Time for the oil to be changed. Was thinking of switching from 5w20 to 0w20 on my '05 HAH. Have an extended warranty to 100k (I'm now at the 45k mark). Will using 0w20 affect my warranty? Has anyone starting using 0w20, and does it make any difference?
Thanks.

 

What does the HAH manual recommend? The engine in the HAH is not the same type found in the HCH which requires 0W20 (but 5w20 can be used, but i wouldn't).

I believe the non hybrid accord has the same engine and does NOT require 0W20. I would recommend staying with 5W20 for that engine.

 

I have some 30k miles on my 05 hah. I of course used 5w-20 and found 0w-20 made no improvement in mpg, except made for a noisier engine at cold startup time.

I also use 10w-30 and found no mpg loss either but noted a much quieter engine at start.

Now that I got it out of my system, and actually tried the various oils, not just read about em, there is no reason to not go back to 5w-20 as recommended by Honda.

They should know best.

 

To answer the question, I don't know if that'll make any difference in your warranty. However, just to be safe, stick to what the owner's manual recommends: 5W-20. After you hit 100K miles, you can 'experiment' with peace of mind about voiding any warranty. Although, even if you used 0W-20, the dealer would be hard pressed to say that's the reason your engine failed, if it did.

With how reliable Honda engines are, I seriously doubt anyone will suffer any form of engine failure due to using various oil weights, within reason. However, I'd stay away with ultra thick oils, as there are great lengths of small passages in your engine that are designed for a thinner oil to pass through. If you change to say, 20W-50, you *may* not get oil flow to critical areas.

 

Mobil 1 Extended Performance 5w-20 and Mobil 1 filter, each changed at 5000 miles.

 

Mobil 1 0w20 and a Mobil1 Synthetic Filter. Been using this stuff since it came out in the 70's and you cannot beat it. Change it per owners manual - 7500 miles.

 

I would stick with Honda's recommendation. Use of a non-recommended oil grade might be a factor if you ever needed to make a warranty claim. And it might actually be detrimental to your engine, ie: too thin.

I'd be inclined to purchase Honda oil and filters from the dealership, keep all receipts, and maintain a log book.

 

If want to pad your local Honda Dealer's bottom line or if it makes you feel more comfortable getting your changes there, be my guest. I can only talk to 30 years experience with Mobil1.

Honda does not have special oil wells kicking out Honda only oil. Stick to the API Service requirements for the car and any quality brand of oil is fine, with Synthetics providing better and longer protection. There are only a couple refiners these days kicking out oil anyway with different additive compounds based on the requirements of a Castrol vs. a Mobil brand etc.

As for Synthetics, until recently their service rating has usually been 5 pts lower than conventional oils (i.e. 5W30 vs. 10W30.) Back when I started using Mobil1 in the 70's my new T/A required 10W30 and all Mobil1 had was the 5W30. 120K miles later I rebuilt the 400 and it was clean as a whistle and never burned a drop of oil. This was performance upgrade rebuild btw.

I have used it in 5 new cars since with no problems.

Again, I appreciate your advice and I am in no way trying to poke you with this, its just my experience.

T

 

I use 0-20 synthetic AMSOIL, and K&N oil filters, seems to work great.
(I used to have an AMSOIL bypass on it, but took it back off; it made the oil pump whine.)

 

The prime consideration is having an oil that meets the manufacturers specifications and exhibits a viscosity of 8-9 cSt at operating temperature (100 degrees C). Thinner is better at start-up as that is where most of the wear occurs. 0W20 is better therefore, especially in cold climates.