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oil level on a new Spark


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Hello, I've got my Spark 2 months ago and i did till now 2,300 KM's.

From the day i've got it the oil level was prittey low, it is quater above the Minimum indicator,

Does anyone else got the oil level from the factory that low?, is it possible that they dosn't put oil to the maximum level at the factory?

i'm afraid someting is wrong with my engine if it eats that much oil in 2,300 KM's made, but i'm not sure if it came like that or the oil has gone somwhere.

Thanks, Adi.

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The problem is that the factory puts in 5W20 Dexsos 1 oil, and the dealer in israel is using only 5W30 Dexos 2 oil, so i can't mix them, maybe should i make an oil change now after 2K KM's ?

another problem that it cost 215$ only to change oil and oil filter here

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In general, all car motor oils are designed to be compatible with each other, you can add any of the correct dexos 1 oils. If you can get the Mobile 1 synthetic oils, then you are definitely safe because the dexos approved version are factory fill on some GM cars and optional on cars like our Sparks. The GM oil is a synthetic blend and there are several of those with the dexos 1 rating.

Edited by Greg_E
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http://www.gmdexos.com/licensedbrands/dexos2licensedbrands.html

"dexos2â„¢ is also the recommended service fill oil for European gasoline engines."

That's why i thought it's the reason my dealer uses dexos 2 5W30, i asked them for the 5W20 dexos 1 but they dosn't have it, and they put dexos 2 5W30 on all sparks in israel, that's weird

BTW, i have 1.2 Liter gasoline engine, we don't have the diesel spark in israel, only the 1.0 liter and 1.2 liter gasoline ones

Edited by ValorHeart
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That kind of reinforces the idea that dexos is just a tax paid by the oil companies to GM, you should be able to look at the other ratings listed on the mobile dexos branded oils, and find a perfectly compatible oil to top off your car. Just buy something that has the same ratings and you will be fine, if you can get Mobile 1 then even better. Might be cheaper to order it on the internet and have it shipped to you.

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Weird, today after work i've checked the oil level and it was just fine, allmost on the max level, this is so weird, when i check in home it was on the minimum, and i don't think i park in vertical,

i allways check when the engine has sit atleast a few hours,

maybe i should cancel the dealer appointment, i'll check again tomorow to make sure

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UPDATE:

I went to the dealer today, asked for only oil and filter change, it has cost me 370NIS = 105$

They used Geniune GM Oil filter and ACDelco Dexos 2 5W30 Oil, they don't even have dexos 1 5W20 in israel, they said that because of the hot weather here they use this oil, here is the pricture of what they put:

post-956-0-55560000-1381998709_thumb.jpg

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  • 7 months later...

I have had many people tell me (for whatever reason) that it is better to run the oil level at halfway between the upper and lower lines. I consider this foolish. I always fill my engines to the FULL line. The more oil you can get in an engine (without overfilling it) the better. Oil also acts as a coolant, plus if your oil level is already low, and it happens to burn or leak a little, say goodbye to you engine. Having it full gives you a little more of a safety margin.

All modern automotive and diesel oils are 100% compatible with each other. You can mix and match any way you want, as long as any oil you use is approved for use in your car.

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  • 4 months later...

I live in Miami. It is always hot and humid in the summer...at least as hot as in Israel and a lot more humid, so we tend to drive with the A/C on all the time. The highway speeds here are always exceeded and it is not unusual to take a 100mi round trip at a constant 90mph with the A/C on. I have an oil pressure gauge on my Spark that I installed as an early warning system for a variety of issues. When running 5W30 synthetic oil, the pressure always reads a little high (70psi) before the engine is at operating temp and then levels out when the engine is at operating temp. (55psi). With the 5w20 synthetic oil, it reads 50-55psi at all temps. When using 5w30 or 5w20 conventional oil the readings are high at engine start and still a bit high at operating temp...not too sure what your exact question is but ...there is no downside to using 5w30 synthetic in a hot climate and you can mix any kind of 5w30 oil with any other brand, in fact I have mixed 5w30 and other weights of oil mixing conventional and synthetic without problems on other cars I have owned. I know for a fact that due to the very narrow oil passages on the Spark VVT head, Synthetic 5W30 and 5W20 work just fine as both oils are 5W at startup but the synthetic will keep its correct viscosity much longer. Sorry about the long post and even more sorry that your oil change costs you so darn much money!

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  • 2 weeks later...

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