raviiiii

Hi All, I'm new to this forum! Recently bought a Honda 2002 S2000 with about 116k on the clock. Its been well looked after and regularly maintained (except for the arches which need treating for the common rust issues). The guy who I bought the car off is a mechanical engineer and has been giving me good advice on owning the S2000 before and after buying it from him. The first thing I did once driving the car home was book it in for a full service at a Listers Honda dealership (Solihull) to have it looked over and also for the continuity of Honda stamps in the service book. The full service I purchased is called the "Honda 12+" and can be found on their site.

After about 1000 miles of driving the car since it was serviced I decided to check the dipstick on cold and found it to be super low! I decided to look at the receipts and found they charged me for the oil service and the oil they used was Mobil 0w30 fuel efficiency. Now, IF they did put oil in my S2000 it would be the first time I have ever seen a car burn so much oil, especially in 1000 miles. The second point is from looking at the service manuals for the S2000 they indicate that 10w30 or 5W40 should ONLY be used- for Listers Honda to 1) not put enough oil in the car & 2) put the wrong oil in the car I am shocked. Have added some pics too demonstrating the oil level when I checked and also the service manual stating which oil should be used.

I decided to call a few honda garages and many of them did turn around and say they do specifically keep 5W40 on the side for the S2000. However when mentioning this to the Listers Honda Dealership in Solihull the service manager made nothing of it and was adament they used the right oil and the oil manufacturers would know better than the actual manufacturer of the vehicle or the service manual created for the car. The Service manager did state the oil colour is very dark, especially after only being serviced a month ago with 1000 miles-- is this true or normal colour for the S?

The service manager decided to contact Mobil and I am very confident their response was that the oil used in the vehicle should be the oil recommended in the service guide made by the manufacturer for the specific vehicle. Hence the reason they have now finally offered me a full refund for the service, have my car picked up, new oil filter and oil change with Castrol 5W40.

My concern is whether or not there has been any engine damage caused, what would you lot do in this situation? Should Honda be doing more in this situation or is what they are offering enough? What checks should I ask for? Is the oil colour abnormal after fresh service and 1000 miles?

Other notes: I haven't driven it hard since being serviced, there are no oil leaks, the car is only used on the weekends give or take 1 or 2 days during the week when I have had the chance to, I let the car warm up & cool down after each use.



low oil after recent service

service manual oil guidance

Nottm_S2

i'd be inclined to let them swap. they put thinner oil in and it burnt more.

did it burn much with prev owner?

see the tech faq on here

then learn your lesson, do it yersen or find someone wgaf

in my painful experience

noodels

Honda Recommended Owner Maintenance

The following is taken from the owners manual


With every tank of fuel

Check engine oil level – Make sure the engine is warm and the car is on a level surface. Wait a few minutes after you have turned off the engine. Each X is 100ml

Jayc87

This is whybi decided to tackle the rust myself and only service cars myself.. lucky managed to grab work at a decent garage now thats got a good reputation

johnckeen

You didn't check your oil in 1000 miles?!?!
They burn at different rates but earlier ones seem to burn more.
When I was dailying mine it was burning around 100ml every week or so.
On a track day I'll do a quart in a day.

RobinA3

Preface lift cars (99-03MY) use a lot more oil than facelift cars (04-09MY). Don't be surprised to see a PFL car use 1 litre of oil every 500 to 700 miles. My previous S2000 which was a PFL car with 133k miles used a litre of oil every 300-400 miles.

I wouldn't be concerned that they have put 0w-30 into the engine, if they are willing to swap it then let them do that, I very much doubt any damage has been caused.

richmc

Earlier S2000 burn oil that's why you should check it each time you fill up with fuel. However that looks very dirty for 1000 miles I would be suspicious that they hadn't changed the oil at all, and if they didn't do that did they change the filter? I would go somewhere else and have the oil AND filter replaced, and check to see if there's metal in the oil, check it regularly and see what it's like in another 1000 miles, you can then decide if you are going to be going back to them or not. Seems to me they are trying to cover their arse over work not done. I doubt if there's any real damage done but you want to be sure. And always keep it topped to the top X, 100ml per X.

noodels

Note: 3k miles and my tie strapped oil filler cap still remains unopened, 05 MY engine
Note: make sure there is a rubber seal on filler cap ..

flanders

How much oil did they charge you for?
It looks like you are down around 1.5 liters from that dip stick picture, something seriously wrong with your engine if it burned that on only 1000 miles of mild driving.
Did the previous owner tell you anything about how much oil it used?
I would take the new oil and filter from that dealership and change it myself, or find someplace you can really trust.
Make sure you get the correct filter and that it's torqued correctly (hand tight is not enough) when installed.

Stevo071077

Interesting questions! To the OP, did the previous owner warn you about the oil consumption?

Just checked my Honda Dealer service invoices for the oil used in the last 4 years:

2019 - 5W 30
2018 - 5W 30
2017 - 5W 40
2016 - 5W 40

All invoices are sheathed in a cover stating "The Extra Mile as Standard". Maybe the 'extra mile' is shrinking, or the oil is improving! I think it's more to do with the fact that the dealer has been merged with Mitsubishi, and in turn that dealers' margins may be shrinking for a multitude of reasons.

When most consumers view a car as an appliance like a dishwasher or dryer, you can almost forgive dealers' confusion when someone comes in expecting optimum performance or quality.