Questions from a new guy with a new car...

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SanTropez1971

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Sep 3, 2003
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Location
Kansas City
I have a Honda Element that is about due for it's first oil change. I am currently at 5000 miles and plan to change it soon. I have a few questions though.

1. I am at odds to wheter or not I am in what they call exreme driving conditions. I mainly drive back and forth to work (30 min each way) and some misc driving around but not much. I live in Kansas City so we do see snow (and salt) in the winter (not daily though) and our summers do get kind of hot. I do drive often with Overdrive off so I guess you could call me leadfoot, lol. So I am not sure if I should follow the extreme conditions schedule or not?

2. Oil. The manual and engine say 5W-20 but I have heard that is only for gas mileage reasons. I want this car to last a long time so should I use a 5W-30?

3. What is your favorite Oil Filter\Oil Brand? Have a URL or contact for cheap pricing?
 
quote:
Originally posted by SanTropez1971:
I have a Honda Element that is about due for it's first oil change. I am currently at 5000 miles and plan to change it soon. I have a few questions though.

1. I am at odds to wheter or not I am in what they call exreme driving conditions. I mainly drive back and forth to work (30 min each way) and some misc driving around but not much. I live in Kansas City so we do see snow (and salt) in the winter (not daily though) and our summers do get kind of hot. I do drive often with Overdrive off so I guess you could call me leadfoot, lol. So I am not sure if I should follow the extreme conditions schedule or not?

2. Oil. The manual and engine say 5W-20 but I have heard that is only for gas mileage reasons. I want this car to last a long time so should I use a 5W-30?

3. What is your favorite Oil Filter\Oil Brand? Have a URL or contact for cheap pricing?
Click to expand...
First,
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Second, if your 30 min drive is not a lot of stop and go, then I DO NOT consider your driving conditions "extreme"

Third, if this were my auto, and I wanted it to last a L O N G time, I would run M1 0W20 from Nov to Apr and M1 5W30 from May to Oct. I think you could safely run 0W20 year round, but if you wanted to err on the side of caution...

I would NEVER run 5W20 dino...no "science" to back that up...I just would not do it.

oops. forgot the filter part...I would run K&N if you can find one for this engine; if not, Napa Gold.

[ September 04, 2003, 05:29 PM: Message edited by: pscholte ]
 
Local...the 0w20 may be pricey, but you should be able to get the 5W30 at Wal-Mart in 5 gallon jugs for just shy of $19...great price! In regards to the 0W being pricey, if you are committed to making your Element last...sometimes you gotta pay a little more...over the life of the vehicle though, 0w20 once a year will only amount to a small piece of the ownership cost although it could pay big dividends in longevity.
 
I have SynLube Lube-4-Life in ALL my cars, I also have FORD FOCUS PZEV that "requires" 5W-20 oil.

The enbgine consumed one quart of the OEM oil in just 1600 miles. The price for the MotorCraft oil at the dealer is almost $5.00 per quart (california)

With the SynLube I have not had to add any oil in my other cars for over 10,000 miles.

(CHEVY NOVA, CRYCLER CONCORDE, GEO METRO)


The cost of Syn Kit for most cars is about $150 to $180 but well worth it if you plan to keep your car for a long time and do not have time to waste on oil changes.

I have amy friends with Hondas that have it in civics and accords for over 100,000 miles and they ALL love the stuff !

SynLube IS the best Motor Oil for YOU !!!

[ September 09, 2003, 12:54 PM: Message edited by: BOBISTHEOILGUY ]
 
1. Your driving is normal, not extreme.

2. I would use the 5W30 oil.

3. I would use Mobil 1 5W30 and a SuperTec filter. Buy both at Wal*Mart. Get the oil in the 5 gallon jug rather than the 1 quart bottles.
 
SanTropaz1971,
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In order to determine what oil is best for you you need to think about the following. How many miles are you planning to go between oil changes and does your dealer care about what grade oil you use in order to keep the warranty in effect. If you're going over 5,000+ miles between oil changes and the dealer doesn't care whether you use a 5W-20 oil then a true synthetic oil such as Mobil 1 5W-30 is fine. If a 20 wt. oil is required for warranty then the Mobil 1 0W-20 is good. If you are going to change the oil in the 3,000+/- range then a good 5W-20 oil that meets the tougher Ford or Honda standards is good. Motorcraft 5W-20 and Pennzoil 5W-20 have both proven themselves to be really good oils for those oil change intervals. In all actuality a "dino" 5W-20 that meets Ford's latest standards is usually better than a dino 5W-30 that does not. In order to meet the tougher Ford standards, which no dino 5W-30 meets, the 5W-20 oil is usually a blend of Group 2 or 2 1/2 plus Group 3. Also If your Element did not use any oil in 5,000 miles so far you don't have to worry about 5W-20 being to thin and burning off. Since that's what the factory put in.

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Where are you guys getting 5 GALLON jugs of Mobil 1 at Walmart. They must weigh at least 40 lbs. each!
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Whimsey
 
Thanks for all the help. Going to WalMart today.

Can I get these at WalMart?

What's a "crush washer" and why is it important to my Honda?
As a Honda owner, the crush washer you should be most concerned with is the one that must be replaced every time you change your motor oil. This crush washer fits between your oil pan and the drain plug. It is a one-time-use washer.
When a new washer is installed and the drain plug is tightened, this washer "crushes" to form a very tight seal, thereby preventing motor oil leaks without overstressing the oil pan threads.
Oil changers who are not aware of its importance may think it's OK to re-use this washer. Since it has already been crushed, it will not collapse further. As a result, the installer may overtighten the drain plug to get a tight fit. This can eventually lead to stripped threads in the oil pan -- a very expensive repair.
This is another example of why your Honda dealer is the easy choice for your service needs. Honda dealers know your Honda best.
 
Yeah, right. Crush washer. How many of you out there actually DO this????? I have never, in the umpteen ka-jillion times that I have changed oil, stripped out drain threads. They really don't need to be that tight at all anyway. As soon as the engine heats up, the metal expands and pretty much makes a "I ain't never coming off" grip on the pan. Let's not get into dealership work today......
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The oil pan drain plug is THE main reason I began doing my own changes. The guys at the local lube shop were putting them back on with a freakin' death grip and when I tried to take one off myself, I had to go to a garage to get it loosened! As for the 5w20, the 'dino' stuff that meets the Ford WSSM2C153H spec is a synthetic blend and a good oil. I prefer the Castrol GTX because its actually close to being a 30 wt.
 
The local saturn dealer, stripped out the plug on my mothers saturn. It obviously crossthreaded it, and then shot it down with an impact wrench. I had to use a 1/2 inch drive ratchet to back it out....the entire length of the threads. I now have to use a rubber washer to make it seal.
 
Oh yeah,
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to the site. Not trying to 'dis you or anything
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. I have had my share of drain plug problems, just like mikemc said. One time, I had to get my 3/4 inch adaptor to my 1/2 inch 9/16 socket, and put on my home made "breaker" pipe to get that thing off. Thought for a while there they welded the thing shut. I've had some stripped out at dealerships and quickielubes as well. But still haven't replaced a washer yet, especially if they are made out of copper.
 
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