Hey Scotti
Love your videos. Bought a brand new 2021 Kia Sorento 3 months ago. The dealer recommended an oil change once every six months and that only they should do it. I recall years ago it was said the first oil change should be no later than 3 months because you want to get the extra metal chips made during break-in out of the engine as soon as possible. Is that an old wives tail? If I can get the filters and the specified 0W-20 oil why do they need to do the oil changes? Is there something they do these days that's different when they change oil?
If so don't tell my wife. {black}:sweaty:
As a follow up can the 0W-20 specified for the 2021 Sorento be used in a older car that originally called for 0W-30. I have a 2011 Hyundai Santa Fe with 60 thousand miles that calls out 0W-30. When I take off the goofy covers the two engines look identical. There must be a common factory building all these Korean engines.
Stick to the oil that’s mentioned in the owner’s manual, for each of your vehicles. 2 kids from the same parents won’t necessarily have the same tastes & preferences..
You don't have to let Kia change the oil. Once a year or 5,000 mi is fine.
I have heard that manufacturers put in a different oil for the break-in period.
Every 5k miles or one year is fine. The dealer was just trying to sell service as usual.
There is NO NEED to change out the oil before 5k miles. In the old days, yes. But metallurgy has come a long way and now to change it sooner is just a waste of money.
The only exception to this would be if you have a high performance motor. Then we swap out the original oil at 500 miles to make sure we don't have any shavings. But that is on a very specialized engine. I didn't swap the oil on my 2020 Accord until 5k miles and it was perfectly fine. I never swap before that mark.
I agree that you'd be able to do the oil changes. If you do these yourself, keep the receipts for all the consumables, in case a warranty claim comes up. And use a decent oil filter. (As an aside, Sorentos from an earlier iteration, the early teens, were notorious for engine problems).
As for when and how often to change your oil, well, that depends on your driving habits. 5K seems reasonable, but a year does not, IMHO. Why not? Because if you're doing short trips, and the engine doesn't always get to operating temperature, condensation doesn't burn off. It's held in suspension by the oil, up to a point. Excess moisture leads to electrolysis, which isn't good for the engine's integrity.
As Scotty has said, often, "Oil is cheap, but engines are expensive." Words worth remembering.
Thanks for all the replies. The consensus is I can do my own oil changes and 5K between oil changes is typical for new cars. Good idea to document the changes for warranty purposes.
You can do it! {pear}:smile:
