Hondas and synthetic engine oils

[Vinnie]

I dropped my car in for a service (145k) today with 5 litres of mobil 1 (5w-50) as i figured that this stuff would be better than anything the mechanic (hondacare in brisbane) would put in. However, upon doing so i was informed by the mechanic there that, while it wont do any damage, hondas in general do not run well with sythetic oils. He said that the semi-syths were the best bet and that sum1 had actually blown a piston through the block on their s2k whilst running mobil 1 (!). Although im no mechanic im wondering about the validity of his claims and if it was just a ploy to make me pay to have them use their oil (elf)... In the end i did get him to just put the mobil 1 in but it did make me think about how it could have such shortcomings. He also said that hondas all have slightly cylindrical pistons which causes rougher running until the engine warms up, is there any truth to this as well? Thanks :)

PS. I would just use FEO but it isnt suitable for the climate up here...

[jamchen]

um...its the first time i hear something like this...
have been using motul and no problems what so ever... i'd say the s2k incident would've been more to the wrong grade of engine oil been used...
as u said hondas have thin cylindrial pistons, then if u use something like 15W.. of course u won't be able to lubricate the cylinders...
plus mobil, motul sheel and other big engine oil producers all have booklets u can refer to see the correct grade of ther products to use... so i guess even in worse case something did happen to ur engine... the engine oil manufacutrer would've in trouble too because ur car is listed in the book...
i think the machanics was just purely trying to get u to use OEMS so they can make profits off u...
having said that... engine oil will be the only non-OEM i will use...
try to stick OEM for ATF, and all others..

[Mr_will]

mineral oils are great for running your car in on, but other than that, mineral oil, in whole or part (semi synth) has no place in your car, if you care about it.

any mechanic that recommends you lubricate your car using something that contains more impurities is not worthy of looking after your car.

whilst it is not always correct to say that the most expensive option (for any car part) is the best, you certainly (to a great extent) get what you pay for with oil. fully synthetic oil is more expensive for a reason.

[mj3610]

your mechanic is full of shit. aston martin use and recommend mobil1 in their 300g cars...
u cant say what happened to the s2k is because of the oil...

[Mr_will]

also when it comes to using oem - it doesnt matter, as long as what youre using is as good as, or better than oem products.

eg paying for oem coolant would be absolutely ridiculous, when there is perfectly good stuff available for <$20 from supercrap auto.
same goes for brake fluid/transmission fluid/ps fluid etc etc.
dont buy shit, and it wont matter. if you pay the same amount as oem costs, you will get something far better in another brand.

[aaronng]

Mechanic is full of shit.

BTW, 5w-50 is too viscous for your car. Go for 0w-30, 5w-30, 10w-30, 0w-40, 5w-40 or 10w-40.

[Twincam16]

Mobil 1 is one of the worlds best oils. Dont go to that mechanic again, hes out to get more money for a lesser grade oil. In fact, I wouldnt put it past him he used it anyway and kept your Mobil 1...

[Vinnie]

Mechanic is full of shit.

BTW, 5w-50 is too viscous for your car. Go for 0w-30, 5w-30, 10w-30, 0w-40, 5w-40 or 10w-40.

i thought sumthing was up. it woodent make sense that a (not cheap) high quality oil like mobil 1 woodent be perfectly compatible. oh and i went the 5w-50 as it is wot the mobil website recommends for the cd5 (as well as ek4s when i checked quickly) and any ?w-30 is not recommended for temps over 35 degrees (from accord manual) so thats out as well.



Mobil 1 is one of the worlds best oils. Dont go to that mechanic again, hes out to get more money for a lesser grade oil. In fact, I wouldnt put it past him he used it anyway and kept your Mobil 1...

that did occur to me but all i can do is hope that he did the right thing there... the problems with trying to find a reputable mechanic *sigh* unfortunately, other than that it was all very good (cost $86 for the very basic service that honda quoted me $345 for...) so its a shame :(

[aaronng]

i thought sumthing was up. it woodent make sense that a (not cheap) high quality oil like mobil 1 woodent be perfectly compatible. oh and i went the 5w-50 as it is wot the mobil website recommends for the cd5 (as well as ek4s when i checked quickly) and any ?w-30 is not recommended for temps over 35 degrees (from accord manual) so thats out as well.

Ahh, CD5. Then 5w-50 is alright!

[Mr_will]

that did occur to me but all i can do is hope that he did the right thing there... the problems with trying to find a reputable mechanic *sigh* unfortunately, other than that it was all very good (cost $86 for the very basic service that honda quoted me $345 for...) so its a shame :(



why do you need anyone to service your car? plugs, oil filter, oil. its all very basic stuff, even things like fuel filter, air filter etc you can easily do yourself if you get parts. you'll save heaps of money and learn a lot