Pick my oil. Approaching 200k mi in Honda Civic

[Nicasio]

Our 2011 Honda Civic DX is about to hit 200k soon so warranty has been long gone. This Civic is daily driven with mixed city & freeway driving with sevaral stop/starts thruout the day as my wife drives house to house to see patients. I've been using mixed brands of synthetic 5w20 from what's usually on sale at Walmart or Costco on time per oil service indicator. Our weather gets cold in NorCal, but not freezing (unless we're in Tahoe/Reno sometimes). Summers can be 100-110*F. Should I switch to high mileage? 5w30, 0w maybe?? Longevity of the motor is more important to me vs. gas mileage.

 

[jeepman3071]

Does the car use any oil? My sister's 2005 Civic has 210k and started using a bit of oil. I stepped up to a 5w30 and that has slowed consumption. The car doesn't seem to notice otherwise.

 

[fenixguy]

It sounds like you've been doing the right thing. Why do you think anything needs to change? As long as you're not burning or leaking anything, there's really no need for a high mileage oil. However, it won't hurt anything either.

For what it's worth, I have a 2000 Civic with 217,000+ that gets driven around 300 miles a week and I've used everything from PUP to Peak conventional. It doesn't burn any and leaks very little. I've got some high mileage in it at the moment because I found it at Dollar General on clearance.

 

[BrocLuno]

Whatever you've been using and are happy with

 

[Mr Nice]

Any 5w30 dino oil.

 

[Nissan101]

Change if there is a consumption iusse

 

[slacktide_bitog]

200k is a lot for a 2011, so the miles must not be too bad.

Any 5w20 or 0w20 will be good. For OLM cars, I like to use the cheapest synthetic on sale and run it to the suggested OCI. Napa Synthetic is often on sale for about $3/qt and is rebranded Synpower. Napa Synthetic 0w20 is great for a low price without rebates.

 

[Killer223]

our 2012 civic has lived on Walmart synthetic 5/20 or 5/30.. not sure but i think it's close to 250K, no issues. it's 17$ for a jug. and a bosche filter.

 

[SirTanon]

All things considered, it seems you've been doing something right.. but with that many miles, it might be worthwhile to be proactive.

If you can get it, Valvoline MaxLife is one of the best High Mileage oils out there, and is part synthetic. Their 5w-20 oil would be a great bet for that engine.

 

[Nicasio]

Car doesn't really burn oil & only has a very, very minor leak. I'd top it off only 1/2 a quart thruout the OCI. The thing is the car is turned off & started again probably a dozen times a day. Isn't that where the most wear happens since oil is at the bottom of the sump? What would give me the most protection possible?

 

[Rolla07]

Find out the cause of the leak first and fix it. Once fixed you could switch to a 0w20 oil but where you are..it wont make any difference, so just keep doing what you are doing.

 

[compratio10_5]

Originally Posted By: Nicasio
Car doesn't really burn oil & only has a very, very minor leak. I'd top it off only 1/2 a quart thruout the OCI. The thing is the car is turned off & started again probably a dozen times a day. Isn't that where the most wear happens since oil is at the bottom of the sump? What would give me the most protection possible?


You are right that cold starts contribute most of the engine wear but I think that cold starts are defined as four hours from the previous run. Engines don't wear much on warm starts because residual oil coating remains in the bearings and on other wear surfaces, the oil is still warm so it flows and filters quickly and finally the internal engine temperature is still high so that piston clearances are small. Obviously you have had good results with your existing lubricants, but a little additional hot viscosity (5w-30) could help a high mileage engine with high ambient temperatures. As a bonus, the higher hot viscosity will drain more slowly from your engine during shutdowns.

 

[Alex_V]

What he said. ^ If it uses a tad and is just starting to leak, Maxlife may perform very well. May not be necessary to move up to 30 weight but won't hurt, either. A dozen starts a day isn't bad at all - any good oil should prevent wear well enough that it's a non-issue.

 

[2010Civic]

Yeah, with 12 starts a day I would bet at most you have 2 actual cold starts. It wouldn't be possible to have 12 cold starts in a span of 24 hours. Also, it doesn't get cold at all where you live so that helps a lot too. A cold start at 35F is WAY different then one at -15F. You have nothing to worry about.

 

[fdcg27]

If this little guy has hit 200K with minimal leaks and consumption, then you should be telling us what to do, not asking.
Continue with whatever oils and drain intervals you've been doing.
Depending upon where the oil leak is, Maxlife or M1 HM might help.
A simple leak, like the valve cover gasket you should just fix.
OTOH, I can understand not wanting to do a RMS, especially if the car is an automatic, since you'd then have no good reason to R&R the transaxle.
Pay attention to ATF drains and fills as well, incidentally.

 

[zeng]

Originally Posted By: compratio10_5
Originally Posted By: Nicasio
Car doesn't really burn oil & only has a very, very minor leak. I'd top it off only 1/2 a quart thruout the OCI. The thing is the car is turned off & started again probably a dozen times a day. Isn't that where the most wear happens since oil is at the bottom of the sump? What would give me the most protection possible?


You are right that cold starts contribute most of the engine wear but I think that cold starts are defined as four hours from the previous run. Engines don't wear much on warm starts because residual oil coating remains in the bearings and on other wear surfaces, the oil is still warm so it flows and filters quickly and finally the internal engine temperature is still high so that piston clearances are small. Obviously you have had good results with your existing lubricants, but a little additional hot viscosity (5w-30) could help a high mileage engine with high ambient temperatures. As a bonus, the higher hot viscosity will drain more slowly from your engine during shutdowns.

This.

 

[Nicasio]

Thanks for the replies folks! Always learning something on this website. Going with 5w30 at next OCI.

 

[Lubener]

Why mess with success? Keep using what got the car to 200k.

 

[joel95ex]

my accord went over 500K miles and i used different brands....pretty much all 10w-30. now i have a civic and use 10-30 also..... the main issue is if you have an usto trans.... drain and refill often and no flushes.

 

[Nicasio]

Originally Posted By: joel95ex
my accord went over 500K miles and i used different brands....pretty much all 10w-30. now i have a civic and use 10-30 also..... the main issue is if you have an usto trans.... drain and refill often and no flushes.


Agreed! I drain & fill all the fluids every 30k.