Am going on holiday on saturday in my 5 week old Cee'd 1.4 which still hasn't got a thousand miles under it's belt. As we will be covering a lot of miles I thought it would be a good idea to pick up a bottle of oil to top it up in case it needed it as it is obviously not fully "run" in.
The handbook wasn't very helpful as to what grade/spec of oil to use, so i phoned the supplying dealer who told me it needed a 5W40 fully synthetic, however they did not exactly inspire confidence in the way they were speaking to me, so i rang another dealer who said it used 10W40 fully synthetic. This surprised me as i thought that was a bit thick for a modern VVT 16V engine, so i rang Kia customer services, they have told me to use 10W40 SEMI synthetic.
Thats 3 different answers to the same question, so i am still not really sure what to buy !
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Well 5/40 or 10/40 is the same when hot anyway. Yes, most new cars for a while have been something /30. Most 5/40 will be fully synthetic ( it would have to be to cover the range).
Halfords own brand is very good, and garage forecourts can be expensive and not stocked with 5/40 nowadays. Check your handbook though that is not a something/30
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Hi Andy, Just out of interest - what does the handbook actually say?
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Just been through this exercise with my 2000 cc VVT (Spanish market) which needed topping up after 13,000 km. Followed the handbook advice - footnote 1 "To get a greater fuel saving, it is recommended to use motor oil with a degree of viscosity SAE 5W-20, 5W-30". Given the temperature range in NW Spain (-12 last winter, +42 last summer) I chose the 5W-30
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-As its only a top up, I really wouldnt worry about if its semi synth or 5- or 10-
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You've a lot of money invested in a shiny new car and you want the job done correctly, but Altea Ego is right.
For a top-up, it really can't make any difference.
In a recent thread on here about a Nissan something-or-other, it emerged Nissan list the grades as 'alternatives' - any can be used.
Worthwhile keeping an eye on the level, as it seems to me some engines can use a little oil in the first thousand miles or two, even if they 'settle down' and hardly use any for the next 10 thousand.
Enjoy your holiday and don't forget to give the car a bit of welly now and again - it will be better for it.
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The handbook just give a range of oil grades that can be used at different ambient temperatures & in the case of our climate & for the petrol it says that anything from a 5W20 to a 20W50 can be used. It doesn't state whether it should be semi or fully synthetic, just says to it should be to SL spec. It does say that for maximum economy a 5W20 or 5W30 should be used.
I just wanted to top it up with same same type of oil that it had been filled at the factory with !
Thanks for your replies
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I was surprised that a modern car had a recommendation of 5/40 or 10/40. Go more by the handbook for UK climate and choose a 5/30 or 0/30. The garage probably looked at the bulk supply tank on their floor and quote off that (which is worrying). Most modern cars in the last few years require 0/30 or 5/30 and engineering tolerances were tightened to cater for it. 0/30 is more suitable for colder climates (Scandinavia) but no harm in using it against 5/30.
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The garage probably looked at the bulk supply tank on their floor and quote off that (which is worrying).
That's how it has been for many years. It's only when you get *odd* engines like VW PDs and Fords that need either specific grades of oil or particular oil specifications that there's a problem.
By far the majority of engines are tolerant of different types and grades of oil - if they weren't, lubrication based engine failure would be pandemic.
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Extract from the Kia Ceed manual - Petrol engine.
1. For better fuel economy, it is recommended to use the engine oil of a viscosity grade SAE 5W-20, 5W-30 (API SJ, SL / ILSAC GF-3). However, if the engine oil is not available in your country, select the proper engine oil using the engine oil viscosity chart.
The viscosity chart shows that 5-30 covers all ambient temperatures seen in the UK, I cant see any mention of semi or synthetic oil, I would use a semi synthetic.
Edited by Old Navy on 13/05/2009 at 12:23
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Lubrication failures are normally because of a lack of flow rather than an inherent problem with the oil itself.
The most important factor with keeping an engine running is oil QUALITY, rather than viscosity.
Poor quality (either cheap carpy oil, or going well past changes) oil leads to deposits in the engine oilways preventing oilflow, or a degradation of the protective qualities of the oil (more likely a loss of the 'additive pack' than the physical break-up of the oil molecules).
As long as there is plenty of clean oil slooshing round an engine it matters little whether you use 0W20 or 15W50. The lower viscosities will generally lead to less internal resistance and thus better performance and economy (perhaps a few % - not a huge difference).
Some engines as per N_C as vulnerable to oilways silting up with very little deposit and demand very high quality oil. If oilways are very narrow, the increased flowrate of lower viscosity oils may also improve engine component cooling as this is a factor of oilflow.
Turbo engines can have areas of extreme temperature and a lack of flow can lead to oil carbonising - the general belief that a hard-driven 'hot' engine needs a thicker oil may not actually work in practice as thicker oil is more vulnerable to overheating.
Basically engine lubrication is VERY complex and if a manufacturer says you can use a wide range of lubricants, they know what they are talking about!
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The lower viscosities will generally lead to less internal resistance and thus better performance and economy (perhaps a few % - not a huge difference). >>
Say average fuel cost is £10 per 100 miles, and you do an average 10,000 miles a year between oil services, i.e. fuel cost £1000 a year.
Say that a better expensive fully synth oil gives you a 2% economy benefit, you save £20 a year on fuel.
In other words, spending an extra £20 for a better oil is cost neutral overall, but may provide intangible performance and engine life benefits.
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Castrol website recommend Edge 0W-30 or Magnatec 10W-40.
Personally, for this vehicle, I would go for the Magnatec or a similar, quality 10W-40 semi-synth, which is in keeping with the information from Kia customer services.
This grade of oil seems to be perfectly adequate for most small-engined cars which run at UK temperatures and are not particularly stressed.
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Comma recomend a 5-30 semi synthetic, (same as Ford oil). The choice is yours!
Edited by Old Navy on 13/05/2009 at 12:52
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Thanks again to everybody who has taken the trouble to answer.
The oil in the car seems to be very thin so i think i will go for a 5W30 fully synthetic, i am sure that i can't go too far wrong with that. The chances are that i won't need to top it up anyway.
It has just gone over the 1000 miles so i am going to start exploring further up the rev range now as i can feel that it is loosening up a bit !
It seems to be a cracking engine, very smooth and very lively for a 1.4 !
Andy
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Andy,
Let us know how you get on with the Ceed, I plan to buy a diesel estate version next year and I am sure others will be interested.
Edited by Old Navy on 13/05/2009 at 13:59
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So far the initial impressions are good.
It has attracted a lot of interest from friends, colleagues and neighbours etc who have examined it and all have been impressed with the build quality etc.
There is some road noise, which has been reported on, but it is still quieter than the current Ford Focus and a lot better than the Honda Civics we have at work.
The mirrors also create some wind noise, but the reason for this is that they are of a decent size and actually give you a good view through them which is not the case with a lot of modern cars - i know what i would rather have !
The only problem so far is that you need to take it slowly when changing from 1st to 2nd when it is cold (1st half mile !), but this is getting better by the day, so probably wont need to go back for attention.
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I've just given one of my cars an oil & filter change.
I needed 3.3L of 10W/40 according to the 'book'.
Looking around the garage, I found a couple of litres of 10W/40, and about half a litre each of 5W/30 and 15W/40, all semi-synth.
After running the engine to fill the filter, the level almost came up to the 'max' mark.
That'll do for me.
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That'll do for me.
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It would do for me too, good quality oil, and so close to spec it makes no difference! After it has been chopped up by the engine it will all be 2.5W-20 anyway.
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