Some of this may have already been discussed on this thread, but thought I would share it as well:
I just spoke to one of the service techs (who has been with Honda for over 10 years) at the dealer where I got my Honda, and he shared some interesting information:
- They use Honda Genuine 0-20 synthetic blend oil for their oil changes for the Insight.
- You can put Full synthetic in an engine that has or had synthetic blend without any issues.
- Your oil life reminder is an indicator of the life left in your oil, not the level of oil in your engine. You should make it a practice to check the dipstick on occasion to see if you are low on oil for any reason, and top it off yourself with a Honda approved oil (Oil & Filter FAQ for Honda Vehicles | Honda Maintenance)
- The oil life percentage indicator will decrease based on the type of driving you do. If your son drive it in sport mode all the time, it will likely decrease the life of the oil quicker than driving it in Eco mode.
- If your Insight hasn't gotten to 15% oil life before 10 to 12 months since your last oil change, change your oil. Never go past a year between oil changes.
- Oil companies that pay more for gasoline get to take the gas out of the top half of the tanker. Those that pay less (like the local Quicky-Mart) get the gas that is in the bottom half of the tanker, which means it is more likely to have contaminents in them.
- It isn't a good practice to let your car's gas get below 1/4 to 1/8 tank, as there is likely to be more "silt" from the bottom of your tank that gets mixed in with the gas that puts a strain on your fuel filter (or may make it through your fuel filter). This becomes more of an issue the older your car gets.
I just spoke to one of the service techs (who has been with Honda for over 10 years) at the dealer where I got my Honda, and he shared some interesting information:
- They use Honda Genuine 0-20 synthetic blend oil for their oil changes for the Insight.
- You can put Full synthetic in an engine that has or had synthetic blend without any issues.
- Your oil life reminder is an indicator of the life left in your oil, not the level of oil in your engine. You should make it a practice to check the dipstick on occasion to see if you are low on oil for any reason, and top it off yourself with a Honda approved oil (Oil & Filter FAQ for Honda Vehicles | Honda Maintenance)
- The oil life percentage indicator will decrease based on the type of driving you do. If your son drive it in sport mode all the time, it will likely decrease the life of the oil quicker than driving it in Eco mode.
- If your Insight hasn't gotten to 15% oil life before 10 to 12 months since your last oil change, change your oil. Never go past a year between oil changes.
- Oil companies that pay more for gasoline get to take the gas out of the top half of the tanker. Those that pay less (like the local Quicky-Mart) get the gas that is in the bottom half of the tanker, which means it is more likely to have contaminents in them.
- It isn't a good practice to let your car's gas get below 1/4 to 1/8 tank, as there is likely to be more "silt" from the bottom of your tank that gets mixed in with the gas that puts a strain on your fuel filter (or may make it through your fuel filter). This becomes more of an issue the older your car gets.