Mechanic used different oil weight in my '22 2.5 GT-Line. Should I have him change it out or is it ok?

[Rich_Freakin_Evans]

I took my 2.5 GT-Line in to my trusted local mechanic for an oil change and brake fluid flush. He said at the time of pick up that he used recommended oil weight per the oil cap.

When i got home is was filing the invoice and noticed that he used 5w30. I checked the manual and cap and they state 0w30. Im guessing he either misread it, or maybe was looking at 6cyl recommendation.

I live in the PNW. Temps dont get too low, but can get down to around 25 on a cold winter day.

Should I have him replace the oil? Or use my oil extractor and change it out myself?
Its a CPO car and id like to preserve the warranty. That's really the only reason im not doing the changes myself.

Thanks any help .

 

[Snicklefritz]

Ask the mechanic. He might have done the invoice wrong. Or he might feel his rep on the line and change it out.

KIA could use the wrong viscosity to void your drivetrain warranty if something bad happened to the engine, what, I don't know.

But the reality is that where you live the difference between 0w and 5w when starting cold is negligible. The 30 is the important one because both viscosities behave the same at operating temperature.

If your going to lose sleep over this one, just change it again now and move on.

 

[Rich_Freakin_Evans]

Ask the mechanic. He might have done the invoice wrong. Or he might feel his rep on the line and change it out.

KIA could use the wrong viscosity to void your drivetrain warranty if something bad happened to the engine, what, I don't know.

But the reality is that where you live the difference between 0w and 5w when starting cold is negligible. The 30 is the important one because both viscosities behave the same at operating temperature.

If your going to lose sleep over this one, just change it again now and move on.

So i emailed him and this was his response:

No, its completely fine, I looked up on Mitchell service and it says you can use either weight, and that was for the 4 cyl. I'm not a big fan of using that super thin stuff.

 

[Thomby]

I'm not a big fan of using that super thin stuff.

0w30 is no thinner than 5w30 at operating temp. When both are cold, they will be far thicker than is ideal, but the 0w will be slightly less thick (ie closer to where it needs to be to start protecting things).

Lower front number = less bad when ice cold

 

[JSolo]

Mitchell is not the owner's manual. So doesn't matter what it says. I doubt it will really make any difference through. 5W30 is recommended for the 6 cyl, not 4.

PNW is not like chicago where it goes down to 0F or below in the winter.

 

[oddball]

It doesn't matter.

 

[Rich_Freakin_Evans]

Mitchell is not the owner's manual. So doesn't matter what it says. I doubt it will really make any difference through. 5W30 is recommended for the 6 cyl, not 4.

PNW is not like chicago where it goes down to 0F or below in the winter.

So, I decided to extract the oil and put in the correct weight. Come to find out it was overfilled too. I wondering if he just used 6cyl specs for the whole oil change.
What sort of damage could have occurred over 800 miles with close to en extra quart? Do stingers have a "high oil level" warning like some other cars?

 

[Snicklefritz]

I've been running on the amount of oil KIA puts in each time. It is always above the max line, but not egregiously so. I guess if oil coated above the plastic part I'd be concerned.

The first pic is my 3.3L, second pic is my 2.0L. Both had oil changes at the dealership yesterday.

 

[JSolo]

On the 2.5L, I refill (cold) so that level shows top 2 rows exposed. Up to where the yellow dots are. When car is fully warmed up, oil level is to the top.

 

[Rich_Freakin_Evans]

On the 2.5L, I refill (cold) so that level shows top 2 rows exposed. Up to where the yellow dots are. When car is fully warmed up, oil level is to the top.

View attachment 92445

Could some damage have occurred from the extra oil (possibly almost a quart)? I didn't notice any frothed oil when i did the change, but I did notice my mileage was suffering

 

[JSolo]

I don't know. The last time oil got changed by someone other than myself was decades ago (if ever). If car is in for any service I always check levels before leaving.

 

[Thomby]

What sort of damage could have occurred over 800 miles with close to en extra quart?

Likely none. For most cars, going from L to H on the dipstick is about a quart, and being between the two is fine, meaning your oil fill quantity is +/- half quart. It also means another half quart above H is only going to add ~1/2" in depth/height.

That shouldn't be enough to have the connecting rods or crank counterweights spinning through the oil and frothing it. Guys have been putting an extra quart in old cars that burn oil for years, and if they were that sensitive to level it would cause problems.

I've been running on the amount of oil KIA puts in each time. It is always above the max line, but not egregiously so

Could be that they always put a fixed amount in, or that they put a little less than recommended, check the level, then add whatever's needed (better). Whether they're going to the max line inadvertently (because that's just where X quarts lands), or on purpose to ensure cars that burn a little or run longer intervals aren't low, it's fine.

