Brand new VW Jetta GLI 2.0 Turbo..oil - Confusion Abounds

Z

Zack1978

Joined
Jun 13, 2006
Messages
186
Location
NJ
Hi everyone,
I just purchased a brand new 2019 Volkswagen Jetta GLI with the 2.0 turbo engine and 6 speed transmission. The world of European cars with "special" oil requirements is all new to me, as I am a Toyota/Nissan guy who generally runs Mobil 1 5w30 in my other cars. The world of VW is very different to me...hopefully I made the correct choice in a new car.
As we all know VW spec'd the 2019's for VW 508 - 0W20 oil, and that alone has caused much in the way of discussion, debate, and further questions. Did VW migrate to 0W20 for MPG issues? Was the move motivated by emissions standards (we already know VW has/had emissions issues!!!) ? Will the move to 0W20 shorten the life of the engine, ie "as long as it lasts for the duration of the warranty, that's all VW really cares about" ? Did VW change the oil pump in the 2.0 T thus requiring the new new lighter oil?
At this juncture the cars that are now spec'd for 0W20 are too new to really know the long term effects of the new oil.

With all that being said, has anyone run the former spec oil for the 2.0 turbo, 5W40 in a new 2019 or 2020? On various forums and Facebook some people have noted that their local VW dealers are actually using 5w40, and NOT following the VW recommendation. I would be very curious who has disregarded the VW 0w20 recommendation in favor of 5w40. If there were no adverse effects, I think I would feel better about running 5w40 as opposed to 0w20.
Then the question of what oil to run in 5w40 flavor.....
I know that the 0w20 508 has a green tint to it. So if the theme of green oil is important, it seems that only Molygen 5w40 is actually green?

Any ideas to bring more clarity to the oil question, or is it "just run the 0W20 and move on with life!"? I generally keep cars for a long time. The car I traded for the new GLI was a 24 year old Nissan, so longevity is important to me. I guess with the new VW time will tell if it's going to be a "keeper" or will I be looking to sell it when the warranty is close to expiring......
 
The emission issue pertained only to diesels. 508 oils are special and should be used if called for by the manufacturer. They actually use tracer elements and dye to make sure your oil is 508. Count on VW denying any warranty claim if your oil isn't green and doesn't have the tracer elements in it.
 
I would use the 508 0w20, it really is special sauce type of oil.. esp if you value the warranty.
 
New car -- what does your owners manual say to use for engine oil?? Why even disregard or think twice what your owners manual is stating??
 
This has been discussed to DEATH in recent months with a lot of new owners of VW on this forum.

Search on GOOGLE not the this forum search.

My dealer " accidentally" on purpose (!) used the 5W40 Castrol in my 1.4t,
after, the turbo spooled slowly and the car just ran poorly under 3000 rpm. and fuel mileage dropped by about 5mpg.

About a moth later, I brought it back and had them put in MOTUL 508 that I spent big bucks on.

But that ended up being too THIN and the engine was noisy and didn't want to rev.

Now I'm frustrated that this is turning into a Baby Bear / Papa Bear scenario.

I was thinking of my NEXT move, then I noticed the car was burning off the pricey MOTUL. 508 00

When the sump was down a 1/2 litre, I added Mobil 1 0W40 FS up to the full line.

WOW. Car ran great and has been running great since.
_________

First suggestion: Leave the factory oil in at least 5000 miles ( thats five- thousand!)

Then figure out where to go from there. It will give you time to question other owners.

But, I wouldn't discount the 5w40 or 0w40 mix in to the Castrol VW spec 0w20.

That will keep your warranty, and make the engine perform like its supposed to.

BUT 100% No on allowing 100% 5W40 on an oil change.

Dealers should be hung out to dry for these shenanigans. VW, Really? Money grubbing Morons!

Enjoy your new car - you have an absolute rocket ship there!

It is as FAST and QUICK as a then new. - and legendary - 1967 Shelby GT 500 Mustang.
And that had a 428 Super Cobra Jet engine.

But, guaranteed the old FORD is more rewarding to cruise around in.

-Ken
2019 Jetta 6m ( Leased )
 
Ask Arco' ^^^, i've gone back and fourth on this since gaining ownership of my 2.0T Passat...



I will lessen my OCI to 5K miles and because of that, not run a VW508.00 motor oil but any high quality synthetic 0W-20. For me that will be Castrol GTX Magnatec 0W-20. I am not concerned about loosing the warranty but understand the risk.

I have seen very good UOA and some high wear ones as well with VW508.00 for the extended interval. I only remember one having significant dilution but that doesn't mean the other's didn't have some. I just don't remember.

I will keep using 0W-20 because there is information VW made changes to accommodate the low viscosity, i.e., new oil pump.

https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/5185567/vw-508-oil-spec
 
Last edited:
"Any ideas to bring more clarity to the oil question"

No.

"As we all know VW spec'd the 2019's for VW 508 - 0W20 oil, and that alone has caused much in the way of discussion, debate, and further questions."

I doubt any of the debaters, or discussion persons are within the realm of VW engineers.


"If there were no adverse effects, I think I would feel better about running 5w40 as opposed to 0w20."

Feelings are important.


My hot take: Pick 1.
A)Warranty
B)Feelings

Pick ONE and dont look back.
 
If you are a professional engine builder and Mechanic, you know what engine noises to listen for.

This is not feelings - It is decades of experience.

I'm not going to drive around with loud rod and piston racket.
Just because the oil fill cap reads, ' See Owners Manual for Proper oil Viiscosity and Specification'

Even in a lease car

If the sump is "off", please adjust viscosity to where appropriate for intended operation.

And I bet VAG and the German Auto Makers are just feeling their way in to this

world of "green" and very low HTHS oil

Something they have avoided like the plague for decades.

