No. Synthetic oil is not specified in the owner's manual.
Synthetic oil is specified for other cars--althought I'm unaware of a single Honda. Maybe they got mixed up. I'd ask to see their computer or a printout.
No. Synthetic oil is not specified in the owner's manual.I know there are a lot of threads on oil, but I only found info on preference and mpg gains. Today, I got my oil changed at Valvoline Instant Oil Change and they had a new sales line I had not heard before: "According to our computer, your engine needs a synthetic oil or the pistons won't be lubricated properly...we can continue to give the conventional oil, but you will have to sign a waiver releasing us from responsibility." I think this is total crap and have found oil change places to be some of the most dishonest...Anyone else think there is any validity to their claim that Elements NEED synthetic?
Thanks.
Thanks much; I will check out the Tires Plus. And yeah, I feel like those oil places are among the worst...my favorite example was the time I asked the serviceman, after looking at the receipt, if he was SURE that they topped off my washer fluid. When he said he was, I explained to him that I removed the washer fluid container the night before because it was cracked. Have to watch those guys.Not the first time I've heard that line. I go to a tire plus and the sales guy cleared it up. You can run either, most places will say you NEED synthetic, but that's because they get a kickback for selling it. ONLY differences are how long it takes to get oil from the pan to the top of the engine (15-30 seconds difference) and how long the recommended life of the oil is (use the owners manual as a guideline).
AVOID that Valvoline and call their manager to tell them why you'll never go there again. They need to get snake oil salesmen out of the industry.
BTW - If you are in the Twin Cities, the place I recommend is the Woodbury Tires Plus. They've always treated me decent there. Keep an eye of their coupons too.
ryland said:The only reason why you would want to is if you really wanted to stretch the oil change interval out to 8-12 thousand miles for one to two changes a year.
Thanks for the info. That's really too bad if oil change places do that. I used to always change my own oil, but now I live in the city and my condo association forbids oil changing in our underground garage. I hate that people in situations like mine are basically at the mercy of these oil change places.no the element dosent need synthetic. The only reason why you would want to is if you really wanted to stretch the oil change interval out to 8-12 thousand miles for one to two changes a year. I always used synthetic when I first got my e because I was paranoid but its not needed. The E does run best IMO with pennzoil platnium 5w20 but regular pennzoil yb 5w20 or honda genuine 5w20 also work well.
About the oil chage places telling you that you have to use synthetic thats a flat out lie! They do that because they charge so much more for the synthetic (like $60-$90 for an oil change) I think if you want to use synthetic then do it yourself and change it less often if you dont enjoy doing it. A jug off synthetic is between $18-$30 so you can do it for much less.
The other thing to look out for and the reason why I dont go to oil change places is that when you choose the conventional oil they really dont use the 5w20 that your E was designed for. They use bulk 10w30 and in some places they even use 20w50!!! Way too thick for the E. They do it because they buy it buy the barrel for .25 a quart and they dont have to worry about people with junkers burning through the oil quickly, they also only have to carry one grade. They'll tell you its 5w20 but its not. I got my oil changed in the winter at a quick change place and they put in a super thick oil that made my car sound like crap on start up and killed my gas milage.
I use the Mobil 1 Super Synth, always have. EleMN, I would take a big piece of cardboard down and change my own in the garage between the hours of midnight and 6 am! It is so easy to not get a drop of oil on the concrete with the cardboard..... and who would know? Condo associations.... in general, I don't agree with most of their rules, and they don't enforce most of the needed ones anyway. Develop a covert operation plan and just do it yourself!Thanks for the info. That's really too bad if oil change places do that. I used to always change my own oil, but now I live in the city and my condo association forbids oil changing in our underground garage. I hate that people in situations like mine are basically at the mercy of these oil change places.
As an aside, today, I went to Firestone for new tires and asked about their oil changes. According to them, they won't even put conventional oil in my E and guess what; they charge $90 for their synthetic oil (no, that does not include service or any other charges). How disgusting.
This is the main reason I don't by synthetic oil. The worst I've paid was about $3 for a quart of conventional oil. I've generally found that any synthetic is about double the price of the same brand's conventional oil.Just on price...there is an online coupon for Pep boys for $10 off a purchase of $50 or more. I brought 2 coupons in to buy my Royal Purple 5w-20 in two separate batches of 7. The regular price of 1 Quart is $7.89..and after the coupon it's $6.46 per quart for 7 Quarts. 14 Quarts for $96 bucks after taxes. I love Royal Purple....but it's so damn expensive.;-)
"According to our computer?" What a crock!!. . .Anyone else think there is any validity to their claim that Elements NEED synthetic? Thanks.