Some oil concerns.

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Giancarlo

Giancarlo

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Hey guys, i recently got the oil changed in my car. It's an '02 RSX, 4 cylinder. The mechanic filled the engine with 10W-30 oil, even though on the cap it says to put in 5W-20. I asked him about this, and he fed me a line that because the car has so many miles (a little over 58,000), it would be better to put in 10W-30 because that's what most cars carry these days. Or something like that.

Anyway, did he have a point or was that total bull? Should i be rushing my car to another mechanic ASAP? Thanks for any advice.
 
It certainly won't harm it in any way.

Oil viscosity ratings are a bit of a minefield and will ruin your brain. However, as a quick summary, 10W oils are pumped less easily than 5W oils and 10W-30 requires slightly longer to warm up than 5W-20. But there's a crapload of overlap.

In future, specify your oil to your mechanic. Or change it yourself.
 
Hmm so i guess living in very warm weather, having 10W oil take longer to warm up would be better. At least for the summer.

Alright, thanks for your help Famine.
 
Generally, living in South Florida, and it's summer, your slight change in oil grade is nearly meaningless. I know Honda's big on 5W-20, but a one-time change to 10W-30 won't kill your motor. We use 5W-30 in both the Honda and Lexus, and there's been no oil-related issues.

I would switch back to 5W-20 with your next oil change, however.
 
Giancarlo
I asked him about this, and he fed me a line that because the car has so many miles (a little over 58,000), it would be better to put in 10W-30 because that's what most cars carry these days. Or something like that.
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It's most likely because they only care 10W-30, since it works for pretty much all cars out there. At least that's what I read on the interweb.
 
That sounds right. My 1999 Si uses 5W-30 oil. Over the winter I had 10W-30 in it because that's all that was available in a rush, and I found out that didn't work well with my engine when I took a trip to Detroit. Overnight the oil was so thick in the below-zero temperatures that the engine just barely turned over to start and idled something awful for a few minutes.

But you're in Florida and don't have to worry about that. Like Famine already said, the 10W-30 won't harm the car at all, but it would perform the best with the recommended 5W-20.
 
Keef
That sounds right. My 1999 Si uses 5W-30 oil. Over the winter I had 10W-30 in it because that's all that was available in a rush, and I found out that didn't work well with my engine when I took a trip to Detroit. Overnight the oil was so thick in the below-zero temperatures that the engine just barely turned over to start and idled something awful for a few minutes.
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Bad move keef. My owners manual says to only use 10w-30 when the temperatures don't drop below 30 degrees. You did the opposite.
 
I know. Next winter I might even put thinner oil in it since I don't drive much. I didn't realize it would be that bad. It literally turned over like you were doing it by hand and took about 5 seconds to make it to the 1200rpm idle.
 

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