To the Max(life)

[Alex_V]

A customer with a '13 Kia Optima 2.4L GDI came in for an oil change today. His last one was in the late summer, at just over 60K miles - at the time I put in Valvoline Maxlife (red bottle) 5- or 10w30 and a Napa Proselect 21334 filter, told him to change it again at 70K which would have been in the 8,000 mile range. No OLM but I believe mfg. suggested OCI is 7,500 on conventional.

Today his car showed 82,000 miles and change - adding up to at least 18,000 miles on the oil, more than likely over 20K. Still sounded fine, he didn't mention any problems the car was having. I put in Synpower 5w30 and a Napa Gold filter this time, extra $5 for the upgrade on the house.

I saved the Proselect and will cut it open and post up when time permits.

I also put VML in my father-in-law's 300,000-mile Chevy 1500HD that sees around 30K a year... and gets changed Fourth of July and Christmas, no more, no less. I reckon it's good stuff.

 

[CharBaby]

Hmmm!
I'm sure the engines are fine however(IMHO), that's pushing the oil a bit further than most would feel comfortable doing.

VML Red bottle/jug is a syn/blend(a good one in it's own right) which to me, is just regular oil(GROUPII + GroupIII) with some extra additives and seal swellers. 15K-18K miles on VML is a bit far however, a UOA would be nice to see at those miles.

 

[dnewton3]

UOA on the Optima? Please ... for all that is lubricant holy ... please tell me you took a sample?

I suspect everything was actually fine, but it would be nice to see some proof!

 

[DemoFly]

It's so weird that people forget or don't have time to get oil changes.

It's something I cannot relate to. I wonder what other things they frequently forget...

 

[FordBroncoVWJeta]

Usually when people do that do that Walmart. There is either no oil on the dipstick, and only about a quart or two comes out of the drain plug. Or the oil is almost if not a pitch black. Quite a few cars that come in that we pop the drain plug and it just slowly drips a few drops of oil out. I always wonder how they the engine still runs. Must have enough sludge layers to help protect it.

 

[MParr]

Alrighty Then! This is the prime example of the majority of Hyundai/KIA engines that fall within the recall limits and fail. Sure there are some that weren’t properly cleaned at the factory before assembly. I’ve seen photos taken by a friend of mine (award winning Hyundai TEC). Sludge buildup! Dumb drivers who think cars are maintainance free. Hyundai/KIA OCI 3,750 severe & 7,500 normal. And guess what? A used oil analysis is foreign lingo to most of those owners. NEWS FLASH: Just change the ____ oil at 5,000 miles.

 

[Kira]

From above:
"....how their the engine still runs. Must have enough sludge layers to help protect it."

I wonder this too. Maybe the sludge layer(s) sweat oil onto moving parts.

 

[SR5]

Originally Posted By: dnewton3
Please ... for all that is lubricant holy ... please tell me you took a sample?


Laugh !!!
But I agree, I would love to see a UOA.

 

[SR5]

Quote:
I put in Synpower 5w30 and a Napa Gold filter this time, extra $5 for the upgrade on the house.

You Sir, are a Gentleman !!

 

[Virtus_Probi]

Originally Posted By: DemoFly
It's so weird that people forget or don't have time to get oil changes.

It's something I cannot relate to. I wonder what other things they frequently forget...


When I was young, any maintenance my car needed always came as a surprise to me.
My tires are bald after 60,000 miles...how did that happen?
My dad tells me to watch the oil level as I drive his old car from Chicago to Dallas and back and the timing chain is rattling because I forgot all about it...well, where the heck did that stupid oil GO? I didn't drain any out...
I was actually pretty good about getting the oil changed once that car was mine because Jiffy Lube put those stickers on my windshield...I was generally clueless when they they would bring me little blots of various fluids and tell me they looked bad, the decision as to changing them or not would often be dictated by how much I had in my wallet. I do think one guy tried to tell me that my ATF was bad because it was red, but I knew from my dad spilling that on the driveway that it should be red!

Face it, the details of car maintenance are of nearly zero interest to most people. I have only developed an interest later in life, probably due to the onset of senility or something else terrible. My wife gets her oil changed on time because she likes to follow rules, but she seems to think that tires are lifetime items and doesn't seem to get that the times when she has zero winter traction correspond to having close to zero tread. The tire is still on the car, it should just work!
;^)

 

[mrdctaylor]

I work with a guy who says he doesn't believe in oil changes. I mean, he *does* them eventually...but he could never tell you when he last had one or when one was due. He never checks his oil level either. But he also drives vehicles forever and never sees any issues related to oil. Go figure. He had an older Honda Civic that he drove for 15+ years. Now he has a 2002 Toyota Camry. Maybe he's just been fortunate to have cars that are either easy on oil or never leak/burn oil. Whenever I mention changing my oil, I just get the "Psssht...oil changes!" like I'm buying into some scam.

