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No one has a stright answer on this. Are there any honda techs on this site that can answer this once and for all?
At what millage is it safe to start using sythetics? I know that honda recomends 5-20W, but thats for normal driving. Not for constantly reving the engine to 7000rpms in 90 degree weather in Miami, FL.

If yes or No. Plase explain Why.

 
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I asked a tech once and all the info i got was that once you go synthetic, dont go back... i dunno why. also, i was told that around your 2nd oil change or around 8k... i may be wrong.


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What a mystery. I guess will never know the reall reason why or why not.

 
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Go to the Castrol website. they will answer any question you may have including: Once I go synthetic, can I switch back? Yes, It's only a rumor that you can't switch back...Don't belive me, check it out for yourself.

 
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To clarify a bit, synthetic oil is not some huge mystery oil. Normal oil is made from crude oil, which has impurities and imperfections in the oil base. Refineries remove or separate most of this, but there is a limit. A synthetic oil is made from a pure substance, so some of its benefits are: better resistance to cold, higher temperature ratings, and less chance of oxidation. These are all good benefits, with the only negative being cost. The synthetics oils cost more, past that there is no bad reason to use them.

There is no specific time to switch. You can use synthetic oil the first oil change. Many manufactures put synthetic oil in from day one. You can go back and forth, you do not need to flush your engine, and if you need to add a quart of regular oil, that is also not a problem. You use a normal oil filter and you should change your oil at the normal change time. It will not void your warranty, in fact any oil that is rated by SAE standards will not void your warranty.

So use the oil, use an OEM filter, use a drain plug washer, change it at around 5000 miles and don't worry about it.

 
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But is there a problem with the oil becoming thicker than 20W when hot, and not flowing as good through the engine? In other words if 30W when hot is better, why did't honda recomend 5-30 insted?

 
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Who makes a 5W20 synthetic? All I heard was Amsoil. So for now, we're very limited in options to go synthetic.

 
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Basically, you are referring to a viscosity range on mulit grades. Our cars need 5W-20W. The thinner oil helps it run in a fuel efficient manner, while the higher temp protects against heat.

None of the major companies make anything for our cars besides a 5W-30W. I am not worried about this at all. The oil will still an excellent job of protecting our cars, and if it gets hotter, then there is a little extra protection.

 
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Amsoil 5w20, my car loves it....

 
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Actually it's highly reccomended that you only switch to Synthetic after 5k miles... Because synthetic oil is more slippery it won't allow for a proper break-in like regular Oil will.

As for the 5w30 Synthetic oil.. it's what I've been using since my first oil change..No Problems.. no loss of power, No problem in winter when it's down near the -15 mark..Only effect I've noticed is that when I change the oil it's much cleaner due to the bette rlubrication properties of synthetics..and there's no sludge build-ups on my oil cap..(something tha happens if you drive short distances often without the engine really warming up)..

Cheers
Mohawk

 
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I live in Puerto Rico, the weather is warm all year round, similar to Miami. I had been using 10w-30 since the first oil change. considering the fact that my car is driven pedel to the metal quite often i recently changed to straight up SAE 30. see the thing is that the multigrade's purpose is to help the engine turnover in cold climates but since the coldest it will get here is high 60's(and that is very rare) i found the oil consitency to be better and remain intact longer with the straight up viscosity. A lot of people will not agree with me but its what has worked the best for me. i do plan to try the synthetic but the cost makes think about it twice.

 
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<< ... but since the coldest it will get here is high 60's(and that is very rare) i.... >>



thats it im moving!!! [IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/IMG]

yeah "straightweight" oil would be good in an enviroment like that....

 
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I use Mobil 1 synthetic 5w30. I just had it put it at my first oil change. It was a free oil change but i still had to pay 20 dollars for the synthetic oil because its so expensive...and the fact that who ever changed my oil had to walk their lazy *** into another room to get the oil.

 
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I've used Mobil One 5w-30 Synthetic oil since my first oil change. And I haven't had any problems or noticed anything different.

 
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I have 34,000 miles. Is it ok for me to switch?? I've been told that you can't switch after a lot of miles? I really don't think that is a lot, but, what do I know?

<< I am the master of my fate; i am the captain of my civic >>




MY Ride

 
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it's never too laye to change... Only if you have like 90K++++ miles then the synthetic will clean the dirt off your seals..which the dirt is probably holding your seals together..

Cheers
Mohawk

 
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I heard dat[IMG]i/expressions/moon.gif[/IMG]

 
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Do you need to flush your engine when going to synthetic? I'm at 12,000 km (7,461 miles) right now, and I'm debating to go synthetic. For now my choices are Amsoil 5W20 or another reputable brand's 5W30.

1) Can I just change the oil for synthetic straight up or are there any special procedures that must be done?

2) If down the road I want to change to conventional again, is there anything I have to do?

3) When I go for service at the dealer, how does that work? Since they give you 5W20? Do I have to buy my own synthetic and tell them to use that instead?

Sorry for all the questions together! I've been trying to read up on synthetics and it sure sounds promising. I don't think the cost is that much more either...

 
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i've been using mobil1 5w30 too since i first changed my oil...5w30 is what was recommended on my 2000 civic, it really doesn't make much of a difference.....

 
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hey klam

nothing special needs to be done.

you can change later if you want to no problems

don't know about the dealer.

only thing is changing between different syn brands is not recommended, so when you pick one stick with it.

 
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Any recommendations on a particular brand of synthetic? Amsoil 5W20? (Where can I get that in Toronto??) Castol Syntec? Mobil1?

 
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you should be able to change between brands, since sometimes the major companies buy from eachother when their supply gets low.

 
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I e-mailed Castrol today and this is what I got:

Castrol has introduced GTX 5W-20 to the motor oil market to meet consumer
demand.

GTX 5W-20 exceeds Ford specification WSS-M2C153-H. It also exceeds 2001
model year
service fill requirements for both Ford and Honda vehicles where SAE 5W-20
motor oil is
specified. Advanced base oil technology meets API SJ, ILSAC GF-3; GF-2 and
the anticipated
API SL service categories.

We are working on a fully synthetic 5W-20, which hopefully will be available
the last quarter of
the year 2002.

 
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mobil 1 is the best