Well it appears the M1 5qt jugs aren't going any lower than they are (~$20) , so with the warmer weather already here and a change due, I've gone back to the M1 5w30 for the summer.

Used Pennz 5w20 during the winter and was waiting for Walmart to go back to the $18.88 price, but it appears that won't happen any time soon. Put on a large OEM U.S. made Filtech filter (my last one) and will go with a 6K-7.5K interval this time.

Anyone else going heavier than 5w20 on a 6th or 7th Gen this summer? I used the 5 &10W30 M1 during most of my miles previously and didn't notice a difference in mileage. Maybe that was because most of my miles are interstate cruising and in-town mileage may have been different.

It appears Honda still knows how to build an engine and hasn't cut too many corners here for cost reduction. I'm approaching 124K and still have no leaks or oil consumption, keeping my fingers crossed.:)

I've lost my confidence in Honda's auto trans and am now draining/refilling my ATF-Z1 at 6K intervals. The replacement shifts and runs fine, but.....

Has anyone put a cooler on theirs?

my professional opinion, see profile, is that you should find a brand weight and type of oil that you have confidence in and run that and only that for the life of the car. there is no need in any of todays engines to change oil weight seasonally. when time comes to do the first oil change on my 04 accord 4 cylinder, I will be using mobil 1 5w-30 synthetic myself.

Steve, I've always favored the M1, but Walmart seems to be looking to see what the market will bear with their 5qt jug. It was $17.88 in 2001, $18.88 in 2002 and toward the end of 2003 and beginning of 2004, it was 20.88. They must have noticed a dropoff in usage because they rolled it back to 19.82.

As a consumer, the only leverage we have is to shift buying patterns. Besides, the group2+/group3 oils are pretty good oils also nowadays, but you do have to change them more frequently. During my high-mileage years, I felt comfortable entending the change intervals to 6-7.5K, and it allowed me to not be under the vehicle every other week.

as far as buying patterns, I think that there are enough personal prefferences in oil that we don't need to shift our own buying... people bring in their own oil to us of all kinds, from mobil 1, to amsoil, to wal-mart recycled. as far as 6-7k intervals... .audi did that on their 4 cylinder turbo engines and now are having serious engine failures in large numbers, has happened recently on saabs also more and more, so personally a more frequent oil change is cheap insurance.

A turbo on a gasoline engine should have oil changed a 1/2 intervals(heat)... I don't believe the engine issue is alone due to oil change intervals.. Another manufactures propaganda to lead Joe Consumer to believe that failures are the result of improper maint.(yes it contributes to the wear problem but not the main culprit)..
As far as weight I have noticed the 5w20 getting dirty quicker that the 5w30 but I haven't noticed any difference in eng temp or fuel economy..
As far as brand I guess I'm stuck in the old school mentality that I learned from a Old German farmer that I worked for in High School over 20 years ago.. He would switch brands every year..??
As he explained to me each manufacturer has their own(recipe) on their products.. If you have a common element that is carrying the dirt/carbon etc. it will tend to bond to it's like element creating a sludge issue.. so by switching you would have a different mix so to say and limit the bonding action.. Made LOGICAL sense to me and I have used that principle ever since..
I have never had an issue with sludge or anything related to oil failure..
(brands used Castrol/Valvoline/QS/Pennzoil/Chevron/Mobil/Shell).
I run on 6k-8k on V6 and 8k-12k on my old I-4 that had over 180k.
I change on looks and level more than mileage...

I really had my eye's opened in my 15 year employment with fleet maint. Most large trucking companies will use one brand only unless it is not available.. this is due to oil manufacturer offering to replace any engine at no charge if they had a oil related failure!
So that led me to believe that for them to offer out a $15k motor they where very confident in their product doing its job~!

Maintenance is a good thing but sometimes over-sold by manufacturers and dealers..... If you have access to the real truth within the industry as some of you do.... Dealers could not keep their doors open on selling New cars alone..(now don't tell sales dept. this or they will argue to the death that they are the ones keeping the doors open ha).. Service is where the money comes from!!!!! So if the manufacture builds a product that is problem free they are not supporting the dealers with items to repair and make money!!(BIG 3)

Sorry for the length.. I'll get off my soapbox..ha:yes:

I1 :)

My oil cap says 5W-30. Honda is making the push to lower oil viscosity even on the same engines. I suspect a '98 V6 will also say 5W-30 where an '02 will say 5W-20, but I'm not sure. My I4 is an LEV, and all the newer 01-02 are ULEV I believe, so that may be the difference as well. I run 5W-30 all the time because I have so many short trips even in summer, I think it's worth it for me.

As far as the carbon buildup, you probably are going to have carbon/sludge no matter what kind of oil you use. It makes sense but I think technology has come far enough that we don't have to worry so much about it anymore. I don't know for sure, I'll report back to you guys when my car has hit the 500K mark like I'm expecting out of this one :yes:

the audi turbo engine problems are due to their reccomendation of 10k oil change intervals and an oil capacity of 3.7 quarts including filter. that's rediculous. anyway my main point from the beginning was that it is not neccesary to change oil wieght, type, or brand due to seasonal changes, or any other reason really. sorry for the rant.

I still feel more comfortable using a multi-viscosity 30W synth in our heat in the Deep South. Todays heat index approached 110F.

Until recently (2years), even M1 5W30 was having trouble staying in grade for a 7K interval, but the 10W30 was usually more stable, if used oil anaysis is a good indicator. Recently most of the UOAs on Bobistheoilguy is showing the M1 5w30 is staying in grade also.

The 5w20 UOAs are showing good results with less than 4K intervals, but you should have seen it drain yesterday. It looked like water:(

Originally posted by according2me
Recently most of the UOAs on Bobistheoilguy is showing the M1 5w30 is staying in grade also.

I don't really care about staying in grade. I concern myself when viscosity is >20% or <10% of the virgin oil. For example, AMSOIL 5W30 is only 5% from being a 40W. Going out of grade to a 40W is nothing.

True, AMSoil starts as a high 30W and M1 as a low 30W, another reason for my choice. As my engine wears, I may eventually have to go to a heavier oil, but at 124K all is well. I hope it stays that way for another 100K.:)