Anything cheaper than GC?

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SpiderX1016

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I recently gave an oil change to my VW and it was $8 a quart
shocked2.gif

My car feels smoother and maybe a few more miles to the gallon with it.

I had Mobil 1 5w30 in it and it didn't run as well but I can get 10 Quarts from Walmart for the price of 6 of GC at Autozone. I also use a Fram CH9911 filter.

Anything as good as GC? My OEM spec is 5w-40. I'm guessing the Mobil 1 was too thin?

One more question, Does it matter if the oil comes out black or is it just cleaning the engine? I took the Mobil 1 out after around 2,500 miles and it was BLACK.
 
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Which year/model/engine VW do you have?

GC can be had for around $5/quart if you wait for the sale. Timing is everything. Other cheaper alternative would be Shell Rotella T 5w-40 ($19/gallon at Walmart), if you're not under warranty any more.
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Which year/model/engine VW do you have?

GC can be had for around $5/quart if you wait for the sale. Timing is everything. Other cheaper alternative would be Shell Rotella T 5w-40 ($19/gallon at Walmart), if you're not under warranty any more.


2006 VW Jetta 2.5l (71,000 miles) 6.3 Quarts
 
You can use Mobil 1 0W40 or Rotella T Synthetic 5w40......In this application since I hav eno clue what engine we are talking about I am going to lean towards Rotella T Synthetic 5w40 since it shears much less then Mobil 1 0W40!
 
Run Mobil 1 5w-40 or Castrol Syntec 5 or 10w-40 - all about 20 -22 bucks per 5qt jug at wallmart. I would say the 5w30 did not meet vw spec on this engine but I am not familiar with the 5cyl. Wish I could run a spec'd 40wt in my Yaris, then it would last more han 40 -50K miles.
 
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Originally Posted By: ARCOgraphite
Run Mobil 1 5w-40 or Castrol Syntec 5 or 10w-40 - all about 20 -22 bucks per 5qt jug at wallmart. I would say the 5w30 did not meet vw spec on this engine but I am not familiar with the 5cyl. Wish I could run a spec'd 40wt in my Yaris, then it would last more han 40 -50K miles.


My Walmart doesn't have any Mobil 1 thats 40w. They do have the Rotella 5w-40 though.

I thought of running Motul or Elf but it's just as expensive as GC.

Costed me $65 for 7 quarts and 1 Fram filter.
 
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Both GC and Mobil 1 0W40 are in Mercedes Benz 229.5 list for newer engines. But Mobil 1 0W40 is approved to be used in AMG engines and GC is not, based on this I would say that Mobil 1 0W40 is suitable for your engine and it can be bought at Walmart for $22 5-qt jug (about $4.40/qt). I just came back from a local Walmart and saw that they have plenty Mobil 1 0W40 in both quart bottles and 5-qt jugs.

http://www.whnet.com/4x4/oil.html
 
Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
Both GC and Mobil 1 0W40 are in Mercedes Benz 229.5 list for newer engines. But Mobil 1 0W40 is approved to be used in AMG engines and GC is not, based on this I would say that Mobil 1 0W40 is suitable for your engine and it can be bought at Walmart for $22 5-qt jug (about $4.40/qt). I just came back from a local Walmart and saw that they have plenty Mobil 1 0W40 in both quart bottles and 5-qt jugs.

http://www.whnet.com/4x4/oil.html


I'll check out Walmart next time I go to see what they have.

How is Pennzoil Platinum? Seems to get a lot of good praise. Is it a group 4? What about Castrol Edge?

hmm, I noticed if I'm willing to pay the $8/quart, I could get RP lol.
 
most quality oils will be more than adequate for your car. The only area i find that most of them fall down is protection under high temps and high rpms - not a typical situation for a jetta 5-cyl. Unless you race it. Then you want somethign that is ACEA A3 rated and does not have a reputation for thinning down with use. You will find most oils do nto meet ACEA A3 - they meet A1 and A5, which are intended for fuel economy.

I also seriously doubt that you can actually "feel" the car run better on one vs another. Oil will only let itself be so known if somethign really bad is happening. Like lubrication failure. I'll assume your car still runs.

