Yet Another Car Rant...

Folks... it's not so much that I think I'm the smartest guy in the world as it is I know that most people - including many uber-successful people - are morons.

The latest example...

I love our new (o.k., Mary's new) Hyundai Sonata 2.0T.

(Sammie the Sonata; "Sammie T." for twin-scroll turbo!)

So Sammie's due for her first oil change - the key oil changeover from factory-filled to full synthetic.

Now I don't know about you, guys, but one of the first things I do when I buy a new car is check out the grade of oil recommended. Interestingly enough, for "Sammie T." it's recommended by Hyundai (right there in the frigg'n owner's manual - page 8/4!) that, quote:

Engine Oil (2.0 TGDI) -- For improved vehicle performance, it is recommended to use the engine of a viscosity grade SAE 5W-40.

* However... (for 2.0 TGDI)... if the engine oil is not available in your country... [SAE 5W-30 may substituted.]

So... folks... here I go to the frigg'n dealership where I bought the car... a Hyundai dealership... and along with me I bring my very own new, unopened 5-quart container of SAE 5W-40 full synthetic oil which I instruct the service advisor to tell the service technician to use.

(See, folks... that $22 worth of my own synthetic oil that I brought... they would have probably charged me an extra $60 to use "their" synthetic oil.)

Anyway... time passes... I have a couple cups of coffee and read a few newspapers... and before too long I'm told my car is all set.

As I was following the young lady to the cashiers she let me know that what I thought was a (standard) 5-quart container of oil had in fact been a 4-quart container (frigg'n product shrinkage...!!!) but of course they had supplied the remaining (near) quart of oil.

Fine! Or so I initially thought...

(*GRITTING MY TEETH*)

As I was walking towards Sammie in order to leave I was going over the receipt/work order. While they didn't charge me for the "extra" quart that they supplied, on the printout it was noted as "SAE 5W-20."

5... W... frigg'n... 20...?!?!

So I head back inside to the service desk. In my calmest, most measured tones I started off by saying, "now I know this is probably just what the computer template spits out, but..." and preceded to inquire into whether their highly trained vehicle technician had actually put the WRONG FRIGG'N OIL in Sammie.

Funny enough, one of those "highly trained vehicle technicians" was up front at the time and upon hearing my questioned popped into the conversation with, "oh... for the Sonata... yeah... we use SAE 5W-20."

Of course my reply to him was, "For the 2.4 GDI... but not for my 2.0 TGDI."

His reply? "Yeah. Sure."

Anyway, the service advisor went on the floor to ask "my" mechanic which grade he had added and he assured her that yes, he had added the same viscosity synthetic oil (SAE 5W-40) which I had myself supplied.

At this point I asked the mechanic who had joined the conversation at the service desk to just come outside with me and check my owner's manual just so he could see I wasn't crazy.

(Folks... you're not gonna believe what we found next...!!!)

Before looking at my owner's manual, the mechanic asked me to pop the hood for him so that he could "check something."

I knew what he was gonna check - the oil fill cap of course!

And GUESS WHAT folks...

You JUST GUESS WHAT that oil cap said...

It said: "SAE 5W-30"

SAE... 5... W... frigg'n 30...!!!

So folks... let's cap off this tale of incompetence...

The owner's manual says SAE 5W-40 should be used...

The factory installed oil fill cap says that SAE 5W-30 should be used...

And the factory trained Hyundai mechanics as a matter of course use 5W-20...

Folks... is it me...? Is it frigg'n me...?!?!

Folks... (*SIGH*)... ya just can't make this frigg'n $hit up!