Mechanic recommends 5W30 over 5W20 for Acura RSX
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I agree with Jeff. Does this mechanic have specific schooling tribology?
I know where your mechanic is coming from; it's advice from back when engines wore out more and oils weren't as good. He's not wrong per se, and 5w-30 won't really hurt, but I would stick with what Acura says. A good 5w-20 will be best for that engine, no matter what the mileage.
Mechanics know NOTHING about oil.
I worked in Parts for Ford shops for 7 years, not a single one of them knew anything about oil, including myself, until I came here.
He knows zero. Take his advice accordingly.
I worked in Parts for Ford shops for 7 years, not a single one of them knew anything about oil, including myself, until I came here.
He knows zero. Take his advice accordingly.
60k on the Honda K20 motor? That engine is barely broken in.
I don't see a need to stray from the manufacturer's recommendation; especially with Ontario's climate.
I don't see a need to stray from the manufacturer's recommendation; especially with Ontario's climate.
I am finding that this is common advice from a lot of dealer service managers, at least GM dealers. The 3 GM dealers closest to me have a Pennzoil 5W/10W-30 in their bulk tanks for customer oil changes. As the only dealer in a small town, Ford and Chrysler customers also get 30 grade. They have gallon jugs of Mobil 1 0W-40, Mobil 1 5W-40, and 1 quart bottles of Mobil 1 5W/10W-30. One local dealer did not have any Goodwrench oil. I bought a new Silverado pickup a few weeks ago and the service manager recommended I get the 5W-30 and put in a heavier oil. My nephew just bought a new Corvette and was advised to put Mobil 1 0W-40 in it ASAP
I would guess it would be a good idea to specify you want bottled or jugs of oil if you get your oil changed at a dealer and want a 20 grade oil or a 5W-30 grade oil.
I like and prefer the heavier grade oils. I have used 15W-50 in every car I or my extended family has owned since early 1990. My daughter's Chrysler called for a 20 grade. I told her to put in M1 15W-50 as soon as she got it. She now has 116,000 miles, no problems of any kind, and exceeds EPA mileage estimates for both town and highway.
I would guess it would be a good idea to specify you want bottled or jugs of oil if you get your oil changed at a dealer and want a 20 grade oil or a 5W-30 grade oil.
I like and prefer the heavier grade oils. I have used 15W-50 in every car I or my extended family has owned since early 1990. My daughter's Chrysler called for a 20 grade. I told her to put in M1 15W-50 as soon as she got it. She now has 116,000 miles, no problems of any kind, and exceeds EPA mileage estimates for both town and highway.
We have to keep in mind that an Ontario heat wave is like a Florida cold spell. I'd stick with 5w-20 unless there was a lot of oil loss between OCI's.
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When some one make a declaration like that, I say quiz them on their background knowledge. Does he know how the w rating systems works, or more on-subject...how much thicker is 30 over 20 and where does he get his oil testing done to back-up his claims.
I would use what ever I wanted to use! I could care less what Toyota or in your case Honda recomends. A recomendation is just that it is not a command that must be followed to the letter. If you are running a synthetic I would play around with all kinds of different viscosites and see what UOA has to say about it. If I was going to use dino I would stick with an SM 5W20 or 5W30 I do not think it matters much wich one you use since they are both going to work just fine in your application. If you wanted a decent oil at rock bottom prices it would be hard to pass up TropArtic 5W30 which is semi-synthetic and about $1.84 a quart! I have never seen a 5W20 that cheap.
As for the mechanic knowing nothing about tribology well it does not take rocket science to see what works best for most of the vechiles that come in to the shop. How hard is it to make observations about long term health of a product based on oil and service recieved when you see 10-20 of them a day every day 5-6 days a week year round.
Originally Posted By: ProfPS
We have to keep in mind that an Ontario heat wave is like a Florida cold spell. I'd stick with 5w-20 unless there was a lot of oil loss between OCI's.
You do realize that parts of southern ontario are further south than many of the most northern states? The last few weeks it's been hovering around 30celsius, and it's not unheard of during a summer heat wave to hit 35 and up.
Regardless, still not hot enough to warrant a heavier oil than the recommended 5w20.
We have to keep in mind that an Ontario heat wave is like a Florida cold spell. I'd stick with 5w-20 unless there was a lot of oil loss between OCI's.
You do realize that parts of southern ontario are further south than many of the most northern states? The last few weeks it's been hovering around 30celsius, and it's not unheard of during a summer heat wave to hit 35 and up.
Regardless, still not hot enough to warrant a heavier oil than the recommended 5w20.
It's not a huge difference. The mechanic did not recommend 20-50! Maybe use the 5-30 in summertime, if you want.
Originally Posted By: JohnBrowning
As for the mechanic knowing nothing about tribology well it does not take rocket science to see what works best for most of the vechiles that come in to the shop. How hard is it to make observations about long term health of a product based on oil and service recieved when you see 10-20 of them a day every day 5-6 days a week year round.
I totally agree. What's wrong with using common sense? You don't have to have a degree to put 2 and 2 together.
As for the mechanic knowing nothing about tribology well it does not take rocket science to see what works best for most of the vechiles that come in to the shop. How hard is it to make observations about long term health of a product based on oil and service recieved when you see 10-20 of them a day every day 5-6 days a week year round.
I totally agree. What's wrong with using common sense? You don't have to have a degree to put 2 and 2 together.
Originally Posted By: JohnBrowning
As for the mechanic knowing nothing about tribology well it does not take rocket science to see what works best for most of the vechiles that come in to the shop. How hard is it to make observations about long term health of a product based on oil and service recieved when you see 10-20 of them a day every day 5-6 days a week year round.
Because you only see a small snapshot of the engine's health, and you almost never see fuel economy unless you ask or the customer complains about it.
As for the mechanic knowing nothing about tribology well it does not take rocket science to see what works best for most of the vechiles that come in to the shop. How hard is it to make observations about long term health of a product based on oil and service recieved when you see 10-20 of them a day every day 5-6 days a week year round.
Because you only see a small snapshot of the engine's health, and you almost never see fuel economy unless you ask or the customer complains about it.
If your happy with what you've been doing stick with it. But I usually step up a grade when I have to start adding a quart of oil between OCIs to keep it above the add mark.
Originally Posted By: d00df00d
Originally Posted By: JohnBrowning
As for the mechanic knowing nothing about tribology well it does not take rocket science to see what works best for most of the vechiles that come in to the shop. How hard is it to make observations about long term health of a product based on oil and service recieved when you see 10-20 of them a day every day 5-6 days a week year round.
Because you only see a small snapshot of the engine's health, and you almost never see fuel economy unless you ask or the customer complains about it.
Fuel economy? It's practically immeasurable between a 20 and 30wt. I would rather run the right viscosity for my climate and driving style even if it means losing .000000001mpg.
Originally Posted By: JohnBrowning
As for the mechanic knowing nothing about tribology well it does not take rocket science to see what works best for most of the vechiles that come in to the shop. How hard is it to make observations about long term health of a product based on oil and service recieved when you see 10-20 of them a day every day 5-6 days a week year round.
Because you only see a small snapshot of the engine's health, and you almost never see fuel economy unless you ask or the customer complains about it.
Fuel economy? It's practically immeasurable between a 20 and 30wt. I would rather run the right viscosity for my climate and driving style even if it means losing .000000001mpg.
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