Lose the fram filters. If you want to know why, use google to search for a filter analysis - someone did a great job 2-3 years ago. FRAm did not fare well.

Mobil 1 5W30 is really just for 90% of all users. Maybe 99%. That said, many people prefer the formulations in the latest Syntek, Rotella 5W40, ELF/total. All thee meet A3 except the rotella which is truck oil.

I personally would not worry too much unless i was using the car very very hard. And if i was, i would insist on an A3 rated, hthts > 4.0, and go one weight thicker (10W40).

Since i do track my car, this is exactly what i do.

Finally, worry hen your oil does nto come out black. If its clean after thousands of miles, all that dirt is still in your motor.

Just Me
 
Re: Shell Rotella:

Before recomending Shell Rotella T, it might be a good idea to check out some of the recent post regarding Rotella not being what it use to be.

Google "the good stuff in shell rotella t oil is gone"

With so many oils lowering the ZDDP levels, many oils are not what they use to be.

JimPghPa
 
Originally Posted By: just_me
Lose the fram filters. If you want to know why, use google to search for a filter analysis - someone did a great job 2-3 years ago. FRAm did not fare well.


The typical complaints wouldn't apply to the filters in the Volkswagen 2.5 and 2.0T engines, as they both use cartridge-type oil filter elements. The applicable FRAM product is also currently a relabeled German-made filter which appears to be a Mann.
 
I don't know about the CH 9911, but I can get an AC, Purolator, ST, or Pronto for about half what Wal-Mart wants for a CH 9018. All the elements look OK.
 
Originally Posted By: JimPghPA
Re: Shell Rotella:

Before recomending Shell Rotella T, it might be a good idea to check out some of the recent post regarding Rotella not being what it use to be.

Google "the good stuff in shell rotella t oil is gone"

With so many oils lowering the ZDDP levels, many oils are not what they use to be.

Well, that's kind of the case with all API SM oils, unfortunately. Whether it translates to poorer engine protection, I don't think we know.
 
Originally Posted By: SpiderX1016
I had Mobil 1 5w30 in it and it didn't run as well but I can get 10 Quarts from Walmart for the price of 6 of GC at Autozone. I also use a Fram CH9911 filter.

Anything as good as GC? My OEM spec is 5w-40. I'm guessing the Mobil 1 was too thin?

One more question, Does it matter if the oil comes out black or is it just cleaning the engine? I took the Mobil 1 out after around 2,500 miles and it was BLACK.


Mobil 1 5w30 does not meet the required VW spec. I'd look into the Mobil 1 ESP 5w30 which is VW 504 and ACEA A3 rated. That is more inline with your requirements, and $6.99 at pep boys.

Id have a look for the VW 502 oils at wal-mart, in order to minimize cost. For a god robust syn, youre not going to do much better than $5-6/qt.

but Mobil 1 5w30 in its standard form was not the right oil for the engine, I believe.
 
If you're out of warranty and you really want to cheapen your oil change, go with a 15w40 HDEO. Meets A3 specs for HT/HS, and in SoCal, you won't have problems with cold-starting.

Member 'wavingwayne' runs Motorcraft 15w40 in his wife's ML350 for 7500-mile OCI's (I think).
 
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Mobil 1 5w30 does not meet the required VW spec. I'd look into the Mobil 1 ESP 5w30 which is VW 504 and ACEA A3 rated. That is more inline with your requirements, and $6.99 at pep boys.

Id have a look for the VW 502 oils at wal-mart, in order to minimize cost. For a god robust syn, youre not going to do much better than $5-6/qt.

but Mobil 1 5w30 in its standard form was not the right oil for the engine, I believe.


You're right, Mobil 1 5w30 doesn't meet Volkswagen specs and is the wrong oil for the 2.5l engine. Some Wal-Mart stores carry Mobil 1 0W-40, which would meet the requirements. At the moment it is retailing for $6.27 at my local Walmart, and is the only VW approved oil available there. In fact, the new "super-center" near me is the only Walmart in the surrounding counties that carries any VW approved oil. Strange considering there are quite a few Volkswagens in the area...
 
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