I have a 6 month old Honda S2000 which cost me a fortune to buy and I will keep for a lifetime. The car has only covered 1800 miles since new and at most will not exceed 5000 miles a year.
The car , when used, is driven high into the rev limit.
Would it be sensible to have regular 6 monthly oil changes.
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If it were mine, I wouldn't drive it into the rev limit until it had done at least 3000 miles, whatever the handbook says. I'd build up to that, deliberately varying cruising speeds and occasionally spiking the revs, a little further on each occasion. But perhaps I'm old fashioned and overcautious. I'd be interested in other opinions on this issue, not that I'm planning to buy a new car.
Anyway, whether you're doing 5000 or 25000 miles a year, six-monthly oil changes will do more good than harm.
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Although the modern engine is a refined beast hitting the rev limit at such an early age is not doing it any good. The rings, Compression and control are still very sharp and the contact area with the board very small. These can overheat at very high rpm softening and dulling this keen edge. Good oil good care and %K miles will settle it down if ayou are going to keep it. Do you wear a cap on back to front by any chance. Regards Peter
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I would personally do 6 monthly changes and, for that matter, use the best fully synthetic you can buy. (Assuming there's nothing in the owners' manual that says you shouldn't.)
Also, check the dipstick regularly, at least once every 500 miles. I heard of a case in TopGear magazine in which an S2000 needed a new engine because of oil starvation as the car had used all the original oil in the first 6000 miles. The owner hadn't noticed this because he hadn't checked weekly as specified in the handbook.
As a result, Honda refused to pay out. Cost? £6000!
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Congratulations Drayton. The best 4 cylinder engine in the world. These engines should be pretty bullet-proof as long as the oil is fresh and far enough up the dipstick.
It doesn't mean the better safe than sorry advice here isn't sensible though. If you're worried about what you've already done, don't be, provided the manual doesn't specify a run-in time. These cars were built to rev to 9,000 rpm.
Oh and every 6 months without fail for the oil.
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>>> The best 4 cylinder engine in the world <<<
Err, no. That's another one, also from Honda, but fitted to my motorbike! ;-)
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Peter, no cap just a big grin from ear to ear each time I get into the drivers seat and hit the start button.
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Looks like I need to ease up on the right foot for a while, do the 6 monthly oil changes and keep an eye on levels.
Thank you all for the advice.
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Don't ease off on the right foot too much though, that's what the car's for. Alternatively, summer's coming and I can't think of a nicer way of running the car in than taking a trip down to the south of France in it with a beautiful female passenger.
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Definitely don't ease up on the right foot too much see:
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=11062
When my Honda Civic was new I followed the advice in the handbook
which recommended driving "normally" without overreving the engine for extended periods. They said an occasional burst of higher revs was OK. Talking to A Honda Civic Type-R owner he said he was using 1/2 litre of oil a week and this was considered to be normal by Honda. My humble bog standard Civic doesn't use any oil at all an I don't hang around.
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Can some one explain the technical reasons for changing the oil every six months on a car covering only approx. 2.5K miles, I appreciate that the S2000 is a high performance car but surly Honda don't recommend such short oil change duration's?
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For a car used infrequently the problem is a possible build up of condensation and acids in the sump. My own vehicles get a change at 3000 miles with a filter every other change.
Andrew
Happiness is a T70 at full chat!
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