The “Wrong” Oil
A class action lawsuit was served to Valvoline after its Instant Oil Change facility filled a 2025 Kia Sorento with oil that did not meet the vehicle manufacturer’s specifications. According to the suit, the vehicle manufacturer’s oil specification for the Sorento is 0W-30. Despite that, the Valvoline Instant Oil Change Facility used 5W-30 for the service.
The Indiana plaintiff, Robert Campbell, claims that because Valvoline used a different grade of oil during his service, this resulted in additional expenses, decreased performance, an increased risk of engine damage, loss of warranty coverage, and a reduction in the value of his vehicle.
Kristen Brown
A Routine Oil Change, Allegedly Gone Wrong
Campbell brought his 2025 Kia Sorento to the Valvoline location in Westfield, Indiana, for service on October 8, 2025. The Instant Oil Change service center replaced his oil with 5W-30, despite Kia‘s recommended grade of 0W-30. After discovering this, Campbell requested a refund from the service center; however, he was offered a back job. Worse still, he was given another batch of oil that also did not meet the manufacturer’s recommended specifications.
After the two successive oil changes, Campbell had no choice but to go to another service center to have his oil replaced a third time at his own expense. The plaintiff was charged $102.99 for the first oil change and the back job. By the third change at a different outlet, the correct manufacturer-recommended specification was used.
Campbell claims that Valvoline is guilty of a “breach of contract, breach of implied warranty of fitness for a particular purpose, violation of the Indiana Deceptive Consumer Sales Act, and unjust enrichment,” the class action lawsuit reads.
“All individual owners of vehicles serviced at a Valvoline Instant Oil Change location operated by Valvoline Inc. and whose vehicle engine oil was replaced with oil that did not conform to the vehicle manufacturer’s specifications.”
The plaintiff seeks to represent a nationwide class and an Indiana subclass of customers who’ve had their engine oil replaced at a Valvoline Instant Oil Change location that did not meet the manufacturer’s recommended specifications. He is also demanding a jury trial and requests declaratory and injunctive relief, as well as an award of actual, statutory, and treble damages for himself and all class members.
Was the Oil Really Incorrect?
The two numbers in the SAE Viscosity standard are not too far apart in Campbell’s case, but the difference between 0W and 5W matters when the engine is cold and when ambient temperatures drop below a certain point.
The recommended 0W-30 weight oil should flow more easily when cold than the 5W-30 that was put in by Valvoline, per the SAE J300 standard. Oil is more viscous when cold; at low enough temperatures, 0W oil flows more easily than 5W oil, which means it can reach the engine more quickly and provide better protection on cold starts. However, once the engine reaches operating temperature, the “30” at the end of the grades indicates that both engine oils should perform similarly.
What sources did not mention is whether Valvoline used a 5W-30 oil that was conventional, semi-synthetic, or fully-synthetic. Kia recommends using a fully synthetic oil in the 2025 Sorento with the turbocharged 2.5-liter engine.
The question is, “Does it matter?” That may depend on a bunch of factors. Considering the SAE’s testing standard, if oil is exposed to -40℉ weather all the time, then 0W-30 would be a better option. However, if it’s not cold enough, one could argue that the difference between 0W-30 and 5W-30 is negligible.
