Thanks, that is quite a web site. They have the factory shop manuals and TSBs online. I wish more companies would do that.
Hyundai & 5w-20 - not recommended
- Thread starter csandste
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All else equal, the robustness of an oil seems to be directly related to the base oil thickness; hence the 10w30 being more robust than a 5w40. The 5w40 would just have a lot more plastic in it.
Isn't Hyundai the manufacturer that offers the extra long powertrain warranty?
Yes in inexpensive cars at that.
So You'd think they'd be real eager to post the real deal, when it comes to oil recomendations.
Fred...
I don't think that is a fair comment. Hyundai is the biggest selling import here, mainly because (a) they are cheap, and (b) they are reliable.
They spent over 770 million dollars on R&D in 2001, presumably some of that money went on testing which is the best oil to use.
http://worldwide.hyundai-motor.com/intro/news/index1.html
As for the chart, it is as relevent today as it ever was. I have a similar chart in my owners manual for a 2002 model Honda motor-bike. You would agree that Honda are on the leading edge of automotive engineering.
Dave
Don't SD/SE oils date back to the 70's?
That reminds me. My friend had a '00 Hyundai Accent GS with the 92 HP 1.5L/auto. She only changed the oil when she remembered every 15-20k miles or so. She knew it was almost time to add oil when her lifters would start knocking, but she would still wait for the oil light before adding oil. When she added she would throw in 2-3 quarts (probably overfilled) of the cheapest, obsolete API rating, whatever grade oil.
She treated it this way since new. That car would see redline anytime she accelerated. Pretty robust engine as it lasted 58k miles on maybe 3-4 oil changes and running low on oil quite frequently. The only reason it did not last much longer is because she totalled the car. Suprisingly the car always started on the first try, it still got pretty decent fuel economy and felt like it had pretty good power when I drove it.
My 01 Elantra brings up same chart. I'm going to check my owners manual in the next few hours. I was sure it was different. Wonder if I can go after the dealer for using 5w30 all year long?
(sorry for the double post)
[ April 22, 2004, 01:12 PM: Message edited by: csandste ]
(sorry for the double post)
[ April 22, 2004, 01:12 PM: Message edited by: csandste ]
Hyundai ? Hardly a company on the leading edge of automotive engineering, fuel economy or anything else.
OK cars at a bargain price, sure.
Their oil recommendation chart is pretty much a reprint of most standard 1979 charts.
John
OK cars at a bargain price, sure.
Their oil recommendation chart is pretty much a reprint of most standard 1979 charts.
John
That's why so many Hyundais (Accents especially) have a bad reputation. Abused by people who can barely afford any car and skimp on any semblance of service. I think the better CR numbers for reliability are partially based on Hyundai moving upscale a bit and people maintaining their vehicles. Mine's been great for 60K+ miles.
schmoe - true, but if you mean by "highest standards" like Honda, Toyota, Subaru...but then neither is Ford, GM, Dodge, etc.
My daughter's Kia is good. Some others, a minority, claim their Kia's are terrible. A possible spotty production reliability problem.
My daughter's Kia is good. Some others, a minority, claim their Kia's are terrible. A possible spotty production reliability problem.
Most of the reviews that I have read on hyundai and kia, put the fit and finish, and quality of matierials and constructions...............up there with japanese auto makers. Can't say about the reliability though.
For what it's worth, my manual shows 5w30 up to 95F. Different than the web page for the same car.
Not built as well in the past is true, which is why you don't see them with alot of miles. However, the newer cars are built extremely well, with Hyundai tying Honda in the latest Consumer Report's owner survey . Give the latest crop a few years to acquire the mileage and you'll see those hitting 200-300k.
The title of this post, combined with the oil weight chart pasted into the first post, say it all: Hyundai doesn't like 5w-20 oils in their engines, or at least that particular engine.
Not much relevance to Honda, Ford, etc., especially when considering that engine tolerances and other factors come into play when recommending certain weights for certain engines. To use an extreme example, if I owned a new Jaguar with a V-12, I wouldn't suspect that the Hyundai oil certs had ANY relevance to my Jag, and certainly wouldn't draw any broad conclusions from same.
Not much relevance to Honda, Ford, etc., especially when considering that engine tolerances and other factors come into play when recommending certain weights for certain engines. To use an extreme example, if I owned a new Jaguar with a V-12, I wouldn't suspect that the Hyundai oil certs had ANY relevance to my Jag, and certainly wouldn't draw any broad conclusions from same.
When it comes down to it, engine tolorances are not much different today than they were 10 years ago, the tolorances may be closer in a mass-production standpoint, but lets take any engine, say the factory specs for rod bearing clearance is .002 to .004 inch. I am willing to bet that the same engine, produced 10 years earlier ( I am assuming that there are some engines manufactured for years at a time), has the same clearance specs then as now. That being said, if the same engine has teh same clearanc tolorances as one 10 years older, why the change in oil weight? If 10w-30 was good enough for the older engine when new, why is it not good for the same based engine with same tolorance today?
As for the Hyundai Vs. rest of World, Hyundai went through a factory overhaul of how they build autos in early 2000. The result was the newr line of cars (redesigned for 2001) that have QC features on par with other manufactureres. I own 2 of them, and Elantra and a SantA Fe, and have no quality gripes on either one. Yes, they had a bad rep a few years back, but I can also remember a time when you mentioned Toyota and all you thought of was Rust. Most of them didn't last too long in the late 70's. Now look at them. I will say with all honesty, that within 5 years Hyundai will be a major rival with Toyota and Nissan. Look at the reports and sales figures.
As for the Hyundai Vs. rest of World, Hyundai went through a factory overhaul of how they build autos in early 2000. The result was the newr line of cars (redesigned for 2001) that have QC features on par with other manufactureres. I own 2 of them, and Elantra and a SantA Fe, and have no quality gripes on either one. Yes, they had a bad rep a few years back, but I can also remember a time when you mentioned Toyota and all you thought of was Rust. Most of them didn't last too long in the late 70's. Now look at them. I will say with all honesty, that within 5 years Hyundai will be a major rival with Toyota and Nissan. Look at the reports and sales figures.
Yes, but. A great example of an engine that just won't die is the present GM 90 degree 3.8L (231 CID) V-6. This engine has been around in one form or another since it first appeared in 1961 (which, BTW, is the year I first appeared...) displacing only 198 cu in. Crude in the extreme back then, this engine "featured" such gems as an uneven firing sequence, a result of its V-8 origin and 90-deg cyl bank angle, and an alternator bracket that could be shaken off by normal engine vibration. I've read of at least one instance in which a revision of the engine included a reduction of the clearances in the bearings, so I'd have to say that you have to look further than just a design's age to tell whether an oil grade change is warranted. Manufacturing techniques have come a long way, and continue to improve. Today, with tighter clearances (and split crank pins to even out the firing) this engine calls for 10w-30 (and is quite refined). I would still love to see what oil GM recommended when the "Buick V-6" first debuted.
[ April 26, 2004, 02:38 AM: Message edited by: ekpolk ]
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