2006 Sonata Oil

I had my first oil change yesterday at the dealer. It's an '06 Sonata GLS
V6. My owners manual clearly states that I should be using 5w-20 oil for
this engine, but my receipt shows they put in 10w-30. Should I be worried
about this?

I would think that especially for the Winter season, the thinner oil (5w-
20) would be better.

Thanks.
Eric

 

It's not likely to damage anything, but it's not helpful, either. If the
engine is designed for 5W oil, that's what they should be putting in it.
Heavier oil takes longer to get through lubrication passages and into
bearings. It also reduces fuel economy slightly.

I learned about heavy oils the hard way years ago, when I mistakenly
used 20W-50 in a turbocharged engine, thinking it would handle the heat
better. Big mistake.

You are correct.

Go back and make them put the right oil in it. Watch them do it. If they
don't have 5W-20 or 5W-30, tell them you want your money back for the
oil, so you can buy your own and change it yourself. This is just
another example of why it's good to do your own routine maintenance.

One thing you might want to consider on your next oil change (7500
miles) is to switch to synthetic oil. Synthetics flow better at low
temperatures and provide superior protection at high temps. They easily
last the recommended 7500 mile service interval. Doing your own oil
changes with synthetic won't cost much, if any, more than having the
dealer change it with (inferior) natural oil.

 

Ouch, that sounds painful on the turbo Wouldn't the heavier oil
also raise oil pressure? Could that lead to a seal failure?

I can't get them until Monday, but I want to confirm that they DID put
in the higher viscosity oil, and that the receipt doesn't just show some
generic code. If they really did fill it with the 10w-30, I will be
going back on Monday to get them to change it.

FWIW, I got this oil change for free, which is the only reason I let the
dealer do it. Since about 1990 or so, I have done all of my own
maintenance on all of our vehicles. This is just one example of why.

Yes, I probably will switch over to synthetic. The problem I have right
now is that becasue this Sonata is a new model, there are no aftermarket
oil filters available yet. My dealer wants $18 for a filter!!

Thanks
Eric

 

The problem was poor oil flow to the turbocharger bearings, which
ultimately died. Luckily for me, I found good replacement turbo core in
a junkyard for $75, vs. ten times that for a new turbocharger.

I was thinking the same thing, but it's also quite possible that they
stock one weight of oil that they can get away with using in every car
they service.

Yikes! Check around at other dealers. Prices for parts seem to vary
quite a bit. It's interesting that the filter has changed, since every
Hyundai through '05 has used the same filter.

 

http://www.hyundaiaccessorymall.com/filters?b=1

$10.95 is a little more reasonable.

Jon

 

MUCH better. Thanks.

Eric

 

Just to follow up on this thread, I got into it BIG time with service
manager. He claims that using 5W20 oil will void my warranty. So I took a
trip over there to show him my manual. Now the manual does also say that
10W30 oil is acceptable down to 0 degrees F, but that 5W20 or 5W30 is the
preferred oil viscosity for my 3.3L motor.

He still did not believe me and said that was a misprint. So in front of
me he called Hyundai directly. Well, he at some nice crow that afternoon.

He also was nice enough to apologize for his rudeness and sent a helper to
get 6 quarts of Synthetic 5W20 for my car. When the helper returned, they
changed my oil and filter again (while I watched).

So that was probably about $30 worth of oil, plus a retail $18 oil filter,
AND they threw in another free oil change for my troubles.

After learning that I had purchased 5 cars from this dealer, and referred
people that purchased another 4 cars, the service guy completely changed
his tune. Amazing what that will do.

Anyway, even after all this, I will be doing all of my own maintenance
myself from now on. My car will see the dealer only for warranty items and
recalls.

Eric

 

Scary how misinformed yet authoritative sounding service people can be, eh?

John

 

Yes. And in my case, I would be willing to be that the service manager was
a salesman that couldn't make it in the sales department.

Eric

 

I wonder if the filter is really different or the books just haven't
been updated to list the 06 Sonata. I just bought a new Sonata this
evening, so I won't have to worry about the first oil change for a few
months.


Matt

 

Makes one wonder how they will handle something complex if they can't
even do an oil change properly!

Matt

 

Matt,

We bought an 06 Sonata LX with the V6 and it indeed has a cartridge style
filter that's not available in an aftermarket variety at any of our local
chain parts stores as of yet. I picked a couple up at the dealership for $12
a piece to get me through for a while. IIRC from the manual, the filter
canister is mounted up top on this engine and you have to take the plastic
plenum cover off to get to it.

Keith

 

Wow, I haven't seen a cartridge filter on a car since I can't remember
when. My Kawasaki Voyager had one and was a pain to change. I drove
diesel trucks a couple of decades ago that had them, but they were easy
to change as you could drain the oil from the canister before unscrewing
it to remove the filter element. I wonder how messy the Sonata filter
will be to change? I have the L4, not the V6 so I wonder if it has the
same filter style?

Matt

 

Not messy at all. I have just over 1K on mine, and I was curious.....
Plastic cover over engine comes off. Put some towels around the filter body
to catch drips, and unscew. Wait a few for it to drain. Amazing the fine
particles you can see in the oil that collects on top of the filter.
Purolator will have one out in 90 days - they say. It's part number L35610.

 

[original post is likely clipped to save bandwidth]

Actually, the instructions in he owners manual say to loosen the cap and
allow it to drain. I take that to imply not removing the cap before it
drains.

Good news regarding the Purolator, I love my Sonata but generally have
poor experiences with dealers (any brand). The one I purchased it from is
no exception.

gerry

 

If I didn't know better, I would say that car manufacturers are tickling
with the idea of returning to this trend of cartridge filters again.

The GM 2.2 litre 4 that is in cars from the Saturn Ion to the Chevrolet
Classic and many other vehicles also has a cartridge in a container that you
reach from under the hood, just like this oone.

If you pay attention to little things like loosening it and lifting it out
just a little ways, then draining the oil from underneath (to keep the drips
to a minimum when you do take the filter out), you will learn to like this
new way a LOT, unless you are one of these people that either has a car
hoist or loves to lay underneath a car to change a filter.

If there is a negative, it is that the cartridge filters are commanding a
higher price. But at least its simple - there are not three or four
different styles of the same brand of filter to choose from.

After buying numerous filter wrenches and having to come up with more
creative ways to get these spin-on filters off of my various vehicles
through the years (I think most of the spin-on's got engineered into the
vehicle at the last minute without ANY thought of whether anyone could get
to them or not), I am loving this cartridge replacement on my Oldsmobile.

Thomas Wenndt

 

This movement back to the cartridge element is due to environmental
pressures. I believe the European's initiated this a few years ago,
especially Volvo. Volvo is a very "green concious" manfuacturer, and
all of their plastic parts, etc. are stamped for recycling.

The cartridge filter element is more environmentally friendly, though
messier to change. The last car I owned which used a cartridge element
was a 1968 Triumph GT6! Signs of political correctness I guess . . .