First oil change

Went back to my dealer today to get my free oil change on my 2007 Sonata I4.
The invoice shows that they used 10W40 oil. The manual states 5W20
recommended with 5W30 and 10W30 being optional, nowhere does it say use
10W40. The invoice shows 4 qts and the manual says 4 1/2 so I checked it to
make sure it wasn't low. It doesn't have a line crossways to indicate full
but it does have a indentation (like a punch mark) with an "F" further out
(higher). The oil is about an quarter inch higher than the "F" which looks
to me to be over filled. About a hour after I got back home, my wife came
in and told me that oil was leaking under the car. Oil was leaking from the
back end of the plastic under cover plate where it must have got caught when
they changed the filter. I put a newspaper and a brick under the car to
catch the rest until I can get out tomorrow and clean it all up. I don't
think I will be taking it back there for any more oil changes.
2 questions
1) Does anyone think I have too much oil?
2) Is the oil catching on the cover plate a common problem and how do you
avoid it?
thanks
--

 

My two cents:

**Too much oil? Probably not - that will be fine. A tad above the line
won't hurt. But you may wish to take note if they only put four quarts in
and it is that full. Imagine what would happen if 4 1/2 quarts were put in.
But I think that will be okay.

**Leaking? Not much of a problem either. Sadly, it seems that automakers
don't leave any room for oil to spill, especially out of the filter. It is
very common. On my cars, I have to do that with every oil change, no matter
how much I try to clean with shop rags around the area of the filter. It's
like changing oil is an afterthought to the people building the engine and
locating the filter on some of those vehicles.

**But is 10W40 a problem? ABSOLUTELY. Tomorrow, that car must go back and
you make them put the right oil in. I mean, if it were even 10W30, I would
just let it rest at not going back there. But there can be no reason for
putting in an oil like that. Nor can I find the justification why they
would use that weight, and not just in your vehicle, but in any new vehicle.
Years ago, that used to be a common weight, and for older vehicles, maybe it
still it, but not for new ones.

 

If you checked the oil properly (best when the engine is cold) and the
level is above the full mark, then, yes, you have too much oil in the
engine. Also, I would not want 10W40 in my car as this oil is suspected
to cause sludge formation due to the high level of additives to achieve
the wide viscosity range.

I can't believe a Hyundai dealer would even carry 10W40. Is there a
Hyundai model that calls for this?


Matt

 

Idiots. I'd go back and demand another change. The dealer may cause you to
lose your warranty. Obvously, you need a new dealer.

The invoice shows 4 qts and the manual says 4 1/2 so I checked it to

They may have pumped in oil from a bulk tank the the idiot did not deck
actual use.

It doesn't have a line crossways to indicate full

Should not be a big deal. Well, if it was the proper oil it would not be a
big deal.

Two oil changes and not a drop on mine. You just had an incompetent
"mechanic" that should never be allowed near your car again. Get them to
come out to your house and clean the driveway too.

 

Fwiw, my 2006 V6 Sonata has now had two dealer-performed oil changes,
and both times the "full" level has been significantly above the mark
on the dipstick. Somewhere between an eighth of an inch and a quarter-
inch too much.

On the most recent dealer-performed change, I supplied my own oil:
exactly five quarts of Mobil-1 10W20 and the dealer tech did appear to
actually use it. Per the manual, five quarts should have given me
right at or slightly below full so I have no idea why the stick says
more than full. They could have used extra bulk oil too, or taken
my oil for fun I guess.... but the stuff in the crankcase smelled like
Mobil 1 to me.

Maybe someone can comment on how well these Lamda engines handle
excess oil just in case that's happening.

If "full" is not really full, what about the "low" mark?

 

Or not quite 100% of the oil drained.

