Dad just bought 03 VW Passat 1.8T

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If anyone can answer a few questions we would appreciate it.

At 52 miles he was 1/4 quart low. Is this normal? He used Castrol Syntec 5-40 VW 502 00/505 00 approved. His owners manual calls for 503, does this oil satisfy that as well?

He will be doing 5k drains for warranty purposes and would prefer using his own mechanic, which oil and filter would you recommend he bring to him?(that won`t get him in warranty trouble) His mechanic stocks M1,not sure if VW approved though.

Also,when should he do his first oil change?

He cares a lot about oil changes and just doesn`t want to make a mistake. With all these new (to us anyway) ratings it gets pretty confusing so any help would be great.
 
I would recommend a 5w-40 as well, but the only one I know of that is "locally" available is Rotella-T.

Redline makes a good 5w-40, but you have to order it.

Mobill 0w-40 would also work as well.

VW guys will be able to fill you in more on the best filter, but if K&N makes a filter for it, I would say that is about the best you can get...filters to about 20 microns, but flows very well for an O.E. replacement.

[ November 21, 2003, 07:10 PM: Message edited by: Jelly ]
 
Yes, the M1 0w-40 oil is VW 503 01 approved and so is Castrol Syntec 0w-30 (german made). I prefer and run the GC 0w-30 in my 1.8T VW and it does 6500 mi intervals fine.

The dealer 5w-40 oil is okay too and they cant void your warranty for it either so long as you keep ALL of your reciepts. IT depends ultimately on whether or not the warranty claim rep/service mgr. are jerks or not. i wouldnt worry though.
 
If your dad keeps ALL receipts for routine maintenance showing the brand and weight of motor oil (assuming it's the "right stuff" according to VW's published requirements), it would be virtually impossible for VW to deny a warranty claim for engine problems related to oil. If the company tried to, BBB binding arbitration would soon bring 'em to their senses. K&N, Mobil 1, American Bosch, and many AC oil filters are all made by Champion Labs - meaning they're the best $5.00+ 20 micron synthetic-blend media $1.97 Wally*World SuperTech oil filters your dad can buy for his new car...
 
Use the same oil you run in your truck ...it's ACEA A3/B4, VW 502/505 rated and I'm running it in my 2002, 225 hp, Audi TT. Oil consumption has been running about 1/4 qt every 3000 miles and I drive the car pretty hard.

The analysis results will be posted in about 2 months, when I'll have 9000 miles on the sample. Visually it looks pretty good after 6000 miles.

[ November 21, 2003, 08:20 PM: Message edited by: TooSlick ]
 
1st oil change and every oil change at 7500 miles, imo. ACEA A3 or preferably VW-spec oil, M1 0w-40 or GC or equivalent only. Ask around, that is what knowledgable VW people with oil skills would do.
Here is my list if it helps.
GC
M1 0w-40
Amsoil 0w-30
Shell Rotella T syn 5w-40
Mobil 1 0w-30, 10w-30
Syntec Blend 10w-40
Pennzoil HMV/SUV
Chevron Supreme 10w-40
 
Jeremiah,

Your dad is correct in sticking to 5k drains because that's what VW service advisors will hold him to. Even though Audis have the same engine and recommend longer drains, many VW service advisors don't know that. So for warranty purposes, go 5k.

They will also ask more questions since they won't be performing the oil changes so I would go with an ACEA A3 or VW 50X oil. If he deviates from that, he should still stick to a known brand synthetic (e.g. Mobil 1 5w-30 or 10w-30, Valvoline, or Castrol).

Filter: Use the OEM filter. It is very good.

First oil change: Do it at 5k. As amazing as it sounds, VW dealers often try to blame oil consumption problems (and your dad has some minor consumption) on the consumer for changing the factory fill oil too early. I've heard this from at least three different VW service advisors. So beware if you change oil before 5k, not because it is bad for your engine, but because you have to protect yourself from a service advisor's ignorance.
 
VeeDubb thank you very much, thats what we needed to know.
cheers.gif


TooSlick when the warranty is up the S2k with longer drains may be the way to go. We will be keeping an eye on your(and others of course)results.

For now he will probably go with M1 10-30 year round and OEM filter.

He saw in the manual that oil consumption is normal so that must be an issue with these motors I guess.

Thanks for the feedback guys, any more comments welcome.
grin.gif
 
I was referring to the regular Amsoil 5w-30 (ASL) or 10w-30 (ATM), both of which use the same base stock and additive chemistry.

The 5w-30 would be the better choice for use in the northeast, due to the cold winters ....I've tested these two oils and they perform about the same. The 10w-30 may be a tad more shear stable, but that's really picking nits ....

Ted
 
What does the Passat owner's manual recomend for oil in your climate as to weight and type. Some just recomend a weight and others are more specific. If you want to satisfy the warranty requirements, that is where I would start. It would also help the oil guru's on the list as to a recomendation. For example, knowing that synthetics are not acceptible. Or that only certain petroleum oils are acceptible.
 
quote:

Originally posted by VeeDubb:
Jeremiah,

Your dad is correct in sticking to 5k drains because that's what VW service advisors will hold him to. Even though Audis have the same engine and recommend longer drains, many VW service advisors don't know that. So for warranty purposes, go 5k.

They will also ask more questions since they won't be performing the oil changes so I would go with an ACEA A3 or VW 50X oil. If he deviates from that, he should still stick to a known brand synthetic (e.g. Mobil 1 5w-30 or 10w-30, Valvoline, or Castrol).

