Recommended vs Required oil for a 2012 Honda Pilot

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The correct answer is 5W-20 is the Preferred viscosity.
0W-20 is Acceptable if 5W-20 is not available.

Preferred = Four Star General
Acceptable = Lieutenant Colonel
 
How much was the saving of using 5w20 Conventional and using the Honda Recommended 0w20 Synthetic?

If we are talking about $100 i can sort lf see where the OP is coming from.

But if the difference between the two is less than $10 i can't see the saving being worthwhile.

I have read a lot about the Pilot being problematic due to the cylinder deactivation.

That issue alone would make me stick with full synthetic.

Though i would probably use 5w30, but being from the UK where thinner oils are relatively new that is no surprise.

I am not running my 2WD VCM 07 Pilot on 0w20 or 5w20 (top up oil was 5w40, if i remember correctly, and that or Mobil 1 0w40 is likely what will go in at the next oil and filter change)
 
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Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
If blue outranks yellow, that means that 5W-20 is the PREFERRED viscosity.

"Preferred" always outranks "Acceptable."

But I wonder why they chose brown for 5W-30.
grin2.gif



But a 2012 is 0w20 only.
 
Originally Posted By: Keats
Lots of great answers but no one actually addressed the question I asked. Must I use Synthetic 0W-20 (REQUIRED) or can I use a conventional similar weight ?
-snip-
Thanks for all the good replies.
Keats Peoria, Az.
P.S. cold starts here may be as low as the upper 20's in January. No need for a 0W weight. All that does is increase the CAFE rating by a fraction of a MPG for the feds..


No, Synthetic 0w20 is NOT required
smile.gif
 
Originally Posted By: Keats
Lots of great answers but no one actually addressed the question I asked. Must I use Synthetic 0W-20 (REQUIRED) or can I use a conventional similar weight ?
I guess is just boils down to must or should. One is REQUIRED and one is RECOMMENDED.
I have an extended 10 yr. warranty thru Honda but by using a conventional oil will it void the warranty?
I suppose that having a coupon for a $19.95 oil & filter change that becomes $29.95 because they want to use a synthetic oil is like a bait and switch scam.
If the owners manual read Required to use 0W-20 synthetic than it might be a bit easier to understand.
I'll just do my own oil changes from now on.

Thanks for all the good replies.
Keats Peoria, Az.
P.S. cold starts here may be as low as the upper 20's in January. No need for a 0W weight. All that does is increase the CAFE rating by a fraction of a MPG for the feds..


Are you really wanting to use 5w20 conventional instead of 0w20 synthetic to save $10?
 
Originally Posted By: bigjl
Originally Posted By: Keats
Lots of great answers but no one actually addressed the question I asked. Must I use Synthetic 0W-20 (REQUIRED) or can I use a conventional similar weight ?
I guess is just boils down to must or should. One is REQUIRED and one is RECOMMENDED.
I have an extended 10 yr. warranty thru Honda but by using a conventional oil will it void the warranty?
I suppose that having a coupon for a $19.95 oil & filter change that becomes $29.95 because they want to use a synthetic oil is like a bait and switch scam.
If the owners manual read Required to use 0W-20 synthetic than it might be a bit easier to understand.
I'll just do my own oil changes from now on.

Thanks for all the good replies.
Keats Peoria, Az.
P.S. cold starts here may be as low as the upper 20's in January. No need for a 0W weight. All that does is increase the CAFE rating by a fraction of a MPG for the feds..


Are you really wanting to use 5w20 conventional instead of 0w20 synthetic to save $10?


Forreal. Only $20 for a 5 quart jug of QSUD at WM.
 
Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
Use a 0W20 synthetic.


I'm not sure why you wouldn't want to use a quality 0-20 synthetic.
 
Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
If blue outranks yellow, that means that 5W-20 is the PREFERRED viscosity.

"Preferred" always outranks "Acceptable."

But I wonder why they chose brown for 5W-30.
grin2.gif



Maybe brown equals sludge.
 
Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm


Forreal. Only $20 for a 5 quart jug of QSUD at WM.



And after rebate only $13. If you got to AAP the past month or so, you could have gotten it for $8.95/jug or a net $1.95 after rebate. Some were "paid" to take it home with them.
 
I have the same Pilot. I only use 0w20 syn. Why?

- 0w20 syns are high quality and contain stout base stocks.
- Better flow during cold starts when most wear occurs.
- Engine runs & sounds smooth.
- It's foolish to cheap out on oil with these VCM sludging, plug fouling engines.
- I buy my oil during rebate season and get it for cheaper than dino oil.
 
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You can get the Mazda Moly oil online but there has been some recent discussions over at BITOG that the formulations have changed and the Moly is not the huge amount it once was. This is not confirmed yet.
 
Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
I commend the service advisor for only willing to use a 0W20 in your car,that's what Honda says to use. What if he pulled your car into the shop and said "Who cares what Honda says to use,I'm filling it up with 20W50".

