Who else notices used GDI oil differences?

[Spyderman24_7]

I’ve had two direct injected engines over the last 8 years and yes, no doubt the oil looked nasty/smelled when it came out. Sometimes like fuel, sometimes I don’t know what. But it looked “bad”.

Surprisingly my car now doesn’t have direct injection and I’m loving it. It’s a 2016 Toyota Avalon...think it was the last year before Toyota went to DI. I don’t use oil between oil changes, the oil still looks very good when I change it. It’s kind of boring actually - nothing to really keep an eye, no fooling around with different oil brands and viscosities, no arguing online about oil consumption. I feel left out. Haha.

With some things in life boring/simple can be rewarding at the end of the day.

 

[wemay]

Wow, that was a lot of consumption.

Before getting the Passat (also TGDI) I've driven nothing but GDi/TGDi Hyundai/Kia products over the last 10 years and never experienced any noticable consumption whatsoever or used oil reeking of fuel. And I'm talking about with all types of oils...Syn, Blend, Dino.

I wonder if living in a warm climate (Miami) has had that much effect on the matter for us. Our Santa Fe Sport (turbo) does get the 3k/3mth OCI because it's always in morning traffic. But over the years, the tailpipe soot and drain appearance have improved. Whether this makes a difference I'm not sure. It could be related to motor oil industry improvements going from API SM on up.

Enjoy the Pathfinder

 

[Tjbouwhu]

Actually on my 2016 Honda Accord 2.4l GDI I am quite surprised on how clear the oil looks on the dipstick when I change it at 6000 - 7000 miles, relative to other vehicles I have owned over the years.

Now my Honda CRV with the 1.5l GDI Turbo...is black and smells terrible, after like 500 miles...change the oil at 3500 miles on this one and use 30wt vs the recommended 20wt.
Tom,

 

[Rochev]

What is your usual driving routine? Short trips? All highway? A mix?

Never short trips. Always a mix. Cold running in sub-zero temps definitely uses a lot of fuel which may contribute to the fuel smell. They rarely see redline but are "pushed" occasionally. Hyundai literally told me it was normal and I couldn't do much about it. They also told me I'd have to pay $60 for an oil change and bring it in every week for them to monitor it. The service rep literally said "1.5 quarts per 1k miles is within spec." I argued that if I changed it at the recommended interval, I'd be left with appx 0 quarts in the motor. To avoid headaches, I traded it in for the Nissan. I do love Hyundai but that whole experience turned me away. Anyways, I like the better torque of DI but not a fan of how dirty the motor gets.
My 2013 Taurus doesn't have DI and at 275k miles, the intake ports, manifold and valves are literally spotless. No soot or grime anywhere!

 

[Ws6]

Never short trips. Always a mix. Cold running in sub-zero temps definitely uses a lot of fuel which may contribute to the fuel smell. They rarely see redline but are "pushed" occasionally. Hyundai literally told me it was normal and I couldn't do much about it. They also told me I'd have to pay $60 for an oil change and bring it in every week for them to monitor it. The service rep literally said "1.5 quarts per 1k miles is within spec." I argued that if I changed it at the recommended interval, I'd be left with appx 0 quarts in the motor. To avoid headaches, I traded it in for the Nissan. I do love Hyundai but that whole experience turned me away. Anyways, I like the better torque of DI but not a fan of how dirty the motor gets.
My 2013 Taurus doesn't have DI and at 275k miles, the intake ports, manifold and valves are literally spotless. No soot or grime anywhere!

A properly designed DI motor doesn't have those issues. It's possible to have AND eat your cake.

 

[GMBoy]

I don't notice any difference in the used oil between my 08 CTS 3.6DI then my other non DI motors. I run 6k mile oil change intervals using Mobil 1 HM 5w/30.