I know there was a huge response to that 'synthetic oil' thread here last week and the slight debate over whether to use 5W20 or 5W30 oil. I actually called two Acura dealers last week so I would know which one to buy for Monday. (My oil cap and manual say 5W30, but I know people here also said 5W20 - which I couldn't find written anywhere in my info). One dealer said they use 5W30 (nope...not 5W20, they said) and the other dealer said they use 5W20 year round and that the '99 owner's manual was updated from recommending 5W30 to recommending 5W20. Here is the question and response from today's local paper, car section:

Reader's Question:
"I have a 2003 Acura 3.2 TL Type S (42,000 km). The owner's manual says to use 5W20 oil. My Acura dealership used 5W30 oil on the car and maintains that is okay. What do you think?"

Answer from technician:
"Your Acura owner's manual sates: '5W20 oil is formulated for year round protection of your Acura, to improve cold weather starting and to help your engine use less fuel. If 5W20 oil is not available, 5W30 oil may be used. However, it should be replaced with 5W20 at the next oil change.' That seems pretty clear. I would request 5W20 for the next service. It is reassuring to know 5W30 can be used in a pinch. You may consider switching to 5W30 oil when you 3.2 TL's mileage exceeds 150,000 km. The increased hot viscosity (resistance to flow) of the 30-weight oil will compensate for engine wear."

I chuckled when I saw this today, knowing that I was just as confused! I ended up buying Mobil1 5W30 (on sale for $24 CAD).... I'm thinking I will switch to Amsoil 5W20 in the Fall and use that for the winter (since it claims to last ~12,000km and will be lighter weight)...then probably switch back to the cheaper and easier to find - Mobil1 5W30. My '99 has 115,000 km.

 

just stick with the 5w30. thats what the car recomends. its in the manual. from the 2002+(i believe it was in 02) they recomend 5w20 to help with meeting cafe standards. mobil 1 can go long mileage also. i run 10,000 miles between changes. and the oil has been tested at those miles to be in good shape yet and ready for more

 

If you're going to go a lot of miles on synthetic make sure you buy a good oil filter. Synthetic oil maybe made to last awhile, but not all oil filters are. After you get enough debris to fill the filter it will go into wide open mode which means the filter isn't doing anything.

I know some people who sell Amsoil and have gone tens of thousands of miles on their own cars with Amsoil, but they change the filter every 6 months (and then add another qt of Amsoil in).

 

fsttyms1: thanks for letting me know Mobil1 will last so long! i thought it was only Amsoil that could survive longer intervals between oil/filter changes!!

LiQiCE: someone else told me to stick with the Acura filter since it is double-sealed (or something like that) and will not leak....they said not to go with an Amsoil filter or K&N... they said it's not worth it and the Acura filter is fine and won't leak ???? my oil change is in two days.. at this point, i would only be able to get my hands on a K&N filter (not Amsoil - too far away)... so, as long as i change my filter at Acura's recommended time lapse and keep an eye on the oil, it should all go well.. i didn't know people changed the filter without changing the oil as well.. and yes, i always check and add my own oil when needed...

 

you can get k&n filters or the mobil1 filters at most auto part stores. the mobil 1 # is m104 or the m105 either will work, and they will last 10k also.
i tried changing the filter half way through once and when i had my oil tested it had about the same amounts of contaminants in it as the one with 10k on it

 

The new universal Honda/Acura Oil Filter are made prodominantly by FRAM!!. Those POS filters won't be seen on my car. K&N or M1 filters only for me Better construction and synthetic paper media for more consistant filtering.

 

if they arent any good, how come i had almost the same test results between the fram and the m104

 

If they both do a comparable job -- I'll stick with the cheapest option! The amount of money spent on buying the oil alone is what it would've cost me to get an oil/filter change incl. labour. (Arg - I'm just waiting for someone to tell me to change it myself! :toothless )

Haven't seen the Mobil1 oil filters anywhere yet even though I've found the oil -- I'm not in the States. If anything, I know of two places that sell the K&N filter, but haven't taken the drive there yet. So if Acura's filter does the same thing.....works for me, saves me some time, and some money!
If there's proof that a performance filter will be a huge upgrade, then I think it would make more sense.

