I’m pretty annoyed. I’m quite particular about these things and I double checked that he would use 0w-20 and then triple checked before handing him the keys.
About a month and 1000 miles later, I just noticed the sticker, and it says 0w-30 oil was used. Facepalm…
Should I demand that he re-change my oil to 0w-20? Should I be concerned?
To my limited knowledge, the 0w-30 is thicker and could possibly be an issue in cold weather, and I live in MA where it can get very cold.
EDIT: Thank you all for the kind replies! Overall, I get the impression that it is not serious, and I will leave it as is but likely avoid this mechanic for future oil changes.
Is it possible that it’s just the sticker that is wrong? Regardless, I wouldn’t be concerned. In my nearly quarter century of being a Kia tech, I’ve never seen weight 20 vs 30 oil cause any effects whatsoever.
@Bao
Thank you and everyone for the helpful replies. That is certainly possible; the invoice does not list the oil, so I am only going off the sticker.
In any case, I don’t think I would get any satisfactory resolution by pressing the mechanic, I will leave it as is!
It won’t harm the engine. There might be a minor decrease in efficiency due to the increased viscosity. Odds are that you won’t notice the difference.
As for changing it, I wouldn’t bother since you’ve been running it for a month already. Just change it to the specified oil when it is time for another change. It’s a waste of oil, your time, and the mechanic’s time to redo it.
0W is cold viscosity, 20/30 is viscosity when the oil reached operating temp. Not that big of a deal between 20/30 in terms of cold start. But…
In case you forgot, all cars have oil grade stamped on top of the oil cap. The mechanic sees it when he refills the oil and knows he’s about to put in the wrong grade but went ahead anyway. It’s not a mistake; it’s a ‘I don’t give a shit.’ So yeah, come back and ask for a redo. And never come back again.
Or just demand a refund and never come back because who knows if they actually drain the oil and put the right type back in or just put it on the bay for 30 minutes and roll it back out saying ‘oh it’s done.’
Request that they redo, just to get the free change. But check the manual; it likely has a range of acceptable viscosities depending on ambient conditions.