[raven69david]

What type of oil do our vans use: Regular or synthetic?

 

[CochiseG]

I think it is up to you. When asking for synthetic, I asked my dealership what they put in, and they said a blend of synthetic and dyno, so now I choose to put 0w30 mobil 1 myself, and find that its a pretty easy oil change with the filter being in the upper engine bay, and its easy to twist open without any specialised too, only a big 1inch and a quarter socket is needed for it!

I also find that its pretty tightly built, theres plenty of thread on the drain plug (it only starts dripping after about 15-20 full turns, when it is almost off.

 

[ron1004]

What type of oil do our vans use: Regular or synthetic?

I doubt that anyone here will argue that Synthetic is not better than Regular, and these days Synth is very reasonably priced, and this to me makes Synth the obvious choice.

 

[CochiseG]

conventional might be the best for your seals! consider the 5$ oil jug XD

 

[ron1004]

conventional might be the best for your seals! consider the 5$ oil jug XD

I've heard that a number of times, but haven't yet found any reliable source confirming it - do you have anything you could post?

Five Common Myths About Engine Oil

What does the W in 10W-30 really stand for? Are synthetic oils bad for engine seals? We debunk common engine oil myths.

www.cenex.com

What Are the Risks of Switching to Synthetic Oil in Older Cars? | YourMechanic Advice

The automotive community continues to debate whether switching to synthetic oil in older cars is beneficial or risky. In general, synthetic motor oil offers owners of newer cars, trucks, and SUVs multiple benefits, from...

www.yourmechanic.com

Is it safe to switch to synthetic motor oil?

A few myths about synthetic oils are still prevalent. Get clear on myths about synthetic oils at HowStuffWorks.

auto.howstuffworks.com

 

[Pretender]

What type of oil do our vans use: Regular or synthetic?

Well first of all, your question can be interpreted a number of different ways:

1- What type of oil is installed in the engine at the factory?
This one will depend on where your your car was built and what oil that particular factory decided to use in it. So this is a big ? What I can tell you is that KIA does have a partnership with TOTAL Lubricants and the oil that is recommend for our vehicles is TOTAL Quartz, which is a Full Synthetic oil (see THIS POST). Therefore we can assume that, at least in some parts of the world ("participating" countries), this is the oil that is installed as Factory Fill.
"This lubricant is used by Hyundai- KIA Motors Corporation for First Fill." [view PDF].

2- What oil does a particular Dealership use in our KIA's when doing an oil change?
This one is pretty much at the Dealership's discretion. I don't get my oil changes done at the dealer's myself, but from what I've heard most seem to use a Synthetic Blend oil (which is mostly convention oil with a small percentage of synthetic mixed in - it is not 50/50). Some might be using only a Convention/Regular oil - especially for the "free" oil changes, while some might actually be using a Full Synthetic oil. Most will give you a choice between them and simply charge you more for Full Synthetic.

3- What does the Owners Manual specify?
The manual doesn't actually specify a particular "type" (synthetic vs. conventional) to use in our engine. Which means/implies that you are free to use either. If the manufacturer wanted us to use only one specific type, it would be spelled out in the Owners Manual. So you are free to use whichever type of oil you prefer.

4- Well this last one is pretty obvious... Your van will use whichever "type" of oil you, or the Dealership, or other oil change place decide to put in the sump!

One final note: As others have pointed out above, Full Synthetic oil is superior (in several ways) to Conventional/Regular oil. For more on this, you can check out THIS POST

I hope that answers your question.

Richard

 

[Pretender]

conventional might be the best for your seals! consider the 5$ oil jug XD

As Ron pointed out above (great LINKS by the way), this is a total MYTH.

Full Synthetic oil protect engine seals just fine.

Richard

 

[darisgin]

Given GDI, I err toward the "cleanest" oil (e.g., derived from nat-gas). Full synth is just as cheap as anything else (w/deals, sales, and rebates...)

 

[Pretender]

Given GDI, I err toward the "cleanest" oil (e.g., derived from nat-gas).

Well I certainly wouldn't pour "dirty" motor oil in my engine... 😉

Any high quality Full Synthetic oil will equally do a good job protecting GDi engines - not just those who's base oil is derived from natural gas (e.g. Pennzoil full synthetic oils).

Incidentally, PAOs (Group IV Poly-alpha-olefins) are also derived from a gas - highly purified ethylene gas in this case - and have very stable and pure chemical compositions and highly uniform molecular chains. Practically all of the oil molecules are the same shape and size. They also contain no sulfur, phosphorus, or wax.

It is true some full synthetic oils do a better at cleaning your engine and keeping it clean, but that has more to do with the detergent and dispersant additives than the base oil (or oils).

Richard

 

[darisgin]

Any high quality Full Synth ---------------------- GDi ------- natural gas -- Pennzoil full synthetic oils
---PAOs[!] -------------- Group IV Poly-alpha-olefins ------------------------ purified ethylene gas --------------- stable and pure chemical composition
--------------- highly uniform molecular chains. --------------------------- oil molecules are the same shape and size.
-- ---------------------------------- no sulfur, phosphorus, or wax.-----detergent -------------- dispersant additives -------------------------------- base oil (or oils).

Hoo Nelly! We goin' full BITOG!

 

[Pretender]

Hoo Nelly! We goin' full BITOG!

...except that in this case you don't have to wade through 10+ pages of useless opinion-based posts to get to the actual fact-based info.

 

[120Gary12]

...except that in this case you don't have to wade through 10+ pages of useless opinion-based posts to get to the actual fact-based info.

AMEN.....

 

[CochiseG]

Well I certainly wouldn't pour "dirty" motor oil in my engine... 😉

I had a thought about this when I brought back my used oil to the stores bin last time. There was literally 20-30 jugs of used oil there, someone should put that to use, find the synthetic ones that have been changed too early (the ones that are still light brown at most), and fill up with it! Imagine the savings,its like an eternal supply of free used oil!

plus your car gets to share its fluids with other fellow machines! isnt this showing it some love?

 

[darisgin]

I had a thought about this when I brought back my used oil to the stores bin last time.

Used oil gets re-refined back into motor oil, and also into heating, marine, and blast-furnace oil (aka diesel), among other things.