Automotive

Kia optima 2015 oil change really 12,000 km?

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Sr. Member
Apr 18, 2010
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Avatar wrote: My vehicle suggests the same oil change schedule. I do a lots of hwy. Usually change around 8500km or before 10000km WITH synthetic oil 0w20. Or check if the oil is dirty (black in color) with the dip stick.
Please don't repeat this misinformation.
Certainly with synthetic oil colour is meaningless.
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May 10, 2005
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fredf wrote: Please don't repeat this misinformation.
Certainly with synthetic oil colour is meaningless.
The misinformation is what you are trying to espouse.
Engine oil, regular or synthetic is affected by the combustion byproducts and will discolour as the impurities and carbon build up. Synthetic lubricant do not have some miracle chemical in it to keep it clean and dirt free.
If what you are saying is true then engines using synthetic it would not need a filter would they...because the oil is always clean and the same colour as new?
You need to get a bit smarter about what oil is and does.
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Dec 7, 2012
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redgrandam wrote: I agree completely

At least the Kia oil changes are cheap as they aren't synthetic. Mazda interval is 8000km apparently. And they are synthetic and easily double the cost of my Kia oil change.

My last car had a monitor and with my driving it was ages between changes based on that. Shorter in the winter as expected.

This is why I wasn't too worried I went way over on my Kia once during mild weather.
yes, Mazda insists that Canadian owners change the oil every four months or 8,000 km to maintain the warranty.

from http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-dr ... e14174012/
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Mar 12, 2010
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crystallight wrote: I have an Elantra and would love for it to have an OLM. The manual says 12,000km but 6,000 if severe. But if it had an OLM, I guarantee it would say at least 10,000km before it indicates to change the oil, and probably even over 12,000km given my driving conditions. I don't drive me vehicle hard at all, 90% of the driving is a low speed highway commute where I put it on cruise control and don't even need to brake (for this reason I expect my brakes to last 3-4 times longer then normal...but I expect when they "inspect" them they'll say they need changing soon anyways...), pretty much never do short trips, I live in the GTA so the weather isn't THAT severe, I drive it under 2,000RPM for the first couple minutes of any trip, etc, etc. My Elantra gets babied so much and there's no way an OLM would tell me to change it every 6,000km.

For this reason, I am not going to get it changed every 6,000km but every 9,000km instead. I figure this is a good compromise as I'm doing it more frequently then the 12,000km "normal" schedule, but not as often as the 6,000km "severe" schedule given the driving conditions my Elantra is exposed to. Will this void my warranty? I don't think so. They have to prove that the oil change resulted in the engine failure, and that's not going to be the case with 9,000km oil change intervals and the way it gets driven. And I'm only doing that until I pass the 100,000km marks (about 3.5 years since day 1). After 100,000km, I'm going by 12,000km.
When I went 10-12 k on my one change like I said above the dealer was a bit crabby and argumentative about it. They never said anything about warranty but they did make a notation. That it was a high mileage change in the records. I believe you are right they would have to prove that caused it. But surely if I had a major engine issue soon after that they would have pointed at that.

I haven't gone back to that dealer, and we have moved. The new dealer here is way more friendly and I don't think they would void my warranty for that unless it really caused it (which it won't). I've talked to the service department people quite a bit at my new dealer and I feel like they would be more than fair. It's in their best interest that we do warranty repairs anyways. It's money for them.

I usually schedule when we hit 6000 km, but by the time I have a day off to take it it's usually 7-8k now. And no issues whatsoever.

I don't mind take the cars in a little more (within reason) as they get a look over and a wash. Plus the oil is not synthetic.
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Jan 8, 2007
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aqnd wrote: This is why every mfr needs to move to oil life monitors and leave the determination to the engineers and not the dealers, who would love for you to do oil changes twice as often as necessary for fear of voiding your warranty because Canada is 'Severe'.
It's likely not, but who's going to stand up to the dealer if they day otherwise?

OLM sees operating temp, RPMs, runtime etc are in spec and per formula calculates when you need to change. No guess work.

