0w20 vs 5w20 oil service

[BJBuffNY]

I'm new to the forum, I've owned a 2010 Honda Insight since spring of 2010. I'm putting a number of miles on my car, already at 27k, and I'm on my 3rd oil change.

But... I really hate taking it to the dealer, they are always trying to upsell to some service (they offered to replace the cabin and air filter for a nice price of $115 last time, I bought a pair myself online for $40 and had it replaced within minutes) and just don't feel like dealing with their wait (they basically require an appointment, usually takes an hour for them to get the job done).

I have a 3rd party oil shop that I prefer to use, but they don't have 0w-20 available for cheap, it is special order and costs more than the dealer.

However, they have a 5w20 blend that is a synthetic blend that is cheaper than the dealer and also they do the job in 10 mins flat....

My question is, what is anyone's experience with using 5w20 oil in the Honda Insight 2nd gen, and are there any known issues with using it? I can't imagine it would damage the car to use a high quality 5w20 blend, only that I'd expect it to maybe reduce mileage.

Anyone have experience with this? I would prefer never to visit my dealer's service department, they are always too busy to do the job within a reasonable time and I hate the upselling of $40 oil change to a $200 service every time I've went.

[HybridNewGuy]

I am sure that you will find someone somewhere that will tell you that you are fine, but Honda clearly specs 0w20. I wouldn't vary from that and in fact you will find many here that not only use 0w20 but in synthetic form for best performance. Here is my thought. Many oil shops will let you bring your own oil and filter and just charge for the labor. Have you asked if you can do that? There is one near my house and they knock a few bucks off as well. Some believe that certain versions of the Honda brand oil filters are very superior to other brands of compatible filters. Do a search on Honda filters. With the extended oil drain intervals on the Insight why flirt with trouble. Just my two cents.

[BJBuffNY]

Point taken, I can get 0w20 oil at the 3rd party I'd prefer to use, but it is a full $60 or $75 (I think they charge an extra fee) for a full synthetic blend oil change at 0w20 and I have to call ahead so they can have it in stock as it isn't something they sell regularly.

But... For an extra $20-30 I will survive, I'd much rather do that then to be upsold on every oil change at the dealer with an additional $200 or $300 in services I don't want.

The Honda Dealer I went to should be ashamed for trying to sell an air filter switch out for $115 plus tax.. I mean it doesn't require any serious labor to install those things and the products are even cheaper than we pay for them since they are buying bulk from the factory. I mean they may pay $15 for the parts, that's a $100 markup! I don't even make $100 until over half of my work day is completed, and that is a total rip off for 5 minutes worth of work...

Add the fact that it literally takes an hour (or nearly an hour) both times I took it in for servicing thus far, it just isn't worth the hassle. So I'm trying to avoid the dealer like the plague. They may offer $45 0w20 genuine Honda oil, but it comes with a long wait, having to schedule an appointment, and all these nonsensical upsells.

BUT, if anyone can give me a good viable argument (with some facts to back it up) as to why 5w20 does the job just as well, I'd prefer to save the money and do the $40 oil change with 5w20 instead... It is easier and I could do an oil change every 6000 or 7000 miles instead of every 10k at that rate. Plus I think it just "feels" better knowing the oil was changed at a lower mileage and had a lower cost. I'm skeptical if these 10k oil changes are wise for longevity of these cars.

[Jayemtee]

You don't like the Honda dealer because of upsell pressure?
Your preferred shop charges you to bring your own oil?
You want simple proof of a subject you obviously don't understand?

It sounds like you have your mind made up.

You could run non-synthetic straight 30 weight in the car and the engine would work. It would not be a smart decision, but we're not talking smart, right?

[BJBuffNY]

Originally Posted by Jayemtee

You don't like the Honda dealer because of upsell pressure?
Your preferred shop charges you to bring your own oil?
You want simple proof of a subject you obviously don't understand?

It sounds like you have your mind made up.

You could run non-synthetic straight 30 weight in the car and the engine would work. It would not be a smart decision, but we're not talking smart, right?

I'm looking for a professional opinion without the sarcasm, I know Internet boards are filled with it, but I just want a professional opinion on the oil.

And no, I haven't made up my mind. I'm leaning toward buying the more expensive 0w20 oil at a shop that can get it done in 15 minutes (they don't charge if you bring your own oil, they charge if they have to deliver it and don't have it in stock), but for the future I'd like to know if 5w20 is simply safe.

And it isn't just the upsell pressure for not liking my dealer, it is also the fact that it takes them an hour to do a task that simply doesn't take that long.

And no, car companies don't always tell their customers the best thing for their cars - it is why GM and Ford lost their asses starting in the 1980's. Selling bad products and giving bad advice to their clients so they can sell more cars... Who knows what advice really is good, because Honda engineers may not be making the decisions, it may be other parts of the company. I'm trying to get more info on this "mandatory" 0w20 oil recommendation.

Right now I need the oil change soon, so I'll go with 0w20 again this cycle... But I'll be researching it going forward for next time.

[HybridNewGuy]

Perhaps this will help. At engine temps they are both 20 weight. No problem. But cold, the 0 weight is thinner. Hybrid engines lose efficiency at cold temps. A 0 weight oil will help the engine maintain the efficiency. That is why many use synthetic to further reduce friction. If you buy a hybrid wouldn't you want to enhance its capability to save fuel rather than inhibit, even a little? Most here are actively looking for ways to improve its efficiency. Thus you are not likely to find any here that will say go for the 5w20 option. I am a new guy here, but I come here to find ways to get better gas mileage. I can guarantee that you won't improve switching to 5w20. You will drop. How much and when is hard to say. When I am ready, I will be using the best synthetic I can to keep my fuel efficiency as high as possible. Quite possibly I will change it myself and use the best Honda filter I can. It isn’t hard on the Insight.

[Cobb]

I'd run 0w20 in any car after my experience with this Honda. I also notice when I made the switch it help mpg and even sticking to their change frequency you see a boost in mpg.


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[BJBuffNY]

Thanks guys, and yes I'm interested in fuel efficiency as well, it is why I've bought my Insight. However, if that increase is less than 1mpg, I'm not sure it's worth the extra $15 or $20 it costs to get the oil changed with the 0w20 grade.

Is there any scientific evidence that running 5w20 oil causes "damage" to the engine? I've heard conflicting opinions about this before and wanted to hear from Insight users, some mechanics say that using 0w20 oil and changing it every 10-12k miles is more damaging (in their opinion) than using 5w20 oil and using that savings to change the oil at 5-7k miles instead.

Is there any validity to what that mechanic would say, or is it just nonsense (in terms of engine wear and tear).

[Roger B.]

Ive run 0w-20 over 8 years now, with great results. I'm sure others have as well if not longer. this is what the manufacture calls for. tolerances are tighter than ever thees day's. thicker oils can interfere with such things as variable valve timing.

[carniver]

Originally Posted by BJBuffNY

Is there any scientific evidence that running 5w20 oil causes "damage" to the engine?

Using a thicker oil shall not damage the engine, just that performance will be degraded. And for 5W20 vs 0W20 it only makes a difference when warming up. I'm just not sure if Honda could use this as a reason to deny future warranty claims.