Ford and Honda specify 5W-20 motor oil for
most all cars and light trucks
Here are the facts behind
5W-20:
Question: My owners manual
specifies 5W-20 oil. Do I really need to use 5W-20 oil and why
did my 2000 model year vehicle require a 5W-30 oil, while the
exact same engine in my 2001, 2002 and newer engines "requires"
a 5W-20 oil?
Answer: You do not need to
use a 5W-20 oil. Do not let your dealer scare you by telling
you that you have to use it for your warranty. That is a tactic
that some dealerships use to scare customers. Once you know the
facts and the Federal Magnusson Moss Act law you will be much
better informed to protect your rights and use the type of oil
you want to use.
The main reason 5W-20 was specified for your engine is to
increase the CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) reported to
the Federal Government. CAFE is the combined average fuel
economy of all of a vehicle manufacturers product line. Minimum
CAFE levels are specified by the Federal Government. In order
for a vehicle manufacturer to continue selling profitable large
trucks and SUV's, which typically have poor fuel mileage
ratings, as compared to smaller cars, and still meet mandated
CAFE requirements, they must also sell enough of the smaller
cars which have much better fuel economy ratings to offset the
poor fuel economy ratings of the larger vehicles. For model
year 2001, the change to a 5W-20 oil will allow Ford and
Honda's overall CAFE to increase by a very small amount,
typically in the tenths of a mile per gallon range. 5W-20 oil
is a lighter viscosity than a 5W-30 oil and therefore has less
internal engine frictional losses, or less drag on the
crankshaft, pistons and valvetrain, which in turn promotes
increased fuel economy. This increased fuel economy is
virtually undetectable to the average motorist without the use
of specialized engine monitoring and testing equipment under
strictly controlled test track driving when compared to a
5W-30, 10W-30 or a 0W-30 viscosity motor oil.
Question: Could using a
5W-30, 10W-30, 0W-30 or even a 10W-40 or 20W-50, oil in my
vehicle which specifies a 5W-20 oil void my new car
warranty?
Answer: Absolutely not.
Vehicle manufacturers only recommend using motor oils meeting
certain viscosity grades and American Petroleum Institute
service requirements. Whether a motor oil is a 5W-20, 5W-30,
10W-30, 0W-30, 10W-40 or 20W-50 (for racing and high
performance applications in, for example, a Cobra R Mustang) or
even a synthetic vs. a petroleum based oil will not affect
warranty coverage. The manufacturer is required by Federal Law
to cover all equipment failures it would normally cover as long
as the oil meets API service requirements and specifications
and was not the cause of failure. In addition, the Federally
mandated Magnuson - Moss Act states that a manufacturer may not
require a specific brand or type of aftermarket product unless
it is provided free of charge. If your dealership continues to
tell you that you must use 5W-20 motor oil and or/ a specific
brand of 5W-20 motor oil, then ask them to put it in writing.
Their position is inaccurate, and, in fact violates existing
law.*
Additionally, if there is ever a question of whether or not a
particular motor oil was the cause of an engine failure make
sure to get a sample of the used oil in a clean bottle,
typically 6 oz. minimum. The oil can then be sent to two
independent testing labs for analysis. This is standard
procedure for most commercial vehicles, trucking,
construction/excavation and fleet companies and there are
numerous certified test labs all over the country. Remember, a
knowledgeable and informed consumer is your best defense
against being taken advantage of by a car dealership service
center.
Note: If a car or truck dealership, service center or
other business states that using AMSOIL motor oil in your
vehicle will void your new car warranty, ask for that statement
in writing and send it to AMSOIL technical Services.
If the business won't provide the statement in writing send
AMSOIL Technical Services a letter identifying who made the
statement, the name and location of the business and what the
statement was. AMSOIL will then send a letter to the business
informing them that their position is inaccurate, and, in fact,
violates existing law. Your name will be held in
confidence.
AMSOIL mailing address: AMSOIL Inc., AMSOIL Bldg., Superior,
WI 54880
For those consumers that still must use a 5W-20 oil, even
after reading this informative article, AMSOIL does manufacture
a 5W-20 synthetic motor oil, called XL-7500 5W-20. It is a 7500
mile/6-month motor oil. AMSOIL's 5W-20 synthetic motor oil
provides outstanding wear protection and increased power,
performance and fuel economy in high and low temperatures and
also meets and exceeds the Ford and Honda specifications.
For even better performance and protection we recommend using
AMSOIL's Series 2000 0W-30 synthetic motor oil. This is the top
performing AMSOIL Motor Oil for gasoline powered light trucks
and passenger cars. It uses race-proven technology and provides
unsurpassed fuel efficiency and better wear protection than
other conventional and synthetic motor oils. It is a 35,000
mile/1-year change interval motor oil. Use it in conjunction
with AMSOIL's Super Duty Oil Filter's that specify a change
interval of 12,500 miles/6-months, whichever comes first.
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