Make sure you drain the oil out with the car level. Maybe you are already, but I mention this because it has come up before. If the car's front wheels are elevated and the back wheels are on the ground, the oil drain plug will be elevated relative to the back of the oil pan. Oil will be pooled in the rear angle of the pan. Also, the engine is canted backwards on its mounts by more than a few degrees. Horizontal passages can hold old oil.

To drain it out level, either you have a hydraulic lift like they have in a shop, or you jack up the back end as well and place it on stands like the front. (Obligatory safety note: Always use jack stands ! ) Or you can jack it up, start draining, then lower the car back to all 4 tires on the ground while it drains. Of course then you have to jack the front back up to finish the job. It's a pain I know, but then you will need 3.5 qts to get the oil level back up the F dimple on the dipstick.

In fact, if you drain it out level, then elevate the back relative the front, you will need even more than 3.5 qts to get to the F dimple. That's even more of a pain, but I usually do this. With all the raising and lowering and raising again, the oil has a good long time to drain out completely. They wouldn't go to all this trouble at the dealership, true enough. But then again the last time my mother's Accent went to the dealership for an oil change they put in too much (by at least a quarter inch on the stick) and I had to remove some with a transfer pump.

When I refer to the "F" dimple and what counts as full, I am following the owner's manual in its description for how to read oil level. The dimple is a circular mark stamped on the stick near the F. Warm up the car by driving it around the block a couple times. The car's engine temperature must reach the middle of the temp gauge. Park it on level pavement. Wait 5 minutes after shuttting off, withdraw dipstick, wipe it, re-insert and then read the level. The lowest dry spot on the stick is the level. Probably there will be a V shape of oil clinging to the sides of the stick, and the bottom of the V is where to read.

If you drain the car level, then raise the back axle up, and let it drip out, it actually will take something like 3.7 qts to get it back up to the F dimple. It's not necessary to do all that. Draining out level should remove enough oil that 3.5 qts are needed to get to the F dimple.

I don't know why your oil looks dirty too soon, but having oil changes that are short by a half a quart is a likely cause, as you seem to suspect. If you are draining out level, try raising the back and waiting longer. I do changes on two RB Accents and the procedures I've outlined above have been very consistent with regard to how much oil I'll need to pour back in after a drain.

 

I've found that the GDI engine tends to 'blacken' the oil faster than cars with regular induction.

I have three other vehicles, so I don't put that many miles on the Accent.. Rather than go by miles, I change the oil every 6 months. (Which works out to about 2500 miles between changes on average). The oil is pretty black when I change it. It's noticeably darker than the oil in my other vehicles at oil change time and they go much further between changes.

 

Dark oil is not a definitive indicator of it not being able to do its job. Short trips, engine not heating up to operating temp will cause the oil to darken quicker. With only 1200 miles and with yoru change schedule you are fine. Again, dark oil is not a good indicator of time to change.

 

I've never heard of a state inspection checking your oil?

 

Should have asked him how much silicon was in the oil.......

 

You know what Oneir. That makes alot of sense. I changed the oil today before seeing your post and what I decided to do was drain the oil and then flush it with a quart or so of clean oil. When i did this the oil was the same color as the old oil at first but then cleared up reletively fast. After it finished dripping i buttoned it up and added the new oil and the oil was extremly clear and I seem to remember the oil not being that clear after the oil changes so that's probably it.

I did also read somewhere that there is a remote possibility that there is a leaking injector which can cause gasoline to get in to the oil and darken it up. Based what I concluded after the oil change with the help of you all is that the car is probably fine. However just as a precaution I'm going to send a sample to a lab for analysis (which I do once a year to all my cars since im OCD like that) and see what comes back but I'm not that worried.

As for the state inspection thing, its not part of the inspection, I just got it inspected at an oil change place so i'm sure they were just looking for a reason to get me to have more services done.

 

As for the state inspection thing, its not part of the inspection, I just got it inspected at an oil change place so i'm sure they were just looking for a reason to get me to have more services done.

