I think this might have been beaten to death somewhere already, but I can't seem to find it on the forum:

I'm wondering if someone can tell me why I should (or shouldn't) use Mobile 0W-20 for my first service? Everyone here seems to think it's the best stuff around. I called my Honda dealer, he said they use 0W-30 Honda oil which is made by Mobil. Is that alright? Is it synthetic or not? Should I go with synthetic? I live in central IL, where the summers are HOT and the winters are COLD, if that helps.

Also, I asked him about the firmware update that some people have recently talked about getting, and he said that they just need to plug in my VIN number when I bring my car in to see if it has the latest version of the software. Does that sound right?

Incidentally, $59.98 for A-1 service. And please forgive my questions...I'm oil ignorant and an overly-cautious consumer.

 

UPDATE - I just called another dealer who said they use 5W-20 and then quoted me $24.95 for the same service!

He said that Honda uses some sort of scale to determine service prices, but he can't justify the $60 price for a simple oil change and inspection. So, I can drive an additional 60 miles round trip ($3 in gas?) to save $45. I think I'll do that.

I guess the point is, check around!

 

Is the HCH II oil requirements different than the HCH I? HCH I requires 0w20. I use Mobil1 0w20 and change the oil myself.

 

People like the Mobil1 0W-20 because it's a true synthetic that matches the engine spec. The jury is still out on whether or not Honda's 0W-20 is a true synth, as well as where they get it. For all we know, it could be rebadged M1. The dealer who's using 5W-20 is taking advantage of the engine allowing that as an alternate, but since it's heavier, your efficiency won't be quite as good, all else being equal.

 

Also, the Honda dealer service includes the tire rotation. I did my first oil change at a non-dealer location, but paid for the oil at Honda. I saved $1.20 and didn't get the tire rotation. I'll do the rest at the dealer.

 

My dealer wantd $45 for oil change and another $40 for Tire rotation. I had them do oil change and I did the tire rotation (15 min, tops).

 

$40 for a tire rotation is like $25 for a can of Bumblebee tuna at Walmart.

Just my opinion.

 

Interesting...my dealer quoted $55 for both. I thought it was high and ended up paying that much anyway. Oh well...

 

Had my A1 service back on Monday just shy of 8,000 miles at my local shop. Oil change was $21.20 (I supplied the oil which saved 4 quarts @ $5.50 or $22.00), tire rotation was no charge, state inspection was $18.00, state emissions were $35.00 for a total of $115.00 but that includes $55.00 in inspection fees or $60.00 for the A1 service. If they used their oil then they would have charged 3.5 quarts but since they gave me the half-used bottle back then I quoted the 4-quart price. Fuel economy is up 4-8 mpg so spending $60 saved me 1.5 gallons of gas today at $2.29 so the oil change will pay for itself in less than a month. Boy do I love this car more and more every day.

 

I paid $49.52 for my A-1 service at the dealer and they used the 0W-20.