2006 VW GTI 2.0T

[moribundman]

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VWoA strikes again! The Europeans get a 10k mile / 16k km OCI on 504, and VWoA blithely assumes that Americans will be OK with the same OCI on 502. Yes, both are synthetic, but isn't 504 the tighter of the two specs?

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NO! VW 504 a DIFFERENT spec, not a tighter, or "better" spec than VW 502. VW 504 is a low SAPS spec that will ensure that the emissions systems remains functioning at peak performance as long as possible. Due to sub-standard US fuel quality, those VW/Audi engines that were designed for VW 504 oil have a not fully-enabled emissions control system and spec VW 502 oil in the US. And yes, with normal use a VW 502 oil can generally go 10k miles.

 

[Volvohead]

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Originally posted by akuska:


Volvohead, oil specs are a European thing, since over there the auto manufacturers (not the oil companies) set the standards. The Volvo engine may be rated for ACEA A1 conventional oils, but I'd guess that Ford doesn't specify a long OCI on it. Would you be able to confirm or deny that?

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ACEA is a European thing, and is a manufacturers group - the European Automobile Manufacturers Association. I have no problem with ACEA and other uniform standards. Most manufacturers have specific oil specs. But most manufaturers specs are met under the uniform standards and the latter are usually the official recommendation.

VW is just overreacting to the 1.8T debacle. It looks like the newest VW engines are more sensibly designed from a lubrication perspective. But they are being overly rigid in my opinion in forcing 10k changes, especially on turbo engines with tiny sumps and diesels with overstressed pump parts. Rather than play this spec game across all their engines, they should confine it to the "problem" ones. And that's what I view it as in those instances, a design problem. Unless it's an ultra HO or racing engine, a PC engine that can't live on Mobil 1 5W or 10w30 has a design problem.

Volvo (not Ford) presently specifies 7500 mile changes on oils that meet GF-3/A1/SL. That mileage is too long and the standard too low for the turbos in my opinion. But it works just fine in the NA versions. And those engines last forever and pump out more hp/l than the VWs do.