Phil, Thanks for taking the time to put all of this down. I'll be using it.

 

If the dealer doesn't use synthetic I'll be doing it on my own as well. Thanks for the post.

 

I've been wondering about the same thing. I just called my local dealer and they said they use regular oil on an Optima oil change. BUT, I would feel better using synthetic oil as I did in my last car, a 2002 BMW 530I. Can anyone tell me A. What kind of oil I should really use? And B, when should I get my first oil change? The dealer says 5,000 miles but I'm reading about getting the initial oil out of the engine as soon as possible. Also, they charge $28.00 for a standard oil change and $75.00 for a synthetic one. Don't want to due it myself.

 

I was wondering, is there a recommend mileage for the first oil change or is it the standard 3000 or 5000 miles?

 

It's in the manual....I believe it's 3,000.....I'm too lazy to go down stairs and into the garage lol.

 

on new cars these days you can do 5000 miles. Does anyone go by the maintence reminder on the dash?

 

I can tell you from YEARS of experience with cars & engines of all types... do NOT wait 3,000-5,000 miles for your initial oil change. There's a LOT of particulate floating around suspended in your engine oil that you don't want running through your engine. If you do it yourself just note the date and mileage and save your receipts. You don't have to have the dealership do it to maintain your warranty.

 

i can tell you from years of experience with cars & engines of all types... Do not wait 3,000-5,000 miles for your initial oil change. There's a lot of particulate floating around suspended in your engine oil that you don't want running through your engine. If you do it yourself just note the date and mileage and save your receipts. You don't have to have the dealership do it to maintain your warranty.

this!

 

i changed both ours at 1000 miles.. both synth... should be good to go on the initial engine break in

 

Does anyone know what Kias stands are in regards to warranty on have another shop other than the dealer do oil changes? I don't trust my local dealer and they also don't use synthetic. I dont have the time or the will to do my own oil changes. thanks

G4

 

Find a trusted "indie" shop...

If you have a local independent repair shop that has a good reputation (we have a couple here in our town), then by all means take it to them.
You can buy your Kia filters and oil and take it to them to put in for you. They will usually note "owner supplied parts" and just charge you their shop rates for the job.

Keep the receipts....

 

They pretty much can't say anything about it. As long as oil and filter used are within spec, it doesn't matter who does it. If it did, they would be legally required to perform the service at no additional charge. That's the way it's been for a long time. I'd have to look up the federal regulation that covers this, but it's there. This is a big part of the reason why some high performance cars come with scheduled dealer maintenance "free". If you take it somewhere else with those, you can void your warranty. They don't offer it free because they want to be nice or give you yet another reason to buy, they do it so they don't have to eat the repair costs if you happen to have jiffy lube do the oil change in your Maserati.

 

I bought ramps to perform oil changes on my SX. Has anyone done their oil changes this way? Will the oil drain properly with an 8" lift on the front? Thanks.

 

If you have an SX, I'd highly recommend synthetic for use in a turbocharged engine. Any of the reputable brands (Mobil1, Pennzoil Platinum, etc) 5W-30 or 5W-40 will work great.

I'm a big proponent of changing oil early because 1) it's conventional oil of unknown brand and quality, 2) it's been subject to a LOT of short duration running (crank it up, drive it off the ship, shut it off) which can cause fuel dilution and condensation, and 3) Factory fill will contain the most break-in materials of any oil that will ever be in the engine - some smaller than an oil filter can catch. By the time 500 miles rolls around, my factory fill is headed for a recycling station and my car's full of Mobil1.

The reason I do it myself is cost. There's NO reason to pay anyone $75 for a synthetic oil change when for around $35 I can do it myself and be assured that it was done correctly. But not everyone has the time and facilities to do this type of thing themselves, so pay for what lies within your maintenance budget. Or....buy the oil yourself and take it somewhere that will agree to use the materials you supply. A lot of shops around me refuse to do that, so I bought ramps years ago and gave them all the middle finger.

 

I'll be doing the same, Snow. Any gotchas or tips when using ramps to change the oil?

