My opinion:

1) Your 3.6 will be OK. Just change to the correct viscosity oil; probably no need to change the filter.

2) You may want to find somebody else ... somebody competent ... to wrench on your Outback.

 

2) You may want to find somebody else ... somebody competent ... to wrench on your Outback.

LoL +1. The irony of having a multi-$M equipment dealer do OCI correctly.

 

You probably should not have any issues though I know that your engine requires 5W-30 conventional and any synthetic will be better. That being said I would be emphatic towards the next person that you get your oil changed with that you want 5W-30 synthetic. The only concern I would have is that 0W-20 may not be the best thing to have in your engine during any major summer heat.

 

I know I'd be taking it back to have the correct viscosity put in the crankcase. 0w oil is too thin for your 3.6 engine. It *could* blow by the rings, causing oil consumption, fouling spark plugs, or worse.

The dealership probably assumed the 3.6 uses the same engine oil as the far more common 2.5. That alone would have me going somewhere else for the next service. This is precisely why I do my own oil changes. I know I put in the right oil, changed the filter, and properly torqued the oil drain bolt.

 

0w oil is too thin for your 3.6 engine. It *could* blow by the rings, causing oil consumption.

Incorrect. The 0W rating is relevant only for a cold engine, particularly cold starts. A 0W-xx oil is still considerably "thicker" (i.e. higher viscosity) at cold startup than a xW-30 oil at normal engine operating temperature.

I do agree that oil consumption may be slightly higher for an xW-20 oil than for an xW-30 oil, due to the lower viscosity of the xW-20 oil at operating temperature.

 

Wont hurt anything but its not really ideal either. ^ note cowbells oil use warning. Keep an eye on oil level till you get a heavier weight in it. Wont hurt the car but yes it might consume some oil with the lighter thinner oil.

 

It's benign, to some degree oil is oil - have it changed and move along. Just don't install a forced induction system and tow your boat to the southwest up steep grades in 110+ degree temps before you have the oil changed.

 

Thank you for all the feedback. I was thinking along the same line as everyone else here, I just wasn't positive. I guess I'll add 'Change my own **** oil' to the weekend to-do list. I was hoping the dealership would prove competent because $30 for a synthetic change (discounted pricing) seemed like it might be worth it. I guess you get what you pay for. Maybe I'll let them try again in another 15 years...it really shouldn't be that difficult to do an oil change properly.

 

I highly doubt you had a "tech" change your oil unless your car was there for other service. Every dealer I have ever worked at used "lube techs" to change oil. They are usually kids right out of high school or tech school that aren't given real jobs until they can prove they don't screw up. Anyway, I wouldn't waste my time changing the oil that was just put in your car. Sure, it's 20 weight oil, but it's really not going to hurt anything. I can also promise you, that for $30, you likely got the bulk 5w-30 that isn't synthetic. They aren't just going to give away 6 quarts of synthetic, and you can usually get them to give you the bottles as proof when they do. The oil change sticker is another thing I wouldn't pay attention to. It's likely preprogrammed into their machine to say 5w-30 or 0w-20 based what the lube tech puts in.

Your money, and your car. But take the advice of many here. It's a waste of your time to worry about it. Just check it every 1k miles and you'll be fine.

 

Seeing as 0w20 is the spec for the 2.5 engine, which comprise probably 80% of Outback sales, it is most likely that they just generated the wrong sticker for your car.

That being said, I encountered the same thing when I bought Mal used from a local Ford dealer. Sticker said 5w20, which is a common weight for many of the Fords they service, but they promised they put 5w30 in. Based on my overall impression of the competence and thoroughness of this dealership...or lack thereof as this case may be, I changed it to the correct weight myself within a week or 3 when the weather was decent.

tl;dr
Unless you're towing 3000 pounds uphill in 100F+ temps, 0w20 won't grenade your engine, but it is not a specified weight. Do what you need to for peace of mind, and always recycle your oil.

 

Read your owners manual

Either oil can be used in the 3.6R. It's the 2.5 that requires synthetic.

 

Most "oil techs" are kids or people who think the drain plug is the Jesus bolt that holds the car together.

Changing oil doesn't require an advanced degree to do and you know exactly what's going on. You also can take that periodic change as an opportunity to look at ur CV boots and just put eyeballs on everything.

To make those changes even easier and mess free, buy th Fumoto and future changes should and will be mess free.

Buy the oil you want that meets your needs, go with a high quality filter and enjoy your ride! The 3.6 is a pretty low tech engine and it's just content to run at lower RPMs without a lot of fuss.

 

Most "oil techs" are kids or people who think the drain plug is the Jesus bolt that holds the car together.

Changing oil doesn't require an advanced degree to do and you know exactly what's going on. You also can take that periodic change as an opportunity to look at ur CV boots and just put eyeballs on everything.

To make those changes even easier and mess free, buy th Fumoto and future changes should and will be mess free.

Buy the oil you want that meets your needs, go with a high quality filter and enjoy your ride! The 3.6 is a pretty low tech engine and it's just content to run at lower RPMs without a lot of fuss.

All of the above. But I would definitely get that oil out of there if it is indeed 0w20.