Remembering to change your car's oil can be one of the peskiest things about owning a vehicle, but what is even peskier than that is knowing the best oil to fill your engine with. If you have a Honda Civic that is due for an oil change, you might be wondering that very question right now. That's why we researched it for you, and some other factors such as cost and how often you should change the oil.
Honda themselves use full synthetic 0W-20 oil when filling most of their car engines, but they also use and sell a synthetic blend. Full synthetic oil has fewer impurities and performs better within your engine. However, when comparing full synthetic and synthetic blend oil, you have to look at the cost as full synthetic oil is much more expensive. Whether you're getting full or blended oil, you should definitely be looking at 0W-20 oil. You can get Honda's very own oil, but some other good brands are available.
Now, you know 0W-20 is the right choice for your Honda Civic, keep reading to learn what else you should consider when making your oil choice. We'll suggest best brands, the differences between synthetic blends and fully synthetic, and finally, how often you should be changing the oil.
Considerations When Choosing Engine Oil for A Honda Civic
Temperature Control And Viscocity
You're going to want to use 0W-20 oil. What "0w-20" means isn't necessarily important to you as a consumer, just know that it refers to the coldest temperature that the oil can handle and its kinematic viscosity. Thankfully, this oil viscosity is very common, so you won't be going on a goose chase every time your oil needs to be replaced.
What happens if you put a different viscosity of oil in your engine, like 5w-30 oil?
While your car should still run, moving away from Honda's recommendation will start to lower your engine's performance. The thicker or thinner it is from the standard, the worse the performance will be.
Choosing A Brand
Even if you know what type of oil to pick out, what brand do you go for? When looking at your options, you'll most likely realize that there a lot of options. However, what is in each of those containers is relatively similar, regardless of the branding on the outside. You would be fine choosing any of the trusted brands. To name some, there's Castrol, Valvoline, Pennzoil, Amazon Basics, and many more that will suit your Civic's engine.
Full Synthetic Or Synthetic Blend?
Now, do you go for full synthetic to get the best performance you can? Or do you save a bit of money because synthetic blend works just fine? The price of fully synthetic oil isn't that much more expensive, usually costing a few more dollars per five quarts. We definitely recommend shelling out the extra bucks and going for the fully synthetic, as it'll perform better in your engine and last longer.
How Much Does An Oil Change Cost For A Honda Civic?
On average, getting your Civic's oil changed by a professional is going to run you about $100. However, you will most likely be able to find a shop doing it for much cheaper than that if you look well enough. A lot of factors go into this, such as the oil that is being used and the location that you take it to. We understand that cars already have many costs associated with them, and you may not want to shell out $100 for something that seems minuscule, but this is very important.
Do It Yourself
If you're looking to cut down on the cost and don't mind potentially getting dirty and covered in oil, you can change yourself. It is a relatively simple procedure as far as working on vehicles is concerned, but you'll still want to have some automobile know-how before attempting. If you feel confident in your abilities and you have all the necessary tools and equipment, you can replace the oil and filter for around $40, less than half of the average price you'd get from a professional.
Get started with this DIY oil change kit from Amazon.
How Often Do You Need To Get Your Oil Changed In A Honda Civic?
Mileage Recommendation
Honda recommends that you replace your oil every 3,000 to 5,000 miles, but that is most likely erring pretty heavily on the cautious side. If you're using full synthetic oil, you may be able to get up to ten thousand miles without fully needing a change, but every extra mile gained adds to the danger of driving on old oil. We've seen some daredevils claim to consistently get 15,000 miles on a single oil change, but we really don't recommend this if you value your Civic's health.
Elapsed Time Recommendation
What if your vehicle isn't driven as much but rather sitting in a garage and collecting dust. Even if the oil isn't being used, you'll definitely want to consider changing it after some time has passed and it has been idle in the engine. If you want to be really cautious and ensure that the oil in your engine is always fresh and at peak performance, then you should change it every three months. Really though, if you just change it every six months, you should be completely fine.
What Happens If You Go Too Long Without An Oil Change?
Over time while driving your car, your oil in your engine is going to get dirty and thick. Even if you aren't driving the vehicle, the oil is going to stagnate and thicken, and it just won't be able to properly lubricate the engine. Eventually, your motor oil will become sludge. Don't let it get to this point, as you are going to start noticing a lot of problems cropping up with your Civic if it does.
Not only will your engine not be properly lubricated, but it is going to get hot. Really hot. The heat, along with the friction, is going to damage and destroy parts of your Civic's engine, and eventually, it will be totaled. Before it completely kicks the bucket, you will notice that your engine's performance starts to decline significantly over time.
The engine could end up with a major but fixable (for a very high price) issue such as a blown gasket. Or, it could end up warping the engine, rendering it complete junk. Don't skip out on one of the easiest and cheapest maintenance jobs for your car, and let it turn into one of the biggest issues you could possibly have with the vehicle.
Don't Wait On That Oil Change!
Now that you know all facets of changing your oil, including cost, when to do it, and the risk you take if you don't, you should be confident in always having fresh oil running your Civic's engine. Make sure you're picking up some (preferably fully synthetic) 0W-20 oil from a trusted brand in the industry, and your engine will love you for it. Make sure that you don't wait too long, as once your oil becomes sludge, you are only asking for trouble by not changing it.
If you found this post to be helpful, we're sure that you'll find some good information in these other posts of ours:
How Much Does A Honda Civic Cost?
Is A Honda Civic Front-Wheel Drive Or All-Wheel Drive?
