Accord 2003 M1 oil with M1 EP filter. Good enough?

[asker123]

Folks,
Greetings from Canada
I bought this 2003 Accord 4 cyl in 2012 with 93000 km.
The car was in very good condition . . I liked it and after buying this in 2012 , I changed the oil and filter right away. I was not knowing much about oils but had heard that mobil 1 is one of the good synthetics so I went with it. It is often available on discount here in Canada. I also use Mobil 1 EP oil filter.
I change oil every 6 months as I do not complete the recommended 8000 kms in 6 months.
Car consumes some oil , around 1 liter between oil changes
My drive to office ( monday to Friday) is only 6 km one way. But I drive 40-50 km on weekends even in winters and in summer months I take it to long drives 200 km + on the weekends.
I want to take opinions about - is it the best oil filter combo I can use for my car?
lately I have been reading about oils group 3 , group 4 etc .
I also heard that mobil1 EP oil is better but it is never on sale and I have to pay full price always . But if it can do anything better for my car I can afford the extra 20-30 bucks twice a year .No big deal. Even if I use Mobil 1 EP , I would be changing it every 6 months as I do not believe in running the oil for 1 year.

On filter side , I am using Mobll1 EP but lately I heard that Fram Ultra is better and uses full synthetic media Is this true?

 

[Nick1994]

If you're only running an oil change for 6 months use a synthetic blend, you're wasting good oil. You can save a few bucks and get a Fram Ultra. If you're going to stick to 6 month oil changes at less than 8k kilometers then run the filter for 2 oil changes.

If I were in your shoes I'd go 1 year or 16k kilometers on Mobil 1 EP & a Fram Ultra filter.

 

[asker123]

Originally Posted By: Nick1994
If you're only running an oil change for 6 months use a synthetic blend, you're wasting good oil. You can save a few bucks and get a Fram Ultra. If you're going to stick to 6 month oil changes at less than 8k kilometers then run the filter for 2 oil changes.

If I were in your shoes I'd go 1 year or 16k kilometers on Mobil 1 EP & a Fram Ultra filter.

I get your point but I those winter months only 12 km per day driving Monday to Friday. I heard that oil does not reach full operating temp. And fuel gets mixed with oil and moisture too. That is the reason I try to be on safe side and change oil on 6 months interval.

 

[gregk24]

Yes, not only is that combo "good enough" it exceeds what your car would need, but hey I am all about using the "best" oil / filter combo for my ride. My recommendation would be to use a Fram Ultra XG7317 and changing it EVERY OTHER oil change per Honda's recommendation. Mobil 1 AFE 0w20 would be a great oil to use, my Honda liked it just fine.

 

[asker123]

Originally Posted By: gregk24
Yes, not only is that combo "good enough" it exceeds what your car would need, but hey I am all about using the "best" oil / filter combo for my ride. My recommendation would be to use a Fram Ultra XG7317 and changing it EVERY OTHER oil change per Honda's recommendation. Mobil 1 AFE 0w20 would be a great oil to use, my Honda liked it just fine.

Thx but why do you suggest 0w 20 when recommended oil is 5w20?

 

[moto94536]

You can use 5w20. Honda also say 0w-20 is acceptable according from Honda.

 

[Nick1994]

0w20 and 5w20 are the same viscosity at operating temperatures. In cold weather is where a 0w20 shines as it is able to lubricate the engine better than a 5w20 and can be used year round.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

Less than 5000 miles in 6 months does not require M1

Napa Silver/Proselect, or any other Wix-made jobber filter would suffice. The regular Wix/Napa gold is more than you need, but they are very good and the price isn't too bad. Parts Master and Auto Extra are also made by Wix and probably equivalent to the cheaper Napa offerings.

Fram Ultra is also a good choice, but still rather expensive.

Hastings is also good, and even their cheaper Casite is more than enough, but harder to find than the above suggestions.

I don't quite know what is available up tghere in Canada, but my choice would be the Napa Silver or Proselect.

 

[Hondacity]

Excellent combination. Stick with it.

 

[jdavis]

Originally Posted By: gregk24
Yes, not only is that combo "good enough" it exceeds what your car would need, but hey I am all about using the "best" oil / filter combo for my ride. My recommendation would be to use a Fram Ultra XG7317 and changing it EVERY OTHER oil change per Honda's recommendation. Mobil 1 AFE 0w20 would be a great oil to use, my Honda liked it just fine.


Good advice, filter placement on these things is a pain in the [censored] anyway.

 

[k24a4]

The engine would be fine with dino oil at that interval. If you have not done so already do a google search of Bitog with "honda accord i4" or "Honda k24" UOA or used oil analysis. Peruse the results. What you will find is that your particular engine is very easy on oil, dino or syn, and that some users, myself included, have gone 10k or beyond with no issue. It is good that you are checking the oil level-there have been rare reports of users running low to the detriment of the timing chain and/or tensioner. This would concern me more, not the oil type or duration of use.

If you do not have the maintenance records or have not done it yourself I would suggest changing out all the other fluids for the time rather than mileage intervals: ATF/MTF, coolant, power steering, and brake. For all but the brake fluid I would use Honda branded.

I just wrote a 150k (241400km) review of my '04 Accord in the vehicle section. Great car. It should serve you well.

 

[tig1]

I have been using M1 oils for 37 years(at 10K miles OCIs) and now M1 0-20 AFE in both of my Ford Duratech 4 cyl engines. Outstanding results as both engines are like new clean and show no sign of wear.

 

[Yah-Tah-Hey]

Mobil I 0w-30 AFE or EP and DENSO oil and air filter.

 

[RTexasF]

That is excellent oil and an excellent filter. Since you drive less than 5,000 miles in 6 months it is also major overkill. Any name brand standard oil will do the job in spades. With such low mileage it should not be using a liter between changes. That is common when first changing to synthetic and may stop when going back to regular oil.

Stick with 8000 km or six months but at that interval you are throwing good money out the window and perfectly good synthetic oil is being thrown out as well. There is simply no need or advantage to synthetic oil in this instance.

 

[cptbarkey]

that engine is bullet proof. put some great value canola in there and it will run for years and possibly smell like fried pickles to boot.

 

[Red91]

'03 Accord, your miles, here's my recommendation: QS conventional in your favorite grade with a Driveworks/Pronto/Napa ProSelect/Purolator/Fram/CARQUEST filter.
What I'd use: QS conventional or HM 10W-40 with a Pronto/CARQUEST/Driveworks filter.

 

[asker123]

OK Thanks everyone for your contribution.
I get some of your's point that synthetic oil might not really be necessary in my application but somehow I think its a better oil and might keep engine running nice.
I have two queries
1) I have heard ( from people and on internet) that mobil 1 oil is known to have consumption issue. By changing the oil to another brand ( lets say Penzoil platinum) can reduce the consumption issue? But how does it work? Aren't the same grade ( lets say 5W20) oils expected to behave same way?

2) My consumption is typically one Liter between oil changes ( I typically do 5000 to 6000 km) between OCI which is 6 months. What issues the oil consumption can cause to the engine? If I top up the oil and never let it run on low oil, other than that I am spending more money on oil, does is cause any other adverse impact to the engine or to any other car systems in any way ?

 

[Teetsdownlow]

Just got my civic and it doesn't burn any oil. If it burns there is a reason. Other than saturns where it says in the manual to expect oil loss between oil changes lol. Could be a shearing problem, to just going pass your oil rings.

If I was you I would run a quaker state ultimate durability if you are really wanting a full synthetic. A solid choice for you would be a pennzoil yellow bottle or high mileage with a napa or wix filter.