PU.....The leaflet that came with the car recommends Magnatec Professional 10W - 40 (which I believe is semi synth (in a green botle). I called the dealer and they routinely use bulk GTX Professional for servicing and sell litres (in a white bottle) for about £8. So for £39 you get 3.6 litres of GTX plus filter incl. labour and any other checks they may do. Obviously the stuff is cheaper elsewhere - but you'd expect that.
Re. L'escargot...touting for work. In fairness I asked them rather than vice versa but they did say Honda might write at 6 months offering the above.
Doesn't seem outrageous in any event.
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I do change mine every 6 months, partly becasue in the winter due to undercooling (mine is a 1.6 8v Astra G as these have same size rad as the turbo) , and short jounrneys I get emulisfied oil under the cap.
My local indie garage lets me wait while they do it, for around £30, and they let me bring my own oil its even cheaper
I would recommend it, if you intend to keep the car it does no harm at all.
Edited by redviper on 21/01/2009 at 12:28
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I'd leave it alone to be honest - the more a garage works on a car the more chance there is of them messing something up. Leaving the sump-plug loose, not putting the undertray back properly, scratching the car, kerbing the alloys, etc.
I wish cars were sealed for life and never had to go to the dealers.
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I wish cars were sealed for life and never had to go to the dealers.
I saw/read about once a car that you didnt even have to open the bonnet for routine servicing as all the varous filler necks where accsesable from the front - was this true or was i just dreaming it?
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I saw/read about once a car that you didnt even have to open the bonnet for routine servicing as all the varous filler necks where accsesable from the front - was this true or was i just dreaming it?
You might be thinking of Audi A2. The engine is buried somewhere and it has a "sevice hatch" at the front where all the fillers are.
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You might be thinking of Audi A2. The engine is buried somewhere and it has a "sevice hatch" at the front where all the fillers are.
Yes that rings a bell i knew i had heard/seen about one somwhere, Thanks
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KB - if you read your service manual there are a list of criteria where Honda recommend additional service items and your low mileage fits that criteria, so the dealer is just repeating what is already quoted in your service schedule. I would do as Pug suggests and also check the oil is within spec. My Honda dealer uses Shell oils so on the basis they are all different brands it is worth checking. (I used to own a Saab and they used Fina oil because Fina sponsored the dealer rally team - hopefully it was also because it met the Saab standard).
The problem we Honda owners have is that our cars are not engineered to the same high standard as VW's etc and we cannot benefit from the long life servicing regime. Honda engineers seem to think that oil should be changed no longer than 12 months or 12.5K.
Sorry guys it's getting repetitive but I couldn't resist. :-)
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Re. Service manual.....Yes and No.....It recommends 6months oil change if I drive under 'severe' conditions. They are :- High mileage (over 12.5k miles), muddy, dusty, de-iced roads, trailer towing, excessive idling/stop-go and....driving less than 5 miles per trip. Doesn't specifically say low annual mileage - but we could be accused of splitting hairs here...it could be that I drive to Scotland a few times a year and only do 6000 miles - but I don't and it would seem worth doing. Also slightly interesting that your Honda dealer uses Shell when Honda leaflet that came with car says Castrol. Certainly my dealer uses the latter. Maybe proves that any decent reputable make of correct spec is OK.. ie those mentioned or Mobil or Morris? In my case - 10W-40 Semi.
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You raise a good point KB because it is the frequent journeys of less than 5 miles that will do the damage. As you say if you do longer journeys less frequently resulting in low mileage then the interim oil change is not really that necessary. I am guessing the dealer has come to the same incorrect conclusion I did and assumed low mileage means lots of short journeys.
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The problem we Honda owners have is that our cars are not engineered to the same high standard as VW's etc and we cannot benefit from the long life servicing regime. Honda engineers seem to think that oil should be changed no longer than 12 months or 12.5K. Sorry guys it's getting repetitive but I couldn't resist. :-)
It's interesting reading the US Honda Fit forums - the cars there (all autos and with a 1.5L engine) have a light to say when the oil should be changed. Usually it's around 7000 miles but some owners get in a right panic when it goes past 5000!
The longlife servicing is surely only done to make fleet ownership cheaper? We have a VW (well SEAT) and a Honda on the household fleet and the Honda is in a different universe.
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I was just being a bit mischievous with my comments but I think you are correct Bill - the long life servicing is aimed at reducing fleet costs and not at maintaining the car to be at it's most reliable over a longer period of time. I also bought European cars (German or Swedish) and could not understand why my Father kept going on about Japanese - I then had the good fortune to spend 2 years studying different manufacturing companies and on the back of that bought a Toyota and a Honda. Clearly the Toyota Production System is copied by everyone and is the industry benchmark - even Aston Martin, Bentley and RR copy it to varying degrees but although the Toyota is proving strong and reliable I agree that Hondas in terms of refinement and engineering integrity are in a different league.
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If we're talking about service hatches.....a Honda Jazz equipped with one to the fuel filter woild have been a nice idea...sigh.
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The problem we Honda owners have is that our cars are not engineered to the same high standard as VW's etc and we cannot benefit from the long life servicing regime. Honda engineers seem to think that oil should be changed no longer than 12 months or 12.5K. Sorry guys it's getting repetitive but I couldn't resist. :-)
sorry Pendlebury, did I read you correctly, are you having a laff?
