‘There’s literally no oil in this car’: Man just bought a new Kia—he can’t believe what’s already happening with it

11.10.2024 22:00

The Daily Dot

A 2024 Kia owner says they constantly have to put oil in their car as it goes through 2.5 quarts of the stuff each week. Rafael (@mrrafaelb) detailed yet another engine oil pour in his TikTok. He says that even though his car is new and is guzzling oil at an alarming rate, the manufacturer was unhelpful.

Going through oil

"Wanna start documenting this process," he says. "I just put oil in my car last week." He takes out the dipstick from the engine. Next, he holds the stick up to the camera to show that there isn't any oil sticking to it.

"There's no oil in this car. I've been talking to Kia on and off," he says. "Letting them know, but they tell me they can't do anything unless the motor blows up. So here I go again, filling up my car with oil."

Following this, he holds up a green container of motor oil to the opening of the car's oil reservoir. He slowly pours the substance into the engine and begins narrating again.

"All right, so I just filled it up," he says/ Afterward, he removes the dipstick again—this time, it's clearly streaked with oil.

@mrrafealb Kia Engine Documentation. Bad motors. October 1, 2024. #kia #engine ♬ original sound - Rafeal B.

"Looks like we're about full there," he continues. "This is what I had one of these big jugs. Keep having to do it every week. I'm filling up it's like half a jug a week."

The jug in question appears to be a 5-quart Drive MXD SAE 5W-30 motor oil. Since it retails for $17.95 at Dollar General, he's spending about $9 a week to keep his engine operational. This is on top of other routine maintenance on the vehicle, but the expenditure is only part of the problem.

No oil = no bueno

Rafael's Kia's inability to retain oil seems to be indicative of a great issue with his vehicle. A properly running car engine, especially a new one, shouldn't require 2.5 quarts of oil added to it every week. Thus, his issue seems to be one of two things: Either an oil leak, or his engine is prematurely burning oil.

The former issue is perceptible to the naked eye. Rafael could leave his car parked in an area for an extended period of time. Following this, he could then move the car and see if a pool of oil formed beneath it.

The other issue, oil burn, could be occurring for a variety of reasons. Automotive product manufacturer Valvoline says that faulty car parts could be to blame. For instance "worn out piston rings, cylinder walls, or valve seals are common causes of oil burning." The company writes that these issues could "lead...to reduced oil levels."

Additionally, the problem could be a "malfunctioning PCV valve." This "can cause oil to be sucked into the engine and burned." This would explain why engine oil seemingly disappears from an engine, without any leaks to show for it.

Kia oil woes

There have been other Kia customers who've complained about their vehicles consuming oil at an alarming rate. Such as this Telluride driver who griped about oil burning in this forum post. They said they were first alarmed by the oil-guzzling issue after their 60,000-mile vehicle started sounding "junky." After bringing it to a dealership, they were informed their engine oil was critically low.

This came as a surprise to the driver as there weren't any warning lights from the car stating as such. While the engine was resealed and had its spark plugs and PCV tube replaced, it still consumed 0.7 quarts of oil in 1,000 miles. According to the Kia customer, the manufacturer "closed the case" as this amount was considered acceptable.

It appears the fixes didn't come soon enough as the engine sustained some damage. Furthermore, the driver now needs to add oil in between oil changes to prevent further harm to the Telluride's motor.

Another Kia owner wrote to The Providence Journal also stating they felt their car was going through oil too quickly. The author also wrote that Kia believes 1 quart of oil being consumed per 1,000 miles was considered normal. "Kia has very specific oil consumption tests and considers one quart of oil used in 1,000 miles or more normal. Based on Kia's criteria for oil consumption, the engine is operating as designed."

TikTokers sound off

One commenter said that unlike Rafael they haven't had any issues whatsoever with their Kia. "I have a 22 forte gt and it’s been nothing but fantastic to own," one wrote.

Another person swore by the brand, writing, "Kia 2015 handed down to two kids still running over 200k. Standard service."

One mechanic also chimed it, stating that they've witnessed some bad engine problems with customers' Kias. "Two came in to the shop with blown motors one a 2017 the other a 2015 those motors are so bad," they said.

However, Rafael isn't the first creator to air his grievances with Kia. One driver went viral recently for her series of videos on her Telluride basically falling apart.

The Daily Dot has reached out to Kia via email and Rafael via TikTok comment for further information.

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The post ‘There’s literally no oil in this car’: Man just bought a new Kia—he can’t believe what’s already happening with it appeared first on The Daily Dot.