QuestionQUESTION: I have a 2006 Hyundai Sonata LX, 6 cyl sedan. I need guidance on which viscosity of motor oil to use. I looked in the owner's manual, and there are several options, which really doesn't help. I live in northern New Jersey, where the temperature could reach 100 degrees in summer and single digits in winter. At the present time I'm using 10W30 all year, but I've heard that it's better for the engine to use a thinner oil in winter and a thicker one during the summer. I would appreciate your recommendations on this subject. Thank you.
ANSWER: Hi Frank,
You heard wrong. Thinner oils tend to increase fuel mileage in your engine so you should use 5W30 or 5W40 if you are interested in that aspect. As far as the weight of the oil, any oil that is multi-viscosity (more than one number) acts like the lower weight oil when cold and the higher weight oil when hot. So on frigid mornings, you're engine will 'think' it has the 5 or 10-weight oil and when it's 98 degreed in the shade in July, your engine will 'think' it has 30 or 40-weight oil in it.
Thermal breakdown is where your trouble will lie. You should purchase standard oil products and keep a steady interval of oil changes such as every three months or every three thousand miles whichever comes FIRST. Valvoline or Castrol would be my suggestions and never skimp with a Firestone (insert names for other junk filters here) filter when a Fram is only about a buck more. When I say standard oil, I mean don't purchase 'high-mileage' editions or 'extended life' (5000 or 10,000 mile oils) and never purchase detergent-free oils for it. Don't buy into the hype, standard lubricants have been doing fine in automobile engines for a hundred years, the need to make more money selling oil has only been a recent thing and has NOT significantly extended the life of ANY engine. If you are interested in extending the life of your engine, give it a bottle of Dura-Lube at about the 30-50 thousand mile range and about once every six oil changes after that. A freind of mine has an 82 Tercell station wagon with 410K on it. He still uses it for short trips and such, the body has been repaired more times than I can count but the 20R is still purring like a kitten. I've driven DuraLube treated V8's for miles with NO oil pressure and never had an issue after I refilled the crankcase.
I hope I didn't make yer head spin.
Looking for a reputable service technician? My advice on finding a good technician is: Steer clear of the dealership and 'chain' stores like Firestone, Sears, Pep Boys, Monro Muffler/Brake, Midas, etc. as they usually only employ ONE ASE Certified Tech just so they can say they do and chances are, that guy is the asst. manager or manager and is not in the store to diagnose/repair vehicles anyway. Find a service location in the link below or get some names out of the yellow-pages and do a drive-by. Garages that employ ASE Certified Technicians will be marked with the 'Blue-Seal' insignia. If unsure about whether a place employs Certified Techs, just ask to see their credentials. ALL ASE Certified Technicians will be PROUD to show and display their certificate(s).
Thanks for the question, I hope this information was helpful to you.
Fred
Knucklebusters Used Auto & Truck Parts, Inc.
www.knucklebusters.us
570-453-0910
"Re-use is the best form of recycling" Help us recycle by purchasing used parts from us!
Looking for an ASE Certified shop near you? ASE Certified Technicians are the BEST of the BEST!
Click here: http://www.ase.com/bluesealsearch/locator.php
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Hi Fred,
Many thanks for your complete and useful answer. I read your answer several times and now have a couple of comments/questions for you. I am a little concerned about your statement that "Thermal breakdown is where your trouble will lie." I assume that you mean this could occur if I use a multi-viscosity oil. I am really not concerned about squeezing out the most mpg from my car; rather, my goal is to provide the engine with the best possible protection all year long. FYI, I take my car to an independent shop which employs ASE certified technicians. They use SHELL motor oil (out of the can, not in bulk). They are the ones who recommended the 10W30 oil, but I "heard" that a 5W30 is better to use in winter because it is thinner than 10W30 and would therefore flow quicker and easier to the vital engine parts. Do you recommend that I use 5W30 all year in New Jersey? If not please give me your recommendation and I will follow it. Thanks again, and I look forward to hearing from you.
Frank
AnswerHi Frank,
I'm not gonna get in the middle of a pissing match here that's for certain. If you already have a trusted mechanic, trust them.
When I said that thermal breakdown would be where your trouble will lie I didn't necessarily mean to single YOU out. I meant that 6cyl Hyundai motors have a high heat value in comparison to other 6cylinder engines of the same class and weight. Your engine is light on "cc's" which demands that it spin at slightly higher RPM's than other, similar engines. So because the engine works so hard all the time, thermal breakdown for that vehicle is a factor but ONLY if you are lax on oil-change intervals.
I will ALWAYS recommend Valvoline or Castrol not only because they are manufactured right here in the USA from sweet crude pumped out of the ground right here in the USA but because it's better. hands down, better. Shell makes oil? News to me for sure and TBH with you, bulk-sale oil is typically better grade oil than bottle or can with less chance of contamination. If you need to pop open five cans of oil, you stand a higher risk of having debris infiltrate the engine than if you'd have pumped five quarts in from a bulk-tank through an air-powered nozzle.
Open the hood on your car and look at the oil cap. Right on it there will be an API Service sticker with the 'recommended' grade of oil to use in that engine. I would stick to that advice.
Looking for a reputable service technician? My advice on finding a good technician is: Steer clear of the dealership and 'chain' stores like Firestone, Sears, Pep Boys, Monro Muffler/Brake, Midas, etc. as they usually only employ ONE ASE Certified Tech just so they can say they do and chances are, that guy is the asst. manager or manager and is not in the store to diagnose/repair vehicles anyway. Find a service location in the link below or get some names out of the yellow-pages and do a drive-by. Garages that employ ASE Certified Technicians will be marked with the 'Blue-Seal' insignia. If unsure about whether a place employs Certified Techs, just ask to see their credentials. ALL ASE Certified Technicians will be PROUD to show and display their certificate(s).
Thanks for the question, I hope this information was helpful to you.
Fred
Knucklebusters Used Auto & Truck Parts, Inc.
www.knucklebusters.us
570-453-0910
"Re-use is the best form of recycling" Help us recycle by purchasing used parts from us!
Looking for an ASE Certified shop near you? ASE Certified Technicians are the BEST of the BEST!
Click here: http://www.ase.com/bluesealsearch/locator.php
