So... I don't work for Honda, but I'm a seasoned technician and I've noticed a lot of industry trends that are finally starting to turn around and bite OEM's in the back side.
Most important is the change from 3k and 5k oil changes to a 10k and in some cases a 15k oil change.
Now, oil companies and car manufactures will tell you that you could reasonably go 10k-15k miles between oil changes.... and most manufacturers in the U.S. have changed to a 10k or 15k mile service. Most have also moved to a light weight 0w-20 synthetic oil. So what's changed with the engines or the oil to let them go so long between oil changes? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. The move to a higher mileage oil change is purely an attempt to reduce ownership cost for people who lease vehicles, which is what dealers and manufacturers want you to do... lease, not buy.
If you lease, there's no problem... you're traded out of the cars before anything starts going wrong.
Farther down the line, the high mile oil changes are causing oil consumption problem, mostly because the rings are wearing out. What we're seeing a lot of now is both engine misfires from oil blow-by deposits on valves, and oil consumption to the point of running engines low and blowing up. You'll see on my signature I work for Lexus, but the problem is industry wide... BMW is the worst with 15k oil changes... some of their engines are blowing before lease periods are even up.
So why beware when buying a K20?
Honda has also gone to higher and higher mileage oil changes. My 07 Si oil change light came on every 8k miles. My wife's '12 Fit comes on at 10k miles..... despite knowing what I know, the old saying goes, a mechanics car is the worst taken care of... we just work on cars all day long, we hate having to pull ours in at the end of a long day to change the oil.... so many times I went to the edge of the 8k mile oil change limit many times.
Every engine burns oil. The industry standard is anything below 1 quart every 1,000 miles is usually considered 'acceptable'.... still way too much in my opinion. Having owned my Si from brand new off the delivery truck, I've been able to keep track of my oil consumption over the years... she started out from new using 1 quart of oil every 3k miles.... 150,000 miles later, she's using just under 1 quart every 1,000 miles..... considering the engine takes about 4.8 quarts at each oil change, after 3,000 miles there's less than 2 quarts of oil in the oil pan.
I am not unique. And most of you are buying engines and cars used with miles on them already. I highly recommend changing your oil much sooner than recommended.
If you buy an engine and you're not sure of the mileage, pull that sucker apart and at least change the piston rings and check your oil clearances
Oil, even synthetic, is not as spectacularly great as the industry wants you to believe.... trust me, I've had my hands in many many engines with oil of many different mileages... new oil is slippery and lubricates great. Oil breaks down fast though... and although there are many sources that say it still lubricates the same after 10k miles of use as it does at 1k miles are wrong, in my professional opinion. I can barely hold on to engine parts that have had fresh oil changes... but even after 2k miles oil feels much less slippery. Screw the laboratory tests.
Knowing what I know now, I'll never again go longer than 5k miles between oil changes, or 3k miles if driving like an animal.... and you shouldn't either.
/end rant
Most important is the change from 3k and 5k oil changes to a 10k and in some cases a 15k oil change.
Now, oil companies and car manufactures will tell you that you could reasonably go 10k-15k miles between oil changes.... and most manufacturers in the U.S. have changed to a 10k or 15k mile service. Most have also moved to a light weight 0w-20 synthetic oil. So what's changed with the engines or the oil to let them go so long between oil changes? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. The move to a higher mileage oil change is purely an attempt to reduce ownership cost for people who lease vehicles, which is what dealers and manufacturers want you to do... lease, not buy.
If you lease, there's no problem... you're traded out of the cars before anything starts going wrong.
Farther down the line, the high mile oil changes are causing oil consumption problem, mostly because the rings are wearing out. What we're seeing a lot of now is both engine misfires from oil blow-by deposits on valves, and oil consumption to the point of running engines low and blowing up. You'll see on my signature I work for Lexus, but the problem is industry wide... BMW is the worst with 15k oil changes... some of their engines are blowing before lease periods are even up.
So why beware when buying a K20? Honda has also gone to higher and higher mileage oil changes. My 07 Si oil change light came on every 8k miles. My wife's '12 Fit comes on at 10k miles..... despite knowing what I know, the old saying goes, a mechanics car is the worst taken care of... we just work on cars all day long, we hate having to pull ours in at the end of a long day to change the oil.... so many times I went to the edge of the 8k mile oil change limit many times.
Every engine burns oil. The industry standard is anything below 1 quart every 1,000 miles is usually considered 'acceptable'.... still way too much in my opinion. Having owned my Si from brand new off the delivery truck, I've been able to keep track of my oil consumption over the years... she started out from new using 1 quart of oil every 3k miles.... 150,000 miles later, she's using just under 1 quart every 1,000 miles..... considering the engine takes about 4.8 quarts at each oil change, after 3,000 miles there's less than 2 quarts of oil in the oil pan.
I am not unique. And most of you are buying engines and cars used with miles on them already. I highly recommend changing your oil much sooner than recommended.
If you buy an engine and you're not sure of the mileage, pull that sucker apart and at least change the piston rings and check your oil clearances
Oil, even synthetic, is not as spectacularly great as the industry wants you to believe.... trust me, I've had my hands in many many engines with oil of many different mileages... new oil is slippery and lubricates great. Oil breaks down fast though... and although there are many sources that say it still lubricates the same after 10k miles of use as it does at 1k miles are wrong, in my professional opinion. I can barely hold on to engine parts that have had fresh oil changes... but even after 2k miles oil feels much less slippery. Screw the laboratory tests.
Knowing what I know now, I'll never again go longer than 5k miles between oil changes, or 3k miles if driving like an animal.... and you shouldn't either.
/end rant