You answered your own question here, you had the inspection done at a Quick lube place and a no brainer that they wanted to do an oil change that was not needed. Are you sure the oil they showed you actually came from your vehicle?

 

I always run a bottle of Gunk engine flush once per year and let it drain a long time after both with the car jacked up and lowered level to get it all out. You may also want to switch to full synthetic as it likely won't blacken as quickly. I buy the Supertec Walmart brand as it's only $17.50 per 5 QT jug.

Also, you may want to use only OEM filters if you don't already. Chap on eBay in multipacks.

 

Every time I've had my oil changed (always use the same place except a couple times by the dealer) the oil shows a little over filled. I always wondered if the dipstick was stamped wrong??? Also, my oil does seem to darken rather quickly (vs our other cars) but 3 quarts of oil is very little and I change it every 3,000 miles on the dot (we drive more than 3,000 miles in 3 months).

 

My '08 takes 3.5 qts with the factory filter.I've found the Mobil 1 EP type oil will stay cleaner looking longer. I use it for 10k oil change intervals.

 

If you search the forum you'll find the topic has come up before. It's possible the mechanic wasn't precise in their measurement of 3.5 qt. Or, you may be measuring it after the car sat for awhile. You're supposed to wait 5 minutes after stopping the engine. (If you wait overnight, some additional amount of oil will collect in the pan.). Or, if the oil was drained by lifting the front of the car (a jack), the drain is on the front of the pain. Lowering the front of the car back to the ground will let more drain.

For awhile there was a belief that the dipstick was stamped wrong. But, I change my oil myself. I measure it precisely using an old Gatorade bottle which I've marked a line on (showing an exact amount). I lower the front to let it drain completely. And, I wait ~5 minutes to check the dipstick. It always comes out perfect.

Also, they might not let the engine sit long before draining. If they drain and replace the plug quickly (after stopping the engine) some could remain. I warm up my engine, stop it, lift the front, let it drain for 10 minutes, lower the front, let it drain another 5. I take it slow.

With services you don't know what you're getting. The oil-change guys typically aren't the most studious people on earth. You get what you pay for, etc. They might even be instructed to overfill it a little just to avoid someone coming back saying it was underfilled (and blaming the shop for some "new" rattle sound).

 

You guys are way overthinking a simple oil change.

If you jack the front up, and .5 of a liter is left inside, big deal. I'm not lifting the car up and down, just to extract a small amount of oil.
And what a bunch of garbage about letting it sit for exactly 5 minutes. Let it sit for as long as you want, and drain it. Plain and simple.
And they make a dipstick for a reason. Keep adding oil until the correct level is achieved. Who cares if you only put in 3.2 liters instead of 3.5, its full.
If you cant sleep at night, go ahead add the exact 3.5. But now it shows overfull? And.........?????

This is a job that grease monkeys do, not rocket scientist.

 

i used to go to this one place for all the state inspections. it is primarily an oil change station. the last time, there were new people there. they rejected the inspection, saying the power steering belt was worn. it was a year old, and the vehicle had like 1500 miles since it was changed. they quoted me 105 parts and labor. since they had already done part of the inspection, i still had to pay them, even tho it was rejected. so i went to the parts store around the corner, where i used to work, part time, and where i sold this exact shop a ton of parts, and bought the belt. it was 12 bucks. went home, changed it myself, took about 15 min. then, i googled the belt change, and lo and behold, a bunch of posts about people taking their cars for inspection, and having to pay for other work to pass. and yup, a belt can cause the rejection. so i called texas dps, which handles the inspections, and spoke to the person who is responsible for the inspection stations in this area. and, while he said the car could be rejected for the belt, he had never heard of it. until now. he asked who the station was, i told him, and he looked it up. there were no complaints, and he said to bring the car by, and he would look at the belt, and if it was still good, he would call the station and tell them to pass. i just took the car back, and while they were looking at my car, there were several people in there for service. one of the pseudo techs comes in, and tells this woman her car wont pass inspection because her serpentine belt is worn, and they can change it for 130 parts and labor. and while i was getting my paperwork a few minutes later, they tell ANOTHER person his belt is bad, too. so i go online, and post a SCATHING serious negative report on this place. did the same on angie's list. when i told my new place that now does all our inspections about the belt incident, their remark was, "they must be really hard up to sell work". find another place to take your car

 

I don't miss state inspections for this very reason. I have come across too many shady stations that do this sort of thing. All you can really do is suck up the inspection charge and go on to the next place and hope they aren't dishonest as well.

