GDI OCI question.

[doublejay25]

Hello All-

I'm sure this has been asked but, I couldn't find anything. I have a 2020 Kia Sportage LX. I'll admit I wasn't completely aware of the "which ever comes first" interval. Anyway, I do short trips M-F that don't really allow the car to reach temp to and from work. I do drive on the weekends to where the car reaches full temp. I used full synthetic my last oil change and realizing that I wasn't at the mileage interval, I let it run. It's been 12 months and I'm still under the 3k mark. Now knowing that I possibly should have changed the oil at the 6 month mark regardless of the mileage, should I be concerned of any damage? I did the oil change today. It's been 1 year & 2,500 miles since my last oil change.

 

[HemiBenny]

First question, did you notice an increase of your oil level on the dipstick or did you ever check it?

 

[doublejay25]

I did check every so often and it was always right below the top full notch. I checked this morning after running the car and it was still at the same mark. I measured what came out versus what went in and it was 5 quarts plus some in the oil filter.

 

[HemiBenny]

I’d bet that you’re just fine. Still, with a GDI, I would change it every 5k or 6 months (whichever occurs first). Heck, I do that with everything I maintain anyway. Short trips are harder on oil than constant driving and piling on the miles.
$60-$80 a year is cheap, heavily contaminated and thinned out oil is going to cost you more in the long run.
Flame suit on!

 

[doublejay25]

Honestly this was complete ignorance on my part. I always thought that I was being light on the engine the way I was driving. It was the first and last time I've gone past the suggested interval.

 

[oldhp]

I drive .8 to work and 9 hours later .8 home. When I change oil at 6 months its dark brown / black. Sometimes only 900 to 1200 miles on the oil in 6 months. It does get driven on trips 50+ miles in there too. Oil is cheap, change it.

 

[doublejay25]

I drive .8 to work and 9 hours later .8 home. When I change oil at 6 months its dark brown / black. Sometimes only 900 to 1200 miles on the oil in 6 months. It does get driven on trips 50+ miles in there too. Oil is cheap, change it.

The oil was dark brown. I wasn't doing it to save money. I was going based on mileage. Now that I know it's recommended at 6 months regardless of mileage. I'm just questioning if it possibly caused any damage.

 

[HemiBenny]

The oil was dark brown. I wasn't doing it to save money. I was going based on mileage. Now that I know it's recommended at 6 months regardless of mileage. I'm just questioning if it possibly caused any damage.

Nah, not this early on. Just forget it and do your 5k/6months from here out.

 

[Dinoburner]

We here at BITOG obsess over oil and what uses it self included. Oil is cheap.

 

[TumblrDucks]

Unlikely to have noticeable damage, considering this is a fairly new car and low mileage. Just don't do that again

 

[twX]

The reason for the 6-month limit is that they don't want you doing 5-6k miles if you're only doing short trips, which is hard on oil. 2.5k miles is not too long though, even over 12 months.

Still, you'll want to document oil changes every 6 months to maintain your drivetrain warranty. Once the warranty is up, 3k/12 months would be a pretty reasonable OCI.

 

[doublejay25]

To offer up more details. My car has 38,890 miles. I do mostly short trips during the week. I did notice slightly louder cold starts before the oil change, that is what made me question my choice. Is the overall consensus that I have no reason for concern?