wales@ucla-cs.UUCP (11/07/84)
My original question was whether the manufacturer of my new car (a 1984
Honda Accord LX Hatchback) might be able to wriggle out of the warranty
because I switched to Mobil 1 synthetic oil after 600 miles of driving.
My main concern was over the fact that Mobil 1 is 5W-30 (it comes only
in that one weight) -- whereas the owner's manual recommends 5W-30 for
subfreezing climates only, and says I should use 10W-30 or 10W-40 in the
kinds of temperatures common in Los Angeles, where I live.
No one thus far has commented on this question (at least, if they have,
I never saw it). However, in article <565@rocksvax.UUCP>, Don Wegeng
says the following:
[Honda] might be able to disclaim [your new-car warranty] based on
the number of miles on the engine when you changed to Mobil 1. Most
experts agree that you should not switch to a synthetic oil until
the engine has been broken in, which usually takes 5000 to 10,000
miles. I suspect that you would have safer to have driven more than
600 miles before switching.
My initial reactions to the above (to which I welcome comment):
(1) I confess that this is the first comment I have heard so far to the
effect that synthetic oils are NOT good for a brand-new engine.
(2) I asked the service departments of several Honda dealerships regard-
ing engine break-in period. Incredibly, NOT ONE claimed to be aware
of any need at all to change oil or filter before the first sched-
uled oil change at 7,500 miles!!!
Even when I mentioned the traditional folk wisdom that oil and fil-
ter should be changed fairly early in order to get rid of little
metal shavings, etc., they ALL said this was NOT NECESSARY AT ALL.
I also asked several independent mechanics in the L.A. area who
service Hondas (just in case there were some kind of conspiracy by
Honda to hide the truth); the independents all said the same thing.
Apparently everyone feels that engines are now built to much better
tolerances, so that the traditional approaches to engine break-in
no longer apply to today's cars?
The only Honda-related person I was able to find who even implied
that any break-in period was necessary at all was the salesman who
sold me the car -- and all he would tell me was that I should vary
the engine speed and avoid using the cruise control for the first
600 miles. He didn't even urge me to bring the car in after 1,000
miles or thereabouts so that their service department could look it
over, change oil and filter, and do all kinds of other nice things
to get some more of my money! :-)
(3) As for whether Honda could disclaim my warranty for switching to
Mobil 1 after only 600 miles, I would go back to the written in-
structions (warranty document, owner's manual, and shop manual).
None of these documents cautions in any way against synthetic oil
as such. Neither are there any warnings against changing oil or
filter SOONER or MORE OFTEN than specified. Hence, I'm safe.
I also have one additional question, which I hope SOMEONE out there can
comment on:
I changed oil and filter on my Honda after 600 miles -- then changed the
filter only (not the oil) after 3,000 miles. Should I change the oil
again before the scheduled 7,500-mile service to get rid of additional
break-in junk -- or is this really necessary in today's engines?
The fact that the Mobil 1 currently sitting in the engine costs a lot
more than "regular" oil is NOT a factor in my view. If, for the sake of
my engine's long-term health, I should change the oil again, so be it.
--
Rich Wales
UCLA Computer Science Department
3531 Boelter Hall // Los Angeles, CA 90024 // (213) 825-5683
ARPA: wales@UCLA-LOCUS.ARPA
UUCP: ...!{cepu,ihnp4,trwspp,ucbvax}!ucla-cs!walesdw@rocksvax.UUCP (Don Wegeng) (11/13/84)
In article <2044@ucla-cs.ARPA> wales@ucla-cs.UUCP writes: >No one thus far has commented on this question (at least, if they have, >I never saw it). However, in article <565@rocksvax.UUCP>, Don Wegeng >says the following: > > [Honda] might be able to disclaim [your new-car warranty] based on > the number of miles on the engine when you changed to Mobil 1. Most > experts agree that you should not switch to a synthetic oil until > the engine has been broken in, which usually takes 5000 to 10,000 > miles. I suspect that you would have safer to have driven more than > 600 miles before switching. > >My initial reactions to the above (to which I welcome comment): > >(1) I confess that this is the first comment I have heard so far to the > effect that synthetic oils are NOT good for a brand-new engine. > >(2) I asked the service departments of several Honda dealerships regard- > ing engine break-in period. Incredibly, NOT ONE claimed to be aware > of any need at all to change oil or filter before the first sched- > uled oil change at 7,500 miles!!! Actually, I guess that I should have been more explicit in my reply. The problem that I was refering to is that synthetic oil does not allow the engine to break in properly. This is because it lubercates better than regular oil, thus the necessary wear which accompanies breaking in an engine will not occur. As for the manufacturers recommendations about changing the oil/filter, it probably depends on the make/model of car. Saab uses a special oil and filter which is replaced after 1000 miles with the regular oil and filter. My father (who is an engineer at GM) says that the general trend seems to be to move away from special break in equipment because consumers find it to be a pain. You decide which is best. -- /Don "Fighting for peace is like making love for virginity". arpa: Wegeng.Henr@Xerox.ARPA uucp: {allegra,princeton,decvax!rochester,amd,sunybcs}!rocksvax!dw || ihnp4!tropix!ritcv!rocksvax!dw