 

FYI for those in the Toronto area, Mobil1 5W30 is on sale at Crappy Tire for about $25 a jug this week....

 

Got some! ...Second last jug on the shelf on Friday! $4 cheaper than at Walmart... *sigh* --- Just in time for my oil change on Monday!

 

Now if GAS would be on sale as well, that'll be great...

 

What parts store in NJ sells M1 oil filters? Do they have them at like pep boyz and/or autozone? I usually just use the purolator filters that are on sale along with M1-5w30. Will probably do an oil change next week.

 

Well after seeing the cheap construction of a FRAM filter and Honda's decision to start using them I won't. K&N, M1 filters are solid contruction. So much harder and heavier than FRAM. I will choose quality built filters since its only a few bucks more.

 

I'm having to put $20.00 cdn into my car every 2 days! 99.8 for Shell gold the last time i pumped, was too cheap to go for my reg. Sunoco Ultra94, it would've been 2-3 cents more per/ltr.

Back to thread's subject, stupid me up until my last oil change was changing my Castrol Syntec every 5k/3months and wasting my money!

BTW, does anyone know how to reset the MAINT' REQ' light. I forgot how, i know it has something to do with pressing the reset button for 10 sec's or something like that. I'm thinking of actually changing the oil myself! oh, and is there anything special i should do b4 changing from castrol syntec to mobile1 syntec? :banghead:

 

I use Mobil 1 Full Synthetic 0W-20 which is designed for Honda's, Acura's and some Ford vehicles. It's specially formulated for our cars. Why not use that instead of worrying about the 5W-whatever?

 

I asked my Acura mechanic about that when I called and he said if anything, to use 5W30 if I can't find 5W20 (since 5W30 is what is in my owner's manual and was what was recommended before they changed it to 5W20). He said it is much better to go the other way than to go 0W20... Also, it'd be next to impossible to find here. I believe the back of the Mobil1 5W30 jug also states that it is formulated for Honda and Ford.

 

because for alot of us the car and manual recomend 5w30. that and the heavier oil will protect the engine better.

 

The difference between a 0W and a 5W - 20 is VERY minimal. The new Mobil1 0W20 is showing strong results in engine protection and durability in oil analisys.
If i didnt have RedLine 5W30 waiting for my next oil change..it would be M1 0W20 or Royal Purple 5W30.
Granted... I wasnt a believer in the 20 weight oils at the beginning, but I am being slowly being convinced of its merits.
J

 

what is convincing you (with your own car)?

 

In what I had read on an specialized forum dedicated to motor oils.
A number of results on 0W and 5W 20 weights have returned with good weir numbers, and on other Honda engines similar to ours.
My closet experience is with the street Royal Purple 5W30, which is on the thin side of a 30 weight. I have Castrol 0W30 (made in Germany..which is very different from the one made in USA) in it now and it is on the thick side of a 30weight... and can I ever tell the difference.... in the response of the engine and I did get better gas mileage with RP.
J

 

I use the 0W-20 as well, and usually run for ~7500 miles. I pick it up at either the local Advance Auto Parts, or even at Walmart. I also use the K&N Filter (also from Advance Auto). I have the Tire Kingdom down the street from my office do the change (while I watch) for about $10 - so my total cost for oil change is $10 (labor) + $10 (filter) + $25 (oil) = $45. Before I was using synthetic I had it changed every 3000 miles for $26 per trip - so I am actually saving money using a better product.

I also should note that while Mobil1 does make 5W-30, there is *no such thing* as Mobil1 Synthetic 5W-20 - they only make 0W-20, and it says right on the bottle to use it in applications calling for 5W-20. My dealer said this is no problem, and recommended it over 5W-30. Seems to work great for me.