| norcalchuck |
| Surely the attempt by Acura/Honda to sell their branded oil is a pure marketing ploy. Does anyone know if there is ANYTHING about the "factory" oil that would support buying that instead of any major brand, e.g., Castrol, Pennzoil, etc. Seems to me that any major brand that meets the same specs should be just fine. |
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| DaleB |
The transmission, antifreeze and differential fluid (VTM-4) are the ones Honda/Acura are adamant about using only their brand.
And it would be wise to keep the warranty in effect. |
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| norcalchuck |
quote:
Originally posted by DaleB
The transmission, antifreeze and differential fluid (VTM-4) are the ones Honda/Acura are adamant about using only their brand.
And it would be wise to keep the warranty in effect.
Clearly the type of service and interval must be followed. And clearly, equivalent product must be used to satisfy the warranty conditions. However, I see nothing in the owner's manual or any of the warranty language or anything in the service materials that indicate an owner must use a particular brand of oil. From what do you draw the conclusion that they are adamant about using the house brand? At least in California, no manufacturer can dictate the "brand" of oil that must be put in the crankcase as a warranty condition. Specs for the oil, yes. |
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| TheWorm |
Chuck,
Your statement requiring (or actually, not being able to require) a specific brand of oil applies nationwide -- it's a federal statute (Magnussen Moss warranty act) although California has a similar one as well (name escapes me).
You can use any brand oil you want so long as it meets specs. 5-30 for 01/02 and 5-20 for 03. There are alternative viscosities noted in the manual based on environmental conditions.
You *do* need to use Honda's branded fluids for VTM4 and tranny for certain. There are no aftermarket alternatives for those. |
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| hammermdx |
| DaleB and TheWorm are 100% correct.:4: :4: :4: |
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| hondacuraworld |
Well, the VTM-4 is a given of course.....but let me explain about the other two:
Honda ATF: For the heck of it, one day on a really cold Buffalo afternoon, we decided to do a pour test between Honda ATF, Pennzoil ATF, and Kendall ATF. We left each container outside overnight when we knew the temp would get below zero.
The next morning, the Kendall was like molasses, the Pennzoil was almost as thick, and the Honda ATF, to our amazement, seemed unaffected! From that point on, we used nothing but Honda ATF in our plow trucks......and I've been a believer ever since. S'true.
Honda coolant: The Honda coolant that the dealer sells is a pre-mix, ready to go, with a blend of distilled water and Honda coolant. The reason for the pre-mix is to prevent corrosion inside the aluminum rad and engine block. How well it works towards that end I can't say, but IMO it's a product worth investing the extra money in.
Honda oil: It's Mobil. Use any good quality oil. |
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| hammermdx |
quote:
Originally posted by hondacuraworld
Well, the VTM-4 is a given of course.....but let me explain about the other two:
Honda ATF: For the heck of it, one day on a really cold Buffalo afternoon, we decided to do a pour test between Honda ATF, Pennzoil ATF, and Kendall ATF. We left each container outside overnight when we knew the temp would get below zero.
The next morning, the Kendall was like molasses, the Pennzoil was almost as thick, and the Honda ATF, to our amazement, seemed unaffected! From that point on, we used nothing but Honda ATF in our plow trucks......and I've been a believer ever since. S'true.
Honda coolant: The Honda coolant that the dealer sells is a pre-mix, ready to go, with a blend of distilled water and Honda coolant. The reason for the pre-mix is to prevent corrosion inside the aluminum rad and engine block. How well it works towards that end I can't say, but IMO it's a product worth investing the extra money in.
Honda oil: It's Mobil. Use any good quality oil.
Hey Tim,
Can we clone you?:4: :cool: |
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| DaleB |
Excellent, Tim! While not a pure empirical study, your outdoor tests further reinforce maintaining Z-1 as my choice of ATF even over synthetics.
Based on your results, how do we know it is not a synthetic, or blend? We don't. Furthermore, there is nothing to date, with regards to actual specifications, that would validate any off the shelf ATF as meeting Honda's requirements 100%.
Can we extend this to brake and power steering fluids? |
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| frostyra |
quote:
Originally posted by hondacuraworld
Honda ATF: For the heck of it, one day on a really cold Buffalo afternoon, we decided to do a pour test between Honda ATF, Pennzoil ATF, and Kendall ATF. We left each container outside overnight when we knew the temp would get below zero.
The next morning, the Kendall was like molasses, the Pennzoil was almost as thick, and the Honda ATF, to our amazement, seemed unaffected! From that point on, we used nothing but Honda ATF in our plow trucks......and I've been a believer ever since. S'true.
Tim, as you know, I hailed originally from the PA oil fields about 80 miles south of you. If the Kendall and Pennzoil ATFs were still made of Pennsylvania Grade Crude, it would have been a closer comparison. But there's so little Penn Grade left that it's not being used for much other than medical purposes. BTW, Pennzoil/Quaker State is now HQ'd in Texas, and the address on Kendall cans is from some town in eastern PA that never saw an oil well. How the mighty have fallen! |
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| msu79gt82 |
| ... uses Quaker State exclusively. They use Quaker State's 4x4 (a synthetic blend) for the MDX. |
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| hondacuraworld |
That, and I know that Pennzoil/Quaker State have been bought out by Shell, as we use Pennzoil oil here at the dealership. Since Shell is a major gasoline producing company, it makes you wonder how much parrafinnic refining of the crude oil will occur for the Pennzoil/Quaker State brands in the future, as you can't make gasoline out of parrafinnic refining, but regular oil is a by-product of the traditional refining process.
And sure, you can clone me! I could use a second me :)
Where do I send the DNA? ;) |
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| fchao |
| I heard that Honda won't do the service for Acura cars. Is it because Honda is cheaper than Acura ? They would like to protect the Acura dealer or because the service material is different, I mean those fluid. If I buy the ATF and VTM-4 fluid from Hoda dealer instead of Acura, will it be cheaper ? I think Pilot uses the same one as MDX, right ? |
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| Blueflame |
| As far as I know, coolant is manufactured in two plants here in the United States. About 5 or 6 years ago, there was a chemical plant went up in flames in Nevada and it was one of those plant and the coolant prices went sky high. |
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| TheWorm |
quote:
Originally posted by fchao
I heard that Honda won't do the service for Acura cars. Is it because Honda is cheaper than Acura ? They would like to protect the Acura dealer or because the service material is different, I mean those fluid. If I buy the ATF and VTM-4 fluid from Hoda dealer instead of Acura, will it be cheaper ? I think Pilot uses the same one as MDX, right ?
The Pilot fluids are the same. I buy my fluids @ Walnut Creek Honda. 30%-40% less than Concord Acura.
Most Honda dealers would be happy to do your routine maintenance. They can't do the warranty work, tho. |
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| fchao |
quote:
Originally posted by TheWorm
The Pilot fluids are the same. I buy my fluids @ Walnut Creek Honda. 30%-40% less than Concord Acura.
Most Honda dealers would be happy to do your routine maintenance. They can't do the warranty work, tho.
Thanks |
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