Piston Slap: Hyundai's Religious Society of Friends

Longtime TTAC reader dastanley writes:

As a TTAC reader and sometimes blog participant, I have a question about motor oil in our 2008 Hyundai Tucson with the 2.7L V-6. The owner’s manual recommends Quaker State 5W20, 5W30, and 10W30 in that preferential order. Why Quaker State? Is there an engineering/operational reason for that particular brand or is that a marketing deal where Hyundai gets cheaper oil for their new cars off the assembly lines if they recommend Quaker State?

Sajeev replies:

If this were Pistonhead Jeopardy, I’d go with “Marketing Tie-Ins for $800, Alex.”

The Ferrari Enzo has unique oil requirements, fitting well with their lease-to-own scheme. More to the point, a Tucson ain’t no Enzo. All oils meet specifications (that minimalist donut graphic on every quart of oil) set by the American Petroleum Institute. I doubt Quaker State has any significant benefit over other oil manufacturers. Use whatever you want; even Wal-Mart’s SupraTech oil gets the job done. As mentioned previously, switch to synthetic oil if you plan on keeping this Tucson as a family heirloom.

And legally, there’s no reason (via voiding your warranty) for Hyundai to punish you for choosing other brands over Quaker State. As TTAC commentator skor mentioned, the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act shall save your bacon. This law (per Wikipedia) states that, “Warrantors cannot require that only branded parts be used with the product in order to retain the warranty.” Indeed.

Back to the question: there’s no engineering or legal incentive for a manufacturer to “recommend” one brand over another. Until you follow the money: there’s a good reason why Hyundai is in love with Quaker State. Marketing skills über alles.

[send your technical queries to mehta@ttac.com]