From what I've been reading on the threads, the oil life indicator doesn't really "analyze" the oil, it insteads calculates the oil life based on your driving habits.

So theoretically, does that mean, if I put in the more expensive synthetic, and theoretically drive it the exact same way as using conventional oil, the oil life indicator will be the same even though synthetics are suppose to last longer?

 

Yes- that's what it means.

 

I just had my first oil change @ 5000 miles w/ 30% oil life remaining. I switched to synthethic oil, made two trips totalling approx. 975 miles, and already I'm down to 90%. It's going to interesting to see if the oil life indicator rolls back to 100% when I exceed 5000 miles!!
VBP Sport 5MT

 

the maintenance minder is just there to help you with you maintenance schedule. It was never intended to tell you when to go and change you oil or perform any other services. Service "A" is just change oil, NO FILTER?!. i work for a acura/honda dealer. 3000-5000 miles is the max for oil life. you should always use better judgment and refer to the manual for service intervals.

 

how about those extended life oils? i think that's what they were called. mobil had 2 of them i think, one's supposed to last approx. 5000 miles and the other is 7500 right? also, i thought usually when we change the oil from our cars it almost always still has more life left in it, but it's better to just change it out before it loses all effectiveness than to leave it in till it's useless and f*ck up the motor? please educate.

 

I'll ask here the same question as in the STICKY'd thread on the maintenance minder:

 

You gotta remember who is telling you the oil is extended life,,,,,the oil company that's trying to get yo to buy thier oil!!!!! You don't see the engine manufacturer telling you to not change the oil at the recommended entrival just cuz you bought fancy "long life" oil.
Save your motor and change your oil every 4000 miles,,,money well spent. Less than a tank of gas,,,,,,,,,,,,,,JMHO

 

"grouser" is a friend, so I don't think that he will get bent out of shape if I disagree with him on this. I have used Amsoil synthetic engine oil since 1976. The key point in deciding whether or not to use that brand's drain interval of 25,000 miles is how much you drive the car. If you DRIVE 25000 miles in a year, you can very safely leave the synthetic oil alone for 25000 miles, but you should change the oil filter at 12500 miles and add fresh oil to make up for the oil lost in the filter change.

"grouser's" plan would have you changing the oil 6 times during the same period, and using inferior (but cheaper) oil. The limiting factors of oil life is mainly water contamination from condensation, and solid particle contamination. There is sulfur In "dyno" oil that becomes sulfuric acid when mixed with water, and the acid eats bearings. There is also paraffin in all refined crude oil and the paraffin cannot be refined away. It is the paraffin that solidifies conventional engine oil into a solid, un-flowable mass at extreme cold temperatures making engine block heaters necessary. In Amsoil synthetics, there is NO sulfur and there is NO paraffin.

I do not drive 25000 miles per year (though I used to), but I use the synthetic and change it once per year. If a hidden coolant leak overheats the engine and warps the head or blows the head gasket, coolant now can leak into the crankcase and contaminate whatever oil you are using. When trying to get the longest use out of synthetics, it is a good idea to send a sample of the oil to an analytical lab just to be sure that no hidden problems are ruining whatever oil you use.

The synthetics are man-made, and are a renewable resource. Refined crude is not a renewable resource.

 

Thumbs-up for a great post!

 

Thanks Dave,
I also read your posts with great interest. It's good, but unfortunately rare, to see the facts covered accurately in the face of all the b.s. from info-mercials.

Dave (also)

 

Have you read the article about synthetics and extended oil change intervals -- the authors compared Mobil 1 extended and Amsoil in a Camaro.

 

I had not read that particular article until now (thanks for the link), but I don't obsess over such things after 30+ years of positive experience with the manufacturer who pioneered synthetic lubrication in the automotive field.

The only time that I briefly switched brands was in the mid-'80s when Amsoil changed their formulation and business plan. I tried "Neo Oil" products made in Long Beach, CA, for a short time but found their engine oil to be inferior, switched back to Amsoil and have been with them ever since.

My belief is that any brand of synthetic lubricant is better than refined crude, but which synthetic brand is better than another is a matter of opinion. Amsoil started this market by adapting lubricants that were previously made for and used in jet turbine engines that enabled those engines to survive far more extreme operating conditions than any seen by automotive engines.

As far as I'm concerned, Mobil, Castrol, and all of the other crude oil refiners are merely copying the R&D already done decades earlier by Amsoil.

Once a manufacturer earns my trust, I stay with that manufacturer and am not at all interested in any copy-cats. Mobil offends me by the fact that they could have lead this development- same with Pennsoil, Quaker State, Castrol, et all, but instead chose to let others do the work then horn in on the new market.

Thanks for helping to replace ignorance with knowledge, and replace advertising hype with scientific facts.

 

oil technology has advanced over many years thats why were able to extend oil change intervals. different brands have better qualities than others. use what is recommended. I also use to work for Mercedes-Benz and we used mobil1 for the AMG's. Here at acura we use 5-w20 on everything including the NSX! Remember that stop and go is on the severe service and mainly highway driving is considered normal condition service. it mainly depends on you driving habits/environment. You could abuse the engine soo much but HONDA builds the longest lasting engines

 

Never offended by a learned difference in opinion Manxman!!!!!
But to clarify I was not comparing synthetic to crude, althought I may have done a poor job of stateing that. I was reffering to the crude oil brands that claim extended life thru additives (out to about 7000 miles). I don't dissagree that sythetics have far better qualities, but have choosen to keep with the crude oil and changing oil more often. I change mine every 4000 (used to do it at 3000 but have decided to extend to 4000). You touched on the reason....leaving the same oil in there for 25000 without checking on it's condition is more than I can stand. By changing mine every 4000 I know what-ever may have slipped in the oil is GONE with the new oil change. Getting under the hood every chance I get and looking for problems has keep me on the road for many miles now. Crude may not be renewable, but it can be recycled, althought recycled oil will never see the inside of my car if I can help it!!!!

 

Hi Mike,

I figured that you would see that I was not calling your procedures "wrong", just defining why I use a different approach. The only "wrong" thing that you can do in the maintenance of your car is to only perform the minimum maintenance recommended by Honda or any other auto maker. All that they want is for your car to last one day past the end of the warranty without them having to spend any money on it after the sale.

No car maker wants the car you just bought to last you forever. The extent that Honda has gone to "cheap out" on the design and materials of the Fit has been well covered on the forums. Fortunately, engine build quality and reliability is a very rare complaint among our members. But to get the max. life from the drive train, you'll never be hurt by using the very best materials available, or by changing the engine oil more often than Honda says is necessary.

 

In 35K of driving and 19 months of ownership: I still change at 5K, use either Honda's synth blend or Ford Motorcraft (made by Conoco-Phillips) if I do my own....

And I am ALWAYS at 30% at every 5k.....even when the bulk of that was local or on long multi-state highway runs.

Honestly, I think it is based on miles, not any actual analysis of the car's oil.

 

"Honestly, I think it is based on miles, not any actual analysis of the car's oil"

What is the "it" that you are talking about?

 

It's got to be,,,the Fit is not a rolling labratory. The car may take speed and idle time and temp to figure oil life,,,but not much more than that I would'nt think,,,

 

it's stated in the owner's manual that the maintenance minder advises you based on the revolutions the engine has gone through since the last change. it don't remember it saying anything about direct oil analysis.

 

Oil analysis is done with a mass spectrometer. If one of those is listed in the included equipment of your car, then you can believe that the car analyzes its own oil. Otherwise, the whole idea is ridiculous.