As for me, I had it hammered into me by my dad. When I got married it was just something I picked up as being part of "adulting". I then took it further. My dad never once changed his ATF or coolant, much less diff oil. I made the mistake of reading BITOG back 15+ years ago after I bought a new truck and it all sorta stuck. ;-)

 

[RichardS]

I just can't understand people who don't change their fluids or check their tires.

Since I drive all day long, I constantly see lawn, handyman, and general construction trucks with zero tread. They're almost always running some random, off road, exotic tread pattern oversized tires.

My bosses son had a pretty severe timing chain rattle on his Ford Edge, and when I heard it I did a little snooping. 2.5 quarts low, and when I asked about the last time he changed it, he indicated the guy I replaced checked it 5 months previous and "changed" it by adding a quart.

I'm the only one at work that checks my fluids and tires weekly on my work *or* personal car.

If I get put on someone else's transit van, there's always a dash light. Usually low tire, but occasionally a low oil or check engine light. My 2500 is the oldest vehicle in our fleet, and in better condition than anything else mechanically.

It's one of the most expensive thing most of us own (aside from those of us that own a house), and neglecting it is just borderline criminal.

 

[deven]

Maybe he cheated on you and got an oil change done elsewhere the last time. Just saying!

 

[Alex_V]

dnewton3, your curiosity and mine, for sure - but the oil's long since mixed into everything else in my drain pan. We'll have to glean what we can from the filter autopsy.

Broncojeta, finding one with less than 50% of its oil remaining is no rarity, but he did mention checking it and adding some (think he said it was on the stick but below the add mark) once. I didn't measure how much came out but it was at least 3.5-4 qts. so it wasn't terribly low. In my experience oil goes from amber, to black, to non-translucent brown, and this fill looked wellll into the "solid brown" stage.

Honestly, I can't be upset at this guy. He realized he'd grossly exceeded the intended lifespan of the oil and if his car blows tomorrow I'm 99% sure he won't even think about blaming me. His divorce was finalized a few months ago (ex was already pregnant again) and he just got back into a steady job after a couple [censored] restaurant gigs and some periods of odd jobs. Running into him at the store or the coffee shop always brightens my day - the worst I could say about him is he's a glutton for punishment romantically. His reasoning for running the oil so long was lack of money - yeah, we all know a blown up car isn't conducive to having any money, either, but he's in a majority of people that don't do the math that way.

In contrast, I've had more than a couple customers say in so many words, before the troubleshooting or repairs commence, "we're hard up and it's our only car", yada yada, then it's 3 qts. low on oil, a 1/2 gallon low on antifreeze, one or more of the tires is almost flat and has been for a while, and the CEL has been on for months and hasn't been checked. Gee, ever consider that $10 in oil and 2 minutes longer at the gas station for free air might keep you in that car for years longer? Nah... and that mindset and judgement has absolutely nothing to do with why you're struggling.

 

[Alex_V]

Originally Posted By: deven
Maybe he cheated on you and got an oil change done elsewhere the last time. Just saying!


Ha! I doubt it. No sticker in the windshield (I've got some now) and I remember putting that Proselect on there.

 

[BrocLuno]

Hey Alex, you got snow going sideways yet ... About this time of the year it can get downright cool there. I remember standing in formation at 4 AM at Knox

But always liked to travel down to Campbellsville. Nice town

Keep safe and warm

 

[Alex_V]

Originally Posted By: BrocLuno
Hey Alex, you got snow going sideways yet ... About this time of the year it can get downright cool there. I remember standing in formation at 4 AM at Knox

But always liked to travel down to Campbellsville. Nice town

Keep safe and warm

Nope, got a flurry last week but nothing more. Lowest lows have been in the mid 20's, highs from 30-45. We get most of our bad weather after the holidays - combines were still running in and out of town harvesting soybeans until about a month ago. This is the first winter in my new shop so I'm chipping away at sealing up the cracks - but I can still keep it 55-60* with two <20,000 BTU propane heaters.

 

[nthach]

I wonder what the oil looked like coming out? I doubt a Kia is hard on oil like a Toyota is - but 18K is a while to go on conventional or "synthetic" blends.

I once changed oil on a turbo 1.8T Beetle - a friend of a friend and I asked her who changed the oil last. She said Jiffy Lube. I assumed bulk PYB 5W-30 and a Fram/Puro made filter. The oil drained out a thick black. I dunno what happened to the car, the girl who drove it seemed like one of those basic valley girls who loves to shop, drink Starbucks and ride Uber - the latter is probably for the better.