10w30... Honda says no more?!

Getting ready for my first service, I went to the dealer and got filter and oil. When I got home I realized they gave me 10w40 oil. (Honda regular).
I went back and said that I need 10w30 per the owner's manual and they told me 10w30 is not being used any more, only 10w40 or even 10w50...

Had anyone else heard of this? Does anyone have any documentation from Honda about it?

Thanks
Rob

The service manual specifies 10W30 but shows that 10W40 can be used in the warmer climates. It's not very clear but suggests 10W30 is good down to -10C and 10W40 up to +45C

I think it's because 10/40 is virtually the norm for a lot of Japanese machines. Your bike will be just fine....

I recently had a service done at the North Hollywood Honda dealership. I was also surprised to see 10w40... But the Mechanic said that's the stuff to use... same as my Ford....lol

If you don't mind me asking, what did Honda of NoHo charge for the service? The 8000 mile service, right? I bought my bike there. But there's a shop in the Santa Clarita area that would be easier for me to use, if the costs are the same.

They always give me a coupon so I only pay for labor. It was $160... I'd like to find a cheaper place, now that I know I dont HAVE to get it done at a dealership to keep my warranty... I'm near Santa Clarita all the time. Lemme know if you have a cheaper and trusted shop... Thanks

I was just at my local Honda dealership today and they had plenty of 10W30. It's the full synthetic in the red bottle. I don't think Honda has had any non synthetic 10W30 for years.

Bob

I believe the place is called Ken & Joe's Honda (Ken & Joe's Honda Kawasaki - Santa Clarita, CA). I am expecting to pay more than what you did with a coupon. How might I get my hands on one of these coupons? That would be MOST appreciated.

At my 600 mile service Honda put 10-40 in mine.ok to use.

bo7o said:

Getting ready for my first service, I went to the dealer and got filter and oil. When I got home I realized they gave me 10w40 oil. (Honda regular).
I went back and said that I need 10w30 per the owner's manual and they told me 10w30 is not being used any more, only 10w40 or even 10w50...

Had anyone else heard of this? Does anyone have any documentation from Honda about it?

10w30... Honda says no more?!
Thanks
Rob

Click to expand...

Honda says no more or your dealer says no 10/30?

there's a thread on this board (I can't find it with the vaunted search engine) that describes Rotella T6 (Walmart) as a good choice even at 5w-30.
It's about $20 for a gallon, and it's certified OK by Japanese motorcycle makers association...
(see the back label for MA certification)

Here's the link to that discussion of what oil is Honda Certified and what is not. It goes into some detail.

http://nc700-forum.com/forum/nc700-technical/854-1st-oil-change-10.html

but by the time it was done, I was convinced Rotella T6 satisfied the two primary requirements ... not the the third because it's not 10w-30w. Still.. it's a cost effective choice.

Do your research first! Don't just take my word for it!

bo7o said:

Getting ready for my first service, I went to the dealer and got filter and oil. When I got home I realized they gave me 10w40 oil. (Honda regular).
I went back and said that I need 10w30 per the owner's manual and they told me 10w30 is not being used any more, only 10w40 or even 10w50...

Had anyone else heard of this? Does anyone have any documentation from Honda about it?

Thanks
Rob

Click to expand...

I'm using a full synthetic Castrol motorcycle specific oil that satisfies the Honda rating requirements, and on the 600 mile service, used Castrol V-Twin 20/50. It was good enough for my Sportster, BMW R1200C and Ducati Multistrada, so it's good enough for my Honda. I'm consistently getting between 65 and 70 mpg and have the boxiest panniers you can imagine on it. There's also no valve noise on cold start-up and the oil light immediately turns off. So far, this is the best running bike I've owned and is a perfect balance of utility and fun.

Speaking only to the claim that Honda does not use 10w-30 anymore ............ that is completely wrong. Prior to 2007 model years Honda primarily recommended 10w-40 for street bikes but in 2006 models that changed to 10w-30 and is still the case. This is in the USA anyway.

@turbo: the person at the honda dealership said this - not Honda directly. However if you go to Honda Powersports website and go to accessories oils and lubricants for 4 stroke engines, 10W30 is not listed only 10W40 and 20W50 in HP4 and GN4 varieties, but I downloaded their catalog and 10W30 still listed there.

Sounds like it's ok to use, but I'm reluctant since I have not seen it officially written anywhere at all.

Edit: I've looked all evening and can't find any official Honda support for 10W40 for NC700X, so rather than trust the 20-something at the Honda dealer I'm going to return it again get 10W30 that meets all the specs.

Just checked the Chaparral Motorsports web site. They are showing both Honda GN4 and HP4S 10w30 oil as being in stock. My local dealer in Cocoa, Florida doesn't normally stock the regular GN4 10W30 but they always seem to have the full synthetic HP4S.
The Honda Powersports website doesn't show any 10W30 oils on their featured products page, but if you download their catalog, you will find they still list both synthetic and non synthetic that weight.

Bob

I normally do oil changes myself but I did buy a maintenance contract to cover the first four visits. On the first visit they did put in 10w40 as that is the only thing the service department uses in bulk. They are using Yamalube which is alright with me.

I did notice the 10w40 on the ticket and gave them some blowback about the manual calling for 10w30 and that was what I wanted. They allegedly obtained some 10w30 from their parts department and changed it out for me. I can't verify whether they did or not but they said they did. At first they wanted to charge me extra for it but decided not to.

I know there's not that much difference but dammit I want that the manual calls for. I think that some of these dealerships will try to tell you anything.

The service manual both only say 10W30.


I interpret the graphic as saying the 10W30 goes to -10C and up, the 10W40 as about 10C and up.
It was less than 10C(50F) in Wisconsin yesterday and I sure rode my bike!

bo7o said:

The service manual both only say 10W30.
View attachment 4304
View attachment 4305
I interpret the graphic as saying the 10W30 goes to -10C and up, the 10W40 as about 10C and up.
It was less than 10C(50F) in Wisconsin yesterday and I sure rode my bike!

Click to expand...

A single arrow means the oil noted in the arrow is acceptable for the entire temp range covered and guessing where 10W-40 starts is not what was intended.

Multiple arrows are used on Honda charts to explain different weight oil and temp coverage.

Im using 10W40 Amisol in my bike, noticed it made it quieter when sitting in neautral. 10 is the weight or viscosity of the oil when its cold, 40 is the viscosity when its hot. So really 10W30 and 10W40 will have the same viscosity (thickness and slipperyness) at base temps and the 10W40 will just provide a more viscos oil at higher operating temps. At least that is my understanding of it in plain english. Please correct me if someone knows differently.

thanks showkey and John boy - yes that makes more sense. That's what I get for positing at 6am! I should wait for my brain to turn on...
(and sorry everyone else for yet-another-oil-thread)