Hello all.

I have a question. Today I called Honda dealer to make an appointment for the service. I was told before for a mecanic they use 5w30 oil(non syntethic) in all their cars. I told him that in the maintenance book it says 0w20 and he says it was incorrect the book that "honda mexico" says it should be used 5w30. They also state that I will lose my warranty if I do not do the maintenance(oil, and filter) every 3 miles and i should never go above 6 miles or I lose my warranty. I call other hondas and all say the same. I told him (the maintenance supervisor) about the maintenance minder and he says it was not correct either. WTF?

What should I do if they say i am incorrect and the only oil they have is this one. He says it because here is not as cold as other places. Any help?

 

Did you purchase the car in Mexico, or did you purchase it in the US?

Open the hood and see what is printed on the oil cap on the engine.....5w30, 5w20, or 0W20?
Use whatever it says, if possible.

Your owners manual explains about the maintenance minder system, yes? That works pretty well IF you use the high quality oil recommended by Honda (the manufacturer, not your local dealer).....but if the local dealers are filling it with the cheapest low quality bunk oil they can buy, then more frequent oil changes may be necessary.

 

Methinks your dealer has a glut of 5w30 oil and is trying to pawn it off on you by saying the book is wrong. I'd report them to Honda directly so that the parents can take care of their errant kids.

I downloaded my '16 LX pdf owners manual to make for easier reading than flipping through the paper version. There it is on p.431, 0w20.

 

he has a mexican fit and his manual is similar but different than yours.

 

The engine is the same as US, isn't it?

 

I wouldn't even go to the dealer for an oil change. The cap says 0w20 so that is what I'm going to use when I change my own oil and filter.

 

It's not the engine which is different in Mexico, it's the climate. I'm guessing that because it's hotter down there they want owners to use the slightly thicker oil otherwise it may thin out too much in their heat.

 

That's some old school BS thinking right there.... No bueno for any any remotely modern engine.

The engine operating temperature is far higher than the environment in any country....Even with hot peppers.


The oil specified on the cap is perfectly correct--- no matter what country the car goes to.

 

0W20 is what i use in my GE and what i will use in my wife's GK. Mobil1 green cap

 

A misconception - Mexico is not necessarily hotter. A big part of the population lives in higher elevation, which means cool/temperate weather year round. Those who don't, and who live in warm/hot places experience temps similar (with some higher and some lower) to what most of the south, plains, east coast, experiences in the late spring, summer, early fall.
Although the OP did write: "He says it because here is not as cold as other places," which is true, in general (except for a few high elevations) Mexico does not get as cold as many places in the US.
Regardless, I also think WTF regarding the dealer - they should use the oil specified by the maintenance book. Floridians get the 0w20 and it doesn't get that cold there either.

 

5w20 synthetic works wonders for me. I always get it on sale.

 

Anyone who puts more viscous oil in their car than the mfr states is making a mistake. It is only thicker and heavier when cold. Operating temperatures all oil is very similar. The risk of damage with any oil is at start up when it's too viscous to move around and do its job.

You should use what Honda specs in the engine. None of you know better than the engineers who designed it.

0w20. I like the Mobil 1 full synthetic as well, as stated above.

 

Oh goody another oil thread.. DogPile!

Honda recommends, (Like ALL manufacturers) the oil that will get the car through its warranty, AND meet any governmental requirements for mileage clean air protecting pandas whatever. The terminal life of the car and your happiness means nothing to them. And Anyone that believes otherwise is being naive..

There is very very little difference in the viscosity at normal room temperatures of 0w-30, 5W-30 and 10w30 (I have tested them on a certified test stand.. )

The easiest way to think of it is the first number is the equivalent single weight viscosity rating at freezing and the second number if the equivalent single weight viscosity at 100C/212F. (Not exact but its darn close) This is how Multi grade oils USED to be rated when they first came out. If you draw simple line graphs of each rated oil and lay them on top of each other they overlap heavily except in the bottom and top. Most manufacturers list a severe duty oil as well, in fact most of us meet or come dang close to that requirement.

At the end of the day it won't matter if you keep clean oil in the engine and service it regularly..

If you haven't pulled 3 samples and had them analyzed between oil changes your guessing at best.

 

Hola Kike,

Honda Uruguay does exactly the same as Honda Mexico, 5.000Km services using 5W30 non-synthetic oil, and this is done following Honda guideline.
It's fine.

To clarify things to US Fit owners.
Fits built in Mexico for South America have exactly the same mechanics as the US version, but (at least the ones sold here) don't have the computer that tells you when to do the service according to the car use, you are tied to an old school fixed mile maintenance schedule.
Besides that, at least in Uruguay, if you want to keep your 3year 100.000Km warranty, you must do your services in an authorized service shop (not necesarily a dealer).
If you fail to do that, forget about the warranty.

On the other hand, besides the annoyance of frequent services, Honda charges 1/3 of what VW or Peugeot charge for their services, done at 15.000Km intervals so it's not money greed what leads Honda to such a short service interval.
They say that as Uruguayan roads are very dusty, high humidity is always present and the way that most cars are used (lots of short trips, very few miles a year) this kind of schedule is what's best.