I bet somewheer in the middle is where "correct" is for these engines.

Like the ubiquitous ILSAC 5w30 with an HTHS around 3.0.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted by wemay
Ask Arco' ^^^, i've gone back and fourth on this since gaining ownership of my 2.0T Passat...



I will lessen my OCI to 5K miles and because of that, not run a VW508.00 motor oil but any high quality synthetic 0W-20. For me that will be Castrol GTX Magnatec 0W-20. I am not concerned about loosing the warranty but understand the risk.

I have seen very good UOA and some high wear ones as well with VW508.00 for the extended interval. I only remember one having significant dilution but that doesn't mean the other's didn't have some. I just don't remember.

I will keep using 0W-20 because there is information VW made changes to accommodate the low viscosity, i.e., new oil pump.

https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/5185567/vw-508-oil-spec



I'd do the same- tired of the VW oil confusion that "they themselves" cause.
 
I'm confused about the confusion. VW publishes a required approval in the owner's manual, so you buy an oil that has the approval.

What exactly is confusing about that?
 
I have a 2019 Passat with that engine and I use the dealer supplied VW approved 508 0W-20 oil. I am changing it at 5000 mile intervals right now but may extend that a bit. The car burns no oil, even going from PA to FL and back in February. Also iave me 42 + mpg on the trip (actual fillup values). So I am very happy with the recommended VW setup. I have had 4 VWs (two diesels) in the past ten years and I have yet to take one in under warranty. I am VERY happy with these cars.
 
You either trust the engineering or you don't. Most people seem to trust it for just about every other parameter of the car, including crash safety, but seem to question oil selection on here very often for some weird, unknown reason. The simple fact is the car will go 200k+ on the factory approved oils and service intervals. Anything else is simple conjecture and emotion.

If you plan to drive the car hard, on back roads or on track, where you will actually reach high oil temps (230+) then perhaps you should consider thicker oil. And by thicker oil, I mean 504 and not 502. Other than that, there is zero advantage. The old analogy of needing a fifteen foot ladder to get out of a ten foot hole, when a twelve foot ladder will do just fine seems to apply well in these situations.
 
Well I guess I need to come to terms with the fact that "modern" cars probably will not last nearly as long as my rusty trusty Nissan (24 years). The car manufacturers are being forced to meet such stringent emission and MPG requirements that longevity will probably be sacrificed. Who knows how much longer ICE will even power cars. Also most people sell or trade cars in six years or less anyway, i'm an outlier.
With respect to the question of "confusion", it goes back to my original point in looking for longevity in the car/engine. I don't think for one second VW truly cares about one of their cars lasting a long time, planned obsolescence.
I have been monitoring my oil temp, and basically on a hot day (80-90) the oil temp hovers somewhere between 220 and 225. Those temps are observed with easy highway driving, no crazy racing etc.
As far as what is paramount to me, the warranty is.......I will use the 0w20. Hopefully my angst is for naught and the engine will last.
 
When Volkswagen and the Federal courts reached their agreement over the diesel cheating scandal, Volkswagen produced documentation that they along with other manufacturers consider 150,000 miles the design limit or lifetime of their passenger vehicles. May be worth looking up. IIRC the Japanese manufacturers were in lock step with the rest of the worlds manufacturers at that design limit life.

https://www.epa.gov/enforcement/volkswagen-clean-air-act-civil-settlement
 
Originally Posted by sloinker
When Volkswagen and the Federal courts reached their agreement over the diesel cheating scandal, Volkswagen produced documentation that they along with other manufacturers consider 150,000 miles the design limit or lifetime of their passenger vehicles. May be worth looking up. IIRC the Japanese manufacturers were in lock step with the rest of the worlds manufacturers at that design limit life.

https://www.epa.gov/enforcement/volkswagen-clean-air-act-civil-settlement

Good thing no one told me that.
 
No reason not to run the 508 0W20. A local v-dub guy here in our FB group/club tracks his GTI with...wait for it...0W20. He's a tech at a Subi dealer so figure he has some knowledge of such things. That being said, this has been discussed ad-nauseum here and the VW FB pages/forums. Plenty are running the tried-and-true 502 5W40 oils with no drama. I'd run the 0W20 if my car called for it. I have a 1.8 in my Sportwagen that takes 502 so I run Liquimoly Leichtlauf High Tech 5W40, a very popular oil in the VW community.
 
Hahahahaha!

Capture.PNG
 
Originally Posted by wemay
Hahahahaha!



It only goes to show that some vehicles far outlast their design lifetime limits and I figure with some folks like you it may also boil down to timely/consistent maintenance. My last VW 1.8T Passat got to 280k miles before it grenaded the engine. I knew there was an issue in the motor VVT actuator but ignored it too long.
 
Originally Posted by Zack1978
Well I guess I need to come to terms with the fact that "modern" cars probably will not last nearly as long as my rusty trusty Nissan (24 years). The car manufacturers are being forced to meet such stringent emission and MPG requirements that longevity will probably be sacrificed. Who knows how much longer ICE will even power cars. Also most people sell or trade cars in six years or less anyway, i'm an outlier.
With respect to the question of "confusion", it goes back to my original point in looking for longevity in the car/engine. I don't think for one second VW truly cares about one of their cars lasting a long time, planned obsolescence.
I have been monitoring my oil temp, and basically on a hot day (80-90) the oil temp hovers somewhere between 220 and 225. Those temps are observed with easy highway driving, no crazy racing etc.
As far as what is paramount to me, the warranty is.......I will use the 0w20. Hopefully my angst is for naught and the engine will last.


Enjoy the car man. VAG has built millions of 2.0T engines, they know what they are doing.
 
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