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.