refill) | $50-$90 | $150-$250 |
| Typical all-in | $90-$160 | $260-$420 |
Ranges, not quotes - parts pricing and shop labor vary by region and model year.
The oil, rotation and both filters are all standard driveway jobs and together are no harder than doing A12 on its own. The transmission fluid is the piece that needs care: use the exact fluid type your model specifies (CVT fluid and conventional ATF are not interchangeable, and the wrong one can damage a CVT) and follow the correct fill procedure.
A workable split for A123: do the oil, rotation and filters yourself every time - that alone covers most of the code - and either learn the exact transmission fluid procedure for your model or pay a shop for just that line item. Price it apart from the rest; the transmission fluid is most of what separates A123 from a plain A12.
Honda prints no fixed mileage for sub-item 3 under normal driving on any of these models - the Maintenance Minder decides. The severe-duty column is the only mileage Honda gives, and only where the manual prints one. HCF-2 is CVT-only; it is not interchangeable with Honda ATF, and Honda's ATF types are not interchangeable with each other.
| Model | Years / transmission | Fluid Honda specifies | Honda severe-duty figure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Civic | 2006-2013, automatic | Honda ATF DW-1 (earlier manuals list ATF-Z1, which DW-1 replaces) | None printed in the manuals checked |
| Civic | 2014-2026, CVT | Honda CVT Fluid HCF-2 | Every 25,000 mi (mountainous or low-speed driving) |
| Civic | Manual transmission (Si, Type R and others) | Honda Manual Transmission Fluid (MTF) | Every 37,500 mi (2022 and newer manuals only) |
| Accord | 2008-2010, automatic | Honda ATF-Z1 | None printed |
| Accord | 2011-2012, automatic | Honda ATF DW-1 | None printed |
| Accord | 2013-2017, 4-cylinder CVT | Honda CVT Fluid HCF-2 | Every 25,000 mi (mountainous, low-speed or towing) |
| Accord | 2013-2017, V6 6-speed automatic | Honda ATF DW-1 | None printed |
| Accord | 2018-2026, 1.5T CVT | Honda CVT Fluid HCF-2 | Every 25,000 mi (mountainous or low-speed driving) |
| Accord | 2018-2022, 2.0T 10-speed automatic | Honda ATF-Type 2.0 | None printed |
| Accord | Hybrid (DW-1 through 2022, HEVF-Type 1 from 2023) | Honda ATF DW-1 / Honda HEVF-Type 1 | Every 47,500 mi or 3 years |
| CR-V | 2012-2014, 5-speed automatic | Honda ATF DW-1 | Only if towed behind a motorhome: every 2 years or 30,000 mi |
| CR-V | 2015-2026, CVT | Honda CVT Fluid HCF-2 | Every 25,000 mi (mountainous terrain or very low speeds; towing too on 2015-2022) |
| CR-V | Hybrid (DW-1 2020-2022, HEVF-Type 1 from 2023) | Honda ATF DW-1 / Honda HEVF-Type 1 | Every 47,500 mi or 3 years |
| Pilot | 2016-2020, 6-speed / 9-speed automatic | Honda ATF DW-1 (6-speed) or ATF-Type 3.1 or higher (9-speed) | None printed, normal or severe |
| Pilot | 2021-2022, 9-speed automatic | Honda ATF-Type 3.1 or higher | None printed, normal or severe |
| Pilot | 2023-2026, 10-speed automatic | Honda ATF-TYPE 2.0 | None printed, normal or severe |
| Odyssey | 2011-2017 | Honda ATF DW-1 | None printed, not even a severe-duty figure |
| Odyssey | 2018-2019 | Honda ATF-Type 3.1 or higher (9-speed: LX/EX/EX-L) or ATF-Type 2 (10-speed: Touring/Elite) | 9-speed trims only: first at 60,000 mi, then every 30,000 mi (mountainous, low-speed or towing) |
| Odyssey | 2020-2026, 10-speed automatic | Honda ATF-Type 2 | None printed |
Transfer fluid: the Pilot's owner's manuals list it under the 3 on all-wheel-drive (i-VTM4) models. The CR-V manuals list no transfer fluid item at all - on an AWD CR-V the rear differential fluid is a separate item, 6.
