Synthetic oil not default?

[POG]

Just had my first oil change done at a Hyundai dealership and was surprised they used conventional oil. They claimed that was what the car came with... is this true? I have a 2015 5.0, had about 3800 miles on it before the oil change today.

Thanks.

 

[GarnetTy1473]

Factory fill is Quaker State full synthetic, but it is not required.

 

[BARRYW]

Drive 2017 G80 and it came with synthetic blend. Not only was I told that, it was stated in the manual and you could tell by its color and density that it was not full synthetic. I have owned 5 Lexus' and two Toyota Trucks and synthetic is easy to tell by its look. Book states you can use full synthetic, but you still have to adhere to the mileage intervals for the change.

 

[TroyK]

don't know what the car comes with, but my dealership uses full synthetic 5w20 in my 3.8L '15 genesis. or that's what is says on the sales slip anyway!

 

[glennk]

What are you paying for your oil change? I got Conventional Oil plus BG oil additive (oil filter replaced) for $40 (includes tax).

 

[Mark_888]

Factory fill is Quaker State full synthetic, but it is not required.

I doubt that seriously (even though you work at a Hyundai Parts Department). For one thing, Hyundai has a worldwide agreement for fluids with Shell, which owns the Quaker State and Pennzoil brands in the USA. But Quaker State is not marketed in Korea.

Yes, Hyundai Genesis that were sold in the USA recommended Quaker State (as part the Shell marketing agreement), but those sold in the EU recommended Shell (Quaker State not available there either).

It is certainly possible (or even likely) that Hyundai's made in the USA (like the Sonata and others) use Quaker State factory fill.

I also doubt that that Hyundai Genesis factory fill was synthetic, all though it is possible. I would not be surprised if Genesis Motors vehicles (2017+) use synthetic as factory fill.

- - - Updated - - -

Just had my first oil change done at a Hyundai dealership and was surprised they used conventional oil. They claimed that was what the car came with... is this true? I have a 2015 5.0, had about 3800 miles on it before the oil change today.

Thanks.

I believe they are correct. Hyundai has been catering for many years in the USA to buyers who are looking for a low cost of ownership experience, and requiring synthetic scares off some buyers (although you would not think that applies to Genesis owners).

Even Toyota and Honda now require synthetic oil now days (they actually require 0w-20, which is only available in a synthetic as of now). I suspect that every single Hyundai salesperson knows that Toyota and Honda require synthetic, and they beat up their potential customers about the high cost of maintenance as compared to Hyundai.

I would ask your dealer how much full synthetic or synthetic blend costs, or ask if you bring your own motor oil (Mobil 1 is cheap at Walmart) and get a discount on the oil change.

 

[GarnetTy1473]

I doubt that seriously (even though you work at a Hyundai Parts Department). For one thing, Hyundai has a worldwide agreement for fluids with Shell, which owns the Quaker State and Pennzoil brands in the USA. But Quaker State is not marketed in Korea.

Yes, Hyundai Genesis that were sold in the USA recommended Quaker State (as part the Shell marketing agreement), but those sold in the EU recommended Shell (Quaker State not available there either).

It is certainly possible (or even likely) that Hyundai's made in the USA (like the Sonata and others) use Quaker State factory fill.

I also doubt that that Hyundai Genesis factory fill was synthetic, all though it is possible. I would not be surprised if Genesis Motors vehicles (2017+) use synthetic as factory fill.

- - - Updated - - -


I believe they are correct. Hyundai has been catering for many years in the USA to buyers who are looking for a low cost of ownership experience, and requiring synthetic scares off some buyers (although you would not think that applies to Genesis owners).

I'm basing it off of what my DPSM tells me, along with a Shell representative. When Hyundai first got the contract with Shell back in 2006, I won a parts contest through Hyundai and got to watch the Brickyard 400 from the Shell suite. Maybe it has changed since then. And when we replace an engine for the engine recall on the Sonata's and Santa Fe Sport's, Hyundai makes us put full synthetic Quaker State in after replacement.

 

[Seejay]

As Mark pointed out, it's about marketing. Anybody who buys a nice new car whose engine is equipped with a timing chain and full-boat cam timing mechanisms should be using synthetic, to mitigate chain stretch and small cam timing errors caused by wear.

 

[Mark_888]

I'm basing it off of what my DPSM tells me, along with a Shell representative. When Hyundai first got the contract with Shell back in 2006, I won a parts contest through Hyundai and got to watch the Brickyard 400 from the Shell suite. Maybe it has changed since then. And when we replace an engine for the engine recall on the Sonata's and Santa Fe Sport's, Hyundai makes us put full synthetic Quaker State in after replacement.

Yes, they use Shell as factory fill for vehicles made in Korea. As I said, that is part of a worldwide marketing agreement that Hyundai has with Shell, and allows Hyundai to get discounts on their factory fill fluids for recommending Shell products. Quaker State brand (owned by Shell) is not sold outside of North America.

The odds of Shell shipping Quaker State from the USA to Korea just to use as factory fill is zero. As I mentioned, just as Hyundai's sold in the USA all recommend Quaker State (in the owners manual and elsewhere), Hyundai vehicles (specifically Genesis models) sold outside of North America recommend Shell (as forum members in the UK and elsewhere have told us). So it is safe to assume that factory fill in Hyundai factories in Korea is Shell brand, and factory fill for Hyundai's built in North America is Quaker State brand (owned by Shell). Not sure about Pennzoil (also owned by Shell).

As to using full synthetic, I would not be surprised if it required for the Hyundai Turbo's. Most other manufacturers have required full synthetic for their turbo engines for a long time. But so far, it is not required for other Hyundai engines in the USA (I don't care what you sales manager says).

Not sure about the new 3.3TT on the G80 Sport and G90 models. Maybe someone with a 3.3TT owners manual can tell us what the it says.

 

[glennk]

So basically, different labeled brands with most likely the same formulation.

______________________________

Help support this site so it can continue supporting you!

 

[Mark_888]

So basically, different labeled brands with most likely the same formulation.

Maybe not. For example, Pennzoil (Platinum) synthetics, like those from Shell brand sold mostly outside the US, are now made from natural gas, and the Quaker State synthetics use the normal Group III severely hydrocracked mineral oil as their synthetic stock. I am not sure if there is a difference between conventional (non-synthetic) Pennzoil and Quaker State, but Quaker State conventional oil is slightly less expensive at Walmart compared to Pennzoil conventional.

As mentioned before, the arrangement between Shell and Hyundai is for Hyundai to recommend Shell products in exchange for reduced prices on factory fill (Hyundai produces 5 million vehicles per year, so that is a lot of motor oil and other fluids). Obviously, Shell has decided that they want Hyundai to recommend Quaker State in the US market, probably because most Hyundai customers are very cost conscious compared to some other auto brands, and Shell probably thought it was a better fit for Hyundai owners. Obviously, that doesn't quite work for Genesis Motors, but not sure if anything will be done about that.

As I posted above, a member of this forum who purchased a Hyundai Genesis in the UK a year or two ago, said that his Genesis owners manual recommends Shell Oil products (QS and Pennzoil are not marketed outside of North America to the best of my knowledge).

But that being said, if someone has synthetic oil in their crankcase, I would not worry too much about the brand being used. Synthetic oil that meets API specs from a reputable company is far superior to any conventional oil.