6000 is ridiculous in 2016. (Unless you are legitimately driving it hard and OLM knows this and weight the calculation accordingly)
Agree. I had 4 BMWs and they all had 24,000kms change interval. They never said anything about severe service being in Canada. Current vehicles go anywhere between 8-12k kms (Toyota and Honda) and there is nothing any dealer has said about being in Canada and needing oil more often.
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Mar 12, 2010
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This is what is confusing. Kia states you can do either. So perhaps they recommend severe but would require you to at least do 12k? 6k for optimum performance? I dunno. Lol


http://www.kia.ca/general-faqs

What is the recommended maintenance schedule for my vehicle?

You can follow the normal maintenance schedule listed in your owner’s manual which states that the engine oil and oil filter must be replaced every 12 000 km or 12 months whichever comes first. However, Kia Canada recommends that the engine oil and oil filter be replaced every 6 000 km or 6 months whichever comes first on your vehicle due to severe usage driving conditions in Canada. For additional information, you can refer to your maintenance schedule in your owner’s manual (section 7).
Sr. Member
Apr 18, 2010
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Pete_Coach wrote: The misinformation is what you are trying to espouse.
Engine oil, regular or synthetic is affected by the combustion byproducts and will discolour as the impurities and carbon build up. Synthetic lubricant do not have some miracle chemical in it to keep it clean and dirt free.
If what you are saying is true then engines using synthetic it would not need a filter would they...because the oil is always clean and the same colour as new?
You need to get a bit smarter about what oil is and does.
I know you know a lot more about cars than I do but I have to disagree with you. I know what oil does but synthetic oil is know to turn a dark colour without it being dirty. It is the chemical nature of synthetics.
So colour is not a marker for when it needs changing.
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May 10, 2005
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fredf wrote: I know you know a lot more about cars than I do but I have to disagree with you. I know what oil does but synthetic oil is know to turn a dark colour without it being dirty. It is the chemical nature of synthetics.
So colour is not a marker for when it needs changing.
Again, you are wrong.
I am also an aircraft mechanic and we have been using synthetic lubricant (it was developed for the high temperatures in gas turbine engines) and we do not change lubricant for sometimes thousands of hours of use. The thing is that in a turbine engine, it is in an enclosed system, no environmental or combustion by products contact the lubricant and, the lubricant is almost the same colour as new. When it is "dirty"and discolored, we are sure some seal or other problem has occurred or is failing.
On a car, the lubricant is open to the environment, through air intakes, valve bodies, cylinder heads, and open to combustion gases, etc from the valves themselves, oil pan crud oil cooler crud and sloshing in the build up of sludge. Let alone the particle accumulated by engine wear and tear. So, that discolours the lubricant and there is nothing you can do about it. The colour of the lubricant is important and is a marker.
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redgrandam wrote: When I went 10-12 k on my one change like I said above the dealer was a bit crabby and argumentative about it. They never said anything about warranty but they did make a notation. That it was a high mileage change in the records. I believe you are right they would have to prove that caused it. But surely if I had a major engine issue soon after that they would have pointed at that.

I haven't gone back to that dealer, and we have moved. The new dealer here is way more friendly and I don't think they would void my warranty for that unless it really caused it (which it won't). I've talked to the service department people quite a bit at my new dealer and I feel like they would be more than fair. It's in their best interest that we do warranty repairs anyways. It's money for them.

I usually schedule when we hit 6000 km, but by the time I have a day off to take it it's usually 7-8k now. And no issues whatsoever.

I don't mind take the cars in a little more (within reason) as they get a look over and a wash. Plus the oil is not synthetic.
That's why stick to them stealership and don't take your car there. My new Kia Forte maintenance 2,3,4 would cost me 200/300/500$ respectively. My local mechanic cover all that is in those inspections (mostly visual anyway) in just the oil change + 20$ when he has to inspect the brakes. I'm literally saving 430$ when I only have to pay 68$ all in for what KIA calls maintenance number 4. I do make sure to ask him to give me a detailed invoice with everything that was covered for warranty puproses, and he has no problem with that
redgrandam wrote: This is what is confusing. Kia states you can do either. So perhaps they recommend severe but would require you to at least do 12k? 6k for optimum performance? I dunno. Lol

http://www.kia.ca/general-faqs

What is the recommended maintenance schedule for my vehicle?