Source: each model year's Honda owner's manual (Maintenance Minder and Specifications sections), as recorded and cited in this site's per-year maintenance schedules.
A = change the engine oil. 1 = rotate the tires. 2 = replace the engine air filter and cabin filter, and inspect the drive belt. 3 = replace the transmission fluid (on an AWD Pilot, the transfer fluid too). Four items due at once, not a combined package.
Typically $260-$420 at a shop, or roughly $90-$160 in parts if you do it all yourself. The transmission fluid and the two filters together account for most of the cost beyond a plain oil change.
No. B123 adds an oil filter change and a full mechanical inspection on top of the same four items A123 has. A123 is the smaller of the two - no oil filter, no inspection.
No. A123 covers oil, rotation, filters, and transmission fluid only. Brake fluid is sub-code 7 and would show up as a separate digit, as in A1237 - if your code does not include a 7, the brake fluid is not due yet.
Oil, tire rotation, both air filters with a drive belt check, and transmission fluid - and on an all-wheel-drive Pilot the 3 adds the transfer fluid. Honda prints no mileage for the Pilot's 3, normal or severe. The fluid is ATF-TYPE 2.0 on the 2023-and-newer 10-speed, ATF-Type 3.1 on the 9-speed, and ATF DW-1 on the 2016-2020 6-speed.
Mostly yes. The oil, rotation and filters are all beginner-friendly. The transmission fluid needs the correct fluid type and fill procedure for your exact model - if you are not confident there, that one item is worth paying a shop for while you handle the rest.
| Part | Fitment note | Buy |
|---|---|---|
| Mobil 1 Extended Performance 0W-20 Full Synthetic (5 qt) | Most 2012-and-newer Hondas spec 0W-20. Check the oil cap: roughly pre-2012 models call for 5W-20 instead. | Check price on Amazon |
| Honda Genuine 5W-20 Synthetic Blend motor oil | Only if your oil cap says 5W-20 (most 2006-2011 Civics, Accords, CR-Vs and the older V6s). | Check price on Amazon |
| Honda 94109-14000 drain plug crush washers (10-pack) | A new aluminum washer every drain. Reusing the old one is how drain plugs start seeping. Backup is a 20-pack (double the primary) - same washer, just more of them. | Check price on Amazon Compare Honda similar options on Amazon |
| Part | Fitment note | Buy |
|---|---|---|
| Click-type torque wrench, 1/2 in. drive | Honda lug nuts are 80 lb-ft on almost every model. A rotation needs nothing else beyond a jack and stands. | Check price on Amazon |
| Part | Fitment note | Buy |
|---|---|---|
| Honda Genuine engine air filter | Model- and engine-specific part number. Filter the results by your model and year before buying. | Check price on Amazon |
| Honda Genuine cabin air filter | Behind the glove box on most models. Also model-specific; a Civic filter does not fit a CR-V. | Check price on Amazon |
| Part | Fitment note | Buy |
|---|---|---|
| Genuine Honda HCF-2 CVT fluid (1 qt) | CVT models only: 2013+ Accord 4-cyl, 2014+ Civic, 2015+ CR-V and Fit, HR-V. A drain-and-fill takes about 4 qt. Never DW-1 in a CVT. Backups are 3- and 4-packs of the same fluid. | Check price on Amazon Compare Honda HCF-2 CVT fluid on Amazon |
| Honda Genuine DW-1 ATF (6 x 1 qt) | Conventional 5- and 6-speed automatics: 2006-2013 Civic, CR-V through 2014, Accord V6 through 2017, Odyssey and Pilot 6-speeds. About 3 qt per drain-and-fill. Backup is a 2-quart pack of the same fluid (smaller than the primary's 6-pack). | Check price on Amazon Compare Honda DW-1 automatic transmission fluid on Amazon |
| Honda ATF-Type 3.1 (1 qt) | The 9- and 10-speed automatics: 2018+ Accord 2.0T, Odyssey, Pilot, Passport, Ridgeline. Not interchangeable with DW-1. Backups are 2- and 3-packs of the same fluid. | Check price on Amazon Compare Honda Type 3.1 automatic transmission fluid on Amazon |
| Fluid transfer hand pump (for the fill plug) | The fill plug sits on the side of the case, above the drain. A pump with a hose is the only way to get fluid in from below. | Check price on Amazon |
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