dear a.a.h- Just took delivery of a 2004 Sonata GLS (Pkg 5A) last week. We really like the car (first new vehicle) and I'm looking forward to breaking it in right and taking good care of it. I see that the manual doesn't specifically state what multigrade weight comes installed or what weight to use. I live in Atlanta so temps are 0-15c in winter and then 20-35c in summer. I was planning on using 10w40 but perhaps 10w30 might be best? Any educated tips appreciated. [BTW, my first change will be at 1200m with a top dino-oil (like Castrol GTX), but then after full break-in I plan to use Mobil1 thereafter.] TIA-- --AceyMan
Sonata shop manual has a chart in http://www.hmaservice.com/webtech/ select your make & engine select "shop" at top menu bar select engine mech sys select specs (1st one listed) oil chart is several pages into the manual
http://www.hmaservice.com/webtech/ select: your make & engine "shop" eng mech sys specs - first one list oil chart is several pages in
Either one will do the job, but I would base the choice on the type of driving you do. If you're doing a lot of commuting in heavy traffic where the engine gets hot enough to turn on the cooling fan, I'd go with 10W-40. If you do mostly highway mileage and other driving where the engine stays cooler, 10w-30 will suffice. Neither one is going to be a problem, so it's not worth being too concerned. In the winter, you could switch to 5W-30 or even one of the new 0W-30 or 0W-40 oils which will improve your gas mileage somewhat. Oil technology and engines have changed considerably over the years and recommended oil weights have gone down. Anyone need any 20w-50? I've got some that I'll never use.
The factory fill is 10W30. There's a chart for selecting a grade in the manual, but if you live in the continental USA, make it simple, put 10W30 all year round.