 

I'm sure the engineers leave some margin for error on the full-side, but
I have no idea how much for a Sonata. I certainly wouldn't want to be
more that a quarter inch high and I personally stay at or below full.
Many don't realize that being over full a quart can be much worse than
being a quart low. If the oil level is high enough that the crankshaft
dips into it, very bad things can happen. The oil gets whipped into a
foam that isn't easily pumped by the oil pump. This can cause oil
starvation and bearing damage in no time at all.

Matt

 

Actually, five quarts should have left you about a quart low. I'd guess
they made up the difference with bulk oil.

1/8 to 1/4 inch shouldn't cause any adverse effects. If you're a whole
quart overfull, then you start risking problems.

 

We've been down the 10W-40 trail before. I sure would have it back at the
dealers with a VERY P.O.'d look on my face! Get the right stuff in there.
Let them know what you think of their 'no service'.

As for the sludge factor, I believe I posted earlier that either BMW or
Mercedes specifies 10w-40 in some of their new cars so I don't think they
would do that if there were a sludge problem. That has probably been
addressed in the newer series of oil specs.

Tom

 

If the sludge issue has been addressed, then there is no harm to be
caused by using 10W40 other than a slight loss in fuel economy.

Matt

 

Yea, you're right, Matt. I was going to mention the loss in gas mileage
with the more viscous oil but forgot. (

Tom

 

It's amazing to me how many authorized dealers - regardless of make -
maintain their franchises. Next time you're in to your Hyunda service
facility - not this one - ask them, just for grins, if they torque the
oil drain plug after changing oil. Most don't. I asked the Service
Manager of my local Hyundai dealer on which brand of engine coolant
they used for routine changes - his response was "Whatever is on sale
at NAPA." After servicing my own cars since 1968, I've determined the
owner can do a much better job of servicing their own vehicle, within
technical capabilities of course.

As others have said, I go back to that dealer and demand he drain the
oil sump and fill with either 5W-20 or 5W-30. Ask the Service
Manager you would also like to speak to the person who changed the
oil.

The oil leak is no doubt due to their carelessness when removing the
oil filter. Obviously, they didn't wipe any excess oil from the
plastic cover plate after the change. Unfortunately, this is all too
common, and is exactly why I change my oil in my Hyundai, and all of
my other cars, myself. Document your scheduled service and oil
changes on Hyundai's online service website, as well as keeping paper
records (and, receipts). This will be more than sufficient to
maintain your factory warranty.

 

Actually hyundaitech, its a I4 rather than V6. I'm not really hung up on
the 10W40 on the invoice, I suspect that its just a coded slug that's
inserted when they do an oil change and they haven't changed it since they
started doing business. What I really what to know though is, where
exactly on the stick is the full mark. Is it the indentation (point) mark
on the stick? There is no line crossways the stick like other cars use. Is
there a quart difference in the two indentations on the stick assuming they
are meant to be full and low marks? Well the oil is about the same distance
above the top( full?) mark as it is between the two marks. Like I said in
the OP, about a quarter inch past the "F" . Am I overfilled and how could
it get that way if they only used 4 qts like the invoice says. Probable
using bulk oil and sloppy measuring?
thanks

 

Sorry about that. Apparently I've lost a little of my reading ability.
You rather clearly posted that you had the four cylinder originally. In
that case, about 4.5 quarts will be correct to put the oil at the full
mark.

The full mark is indeed the little indentation. And it's one quart
between marks. I don't recall where the "F" is located in relation, but
if they put all five quarts in, you're probably a half quart overfull. If
that's all, don't sweat it.

 

I agree that 1/2 quart over is likely not to cause catastrophic damage,
but I would still return to the dealer and make them remove the 1/2
quart. The reason being that if they do this a time or two they will be
MUCH more careful in the future. Mistakes that don't carry a penalty
get repeated more often.

Matt

 

I would have the dealer put it what's stated in the manual. I use
10W30 in the desert out here (the dealership uses Castrol GTX bulk).

 

I would have the dealer put it what's stated in the manual. I use
10W30 in the desert out here (the dealership uses Castrol GTX bulk).