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I recently checked my wife's car and its maintenance record and saw that the agency has been replacing the engine oil with 20/50 during routine maintenance. We live in a tropical country where the temp never goes below 10 degrees Celsius, or above 40.

Previously I only used this grade (20/50) when doing maintenance on my motorcycles.

I plan on doing the maintenance in the future as it has aged to the point where it is no longer worthwhile letting the agency do it.

Should I continue with this, or switch to a 30 or 40 weight oil such as is recommended for this climate?

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The 20/50 should be fine for the temperatures you mention - I used to use a 5/50 to cope with colder winter and summer motorway work and avoided having to change from a winter to summer grade etc.

Regular servicing and changing the filters will have greater effect than using an oil slightly close to the “edges” of its range - the oil performance is rated on “bands” so it’s not above x and it must be y...

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  • I am getting a "burnt" smell and look from the dipstick. Would the higher grade give better performance?
    – Cascabel_StandWithUkraine_
    Jan 4, 2018 at 21:19
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one reason would be if you want to run a synthetic oil, most major brands don't even make "straight 30" or 40 synthetic. Do your service records indicate the brand/type of oil?

Also have you looked at the actual recommendation for your actual vehicle? They usually "recommend" some multi weight for all climates and "permit" a straight weight in warm climates.

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  • I am not using synthetic. And as indicated, the service records show 20/50. I think the question has that. And Mazda does not provide sufficient info in their user's manual ie "do these maintenances at an agency". Thus, I am here.
    – Cascabel_StandWithUkraine_
    Jan 4, 2018 at 20:42
  • I was suggesting the shop may have picked 20/50 because they used synthetic. I was asking if the paperwork indicated the specific brand and type (ie synthetic or not ).
    – agentp
    Jan 4, 2018 at 21:26
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...seems your question implies another: could the use of 20W50 oil in the tropics be detrimental...as opposed to straight-viscosity such as 40-wt or 50-wt?

In more than a few instances what the service provider will install is what it will have decided in its own economic interest to keep on hand, so the question could be: why did the tropically situated service department not keep or have in stock, say, the straight 40-wt or 50-wt?

Well, most likely it is more economical to stock fewer as opposed to greater numbers of oil varieties; and so, if it comes to a viscosity choice between single-weight and WinterSummer grades, the latter is preferable for two reasons:

  1. Because most new car manufacturers do NOT recommend single grade oils because cars must operate in tropical as well as temperate conditions, and
  2. Because lubricating with (in your case) a 20Winter50(summer) grade oil where winter never occurs is tantamount, in practical terms, to lubricating with a 50wt oil in ambient conditions never varying from such, in tropical climes, as typically requires or is compatible with 50-wt oil.

As for your own servicing, following the specified oil recommendation where available will do not harm.

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