I have a 2004 pontiac vibe, 4-cylinder, 60,000 miles, roughly. It takes a 5W-30 motor oil. I had an oil change yesterday, and I think they put in a 10W-30. Is this going to hurt the car in any way?
If I remember correctly, 5w-30 and 10w-30 are hardly different. One is slightly better for colder temperatures, I think the 5w-30. I looked into this myself for my car which is a 4-cylinder as well. Either is fine, and you can switch back to 5w-30 anytime. The Mobiloil.com website has info on this subject.
If you get some well below 0F weather your engine will start harder and have a tad bit of wear. However in the grand scheme of things cars are very rarely replaced due to a worn out engine due to lubrication.
My dealer uses 10w30 and it calls for 5w30 in the winter if gets below 0F too. Its rare here in Seacoast NH.
Old, former NH guy here. Between Thanksgiving and Easter, use 5W-30. The rest of the year use 10W-30. With the present 10W-30, in cold weather like below 20 deg. F, your engine will turn over slower. You’ll get a little marginally more wear on the rings until the engine starts and the oil pump starts working properly. So it isn’t a really big deal going with the “thicker” 10W. Next oil change, depending on time of year, insist that they replace your oil with the proper weight for the season. Now living in Colorado at 8,868 ft. above sea level, in the middle of the Rockies, in the middle of the State, my oil weight schedule is about the same as it was in Nashua! Also ensure that they change the oil filter with every oil change and have them start the engine and check for leaks–around the filter and drain plug. The proper weight of oil under different conditions can be found in your Owner’s manual. Don’t have one? Go to your library and ask if the library has a Hayne’s repair manual that covers your make, model and engine size. P.S.: what town/city in Vermont?
If you paid for an oil change, I would return and insist they do it over again with the correct oil. The majority of vehicles these days use 5w30 or THINNER! The tolerances are much smaller on cars to help them be more efficient. Up where you are, the thinner oil is more important because it’s temperature sensitive, and takes much longer to thin out and lubricate. Too thick of oil CAN cause engine damage. If someone did it wrong, they should fix it for free.
The owners manual for my 02 Sonata shows 10-30 is fine from -10 to +100 degrees.
Below -10 degrees 5w30 is reccomended.
As mentioned, what does your owners manual tell you?