Filter: Use the OEM filter. It is very good.

First oil change: Do it at 5k. As amazing as it sounds, VW dealers often try to blame oil consumption problems (and your dad has some minor consumption) on the consumer for changing the factory fill oil too early. I've heard this from at least three different VW service advisors. So beware if you change oil before 5k, not because it is bad for your engine, but because you have to protect yourself from a service advisor's ignorance.


Jerimiah,

Right up my alley!

I've got a 99' and an 02', both with the 1.8T.
First off you definitely want to keep the factory oil in for AT least 5,000 miles. Changing earlier has been associated with oil consumption.

My 99' now has 110,000 miles on it. I used dino the first 2 oil changes and put Valvoline SynPower 5W40 in at 16,000 miles and has had that ever since. I would generally change between 7,000-10,000 miles. The euro spec on the 1.8T is 15,000 km (around 9300 mi.) so that is the most I would generally go. Keep in mind back in 99' VW/Audi did recommend a 5W40 and the only one at at that time with an ACEA A3 rating that I was aware of was the SynPower 5W40. It is available at any Napa store, part #966 for $4.49 per quart.
Lastly, I did an UOA last Spring with 98,000 mi. Blackstone said the motor was in excellent shape and to continue whatever I was doing. The TBN however was about depleted after 8100 miles and they recommended not to go much longer than that on the SynPower 5W40.
BTW, I had the dealer do all the oil changes and had written on the receipt that "customer used Valvoline SynPower 5W40" just in case there would be some warranty issue.

The VW oem filter is an excellent one for extended drains of at least 20,000 km, maybe 30,000 km. It's written on the filter. It's all I've used.


Good luck to your Dad with his Passat--he bought a great car!

FWIW, I've now got a new 03' Saab 9-3 with the 18,000 mile drain intervals. I'll be changing it in a couple of weeks and will do a UOA--should be interesting!
 
Jeremiah -

I also have a 1.8T ('01 New Beetle, Auto) with a 4.6 oil sump. Bought the car new and stuck with the dealer's free oil changes every 5k, up till 20k. At which point, I switched to Mobil 1 5w-30 and later on, to the VW-approved Mobil 1 0w-40. But since I've started visiting BiTOG regularly, UOAs show that 0w-40 doesn't hold up as well as 5w-30 or 10w-30 in longer drains. So I've decided to go back to Mobil 1 5w-30 (winter) and a mix 10w-30 + 15w-50 (summer). Maybe I'll even try some of the German Elixir - German Castrol 0w-30!
grin.gif


Change interval: you may want to stick with the recommend specs for warranty reasons. But once it's expired. UOAs can help determine an extended drain. On BiTOG, I've seen drains vary from ~4k to ~17k for this motor depending on the driving condition, driving style, engine modifications and climate. Here in coastal southern Cal, the climate is moderate warm to moderate cold, with occasional extreme temps when we go to the mountains in the winter (30s) and camping/backpacking in the summer (100s). My change interval is every 7.5k with air filter change once per year or about 20k.
 
I've pondered this question for months. I've been using M-1 10W-30 in winter and sometimes M-1 15W-50 in the summer. I think the car is very happy on 15W-50, but I haven't done a UOA. I will do so starting now and I've recently switched to Motul 8100 X-Cess 5W-40 with VW-502-505. As far as I can tell it's the only 100% PAO (I'm trying to confirm this with Motul now) synthetic available in the US in 5W-40 weight, with the right SL *and* VW-required ACEA ratings *and* VW 502-505. Unfortunately, it's baarrrely available in the US.

Your MY '03 requires 503 too? Hmmm...

Right, it's hearsay, but most people agree the factory fill should have been left in for the first prescribed interval. Supposedly, it is some kind of break-in oil.
 
quote:


Lastly, I did an UOA last Spring with 98,000 mi. Blackstone said the motor was in excellent shape and to continue whatever I was doing. The TBN however was about depleted after 8100 miles and they recommended not to go much longer than that on the SynPower 5W40.

[/QB]

CosmicFlash,
Do you still have these results? If so, would you be willing to share them with us by posting them in the UOA section? Thanks
 
quote:

Originally posted by VeeDubb:

quote:


Lastly, I did an UOA last Spring with 98,000 mi. Blackstone said the motor was in excellent shape and to continue whatever I was doing. The TBN however was about depleted after 8100 miles and they recommended not to go much longer than that on the SynPower 5W40.
CosmicFlash,
Do you still have these results? If so, would you be willing to share them with us by posting them in the UOA section? Thanks [/QB]

VeeDubb,

Just posted the UOA however it didn't copy correctly--sorry.
 
The oil filter fitting on the 1.8T is the same as the older 80s VW. You can either use a filter specified for those older cars, go OEM or go overkill with the bigger Turbodiesel filter for the 80s diesel models. For longer intervals, i would use the Turbodiesl filter.
you might wanna check this :
http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=691260

[ December 06, 2003, 07:29 AM: Message edited by: sciroccoGTX16V ]
 
Pentosynth 5W-40, Lubro Moly Vollsynthese 5W-40, and Unocal 76 Pure Synthentic 5W-40 meet VW 502.00 and are available in the US. And there should be soon a Mobil 1 5W-40 that fits the bill. Does anybody know when it will be on the shelves?

[ December 06, 2003, 01:46 PM: Message edited by: moribundman ]
 
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