oil change mileage

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Nov 27, 2014
Messages
806
Location
Denver
I have my local Hyundai dealer do my oil changes.
The owner's manual says 7500 miles or 3750 miles for severe service.
I was there a couple days ago and asked why they use the 3750 schedule.
The service guy said we in Colorado are considered a severe service state because we have all four seasons.
He said they use a semi syn oil.
I told him that I thought a semi syn would do just fine for 7500 miles and thats the schedule I'm doing.
He did not argue.
Is the we are a severe state just a revenue builder?
 
Originally Posted by marine65
Is the we are a severe state just a revenue builder?

IMO, yes.

4 seasons is "severe"?
lol.gif


If it was me I'd just do 5k tire and rotations 'cuz that's the Toyota way!
lol.gif
Get a decent synthetic (probably anything would do) and change every 7,500 and I doubt you'd ever have a problem.

Severe schedule probably does apply for track or towing usage, or stop&go. I'm not saying it's junk, just that it's oversold because they can.
 
I've had four Kias and a Hyundai and found, especially with the DI engines, that 5,000 seems to be the sweet spot, and I drive about 20,000+ miles a year. Your service adviser, and the dealership as a whole, is money grabbing.
 
What engine? Most guys with GDI / T-GDI engines change at the severe service interval due to Fuel Dilution.

3-5k is a good interval. I wouldn't run a Hyundai/Kia GDI or TGDI out to 7.5k.

Using dealer oil I'd go by the severe service interval if It were mine
 
Last edited:
My son's Hyundai dealer had him on 5K OCI's for his 2018 Accent with whatever bulk oil they were using, most likely in 5W20. I serviced it last week while visiting him with M1 EP 5W30 and set him up for 4k OCI's, severe service. He won't be using the dealer anymore because of them telling him if he didn't follow their service recommendations, he'd void his warranty. LOL He knew exactly how to handle them, and asked where in the owners manual anything they were selling or saying was spelled out. They weren't expecting that. They had pitched him for a 20K service which would have cost $400. I think many dealers think people are stupid, and blindly follow their pitches and up-sells.
 
Not that this carries any weight, but the salesman who sold me my Sonata said that, being in a suburban area that has a lot of 45mph roads, that really wasn't "severe" and I could get by with the longer interval.

We have 4 seasons here, too. Sometimes all in the same day even.
crackmeup2.gif
 
Originally Posted by JohnnyJohnson
The Stealerships are playing you guys.


Not me.
 
Last edited:
To me severe means short trips, or excessively dirty environment, or frequent towing, or long periods of idle time. My brother once lived in North Carolina and because of the mountains and roads he burned through brakes at an alarming rate. But we never made it more than 25 thousand miles on the brakes of our Crown Vic fleet.
 
Perhaps, but I bet the same dealership, if they were here in Phoenix, would say severe duty because we only really have two seasons and one of them it very hot and dusty, even though it's almost completely flat here.

I can't find it right now, but I vaguely recall reading a thread at one point that talked about how, based off of a lot of manufacturer/dealer documentation, only about 3-5% of all vehicles would fall under non-severe service.

You live in a state that has all 4 seasons - Severe Service
You live in a state that has hot, dusty weather - Severe Service
You live in a state that sees a lot of rain - Severe Service
Your weather is perfect, but you live in a mountainous area - Severe Service
You live in a state that borders the ocean so you have 'salt air' - Severe Service

Ridiculous.

One more reason I just do my own oil changes, at the OCI duration that I set.
 
To keep it as simple as possible, I'd be changing it on the 5's and 0's.

5.000
10,000
15,000
20,000
25,000
30,000
35.000
....
 
Originally Posted by marine65
...
Is the we are a severe state just a revenue builder?

Ask where in the owners manual that states living in a particular area automatically puts you in severe service, they can't do it.

For the past 15 or so years Hyundai has in their owners manual something similar to this for what constitutes severe service, with any one item on this list putting you in the severe service:

  • Repeated short distance driving
  • Driving in dusty conditions or sandy areas
  • Extensive use of brakes
  • Driving in areas where salt or other corrosive materials are being used
  • Driving on rough or muddy roads
  • Driving in mountainous areas (may apply to you depending on location)
  • Extended periods of idling or low speed operation
  • Driving for a prolonged period in cold temperatures and/or extremely humid climates (again, may apply to you depending on location)
  • More than 50% driving in heavy city traffic during


So 2 of those may apply based just on your location and could put you into severe, but not absolutely.

As many have said, a 5000 mile interval is a good compromise for those DI/TGDI vehicles that are more of a "medium" service.
It is what I am doing with my H/K vehicles with DI.
Plus as mentioned, makes service intervals super easy.

But a 7500 mile interval with a quality oil would probably be just fine also.
 
At 5K miles, my old 2016 veloster 1.6Ts oil would reek of gas with mainly HWY miles. It would literally smell like I was draining gas instead of oil.

I found it weird that the FF was regular old QSGB as well, especially when the OM recommended an ACEA A1/A5 oil (which also recommended QS, which no longer was ACEA approved)

That was the only car that I was adamant on 3k ocis. Seemed like even 3750mi was too far, even when running PP/QSUD 5w30.

I'm actually saving money now, even using a boutique oil in the truck that takes 7 quarts instead of 4.5, just by more than tripling my OCIs from 3k to 10k. Naturally Aspirated Port injection FTW


Off topic: just got the Class Action Lawsuit in the mail over the transmission issues. LOL too bad I traded it for the truck in sig.
 
Last edited:
Basically "severe service" = driving. It's a shame we've diluted the meaning of "severe", much like current society has with "super"....but I digress.
 
I don't think a lot about it. It boils down to October and April. UOA always looks good. When it doesn't well a new car will start looking better.
 
I do both severe and highway my old relic says in the manual 7500 highway or 3000 severe so i split the difference and change it every 5000.
 
Originally Posted by donnyj08
Originally Posted by addyguy
On Hyundai/Kia GDI engines, 3750 mile OCI's aren't overkill, this engine needs it.


What he said ^

I agree. For my son I kept the math simple, 4K OCIs. I'm as certain as I can possibly be w/o a UOA that Mobil 1 EP 5W30 can handle it for the way he's driving his 2018 Accent. And 4K should give some room should he need to extend the OCI a bit. Maybe next time we service it I'll do a UOA, in the mean time we'll play it safe.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top