Maintaining your Honda

Your Honda Lawn and Garden Dealer is best placed to service your machine on a regular, ongoing basis. But there’s also a lot you can do as an owner to keep it in perfect (and safe) operating condition.

A little bit of scrubbing goes a long way – not only towards the working life and day-to-day operation of your machine, but also its residual value. Use neutral soap solutions, and rinse thoroughly. Before you start work, ensure that you read the Owner’s manual and familiarise yourself with all safety precautions.

Always perform an inspection before you start up the machine. Look at the Owner’s manual before you begin working and check regularly (where applicable) engine oil level, blade condition and that the safety guard and/or grass catcher is secure. Also check that the throttle is working smoothly. If you’re using the machine in dry, dusty conditions or high temperatures it will need more regular service work.

Here’s a list of important safety precautions:

• Make sure the engine is off before you start any maintenance or repairs.
• Let the engine and exhaust cool completely.
• To avoid the equipment starting accidentally, pull off the spark plug cap first.
• Be sure your work area is adequately ventilated.
• Keep cigarettes, sparks and flames away from fuel, and fuel related parts.

Unleaded petrol can deteriorate rapidly in storage, which may affect the working of your machine. The length of time that petrol can be left will vary, but when storing your machine we recommend that you drain the tank and carburettor. The Honda warranty doesn’t cover fuel system damage or engine performance problems you get from contaminated fuel.

It’s a good idea to keep your machine’s service record up to date with its maintenance schedule. This reduces your costs in the long run, and maintains your machine’s value – always a plus. Make sure servicing is always done by a Honda Lawn and Garden Dealer; that way you can be sure that high-quality genuine Honda parts – purpose built for your machine – are being used.