First post - ‘17 Miata/‘19 GLI - Observations

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I’m new to BITOG. Was a 25+ year BMW-only owner, but got frustrated with their engineering/design choices, so in 2017 I bought a 2017 Miata (LOVE it), and late 2019 I bought a VW GLI (boring) for my wife.

Both cars spec 0W20, as you know. I drive’em like I stole’em, so that spec doesn’t sit well with me. I swapped to Supertech Synth 5W30 for the Miata, and M1 0W40 for the GLI after the factory fills. After this OCI, I will consolidate and give them both a VW 504 - haven’t determined which one, just yet.

One thing I immediately noticed in the GLI, going from VW 508 to VW 502, was a 10-15 degree drop in highway oil temps. 508 would stay at 225 degrees, climbing to 230 in city driving. 502 stays 210-215 on highway, with 225 in city.

Anyone have a favorite 504 that they recommend?
 
Your VW experience is interesting. My 2019 Passat with the 2 liter DGI engine runs 508 0W-20 oil and even running at highway speeds for hours or going through town, the oil temperature rarely reaches 207 degrees. Many times it is right around 200-203.
 
Should be the opposite; higher oil temps on the highway with higher rpms and lower around town...at least thats been the consensus for the MQB 4s on a bazillion oil temp posts on the forums and FB groups. If you think the GLI is boring why not up the power with a tune?
 
Your VW experience is interesting. My 2019 Passat with the 2 liter DGI engine runs 508 0W-20 oil and even running at highway speeds for hours or going through town, the oil temperature rarely reaches 207 degrees. Many times it is right around 200-203.

My experience exactly. But we have Budack.
 
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Should be the opposite; higher oil temps on the highway with higher rpms and lower around town...at least thats been the consensus for the MQB 4s on a bazillion oil temp posts on the forums and FB groups. If you think the GLI is boring why not up the power with a tune?

Power isn’t the issue. It has plenty. I don’t like how VW tuned the DSG software - way too conservative, and even in manual mode it won’t hold a gear, it will revert after a short period of time back to automatic mode. Very frustrating. I know that there are tunes for that, but I worry a bit about warranty. It's also my first FWD, so maybe that has a lot to do with it.

As for the oil temp disparity, I don’t know what to say. I’m just going off of the onboard display. I live in Augusta, GA, so the summers here really cook.
 
Power isn’t the issue. It has plenty. I don’t like how VW tuned the DSG software - way too conservative, and even in manual mode it won’t hold a gear, it will revert after a short period of time back to automatic mode. Very frustrating. I know that there are tunes for that, but I worry a bit about warranty. It's also my first FWD, so maybe that has a lot to do with it.

As for the oil temp disparity, I don’t know what to say. I’m just going off of the onboard display. I live in Augusta, GA, so the summers here really cook.
I look at my oil temps all the time and it always drops right off/much lower around town than it ever is on the highway. However, this is with VW502 00 5W40 oils so not sure what contribution the 508 oil has with this issue.

On the GLI and DSG - yes, a tune really helps out the shift map however as you state, you will have the potential to impact future warranty claims which may not be worth it for you. On the manual mode, if you hit the paddles while in D or S, it will revert after a short period. If you flip over the shifter to manual mode, then it will not.
 
Power isn’t the issue. It has plenty. I don’t like how VW tuned the DSG software - way too conservative, and even in manual mode it won’t hold a gear, it will revert after a short period of time back to automatic mode. Very frustrating. I know that there are tunes for that, but I worry a bit about warranty. It's also my first FWD, so maybe that has a lot to do with it.

As for the oil temp disparity, I don’t know what to say. I’m just going off of the onboard display. I live in Augusta, GA, so the summers here really cook.

If you are concerned about warranty I wouldn't be running a non spec oil. They can easily confirm if you have the proper spec or not and deny a warranty claim based solely on that. You can run whatever oil you so desire, I also have some trepidation with running 0w20 in our VW as they have a long history is using thicker oil than than industry standard. Just understand you may jeopardize your warranty if something were to go wrong.

As for the oil temp, our Jetta is equipped with the 1.4 TSI and it runs around 205 in town and around 210-215 on the highway. Also, I believe thinner oils generally run cooler than thicker ones.
 
If you are concerned about warranty I wouldn't be running a non spec oil. They can easily confirm if you have the proper spec or not and deny a warranty claim based solely on that.

That has definitely crossed my mind. However, I guess it falls into my “acceptable risk” range.
 
The B-cycle just doesn't get hot enough for 0W-20 to cause me concern. Nor do I drive spirited enough for it to be an issue.
There is a guy in our local VW club that tracks his GTI regularly using the 0W20 oil...I really think all of this concern is unfounded TBH.
 
I’m new to BITOG. Was a 25+ year BMW-only owner, but got frustrated with their engineering/design choices, so in 2017 I bought a 2017 Miata (LOVE it), and late 2019 I bought a VW GLI (boring) for my wife.

Both cars spec 0W20, as you know. I drive’em like I stole’em, so that spec doesn’t sit well with me. I swapped to Supertech Synth 5W30 for the Miata, and M1 0W40 for the GLI after the factory fills. After this OCI, I will consolidate and give them both a VW 504 - haven’t determined which one, just yet.

One thing I immediately noticed in the GLI, going from VW 508 to VW 502, was a 10-15 degree drop in highway oil temps. 508 would stay at 225 degrees, climbing to 230 in city driving. 502 stays 210-215 on highway, with 225 in city.

Anyone have a favorite 504 that they recommend?
Mobil1 ESP 5W30
Motul 5W30 X-Clean+
 
How about the notion that engines that spec 508.00 were designed with bearing clearance tolerances that may fall outside what a heavier oil provides? I just bought a 2020 Jetta with a 1.4 TSI and as much as it pains me to run this viscosity (508), I'll run it during the warranty period.

I would hope VW would not spec 508 over 507 for an additional 1/10 mpg at the expense of higher engine wear.
 
How about the notion that engines that spec 508.00 were designed with bearing clearance tolerances that may fall outside what a heavier oil provides? I just bought a 2020 Jetta with a 1.4 TSI and as much as it pains me to run this viscosity (508), I'll run it during the warranty period.

I would hope VW would not spec 508 over 507 for an additional 1/10 mpg at the expense of higher engine wear.
That would be clearances not tolerances, but either way it isn't possible.
 
How about the notion that engines that spec 508.00 were designed with bearing clearance tolerances that may fall outside what a heavier oil provides? I just bought a 2020 Jetta with a 1.4 TSI and as much as it pains me to run this viscosity (508), I'll run it during the warranty period.

I would hope VW would not spec 508 over 507 for an additional 1/10 mpg at the expense of higher engine wear.
AFAIK the clearances won't be much different. What has changed is the addition of a variable displacement oil pump.
 
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