I bought my 03 with ~50k on it, and immediately switched over to Mobil1 synthetic oil. I'd been using it in my 1994 Civic for many years, and she's still going strong with her new owner at over 250k miles. Not sure on the Hybrid (since I didn't do a comparison), but I got several extra MPG on the '94 after I switched to synthetic. I can also cut my oil changes in half (or more), since Mobil1 is good for 10k under most conditions. So far I haven't had any problems, and the oil, even after 9k+ this time around, is still nice and clean looking.

Anybody else?

Butch

 

I used synthetic almost exclusively in my 2004 HCH that I traded in for my TCH.

I'm switching the TCH to Mobil 1 0w20 when it hits probably 6,000 miles.

 

I think a lot of folks use Mobil 1 in their HCH's, especially since the 0W-20 is back on the shelfs. I change mine every 5k miles, and it's pretty dirty. 100,000 miles on my '04.

 

Any particular reason for the 5k changes? Everything I've ever read says that if you're not off-roading in the Sahara, there's really no need to go less than 10k.

B

 

I came from the 'old school' rules of 3 months, 3,000 miles for oil & filter changes. I feel I'm stretching it by going to 5,000 miles!!! Just piece of mind, I guess. Like I said, the oil that comes out of the HCH is pretty black and stinky @ 5k. You can probably go 10k miles no sweat, just my personal preference.

 

I think most people consider the "severe" catagory when considering frequency of oil change.

@ 10,000 miles, you might find it interesting to get one of those oil analysis kits and see what's going on with your oil at that state of use.

I also use Mobil 1 0-w20 in all our vehicles. And I change it at 5K.

 

Quote:

Engine wear actually decreases as oil ages. This has also been substantiated in testing conducted by Ford Motor Co. and ConocoPhillips, and reported in SAE Technical Paper 2003-01-3119. What this means is that compulsive oil changers are actually causing more engine wear than the people who let their engine's oil get some age on it.

Here's a link to a study.
http://neptune.spacebears.com/cars/stories/mobil1.html

 

I use Mobil 1 0W-20 along with their Mobil M1-110 oil filter. I replace the oil and filter every 10K miles. If you plan on running 10K miles with the oil, make sure to use a good oil filter otherwise you are asking for it.

 

I think most people who would hang out on a hybrid forum would use synthetic.

I'd be more interested in what the majority of hybrid owners use.
Impossible to find out.

 

I put one litre of Molile 1 0W20 synthetic and fill the rest with Mobile 5000 5W20. I change it every 6-8000 kilometers. Works for me and my 2003 HCH.