 

I've had zero issues. One of the easier cars I've owned to change the oil in. Really glad they designed the splash shield so that it doesn't have to be removed to change your oil.

Not to assume you're an idiot, but be careful not to do what I've seen countless people do on "dumbass" videos...drive off the end of the ramps. Other than that, it's foolproof.

 

I will certainly be careful and not be that guy! I was mostly concerned about getting all of the old oil to drain with the front of the car at an elevation. All is okay with that?

 

Here in Canada the first oil change for the T-GDI is 5000KM or 6 months. I need to check if my dealer uses synthetic, else I will go elsewhere as well... But do not overlook the other "maintenance" items they are supposed to check at the first oil change..

 

I had to almost force my dealer to do a break in oil change at 2,000 miles. They wanted me to wait until 5,000 because they have to do it for free. Special deal I got with the car...free oil changes for a year, they just never set a limit.

 

Are most of you guys buying the OEM filter and washer from your local dealer? If not, where is a good place to get those? I have an SX with the 2.0T.

 

If you don't want to drive to the dealer, there are places online to buy them. I highly recommend sticking with OEM, at least until your warranty is up.

KiaParts.com :: Original parts for your Kia

 

Thanks, Snow. You've been a big help!

I bought the pennzoil platinum 5w-30 all synthetic for my first oil change. I read where the mobil 1 disappears a bit between oil changes.

 

Does the washer come with the filter or is that a seperate item? I'm not sure what they call it on the kia parts site.

 

Are you talking about the crush washer for the drain plug? I think my dealer gave me the one I got, because they didn't charge me for one, but I found it inside the filter box.

It's not 100% necessary to use a new one every time. I went for years on some cars by just flipping it over and re-using it.

When you switch to synthetic, or switch brands of synthetic, it's not unusal for a car to consume some for a while, but it'll stop. When I converted my first car (1978 Chevy Monza) from Yellow Bottle Pennzoil over to Castrol Syntec, I thought I'd lost my piston rings, but the consumption leveled out and it eventually stopped. Mobil1 isn't any better or worse than other brands in this respect.

 

Yeah. I was referring to the crush washer. I've heard mixed things about whether or not to change it out every time. I'll keep watch on the synthetic consumption and report my findings. Thanks.

 

I performed my first oil change yesterday at 1130 miles. I used Pennzoil Platinum 5w30 and the OEM Kia filter. When I took out the drain plug, I looked for the crush washer and I didn't see it. It looked like it may have been fused with the bigger washer that is there. Is that what I'm seeing? Does that bigger washer normally thread the plug bolt or is that the crush washer that's threading?

Anyhow, I installed the drain plug with the old crush washer I guess. No leaks that I can tell. To ensure I use a new crush washer next time, will I need to take some needle-nose plyers and forcibly remove the crush washer from the inside of the bigger washer? Also, I didn't have a 1/2" drive 17mm socket for the torque wrench to use with the plug or the filter so I guessed. I know - dangerous!! So far so good.

I've notice my MPG has risen since the oil change. BTW - The original oil is very dirty at ~1000 miles.

 

Nah..not dangerous. Don't go all ape-sh*t on it, but you're not gonna hurt it. I've never used a torque wrench on a drain plug.

The factory crush washer is painted onto the bolt. I took a pair of pump pliers and locked onto the washer, and spun the bolt with a socket wrench and it broke free. The fit is so tight, I had to thread it off the bolt. Just be careful not to grip the washer so tight that you bend it, or it'll be even harder to get off. I'm sure you're ok....I've never had one leak, even when I don't flip it over.

 

Thanks, Snow. My drain plug had a bigger washer than the crush washer the dealer gave me with the filter. Is that what I'm supposed to replace?

If not, is the crush washer supposed to go between the big washer and the plug or between the big washer and the pan?

 

It's hard to see on the drain plug because the sides of it are painted the same color as the plug. The new ones may be smaller, but they're still the ones you should use.

No..don't put another washer between the existing washer and the pan. Get the original one off at your next oil change, if you think you need to. (It'll probably seal fine for several oil changes).

 

Thanks, Snow.