Originally Posted By: UG_Passat
Originally Posted By: edyvw
Originally Posted By: UG_Passat
Originally Posted By: edyvw
Just ask owners of VW Passat B5 and Audi A4 1.8T how that "cheapest synthetic oil" worked in their cars when VW said: yeah sure, use any synthetic and change it every 5K.
Every now and then we have similar member that thinks all cars are Corollas.
That wasn't the case. The VW owner's manual gave the dealership/owners options, so naturally people are cheap, so they used 5w30 conventional oil like Castrol GTX 5w30. The sludging was not an issue on the transverse 1.8T's, as the subframe did not interfere with the oil pan like the longitudinal 1.8T's, hence why transverse 1.8T's had a larger oil capacity than the longitudinal.
VW's fix was to clarify the owner's manual and state VW502.00 had to be used, along with a larger oil filter.
VW gave them option as? Use whatever you want. Why? To sell more cars since people in the U.S. want simple car from point A to point B that requires cheapest oil change.
I know what was fix, I owned them, and never had issue of course since I used VW 502.00 which was demanded in Europe from owners from the beginning.
As for cheapest oil, my friends A4 had sludge bomb at 80K using M1 5W30 ILSAC all the time.
The owner's manual only listed specs the oil can meet:
5w30 or 5w40
ACEA A3/A4
VW 502.00
as long as the oil met one of those specs, It was warrantied. So if you used 5w30 weight oil, say Castrol GTX, you were fine with the warranty. It never stated you must use a VW502.00.
You also missed the other key point. the sludging was only covered on the longitudinal 1.8T's, not the transverse 1.8T's, due to larger sump capacity, as the transverse oil plan did not interfere with the subframe, like the longitudinal.
How can that be?
One is viscosity, the other ones are certifications.
Those all had to be met, not just one of them.