You can follow the normal maintenance schedule listed in your owner’s manual which states that the engine oil and oil filter must be replaced every 12 000 km or 12 months whichever comes first. However, Kia Canada recommends that the engine oil and oil filter be replaced every 6 000 km or 6 months whichever comes first on your vehicle due to severe usage driving conditions in Canada. For additional information, you can refer to your maintenance schedule in your owner’s manual (section 7).
Places like Toronto have no worse weather than most Europe does. Absolutely no reason for it to be classified severe. Salt on the streets does not affect your engine oil/filter (your car's bodyframe is another story). Even for the rest of Canada, the only "severe" would be very cold temeprature, but seriously, how often we get under 30 in the prairies or eastern Canada. They get the same temperatures in northern Europe.

My 07 civic computer always calls for oil change around 9-10k, be it winter or summer. The real factor are short trips, where you operate your engine a lot before it reaches optimal temperatures. Something that they couldn't really argue for if you would've lived in a "non-severe" place and would just do the normal 12k/12months changes.
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Kasakato wrote: Generally highway is better than city. If you're on the DVP/Lakeshore, its not exactly a highway during rush hour.
That's why it was called a "parkway"! ;)
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redblack wrote: I personally would not go past 8,000km oil change intervals.
Unless your car actually requires it, you're just throwing your money away.
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aqnd wrote: This is why every mfr needs to move to oil life monitors and leave the determination to the engineers and not the dealers, who would love for you to do oil changes twice as often as necessary for fear of voiding your warranty because Canada is 'Severe'.
It's likely not, but who's going to stand up to the dealer if they day otherwise?

OLM sees operating temp, RPMs, runtime etc are in spec and per formula calculates when you need to change. No guess work.

6000 is ridiculous in 2016. (Unless you are legitimately driving it hard and OLM knows this and weight the calculation accordingly)
Yeah, my car has OLM, and I go by it. Just be sure and reset it immediately after a change, in case the tech forgot, or used the wrong reset procedure. (Check your user's manual to find out how).
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Jun 11, 2005
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crystallight wrote: I have an Elantra and would love for it to have an OLM. The manual says 12,000km but 6,000 if severe. But if it had an OLM, I guarantee it would say at least 10,000km before it indicates to change the oil, and probably even over 12,000km given my driving conditions. I don't drive me vehicle hard at all, 90% of the driving is a low speed highway commute where I put it on cruise control and don't even need to brake (for this reason I expect my brakes to last 3-4 times longer then normal...but I expect when they "inspect" them they'll say they need changing soon anyways...), pretty much never do short trips, I live in the GTA so the weather isn't THAT severe, I drive it under 2,000RPM for the first couple minutes of any trip, etc, etc. My Elantra gets babied so much and there's no way an OLM would tell me to change it every 6,000km.

For this reason, I am not going to get it changed every 6,000km but every 9,000km instead. I figure this is a good compromise as I'm doing it more frequently then the 12,000km "normal" schedule, but not as often as the 6,000km "severe" schedule given the driving conditions my Elantra is exposed to. Will this void my warranty? I don't think so. They have to prove that the oil change resulted in the engine failure, and that's not going to be the case with 9,000km oil change intervals and the way it gets driven. And I'm only doing that until I pass the 100,000km marks (about 3.5 years since day 1). After 100,000km, I'm going by 12,000km.
redgrandam wrote: When I went 10-12 k on my one change like I said above the dealer was a bit crabby and argumentative about it. They never said anything about warranty but they did make a notation. That it was a high mileage change in the records. I believe you are right they would have to prove that caused it. But surely if I had a major engine issue soon after that they would have pointed at that.

I haven't gone back to that dealer, and we have moved. The new dealer here is way more friendly and I don't think they would void my warranty for that unless it really caused it (which it won't). I've talked to the service department people quite a bit at my new dealer and I feel like they would be more than fair. It's in their best interest that we do warranty repairs anyways. It's money for them.