 

[turboAWD]

I just had a worse issue.. I ordered some Motul 8100 Power (used to be sport) 5w40 to go with my half-jug remaining of same (I do some track days). After I drained and swapped oil filter and ready to go, I see they shipped the right oil, but 0w20. Ugh. It's all I had, so I mixed about half a gallon 5w40, just over half a gallon 0w20. I know oil doesn't mix linearly, but I figured it was roughly 2w28 or something, and the difference between that and 5w30 (3.3 spec) shouldn't have been that big. I didn't stress the engine much during that time (commute, highway trips), swapped it out after ~2.5K miles with QS Euro 5w40 (which is apparently Pennzoil Platinum Euro 5w40 repackaged, just cheaper).

 

[Thomby]

so I mixed about half a gallon 5w40, just over half a gallon 0w20. I know oil doesn't mix linearly, but I figured it was roughly 2w28 or something, and the difference between that and 5w30 (3.3 spec) shouldn't have been that big

I think it is fairly linear (ie mixing 30 weight and 40 weight evenly gives you roughly 35 weight) because the base oil is going to stay well-mixed, and you're just diluting the modifiers. You could send a sample off to Blackstone Labs for peace of mind (just be sure to tell them the mix and mileage since it's low)...I bet they tell you it looks right in between the two weights.

 

[Rich_Freakin_Evans]

Likely none. For most cars, going from L to H on the dipstick is about a quart, and being between the two is fine, meaning your oil fill quantity is +/- half quart. It also means another half quart above H is only going to add ~1/2" in depth/height.

That shouldn't be enough to have the connecting rods or crank counterweights spinning through the oil and frothing it. Guys have been putting an extra quart in old cars that burn oil for years, and if they were that sensitive to level it would cause problems.


Could be that they always put a fixed amount in, or that they put a little less than recommended, check the level, then add whatever's needed (better). Whether they're going to the max line inadvertently (because that's just where X quarts lands), or on purpose to ensure cars that burn a little or run longer intervals aren't low, it's fine.

Appreciate the reply. Apologies, Im not getting notifications for some reason.

What sort of symptoms would I be on the look out for if some sort of damage HAS occurred? Ive noticed my MPGs are worse even after extracting and refilling to the correct amount.

 

[Thomby]

What sort of symptoms would I be on the look out for if some sort of damage HAS occurred? Ive noticed my MPGs are worse even after extracting and refilling to the correct amount.

The typical concern is raising the level so high that your crank splashes through it, causing extra drag but also frothing the oil. But you could also start pushing oil into seals, and having a bunch more oil/oil mist splashing around the PCV. This would probably be more likely at high rpms vs. gentle driving.

So visible leaks (front/rear main seal) and blue smoky exhaust (from PCV sending excess oil to the intake) would be your main signs. You probably wouldn't see noticeable mileage changes, but I guess it's possible if your PCV is clogged or something. Maybe pull the hose to check for excess oil, and add a catch can while you're at it.

 

[Rich_Freakin_Evans]

The typical concern is raising the level so high that your crank splashes through it, causing extra drag but also frothing the oil. But you could also start pushing oil into seals, and having a bunch more oil/oil mist splashing around the PCV. This would probably be more likely at high rpms vs. gentle driving.

So visible leaks (front/rear main seal) and blue smoky exhaust (from PCV sending excess oil to the intake) would be your main signs. You probably wouldn't see noticeable mileage changes, but I guess it's possible if your PCV is clogged or something. Maybe pull the hose to check for excess oil, and add a catch can while you're at it.

Appreciate the info. But in your opinion that extra amount most likely wouldn't have done anything permanent?

 

[Snowwhite]

I *always* have to drain some oil from the car after the dealer fills it. the book says 7.something quarts, but on my 3.3, 6 quarts gets it to the top fill line on the dipstick (not the intersection of plastic/metal.)

 

[Thomby]

Appreciate the info. But in your opinion that extra amount most likely wouldn't have done anything permanent?

Well there's some amount that likely would've caused damage, but it's probably a lot more than you think, and the more serious consequences are less likely if you don't have lesser symptoms like smoky exhaust or leaking rear main seal.

How much extra was it? Less than an extra quart and a half?

 

[Rich_Freakin_Evans]

Well there's some amount that likely would've caused damage, but it's probably a lot more than you think, and the more serious consequences are less likely if you don't have lesser symptoms like smoky exhaust or leaking rear main seal.

How much extra was it? Less than an extra quart and a half?

1qt extra. Pretty sure the mechanic used v6 oil change specs