jchoi5

I got two complimentary oil changes from the dealer and they were both done with 5W-20 (per the service invoice). The MDX manual "recommends" (rather than require) 0W-20 so it got me wondering if it's just this dealer. I think I remember the oil cap saying 0W-20 though.

I am in NJ and with the winter season around the corner, it would have been nice to get the 0W-20. I'm not sure if there is a *huge* difference between the 0W and 5W, but it would have been nice to get the 0W for the cold winter mornings.

Would it be unnecessary to bring this up?

I mean on one hand they were complimentary (well I had to pay $30 for the full synthetic), so I don't want to seemingly cause a fuss for a favor they're doing for me. It just got me wondering what everyone's dealer is putting stock.

Does anyone know what brand of oil they put? It just says "5W20 shop oil"

Crashmaster

I would be upset. Acura recommends 0w20 oil and nothing else. The Acura OEM 0w20 oil is a semi synthetic. A 5w20 oil can be full synthetic, semi synthetic or regular old dino oil. I would want to know what type of 5w20 oil they installed especially since my owners manual for a 2015 TLX ONLY lists 0w20. My Acura dealership only uses Mobil 1 full synthetic. Heck, you can pick it up cheap at Walmart for around $23 or $24 for a container of 5 quarts (full synthetic).

jbawden

I think the switch to 0-20w was partly for fuel mileage reasons. I wouldn't sweat it, just make an extra effort to get the proper weight in next time.

horseshoez

iTrader: (2)

No, 5W-20 and 0W-20 are the same grade when the oil is warm; there will be zero difference in fuel economy between the two.

Edward'TLS

If one don't track the vehicle and follows the factory oil change intervals, it will make no difference to the engine for using any of the synthetic, semi-synthetic, or conventional oil.

horseshoez

iTrader: (2)

..., unless one extends the oil change intervals to say ten or twelve thousand miles.

jchoi5

What oil grade is everyone's dealer using?

Does anyone know what brand of shop oil Acura dealers use? Or does it vary dealer to dealer.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

vary's from dealer to dealer.
it's shop oil. designed to go into EVERY car....
lol what is your concern???????????????
Crashmaster is a acura tech, so he's more "by the books" kinda guy.


the lot of us are regular people, some with engineering degrees, etc.

it really DOESNT matter what the shop oil is...thus the varying answers you have gotten.
it really DOESNT matter.

jchoi5

It's a curiosity thing. I wasn't implying what brand matters or what brand doesn't, I guess the informed consumer in me just wanted to know what is going into my engine. I know now it varies dealer to dealer.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

Gotcha!
oil topics are discussed ad nauseam thus my response.
if you are purely curious, I would press Crashmaster as he is the Acura Tech

Donn0128

The only difference between the cheapest store brand and the most expensive name brand oils is the additive package. All oils meet a specific API spec as marked on its packaging. Everything else is hype.

horseshoez

iTrader: (2)

Not sure where you got that information from, but, assuming you were referring to synthetic oil, your information couldn't be more incorrect.

Donn0128

Synthetic oil is a lubricant consisting of chemical compounds that are artificially made. Synthetic lubricants can be manufactured using chemically modified petroleum components rather than whole crude oil, but can also be synthesized from other raw materials.

Synthetic oil is used as a substitute for petroleum-refined oils when operating in extreme temperature.[1] Aircraft jet engines, for example, require the use of synthetic oils, whereas aircraft piston engines do not.[2] Synthetic oils are also used in metal stamping to provide environmental and other benefits when compared to conventional petroleum and animal-fat based products.[3] These products are also referred to as "non-oil" or "oil free".

horseshoez

iTrader: (2)

Thank you for proving my point, synthetic oils can be built up from four main bases which are very different.