I usually schedule when we hit 6000 km, but by the time I have a day off to take it it's usually 7-8k now. And no issues whatsoever.

I don't mind take the cars in a little more (within reason) as they get a look over and a wash. Plus the oil is not synthetic.
I am not saying they would void your warranty but if you extend the oil change intervals they do not have to prove what caused your engine problem. You have to prove you followed the recommended oil change intervals and if you cant they can void the warranty and you will have to pay for the repair.
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Jun 11, 2005
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crystallight wrote: I have an Elantra and would love for it to have an OLM. The manual says 12,000km but 6,000 if severe. But if it had an OLM, I guarantee it would say at least 10,000km before it indicates to change the oil, and probably even over 12,000km given my driving conditions. I don't drive me vehicle hard at all, 90% of the driving is a low speed highway commute where I put it on cruise control and don't even need to brake (for this reason I expect my brakes to last 3-4 times longer then normal...but I expect when they "inspect" them they'll say they need changing soon anyways...), pretty much never do short trips, I live in the GTA so the weather isn't THAT severe, I drive it under 2,000RPM for the first couple minutes of any trip, etc, etc. My Elantra gets babied so much and there's no way an OLM would tell me to change it every 6,000km.

For this reason, I am not going to get it changed every 6,000km but every 9,000km instead. I figure this is a good compromise as I'm doing it more frequently then the 12,000km "normal" schedule, but not as often as the 6,000km "severe" schedule given the driving conditions my Elantra is exposed to. Will this void my warranty? I don't think so. They have to prove that the oil change resulted in the engine failure, and that's not going to be the case with 9,000km oil change intervals and the way it gets driven. And I'm only doing that until I pass the 100,000km marks (about 3.5 years since day 1). After 100,000km, I'm going by 12,000km.
redgrandam wrote: When I went 10-12 k on my one change like I said above the dealer was a bit crabby and argumentative about it. They never said anything about warranty but they did make a notation. That it was a high mileage change in the records. I believe you are right they would have to prove that caused it. But surely if I had a major engine issue soon after that they would have pointed at that.

I haven't gone back to that dealer, and we have moved. The new dealer here is way more friendly and I don't think they would void my warranty for that unless it really caused it (which it won't). I've talked to the service department people quite a bit at my new dealer and I feel like they would be more than fair. It's in their best interest that we do warranty repairs anyways. It's money for them.

I usually schedule when we hit 6000 km, but by the time I have a day off to take it it's usually 7-8k now. And no issues whatsoever.

I don't mind take the cars in a little more (within reason) as they get a look over and a wash. Plus the oil is not synthetic.
I am not saying they would void your warranty but if you extend the oil change intervals they do not have to prove what caused your engine problem. You have to prove you followed the recommended oil change intervals and if you cant they can void the warranty and you will have to pay for the repair.
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antigua1999 wrote: I am not saying they would void your warranty but if you extend the oil change intervals they do not have to prove what caused your engine problem. You have to prove you followed the recommended oil change intervals and if you cant they can void the warranty and you will have to pay for the repair.
Which is why I quoted what Kia Canada officially says in an earlier post:
What is the recommended maintenance schedule for my vehicle?

You can follow the normal maintenance schedule listed in your owner’s manual which states that the engine oil and oil filter must be replaced every 12 000 km or 12 months whichever comes first. However, Kia Canada recommends that the engine oil and oil filter be replaced every 6 000 km or 6 months whichever comes first on your vehicle due to severe usage driving conditions in Canada. For additional information, you can refer to your maintenance schedule in your owner’s manual (section 7).
That literally says to follow the 12K service in the first line, then the second line it says they also recommend the severe one. If it was pure and simple that the severe one must be followed in canada period, then they wouldn't have that first line about following the 12K program.

Everyone should keep in mind too, that the manual will say things like 'inspect brakes', and you go to the dealer and they will charge you to do a 'brake service'. That is two different things. Brake inspection is a visual inspection (and something they probably do standard with your oil change at the dealer anyways). So just because the dealer has a sign up to do service 1, 2, 3, 4 etc, that may not actually be what the kia manual says is required.

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