I love FL! No state inspections, no smog checks

 

I used to live in a state without safety inspections. There were a lot of really unsafe vehicles on the highways. Not unusual to see a neglected car on the Interstate with failed ball joints or other front end parts. I've occasionally been rejected for some BS reason (single line crack in mirror). But I feel better knowing that a lot of very unsafe cars are kept off the road until repaired. BTW, just got an aftermarket stick-on mirror to cover the cracked one and passed inspection.

 

I just had the oil changed for the first time at 3212 miles and was very surprised at how dark the oil was. My mechanic actually went back in and checked the mileage and couldn't believe it was that dark after that few of miles.
He also filled it to the top mark on the dipstick because he thought the amount removed wasn't enough.
Had never heard that Direct Injection motors darken the oil earlier than other engines. He had never mentioned it about my wife's Elantra GT (2014) .
UPYOURKIA

 

My Canadian warranty service pamphlet that came with the car recommends oil changes every 6000 Km or every 6 months.. I don't drive many miles (400 miles a month on average), so I get the oil changed in my 2012 Accent every six months.

I've had the oil changed in as little as 2500 Km (About 1500 miles). The oil is pretty black even with that low mileage. It seems to be normal for the 1.6 GDI. (There are other posts on this forum discussing it). Dark oil doesn't necessarily mean that it's bad. You need to get your used oil professionally analyzed to see if you do have a problem. But I wouldn't worry about it

 

It's amazing how much time, money and resources are wasted due to obsessive, anal concerns. Few of these efforts will impact the life of the owners cars imo. These are cheap low maintainance cars. I change mobil1 every 12k, inevitably leave a little old oil in and check the dipstick when im done. 99.9% chance it lasts as long as any other imo.

 

I do not appreciate you calling my efforts to keep my car running well obsessive and anal. People have their reasons for doing what they do with their vehicles, and as long as it does not harm anything, why do you care. If I see that my oil looks a little darker than it has in the past and I decide to go ahead and change it, what does it hurt. I want to keep my car running at its best for as long as possible so if I want to change my oil a little early to give myself peace of mind, i'm going to do it, and I feel that alot of people on this forum do similar things. If someone hears a squeak in their serpentine belt, even though it may just be a little loose, some may choose to replace the belt anyway. To each his own. People come here for advice and opinions, not criticism. You do what you want with your car and i'll do what I want with mine.

 

I've had the oil changed in as little as 2500 Km (About 1500 miles). The oil is pretty black even with that low mileage. It seems to be normal for the 1.6 GDI. (There are other posts on this forum discussing it). Dark oil doesn't necessarily mean that it's bad. You need to get your used oil professionally analyzed to see if you do have a problem. But I wouldn't worry about it [/QUOTE]

When I changed this oil it was when I got my state inspection. The place I went to told me that the oil was dirty. They made it sound like if I didn't get it changed the engine was going to blow up. Now of course I knew they were just trying to get me to buy one of their services so I declined but decided to change the oil myself because, why not, it doesn't hurt. I actually did do an oil analysis with that oil. Haha, great minds think alike; and the oil analysis showed that everything was great with no excessive wear or foreign fluids (e.g. antifreeze) so I have much more confidence in my engine now.

 

LMAO, dirty oil! go back to the same place after THEY change your oil, in 3 weeks time. Tell them you want a free oil change because they put in dirty oil! lmao
or simply NEVER go back there again! tell every one you know to never go there as well!!!