"Steve Bigelow" <stevebigelowXXX@rogers.com> wrote
> "Caroline" <caroline10027remove@earthlink.net> wrote
> > "Caroline" <caroline10027remove@earthlink.net> wrote
> > > "Elliot Richmond" <xmrichmond@xaustin.xrr.xcom> wrote
> > > > On Wed, 4 Aug 2004 14:42:42 -0700, "eh" <eh@nospam.com> wrote:
> > > >
> > > > >I have a 98 Accord that has 80K on it. Last week
> > > > >I went an independent deader to get my oil changed.
> > > > >The technician told me that I should be filling 10-30
> > > > >or 10-40 oil since my car has a lot of mileage on it.
> > > > >He said these oil protects older engine better.
> > > > >The car manual specified to use 5-30 and nothing
> > > > >else. Is the technician right?
> >
> > snip
> >
> > > I don't buy the technician's cousel at all, based on reading over the
> years.
> >
> > Hmm. I googled: {oil viscosity engine older car} Some sites do say that,
> at some
> > point in an "older" car's life, switching to a higher viscosity oil,
> > particularly in the summer, might be prudent. Criteria are as one would
> expect:
> > Higher oil consumption than early in life, for example.
>
> Yeah, maybe.
>
> But the tech said 10-30 instead of 5-30.....so he's claiming the car needs
> thicker oil when *cold*, and the same viscosity when hot.

?

I don't understand your inference that the tech is saying something about the
engine's needs when it's cold.

Aside: Like every auto oil web site I've seen, in this thread I'm taking
"thicker" to mean "more viscous." "Thicker" does not refer to density in this
context. Water is more dense but less viscous than 5W-30. Yada yada big deal, I
know.

> And that's a little....odd.

If the tech had said this, then I would agree.

A car generally needs lower viscosity oil when cold, and higher when hot.

But barring any specific car age issues, I understand 5W-30 is fine for a very
wide temperature range for your typical car built at least after 1990 and maybe
going back even further. The oil experts can elaborate as they wish...