And it would not have hurt a thing. This service tech/ manager is a idiot, I think we both know that and just trying to up-sale you a more expensive oil. If he had any experience or knowledge he would know and customer service he would have made you happy unless it was something really worth refusing to do like put Mercon V in your engine. This whole oil viscosity is so overblown by manual readers.
 
Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
Originally Posted By: Keats
Lots of great answers but no one actually addressed the question I asked. Must I use Synthetic 0W-20 (REQUIRED) or can I use a conventional similar weight ?


You can use whatever oil you want if you DIY at home.


I agree.
....and your car will never know the difference between 0w20 and 5w20 in Arizona.
If you use 'dino' you should change it more frequently......Having said that, I would use 0w20 unless I had a 'stash' of 5w20 to use up...
 
Originally Posted By: slacktide_bitog
Originally Posted By: Keats
Lots of great answers but no one actually addressed the question I asked. Must I use Synthetic 0W-20 (REQUIRED) or can I use a conventional similar weight ?
-snip-
Thanks for all the good replies.
Keats Peoria, Az.
P.S. cold starts here may be as low as the upper 20's in January. No need for a 0W weight. All that does is increase the CAFE rating by a fraction of a MPG for the feds..


No, Synthetic 0w20 is NOT required
smile.gif



I am not aware of a non-synthetic 0W-20, just sayin
smile.gif
 
Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
Originally Posted By: bigjl
Originally Posted By: Keats
Lots of great answers but no one actually addressed the question I asked. Must I use Synthetic 0W-20 (REQUIRED) or can I use a conventional similar weight ?
I guess is just boils down to must or should. One is REQUIRED and one is RECOMMENDED.
I have an extended 10 yr. warranty thru Honda but by using a conventional oil will it void the warranty?
I suppose that having a coupon for a $19.95 oil & filter change that becomes $29.95 because they want to use a synthetic oil is like a bait and switch scam.
If the owners manual read Required to use 0W-20 synthetic than it might be a bit easier to understand.
I'll just do my own oil changes from now on.

Thanks for all the good replies.
Keats Peoria, Az.
P.S. cold starts here may be as low as the upper 20's in January. No need for a 0W weight. All that does is increase the CAFE rating by a fraction of a MPG for the feds..


Are you really wanting to use 5w20 conventional instead of 0w20 synthetic to save $10?


Forreal. Only $20 for a 5 quart jug of QSUD at WM.


I wish we could buy oil this cheap in the UK

When I have my, planned, trip to the US in a years time I will be tempted to bring oil back in my hood baggage.
 
Originally Posted By: Panzerman
Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
I commend the service advisor for only willing to use a 0W20 in your car,that's what Honda says to use. What if he pulled your car into the shop and said "Who cares what Honda says to use,I'm filling it up with 20W50".

And it would not have hurt a thing. This service tech/ manager is a idiot, I think we both know that and just trying to up-sale you a more expensive oil. If he had any experience or knowledge he would know and customer service he would have made you happy unless it was something really worth refusing to do like put Mercon V in your engine. This whole oil viscosity is so overblown by manual readers.


You are talking about the $10 difference as mentioned by the OP?

Vehicle is under extended warranty and the Honda spec seems to be 0w20 only going by the table above.

So what is the service tech misreading?

If the OP wants to put in 5w40 it will make no difference, I have added a litre of 5w40 to my Pilot and it runs sweet.

But it isn’t under Warranty

Imho the issue lies with the previous Honda service tech using the wrong oil.
 
Originally Posted By: OhOMG
I am not aware of a non-synthetic 0W-20, just sayin
smile.gif



They used to exist! Durablend, Pennzoil Gold, and Castrol'd old GTX synblend (before Magnatec came out, but Magnatec 0w20 is a full syn).

I think even Honda's OEM oil and TGMO 0w20 are syn blends. Some of the other OEM brands may be a syn blend too. I know Ford still offers a Motorcraft syn blend 0w20

Regardless, they did exist when the car was new.
 
Originally Posted By: Panzerman
Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
I commend the service advisor for only willing to use a 0W20 in your car,that's what Honda says to use. What if he pulled your car into the shop and said "Who cares what Honda says to use,I'm filling it up with 20W50".

And it would not have hurt a thing. This service tech/ manager is a idiot, I think we both know that and just trying to up-sale you a more expensive oil. If he had any experience or knowledge he would know and customer service he would have made you happy unless it was something really worth refusing to do like put Mercon V in your engine. This whole oil viscosity is so overblown by manual readers.


Posts like this make me chuckle. I’m a service advisor at a Ford dealer and I’ve found that people can be really nearsighted in this regard. Sure, we like higher customer-pay repair orders. But ya know what I like more? Keeping customer’s warranties intact. I’ve had people bring in Chrysler, VW and GM products that require full synthetic oil. Do I loook forward to telling them their oil change will cost over $60? No. Would I enjoy the butt-chewing I’d get if I put 5W-20 blend in a vehicle that requires 0W-20 syn and a customer has a warranty claim denied because of it? Absolutely not. My philosophy as an advisor is to always use wht the manufacturer recommends or requires and deal with the price shock later. I can adjust the cost if needed. I can’t adjust the warranty coverage if the unspecified oil was used.

/rant
 
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