Speaking from experience, I would rather have a Honda engine in my car than any other engine on the planet! To imply that they are not built to the same standard as VW etc. is to show that you don't understand engines - no Honda engine (or Japanese engine) to my knowledge has suffered from the 'black death of sludged up oil' due to the engine working its oil too hard (this has happened to a lot of European engines including Saab and Audi/VW group).
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Come on out Lazarus. Your thread has re-opened!
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I saw/read about once a car that you didnt even have to open the bonnet for routine servicing as all the varous filler necks where accsesable from the front - was this true or was i just dreaming it? >> You might be thinking of Audi A2. The engine is buried somewhere and it has a "sevice hatch" at the front where all the fillers are.
>>
And the Boxster, of course :-)
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The leaflet that came with the car recommends Magnatec Professional 10W - 40 (which I believe is semi synth) . . .
The Kia dealer who put this into our Picanto said it was fully synthetic. Not suggesting that it matters, of course - in fact it seemed a bit over the top. I didn't make much progress on Google, so I suspect Honda have just sold a recommendation ("Citroen prefere Elf").
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Magnatec is not fully synth.
Our Jazz runs fine on Halfords own brand 10W-40 semi-synth. I don't believe that Honda feel that the engine needs anything more sophisticated than this.
Strange thing with the Jazz, the oil does not seem to discolour much over the course of 1 year/12,500 miles. I think this refects the efficiency of the engine, so that their are very few carbon residues left in the cylinder.
In view of this, maybe the oil does not "age" so much in this engine compared with other models.
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When my Jazz was serviced last March, they used Castrol Magnatec Pro C3 5W-40 fully synthetic - or so it says on the service statement.
screwtape
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I'm pretty sure that Castrol Magnatec is semi synthetic.If you want fully synthetic you need Castrol Edge oil.
Edited by quizman on 02/03/2009 at 17:22
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I forgot to say that Magnatec says on the can something like synthetically engineered. This does not mean that it is synthetic.
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.. Castrol Magnatec is semi synthetic. ... >>
Depends which Castrol Magnatec you are referring to. Eg. according to Castrol:
Castrol Magnatec Professional 5W-40 is a synthetic SAE 5W-40 ...
Castrol Magnatec Professional A3 10W-40 combines semi-synthetic ...
Castrol Magnatec 5W-30 A1 combining Intelligent Molecules and fully synthetic technology ....
The last one is reported to be on offer "2 Litres of Castrol Magnatec 5W-30 A1 Engine Oil for £6.30" at ASDA.
www.hotukdeals.com/item/348902/castrol-magnatec-5w...i
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they used Castrol Magnatec Pro C3 5W-40 fully synthetic - or so it says on the service statement.
Yes, sorry, that was what I meant too.
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If your car falls into the 'severe' conditions criteria, then consider it. Otherwise stick to the manufacturer's standard oil and filter change interval.
There's a lot of nonsense written about oil change frequency. Most of it I would guess by people who know at best little and at worst nothing about latest oil engineering advances and clinging onto the nostalgic views and opinions.
You could take oil change frequency to an extreme and change it at 4000 mile interval on mineral oil and perhaps a 6000 mile interval on more expensive synthetic oil. This will ensure maximum life for the engine, but this will also be probably well far and beyond the life of the rest of the car. For the overwhelming majority of owners, this is a waste of time, money and resources since the car will almost certainly end its life for some other reason such as corrosion or some electrical ECU-type component that has failed.
Although I have no figures, I strongly suggest that the vast majority of cars get scrapped for reasons that are not attributable to engine lubrication issues.
Cars burning oil, worn valve guides, worn cams, piston rings - it's largely stuff of yesteryear. Thank heavens, too many memories but we won't go there now.
Manufacturers spend millions designing their engines, they will know what the best compromise is.
You also need to bear in mind that oil technology has moved on in leaps and bounds in recent years.
Finally if extended oil change intervals were problematic, then why aren't motoring forums (including this one) full of engine-related lubrication issues? They are not. And they are not because there is no wide-spread problem.
Far more important is the spec of oil, a top-quality filter and maintaining the correct level in between services.
If we were having this conversation ten years ago, I might have a different view. I might also take a different view today about a turbo diesel. In short, stick to the manufacturer's recommendation unless 'severe' conditions apply.
Another thing you may wish to think about (or not as the case may be...) when you are offered a 'good price' is that a lot of garages buy their oil in 205 litre drums, costing about £200-£300 depending on make/spec. That's to the public, so the cost would be even less in the trade. I can buy 205 litres of top-quality 5W-30 for about £350 - delivered - and that's retail not trade. Something to think about when it's charged out at £10 plus a litre...
You could consider having an interim oil change done at National. I hear they do good deals but haven't used them personally.
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Melting Snowman - I agree rather strongly with your view on this matter.
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Agree with Mellting Snowman.
My experience of very short journeys over 15 years and low mileages in a diesel says annual oil and filter changes are OK. And I mean <1 mile.
Batteries are the issue.. new ones every 3-4 years as they never get fully charged in winter. The engine is as new. The bodywork is not despite care... And disks corrode and exhausts fall apart.. but engines just go on... as do gearboxes and clutches...
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>> Strange thing with the Jazz the oil does not seem to discolour much over the course of 1 year/12 500 miles.>>
This is interesting as I had noticed the same thing, although I've only done 3000 on the new oil. I put it down to the fact that I was used to a 15 year old car where the oil soon turns black, and thought that one probably used to keep the oil treacle coloured when it was young.
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