03 Accords requires 5W20

Right after torqing 250 ft-pounds with an air ratchet. [/QUOTE]

nope. Not my guy. (Did I mention that exactly two people, both Honda
mechanics, have ever worked on my cars over the last 12 years or so?)

We sit and chat, and he works on the car. The last thing he does after
an oil change is get out the torque wrench and do the job RIGHT.

 

Yes, they do..

 

I guess it depends upon your dealer and your situation. When we take
our car in for service, my wife and I walk down the block to have a
leisurely breakfast at a local restaurant. When we get back, the car
is done, washed and immaculate inside.

Dick

 

nope. Not my guy. (Did I mention that exactly two people, both Honda
mechanics, have ever worked on my cars over the last 12 years or so?)

We sit and chat, and he works on the car. The last thing he does after
an oil change is get out the torque wrench and do the job RIGHT.
[/QUOTE]

Take it easy; I was just joking. What I find amusing is mechanics who
use air tools and THEN use a torque wrench like somehow flexing the torque
wrench to read 75 ft-lbs will make any difference when an air tool
minutes ago torqued the bolt to over 200 ft-lbs.

 

Most dealers these days seem to use a machine that sucks the oil out
the dipstick tube. The drain plug never comes out.

 

bullshit.

 

Hard to refute that logic. Having seen it done at several dealers,
including a Mercedes one, your "bullshit" is bullshit. Oil on boat
engines is changed that way all the time, for your information. Check
any boating supply for the gear to do it.

 

Hard to refute that logic. Having seen it done at several dealers,
including a Mercedes one, your "bullshit" is bullshit.[/QUOTE]

Ahem. If you look at the Mercedes service manual, that's the FACTORY
SPECIFIED method of doing it on their cars. I would HOPE that the
dealer techs are doing it that way.

However, it's very unusual and unless the system was designed for that,
the oil is drained from the bottom of the oil pan. If a tech does it
some other way on a car that wasn't designed for that, he's cheating the
system and stealing your money.

You haven't seen it at "several" dealers; that's bullshit. And you
haven't seen it at ONE SINGLE HONDA DEALER, I'll guarantee that.

I know all about that. In fact, I bought a small pumping system to do
just that on my lawnmower--and I bought it from a boating supply place.

This being rec.autos.makers.honda, my guess is we're not talking about
boats or Mercedes. We're talking mainstream Japanese cars at worst
here, NONE of which specify this method to remove the old oil--and no
dealership does it this way.

I repeat: bullshit.

 

There are more than one way to skin a chicken. How do you know it's not
better than removing the drain plug?

The world used to be flat, wheels made of stone and car tires with inner
tube.

 

Ahem. If you look at the Mercedes service manual, that's the FACTORY
SPECIFIED method of doing it on their cars. I would HOPE that the
dealer techs are doing it that way.[/QUOTE]

What does it say? That the oil has to be removed by removing the drain
plug? I saw this at MB dealers in AZ, CA and FL.

How would a car be designed for it. You think automotive engines used
in boats are redesigned?

Kind of presumptous about what I've seen, don't you think? I've never
seen it at a Honda dealer, but I haven't looked either. Are you
prepared to wager that no Honda dealer does this?

"no dealership"? Are you sure? How would you know what every
dealereship does?

 

It's too bad the Japanese car makers haven't gotten smart enough to do
it this way. It's faster, cheaper, and doesn't risk problems with the
plug.

Here's a simple test. Get a dipstick pump and use it. Then pull the
drain plug and see what comes out. If nothing, you have no advantage
in pulling the plug.

 

That was my point to you, when you claimed that most were doing it. You
said so based on seeing it done at a M-B dealership, where that's how
it's supposed to be done.

 

Doing the work yourself or not is obviously a personal
preference. I used to do virtually ALL of my own auto
maintenance but have since decided that it's not worth it to me.
Again, personal preference.

However, how the dealer works with you most likely varies widely.
I've never had anything added to my standard maintenance regimen
by my dealer. One of the reason's I have it worked on there is
their deal to extend the warranty to the engine and drive train
for the life of the car -- as long as I have all standard
maintenance done by them.

 

Sounds like one of them partial birth abortions to me.

 

I'm using Pennzoil 5W20 most of the time in our 02 Accord V6 (factory spec also 5W20). Changing every 3,500-4,000 miles. Will be adding a bit of Schaeffer #132 additive and some Lube Control for cleaning and extended lubrication. If you have a lot of interest in this, check out www.bobistheoilguy.com Lots of interesting research on used oil analysis, oil, filters, additives. Good reviews there on the Pennzoil and Motorcraft 5W20s.