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.
A13 means three jobs at one visit: A (replace the engine oil - oil only, no oil filter), 1 (rotate the tires) and 3 (replace the transmission fluid). No air filters and no inspection - those belong to the 2 and to B services.
The 3 has nothing to do with the oil life that triggers the A. Honda prints no fixed mileage for it under normal driving on any of its current models, so A13 is simply the visit where the transmission fluid comes due on an oil-only service; on a B visit the same job reads B13. Some manuals add a severe-duty figure - every 25,000 miles for a Civic, Accord or CR-V CVT driven in the mountains or at low speeds.
On an older Honda the 3 is not CVT fluid. A 2009 Accord, for example, has a conventional 5-speed automatic that takes Honda ATF-Z1, and its manual prints no severe-duty mileage at all. Match the fluid to your transmission with the table below - CVT fluid in a conventional automatic, or ATF in a CVT, is how a routine service becomes a repair.
The 3 is the sub-item where the wrong bottle does damage. Honda CVT fluid HCF-2 is for CVTs only; Honda ATF DW-1 and the other ATF types are for conventional automatics and hybrids, manual gearboxes take MTF, and none of them is interchangeable with another. The table below lists which fluid goes with which model and year.
Ask to see the bottle or the line item on the quote. A quote that names a generic or universal fluid for a CVT Honda is worth questioning.
The usual service is a drain and refill, which replaces part of the fluid in the transmission rather than all of it. That is what the price ranges on this page assume. If a shop quotes a different method, ask what it is and whether Honda's manual approves it.
A13 has no inspection, so nobody is told to look at the driveshaft boots or for leaks near the transmission. Take a look at the pan and the axle seals when you have the car up.
Honda's footnote on the 3 gives the reason mileage is not the whole story: driving in mountainous areas at very low vehicle speeds raises transmission temperatures, which calls for fluid changes more often than the Maintenance Minder recommends. In the 2024 Civic manual the figure is every 25,000 miles for CVT models and every 37,500 miles for manual transmissions.
If that describes your driving, treat the figure as a ceiling and do not wait for an A13 to appear.
| Item | DIY | Shop |
|---|---|---|
| Oil change (0W-20) | $25-$45 | In the all-in price |
| Tire rotation | Free with a jack | $20-$50 (often bundled) |
| Transmission fluid (drain and refill) | $50-$90 | $150-$250 |
| Typical all-in | $70-$120 | $200-$330 |
Ranges, not quotes - parts pricing and shop labor vary by region and model year.
The oil and rotation halves of A13 are as easy as any Honda service. The transmission fluid is the part to think through before attempting yourself: a drain-and-refill is within reach with the right fluid and the correct fill procedure (many Honda automatics fill through a level plug, not a dipstick, and need the fluid checked at a specific temperature), but the wrong fluid type is a real way to damage a CVT.
If you are not confident sourcing and checking the exact fluid your model needs, this is a reasonable line item to pay a shop for even while doing the oil and rotation yourself. Keep the receipt either way - transmission fluid history is one of the things buyers and dealers ask about at resale.
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. 3 = replace the transmission fluid (on an AWD Pilot, the transfer fluid too). No filters and no full inspection - those belong to sub-code 2 and to B services.
Typically $200-$330 at a shop, or roughly $70-$120 in parts if you do it yourself. The transmission fluid is most of the cost - the oil and rotation together would only run $80-$130 on their own.
It is not part of the oil change - the Minder shows everything that is due at once. The transmission fluid is tracked separately from the oil life, so it can come due on an A visit (A13) or a B visit (B13).
Engine oil (A), tire rotation (1) and automatic transmission fluid (3). The 2008-2010 Accord automatic takes Honda ATF-Z1 (2011-2012: ATF DW-1), and Honda's manual for that generation prints no fixed or severe-duty mileage for it - the Minder decides. Brake fluid on that Accord is a separate every-3-years note, not a Minder number.
An oil change, a tire rotation and a transmission fluid change. On a 2014-or-newer Civic with a CVT the fluid is Honda HCF-2, with a severe-duty figure of 25,000 miles for mountainous or low-speed driving; a 2006-2013 Civic automatic takes Honda ATF DW-1 (earlier manuals list ATF-Z1, which DW-1 replaces).
No. A17 is oil, rotation, and brake fluid. A13 is oil, rotation, and transmission fluid. They are both three-item A codes, but the third item is a different fluid with a different cost - transmission fluid runs more than brake fluid.
The oil and rotation are easy DIY jobs. The transmission fluid is doable if you use the exact fluid type your model calls for (CVT fluid and conventional ATF are not interchangeable) and follow the correct fill procedure - if you are unsure which fluid your Honda needs, that piece alone is worth paying a shop for.
| 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 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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