First time changing oil what to use ?

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Hi everyone,

Usually when my mechanic changes my oil he adds an engine flush style product just before and leaves the engine to idle for a few minutes.

I"m going to attempt my first oil change by myself but wondering if I should use any oil flush/injector cleaner/carbon cleaner product before hand?

I do use Pennzoil Ultra platinum but this change will switch to Pennzoil platinum (Couldn't get the PUP)

The car is a 2012 Kia Optima with a GDI engine 40k miles on it.

Thank you everyone for the help
 
Some people are just plain weird. Why on Earth would anybody use those engine flushes? Especially on a nearly new car with low miles, what is there to clean? Unless you change the oil every 20-30k miles.

No to additives and No to flushes and cleaners.

PP will be fine.
 
yeah, many times, more does not equal better

No need for flushes. Just run a quality oil, like you have been and save your money. Why spend the cash on an oil that's supposed to be superior, yet you feel like it still needs a flush? Probably just the mechanic padding his wallet.

Congrats on tackling it yourself. DIY is actually quite easy. Enjoy and drink a beer with the $$ saved.
 
Originally Posted By: Nick1994
Some people are just plain weird. Why on Earth would anybody use those engine flushes? Especially on a nearly new car with low miles, what is there to clean? Unless you change the oil every 20-30k miles.

No to additives and No to flushes and cleaners.

PP will be fine.


Great to know !
I didn't know if using any additional cleaners or additives was worth it

Originally Posted By: surfstar
yeah, many times, more does not equal better

No need for flushes. Just run a quality oil, like you have been and save your money. Why spend the cash on an oil that's supposed to be superior, yet you feel like it still needs a flush? Probably just the mechanic padding his wallet.

Congrats on tackling it yourself. DIY is actually quite easy. Enjoy and drink a beer with the $$ saved.


Great to know !
I just wanted to make sure i'm covering all bases.

I've been so happy with the PUP it's an amazing oil. I've noticed slight decrease in fuel consumption but its made the engine much quieter compared with the Castrol Magnatec the dealer used.

I just wasn't sure if I had to use something like Gumout etc since it's a GDI engine. I didn't want to run into the risk of carbon build up. Although there hasn't been any major reports of it with the Koreans.

I saw an image of a 200k mile turbo and there didn't seem to be any major build up.
 
If you're doing regular changes then there is no need for any sort of cleaner or flush product.
In a GDI engine, an FI cleaner might be of use once a year or so, but it won't do anything for the intake valves since they never see fuel.
Even the current formulation of Ultra is a good oil so you should have no problems with any deposits that any oil could control.
DIY is faster, easier and cheaper than using a shop for oil changes, so good for you.
 
Originally Posted By: Nick1994
Some people are just plain weird. Why on Earth would anybody use those engine flushes? Especially on a nearly new car with low miles, what is there to clean? Unless you change the oil every 20-30k miles.

No to additives and No to flushes and cleaners.

PP will be fine.


+1 on that. If you've never done an oil change, you better do your homework. Find a YouTube video and detailed info for what you need to remove the filter.
I
I would suggest a buddy that knows what they are doing as a second set of eyes.

PP is what I'm using.
 
Hi sshazam,

No flush, just use a good quality oil, changed at regular and reasonable intervals.

So you are talking Gumout, PP, PUP and you live in Australia ?
It's all Shell here mate, unless you know a man who knows a man who can who can hook you up....
 
Originally Posted By: sshazam
Hi everyone,

Usually when my mechanic changes my oil he adds an engine flush style product just before and leaves the engine to idle for a few minutes.

I"m going to attempt my first oil change by myself but wondering if I should use any oil flush/injector cleaner/carbon cleaner product before hand?

I do use Pennzoil Ultra platinum but this change will switch to Pennzoil platinum (Couldn't get the PUP)

Sounds like your mechanic know what he is doing, as using a major brand (Liqui Moly, Amsoil and Castrol classic car oils Ltd all make very good idle use flush additives) will make sure the block is clean and help the hot oil drain. READ THE INSTRUCTIONS as the idle time varies (10 or 15 mins).
Using a small can of injection system cleaner every OCI is also a good idea, just use a well known proven product (Not MMO).

Penn Ultra or any of their top of the range full synthetics are real good, but err on the heavy side during summer (Just check the Shell/Penn, Castrol, Mobil or best of all, the Liqui Moly oil finder page for good oils). Mobil 1 might be cheaper and is nearly as good.
Don't mess about with cheap filters, OEM from a dealer, Mobil 1 extended something or Bosch (Made in Germany only) from a service center.
Nothing wrong with an oil pump like the Pela I use, as it saves time and reduces the mess.

The car is a 2012 Kia Optima with a GDI engine 40k miles on it.

Thank you everyone for the help
 
Originally Posted By: userfriendly
Krykie mate! Flushing is for toilets, not engines.
Spend your money on Sheila's 'n beer, the rest you can waste.


+1
I couldn't of said it better myself
grin.gif
thumbsup2.gif
 
Originally Posted By: sshazam
Usually when my mechanic changes my oil he adds an engine flush style product just before and leaves the engine to idle for a few minutes.


I am very surprised a mechanic would do that. I am speechless.
 
any full syn adn change according to you manual and you might also consider a fuel additive twice a yr to prevent ethanol damage
 
Originally Posted By: camrydriver111
Originally Posted By: sshazam
Usually when my mechanic changes my oil he adds an engine flush style product just before and leaves the engine to idle for a few minutes.

I am very surprised a mechanic would do that. I am speechless.

They called it "upsell"
 
Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
Originally Posted By: camrydriver111
Originally Posted By: sshazam
Usually when my mechanic changes my oil he adds an engine flush style product just before and leaves the engine to idle for a few minutes.

I am very surprised a mechanic would do that. I am speechless.

They called it "upsell"


You gotta be really desperate to upsell that.
 
Well some old school mechanics still like that kind of stuff my boss is still of the mind that seafoam can cure anything. He went so far as to have a seafoam salesman come to the shop to "talk" to me.

Anywho.

If you are changing at home go buy a used oil container. It holds a fair amount and seals well with a large mouth to help pour into. It isn't high priced either I got all mine from Wal mart. Use a good oil, good filter and don't over extend oci. Check oil once a week and enjoy saved dollars.
 
"Engine flushes" are how your trusty mechanic reaches into your wallet to extract more money. A complete waste on a maintained late model car, and may even cause more harm than good.
 
Originally Posted By: sshazam
Hi everyone,

Usually when my mechanic changes my oil he adds an engine flush style product just before and leaves the engine to idle for a few minutes.

I"m going to attempt my first oil change by myself but wondering if I should use any oil flush/injector cleaner/carbon cleaner product before hand?

I do use Pennzoil Ultra platinum but this change will switch to Pennzoil platinum (Couldn't get the PUP)

The car is a 2012 Kia Optima with a GDI engine 40k miles on it.

Thank you everyone for the help


Not uncommon for mechanics to run an oil flush each oil change.

My Toyota Dealer does this for vehicles if the customers agrees and its cheap insurance.

Why not use the Shell Helix Ultra range ?
 
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