oil changes

[Maddmatts]

The car dealership told me that the Sonic uses a special kind of oil and that it can only be changed at the dealership. Is this true? I can't just use regular oil?

Technically you can use whatever 5w-30 oil you want. But to keep the warranty, it must have the Dexos certification. Off the top of my head, I know that Castrol Edge has it and Mobil 1 most likely will too.

Kind of annoying though, I have a 4L jug of Castrol Syntec left over from my previous car that doesn't have the certification. But whatever, I'll use it for top ups if I ever need them.

 

[gap2000]

You never have to change the oil, thats one of the reasons I purchased the car.

 

[Eric Smit]

You never have to change the oil, thats one of the reasons I purchased the car.

I can't even decide if I should take this seriously.


-Eric Smit

 

[seanp1]

You never have to change the oil, thats one of the reasons I purchased the car.

Do not feed the troll?

 

[CoHPhasor]

You never have to change the oil, thats one of the reasons I purchased the car.

ZOMG so ****in stupid stfu dewd!

Have you ever seen the crud buildup in a motor like sludeislikeheartattackwaiting dewd!! *read in all CAPS plz*

 

[Kuntryboy865]

You never have to change the oil, thats one of the reasons I purchased the car.

You know actually the salesmen actually said something like that to me lol. He said with this new oil you don't have to change the oil.. that much.

 

[SonicCalgary]

I changed my own oil @ 350KM, that's about 200 miles. I posted some pics and an article on this forum, as I was surprised at the results of the condition of the oil and the filter. Also, very much surprised by people reactions. It's an interesting read

 

[robertwilliams]

I'm used to clunkers that leaked and burned so much oil I could get away with changing the filter at 5k. The rest of the time I was always adding fresh oil.

 

[GeneralZod]

There seems to be many engineers here... Just follow the DIC and enjoy the drive. GM's math is sound, and use top notch oils and filters. If anything, just follow the 6500 miles OCI.

I would do half of that for the first change.

 

[brandon1239]

OEM filter and mobil 1 every 3500 miles. its cheap insurance. for the guys driving 1k a week or something crazy like that its not as much of a problem going a few thousand past it. my main worry is buildup and moisture getting in the oil and lessening its effects. if you drove 10k in two months it'd be ok to stretch it that long, if you drive 10k in two years and go by the DIC i'd be worried.

 

[GeneralZod]

OEM filter and mobil 1 every 3500 miles. its cheap insurance. for the guys driving 1k a week or something crazy like that its not as much of a problem going a few thousand past it. my main worry is buildup and moisture getting in the oil and lessening its effects. if you drove 10k in two months it'd be ok to stretch it that long, if you drive 10k in two years and go by the DIC i'd be worried.

Do you realize the temps the 1.4L runs at, water doesn't have a chance.

If you drive low miles just change every 6 months and use whatever tier 1 oil is on sale that is GM good.

Again with the insurance...

 

[sx sonic]

I did my 1st change at 500mi, another at 3K mi and around 5-7k after that using a premium Hastings filter and private labeled full synthetic (I get an awesome discount bc of my affiliation as a former tech)

I see it as cheap insurance especially with the increased thermal loading of the turbo.

Does anyone have in depth technical info on what properties Dexos 1 has??? I've done research on the GL 5 and previous GL 4 standards but am not sure what makes Dexos certification special. GL 5 had a lot of things in the formula tweaked for emission component longevity which is irrelevant to me.

If someone knows the technical details I can decide if I have to run it or if I can switch to something else (I have access to oil that with my discount is cheaper but not dexos 1 certified, its high quality stuff and meets the last gen standards. If dexos is geared toward emissions I'll switch, if it has better shear properties, or high pressure lubricants I'll stay certified)

-tyler

 

[motosteele]

If you need help changing the oil in your sonic: watch my how to video i just made!
Chevrolet recommends that you change your oil every 7,500 mi. I changed mine at 3,500 mi initially and then just earlier today at 10,400 mi

anyways! Here is the link to the DIY Video for Oil Change!

