wrong oil

[altimar]

I had my oil changed last week (first one) and I just noticed that the receipt says they used 10w30. I double-checked the manual and it says 5w30 just as I thought. I realize the 10w30 is not going to make my engine blow up, but is it enough of a problem for me to head back there and make them drain it and refill with the correct oil?

[Raven]

Since your climate is quite warm it won't be a problem. The only issue may be warranty related. You could call the dealer and see if it's a problem and if so get the oil changed to 5W30. Give the oil change place a call too to see if they actually used 10W30. They may just have a standard bill and didn't bother to change the numbers.

[Kamikaze]

I'd call and verify they truly put 10w30 in it.. I know that the guys at my shop could easily have written 10w30, but if they used the oil gun. it's 5w30.also 10w30 will not void out the warranty and I'm sure it won't affect your car what's so ever. but if you would feel better about it, and they truly did put 10w30 in it, the shop should drain and refill with 5w30 since that is what is recommended.

[altimar]

Thanks guys. I did a little more research myself and found the only difference is that the 10w30 will be slightly more viscous when cold. South Louisiana temps this time of year are 65-90F, so that's no problem. Causing warranty problems was really my only concern. Like y'all said, I'm not absolutely sure they didn't put 5w30, but there's no way for them to prove it and no way for me to prove to a dealer that they did.The funny thing is before I ever even had a car I'd heard horror stories about oil change shops, so I've always changed my oil myself. Then I read on here that many people had heck of a time getting their factory oil filter off, so I figured I'd let a "professional" handle it. Suffice it to say, I will definitely resume doing my own oil changes.

[gr8vibe]

I had THIS SAME PROBLEM! god, oil change guys are so inept. The thing was, I took my car to a place I don't normally go, my usual place was closed. and they did it wrong! and when I went to my usual place a few weeks ago, they even ASKED what was up with the wrong oil BEFORE i said anything! genious! And needless to say, they put the correct 5W30 oil in. serves me right!

[RePo]

Quote, originally posted by gr8vibe »when I went to my usual place a few weeks ago, they even ASKED what was up with the wrong oil BEFORE i said anything! genious! And needless to say, they put the correct 5W30 oil in. I've got to admit I'm pretty skeptical that they could even tell the weight of the multi viscosity oil. If you drove it to them, the oil that was drained was hot (at very least warm). The difference between 5w (as in 5w-30) and 10w is it's low temperature flow characteristics.. The only oil I've ever used in any car is 10w-30. And they all say 5w-30 on the filler cap. The lighter weight oil is recomended for winter season startup protection.

[joejoev]

One other note about 10w30...the owner's manual (at least the '04) states that 10w30 is an acceptable alternative to 5w30. Just as RePo said, the only difference between the two is the low temperature flow characteristics.

[Sublimewind]

Yeah, zero problem if 10w is used... even in really cold climates it's just a little thicker at startup.. I run 0w30 Castrol GTX synth in my subie..

[Kamikaze]

I can't even count how many oil changes I've done... but unless it's something like straight 40 weight, I don't know how you could tell a difference between 5w & 10w.. I've done oil changes on cars that sat overnight at the shop in the winter, so the oil was pretty cold and noticed how slow it came out, but I couldn't tell you that it was 5w or 10w based on that.