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2012 Sonata oil recommendation.

23K views 108 replies 25 participants last post by  Bearcats 
#1 ·
Valvoline conventional, is this a good oil? I'll be using the OEM filter.

Thanks in advance
 
#3 ·
Its okay, but I'd use 5w-30 and only run 3750 mile intervals.

If you have the 2.0T you need 5w-40 synthetic.
 
#6 · (Edited)
No. But per Valvoline, it is a FULL synthetic . . . And it really doesn't matter; it's good oil.

Automotive Perspectives: There are only two Real Synthetic Oils in America

Today "Synthetic" (with respect to motor oil) is really a marketing term. There are some really very good Group III oils that are called "synthetic" here in the USA-- but are not labeled as synthetic in some other countries.
 
#10 ·
My commute is mostly highway driving 125 round trip (home to work/work to home.) I've been using what the dealer supplies. When I asked what (brand) oil they used. I could not get a answer. They had no clue... Which troubled me..
 
#12 ·
Dealer likely has bulk tanks with oil from local supplier. Possibly not a name brand at all. Most likely similar to what you get if you buy Supertech oil from Walmart.

While I don't doubt conventional oil is fine for 7500 miles I am personally more comfortable using synthetic. My last fill in Elantra was Meijer Synthetic 5w30, made by Warren oil, meets or exceeds various specs and under $20 a jug.
 
#18 ·
Lead tech at the local Penske/Hyundai dealer only recommends Castrol GTX and Valvoline. Says if you really want to go full, true synthetic, Mobil 1.

I run Castrol GTX 10W30 here in central Texas, but am considering going with Mobil 1 this winter just to see the difference.
 
#29 ·
I hate Mobil1. Its the most overrated product in the auto industry. That stuff is nothing more than hydrocracked, rearranged oil molecules....derived from CRUDE! True story.


IF any off the shelf oil is real syn, its the natural gas derived Pennzoil platinum, but that's still hydrocarbons.
 
#20 ·
I contacted HMA. Ask if synthetic oil is recommended for the 2012 sonata 2.4. There response.. They do not recommended the use of synthetic motor oil. They recommended petroleum based oil.

Any reason as to why? I don't want to have an issue with a warranty claim.
 
#24 ·
Using an oil that meets the API star in manual will be fine. You cannot be denied warranty based on an oil that meets API specification changed within manual specifications. However be careful to read the manual as some criteria make it almost impossible to have a car qualify for 7500 changes. Wording lingo. QS, Penn, M1..etc, etc. Boutique oils are great but fall into a gray area as they are not always certified and that could cause a headache in the event something happens. A nit picky headache but one none-the-less.

I am a syn man as I can do OC myself on the cheap. Right now PPPO at Meijer is on sale for 22.15 ($3 off 5 qt jug). Plus you use your mPerks card they give you another $5 off purchases over $30. I still use OEM filters for the Sonata so I am just buying a few jugs at a time. I buy the OEM filter the day of the oil change for documentation purposes. This latest deal makes an oil change for me about 28 bucks.

Making sure your oil is full (check often) and not over run/used (TBN number only found in analysis) will be more important than worrying about using Penn or M1 or whatever.
 
#25 ·
I've narrowed it down to two oils.

1. Quaker state ultimate durability

2. Valvoline synpower.

Pros/cons for these oils?
 
#27 ·
Valvoline has a 300,000 mile engine warranty if you register your car with them and keep your receipts. I went to Valvoline with my Scion.

Used QS in an old Mazda because it was the only oil that would keep the lash adjusters quiet. Started at 160,000 and the car was still going at 260,000.
 
#28 ·
1. Quaker state ultimate durability
2. Valvoline synpower.

Quaker State overall is a better oil based on testing than Valvoline. Quaker State has some of the lowest NOACK percentage of all brands.

CONSOLIDATED DATA ON 5W-20s EXAM
 
#30 ·
I always use Pennzoil Platinum or QS Ultimate Durability (both are made by Shell).

The reason Hyundai doesn't "recommend" synthetic is because if they did it would raise the question of why they don't use it from the beginning... and that reason is COST, nothing more.
 
#31 · (Edited)
I purchased the vehicle two months ago it's a CPO with 22,000 miles on the ODO. I don't have "oil" change/maintenance records/receipts prior to my purchasing the vehicle. Will I have issues with a warranty claim down the road?

I'm going to bring my own oil to the dealer have them change it. They will charge me for labor and a filter.
 
#33 ·
+1 on that. You can't control what maintenance the car received prior to your purchase of it. Hyundai certified it. So you are only responsible from now going forward.
 
#37 ·
Looks like Valvoline synpower is out of the question. Theres a posting on BITOG that someone has white sludge particles in new oil.

Now im looking at QSUD or M1EP. (Mobile 1 extended performance)

Any pros or cons? thanks in advance
 
#38 ·
Been using Mobil 1 EP since 70k on my 03 santa fe, Currently have 162k and I couldn't be happier with it. I replaced my oil pan last year and there was absolutely no sludge in there at all. I take lots of trips through Canada so put lots of miles on and I have bumped up to the yearly 15k limit several times in the last few years.
 
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