How to Change Oil in 2012 Chevy Sonic - YouTube

 

[thecasemaster]

After I use my dealership oil changes I will be switching to Mobil 1 filters and full synthetic extended performance. I've used this on my previous cars and ever had any issues. I'll be changing filters every 5k and oil every 15k. My dad does the same this with his vehicles. He took my mom's van to the mechanic at 100k for a check up and the mechanic said the engine looked brand new.

 

[benschevy]

I just recently discovered the oil life % myself. Glad someone else wanted to know at what point of the % I should change it. I'm a little over 3000 miles and the oil life is 63%. I think I'll let it go down to 50% and have it changed. Like others have said, that will put me in the 4k-5k range. I feel comfortable with that based on others' posts.

 

[MartyH]

I'm sorry to bring up an old thread but I feel obligated to reply to this thread.

I can't tell you how many 4 cylinders (2.2's) that have been in service for cam actuators and timing chain components, being all tensioners, guides and even new chains because the actuators get clogged up with dirty oil from people following the oil life monitor. GM is paying these claims with no questions as of now. There's also a reprogram on the PCM that shortens the Oil Life Monitor at the same time these are done.

The reprogram tells me that they know this is a problem but they have commited so much and so hard to the Oil Life, they have no choice to stand behind the concept.

Something else worth mentioning, starting with 2011, all GM vehicles with a gasoline engine require a synthetic blend motor oil such as the AcDelco Dexos1 oil. This was an effort to help extend the oil life and keep the oil cleaner through the extended drain intervals of the oil life monitor.

I have a 2013 1.4 turbo Sonic and am a light footed driver. I'm going to guess the Oil Life Monitor has been reprogrammed for 2013 because it's calculating me towards a 7500 mile at 0% oil drain interval-much shorter than some of you guys are stating. I'm going to do the first oil change at 2000 miles. I'll be standardizing on Mag 1 Dexos1 5W30 oil so the 2nd change will be at 5000 miles to get that mix of factory fill and Mag1 out after 3000 miles. From then on it'll be based on 20% Oil Monitor and always be Mag1 Dexos1 5W30.

 

[MartyH]

The car dealership told me that the Sonic uses a special kind of oil and that it can only be changed at the dealership. Is this true? I can't just use regular oil?

You need to use Dexos1 licensed oil. Yes, it is different but many of the existing major oil brands offer oil that meets this spec. Do a simple Internet search on "Dexos1" and one of the first results will be a link to GM's list of approved oils. I decided to go with Mag1 Dexos1 5W30. It's available on Amazon.com

 

[MartyH]

After I use my dealership oil changes I will be switching to Mobil 1 filters and full synthetic extended performance. I've used this on my previous cars and ever had any issues. I'll be changing filters every 5k and oil every 15k. My dad does the same this with his vehicles. He took my mom's van to the mechanic at 100k for a check up and the mechanic said the engine looked brand new.

Pretty sure you won't be using a Mobil 1 extended performance filter on your Sonic. MO-981 is as close as you're going to get. Have you seen the filter on a Sonic? It's not a spin-on, it's a cartridge and as far as I could find, Mobil 1 does not offer an extended performance filter for this car.

 

[JimmyBuckets]

I have decided on 5k on syn but going to do 3k-4k on the factory refills because I don't trust it. Plus I have Trifecta so a little tougher on oil.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using Tapatalk 2

 

[mowcowbell]

fyi: I just picked up a 5qt jug of Mobil 1 5w-30 and noticed the bottle is labeled "Dexos2".

No luck finding the oil filter for the 1.4L at the local Wal Mart. Did find the Fram CH10246at Pep Boys, but it was $12!! Found the AC Delco PF2257G at amazon.com for $6.15 each, so ordered 4 of those.

Darin