Who makes Honda oil used at the Ohio factory?

[cookieman214]

My question is this: Who manufactures the motor oil that American Honda puts in their new Accords at the Anna, Ohio engine plant? I am aware that "Phillips 66 Lubricants has signed an agreement to continue manufacturing and supplying service-fill lubricants for the American Honda Motor Co. Inc. (AHM) through 2019. As a result of the agreement, Phillips 66 Lubricants will remain the exclusive provider for most Honda- and Acura-branded engine oil, lubricants and other vital fluids to dealers throughout the U.S." I also know that Exxon/Mobil had the AHM contract prior to Phillips 66 receiving it in the fall of 2010. I think the verbiage that confuses me is "continue manufacturing and supplying service-fill lubricants" and "exclusive provider for most Honda- and Acura-branded engine oil, lubricants and other vital fluids to dealers throughout the U.S." Does Phillip 66 Lubricants provide the motor oil that AHM uses on the assembly line?

 

[Oilis_Oil]

Im sure whoever the supplier they have a contract with on that particular day is who's oil is in that engine at that current time of assembly.

 

[skyactiv]

What the factory uses and what the dealers use are probably two different things. Living in central Ohio close not to far from the Marysville plant, I have seen a Fuchs tanker truck a few times in the area. Probably meaningless as I'm guessing the plant gets a rail tanker of oil. I bet the engines are shipped dry to the Marysville plant and filled with all required fluids during assembly.

 

[PimTac]

I would guess it is the Honda oil made by ConocoPhillips. Different regions have different contracts.

 

[bmwtechguy]

I would be surprised if the engines are filled here in the US and being shipped in from Japan. BMW ships their engines over filled with oil already. I think they cold and hot test many at the engine plants. I believe they currently come with Fuchs in the crankcase, 0W-20 and 0W-30.

 

[cookieman214]

Originally Posted By: bmwtechguy

I would be surprised if the engines are filled here in the US and being shipped in from Japan. BMW ships their engines over filled with oil already. I think they cold and hot test many at the engine plants. I believe they currently come with Fuchs in the crankcase, 0W-20 and 0W-30.

The engines used in Accords are manufactured just down the road in Anna, Ohio. From Honda's website: "Our Anna Engine Plant produces turbo, four cylinder and V-6 Earth Dreams Technology™ engines, as well as Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) pulleys".

 

[HondaBroMike]

One thing about the FF oil is it comes with over 500 PPM of moly and high Viscosity Index. I wonder if that brew and swill an swig is made by CP or Idemitsu, the previous OEM for Honda. Also, what about the Swindon plant in the U.K. What kinda swig they got there for FF? (You know it has the moly but still...details please..) Conoco Phillips hence the 66 trucks. Case solved. Now the Swindon plant in the U.K., where they make the mighty hatches and Type Rs!, what do they use..prolly same swig and chug.

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: PimTac

I would guess it is the Honda oil made by ConocoPhillips. Different regions have different contracts.

But isn't it supposed to be Honda's special pixie dust factory fill?

 

[PimTac]

Originally Posted By: Garak

Originally Posted By: PimTac

I would guess it is the Honda oil made by ConocoPhillips. Different regions have different contracts.

But isn't it supposed to be Honda's special pixie dust factory fill?

You might think that but as we know with the almighty TGMO, it just ain’t the same anymore.

 

[PimTac]

Originally Posted By: HondaBroMike

One thing about the FF oil is it comes with over 500 PPM of moly and high Viscosity Index. I wonder if that brew and swill an swig is made by CP or Idemitsu, the previous OEM for Honda. Also, what about the Swindon plant in the U.K. What kinda swig they got there for FF? (You know it has the moly but still...details please..) Conoco Phillips hence the 66 trucks. Case solved. Now the Swindon plant in the U.K., where they make the mighty hatches and Type Rs!, what do they use..prolly same swig and chug.

Idemitsu makes the Honda oil for the JDM. Everyone else gets whoever wins the contracts.

 

[Balrog006]

Originally Posted By: Garak

Originally Posted By: PimTac

I would guess it is the Honda oil made by ConocoPhillips. Different regions have different contracts.

But isn't it supposed to be Honda's special pixie dust factory fill?

It’s actually the moly modified greases and sealants used in engine assembly not the oil that special in the factory fill that they like you to do break in with. It’s been posted by Honda techs here many times.

 

[Garak]

Agreed, but it always makes for a nice story.

 

[cookieman214]

I sent an email to Philipps 66 Lubricants asking if they provided factory fill for Honda. The plot thickens! Here is the response I just received: Thank you for contacting Phillips 66 technical services.  Unfortunately we cannot confirm or deny the use of our products in Honda factory fill applications.  You will need to contact Honda directly for more information on what products they use.   Please let me know if I can be of further assistance.   Thank you! Jake Finn Lubricants Technical Services – Product Specialist 877.445.9198 

 

[kschachn]

Can you explain why it would matter who it is? Even if you knew, what would you do with that information? Many manufacturers and blenders make many brands of oil.

 

[cookieman214]

Originally Posted By: kschachn

Can you explain why it would matter who it is? Even if you knew, what would you do with that information? Many manufacturers and blenders make many brands of oil.

It does not matter, and I can't do anything with the information. My life will not change if I find out the answer. I guess your comments apply to 87.9% of the questions asked and information learned on this forum.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: HondaBroMike

One thing about the FF oil is it comes with over 500 PPM of moly

How do we know that the moly comes from the oil and not from some assembly grease/lube that's applied to engine internals?

 

[kschachn]

Originally Posted By: cookieman214

I guess your comments apply to 87.9% of the questions asked and information learned on this forum.

I'll agree with you there. What prompted the question was that often you will see people asking about who makes an oil, then go on to assume that since "XYZ" makes it then it is the same as some other oil that XYZ makes. That was my basis for asking.

 

[Indydriver]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete

Originally Posted By: HondaBroMike

One thing about the FF oil is it comes with over 500 PPM of moly

How do we know that the moly comes from the oil and not from some assembly grease/lube that's applied to engine internals?

It is neither. The moly comes from a special surface treatment that “impregnates” the surface of the piston skirts which creates a time-release of moly into the crankcase oil. This was announced in a press release for MY2011 and subsequently began showing up in BITOG UOAs. What wasn’t announced was that it was part of the engineering solution to the ongoing VCM failures. Because of this change, Honda went crazy beating it into the dealers that FF was NOT to be changed out early. And so, the many urban legends began about the secret foo-foo oil used in the factory.

 

[Hall]

Originally Posted By: cookieman214

I sent an email to Philipps 66 Lubricants asking if they provided factory fill for Honda. The plot thickens! Here is the response I just received:

That is no doubt a boilerplate answer. As he said, people need to ask the 'user', in this case Honda, questions like this. Companies rarely disclose who their customers are, especially in a case of "branding" (not exactly branding in this case but if one asked "do you make the Honda-branded oil sold at dealers?"). Asking Honda about this oil will get you nowhere as well. Their response will be either "it's industry-standard motor oil", "it's not available for sale to the public", or they'll ignore your specific question and just tell you to use any motor oil that meets the specs given in the owner's manual.

 

[Redland1]

I don’t know about this year,but I know for a fact last year ConocoPhillips was the factory fill for Honda.I buy almost all of my oil from a strictly ConocoPhillips distributor and when my wife had her 2016 accord sport I went to them to get 0w20 and they asked if it was for a Honda and I told them yes and he proceeds to tell me that they have pallets full of ConocoPhillips oil in Honda packaging,but he could not sell it to me and that they were going directly to the dealers.They even showed me the pallets.