I keep reading about a oil % left gauge but don't seem to have one
where would I find this
I have a 07 HCH II and am in England
The car looks like the one posted in the "spy" photos
It has a Gamin/Honda satnav - not centre consul
Also is 0w 20 oil available in England
is this what I would get from a Honda dealer service or would they use a lower grade oil
Mobil did not reply when I asked if they sell this in England

thanks

robin
44mpg in London commute

 

You need to press the SEL button on your dash. The same button you use to rotate through the Trip A, Trip B, Outside Temp, etc. Oil life is in there. It will also come up automatically once it reaches 20% or lower.

As for the oil, use what Honda uses. Dealers are required in the States to list what oil they use on the vehicle. It would be a really bad move on a dealer to use inferior oil if you go there every time for an oil change. I wouldn't trust a non-Honda dealership to change the oil because the Hybrid has a cover shield over under the engine and needs to be removed if they want to get to the oil bolt and filter.

Your oil change should cost the equivelent to xx oil changes in months / miles. Basically you are told in older cars to change every 3000 miles or 3 months, a standard oil change for that older cars is around $30.00. 30.00 x (X) miles/months = your cost.

If it cost more than that then you need to shop around.

 

Robin,

you won't find the oil age indicator in EU models.

And, yes I have been looking all over EU online shops for 0W20 oil. It is simply not available here. The explanation I have got is that fuel economy laws (or other regulations) forced manufacturers to bring fuel efficiency up quickly in US, so they simply changed the oil specification to 0W20, 5W20 or similar. I don't know for sure if this is true, but I know that a lot of US Fords have this oil spec. Also 5 L V8 engines. (Which btw makes any european confused. Why build a five liter cast-iron, push-rod engine with lousy specific power output and fuel efficiency, then improve FE with less viscous oil?)

If you find 0W20 oil available online, please let me know. The closest I have got so far is a Ford service/repair shop 500 km from where I live, that apparently imports the oil to be able to service US Ford models with the exact oil spec. Motorcraft btw. (Probably fits the Honda spec as well.)

I am running 5W30 since the last service. The dealer hadn't noticed what oil was specified, but after I told them they did make an effort to get hold of 0W20, but failed. I believe them. And yes, I do believe FE is down around 10% since, especially affected are shorter trips in cold weather. Though 5W30 can in no way harm the engine, only FE.

Pick a guess on what oil your UK Honda dealer fills.

Regards,
Rolf

 

Thanks for your replys guys

Rolf 0W 30 oil is sold by Saab
I just managed to buy 20L of "Honda" 0w 20 on ebay uk item 260154923448
£45 for 20L seems like a bargin - have to see what I get ...

I wonder if there is a "Hack" for the oil display
something along the lines of hold down the sel key while turning on the ignition ?

thanks

robin

 

Does your Honda dealer not handle 0-20 wt. oil? They should. H