General Motors really can’t catch a break this year. As if the ongoing V8 fiasco itself wasn’t enough of a bugbear, the company is now being sued for it. Given the scope of the recall campaign—the company has more than 600,000 trucks to inspect and/or repair—it’s not surprising that a group of owners has banded together to pursue legal action. But what is surprising is why; these owners aren’t suing because their trucks were sidelined (for months, in some cases) or because the quality of the repair was poor. Instead, they’re suing because GM’s solution to the problem allegedly results in worse gas mileage.
The purported culprit is GM’s updated oil viscosity requirement. Originally, the maintenance schedule for the L87 6.2-liter V8 required 0W-20. GM’s updated guidance requires the use of 0W-40. A higher number (or “weight”) refers to the oil’s viscosity—or how thick it is. Higher viscosity oils cling to component surfaces more effectively than lower viscosity oils. This makes them better at their primary job (lubricating engine components), at the expense of increased drag.
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