GC's 'cleaning' abilities - wow

[Angrypenguin]

As a relatively new member to BITOG, I have caught the oil bug that you guys pass around here. I'm learning every day, so I thought I'd share my story.

I have a 2007 Audi A4 that I bought as a demo car with 25,000km - dealer serviced, driven hard (thankfully...no oil burn, *knock on wood).

As I gradually learned on BITOG, I switched to GC at around 40,000km doing 5000km oil changes. I remember first poking around the engine sludge was starting to form (dealer uses 5w40 Syntec, ugh). Yesterday, for fun, I thought i'd look at how my engine sludge was progressing...

And there wasn't any...i'm at 79800km now...

Never thought i'd learn so much about engine oil!

 

[d00df00d]

Got pics?

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: vgliou
I remember first poking around the engine sludge was starting to form (dealer uses 5w40 Syntec, ugh).

How frequently was the oil being changed when on 5w-40? Syntec 5w-40 is not a bad oil. I seriously doubt it would cause sludge unless oil change intervals were extremely long (20K+ miles).

Where exactly did you see the sludge? You'd have to take the valve cover off to be able to see it. If you just looked under the oil cap, then maybe it was just moisture condensation which comes and goes?

 

[Angrypenguin]

Ah, I had the dealer pull the cam follower and HPFP, so I got to see that side. I also looked through the filler cap, and when I bought the car initially, it was gummed up (not bad at all, but enough 'crud' stuck to the metal), now it's completely clean and shiny.

Not very scientific, but enough for me to go

The dealer used Castrol Syntec every 15,000km with loads of oil in between due to a faulty PCV and the fact it was a demo car would suggest high fuel dilution and breakdown of the oil. On Vortex, someone did UOA's and measured flashpoint vs different driving styles (WOT, idling, moderate driving) and the conclusion was that since the engines run rich during WOT, the fuel dilution and subsequent viscosity loss is higher than your average day to day driving. One can interpret this in the sense that it was a demo car, so insufficient warmups, long oil changes with a weak oil (compared to GC) and lots of WOT for demonstrations would mean inadequate oil robustness which could have contributed to sludge formation.

I've looked at several B7 A4's (loaner vehicles) just by looking under the oil cap. They have followed the 15,000km rule (even in Cold Canada...ugh), and you can see right under the oil cap how much crud is stuck to the metal. I'm just glad mine isn't =)

 

[chubbs1]

You think there is that big of a difference between Syntec 0w30 and 5w40? The additive packages are very close, the prevoius driving style and interval is what may have caused gumming. I am going to go out on a limb and guesstimate if the oils were reversed, the same probs would have developed.

 

[d00df00d]

Originally Posted By: chubbs1
You think there is that big of a difference between Syntec 0w30 and 5w40? The additive packages are very close

I strongly doubt that. VOAs may look similar but they don't show many of the most important additives.

 

[Angrypenguin]

Agreed. 5w40 in the 2.0T FSI engine has shown some terrible results. When I used 5w40 i'd go through 1L every 1000KM, now I don't go through any oil in 5000km. GC is superior to resisting fuel dilution, that's my personal observation....

 

[Steve S]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: vgliou
I remember first poking around the engine sludge was starting to form (dealer uses 5w40 Syntec, ugh).

How frequently was the oil being changed when on 5w-40? Syntec 5w-40 is not a bad oil. I seriously doubt it would cause sludge unless oil change intervals were extremely long (20K+ miles).

Where exactly did you see the sludge? You'd have to take the valve cover off to be able to see it. If you just looked under the oil cap, then maybe it was just moisture condensation which comes and goes?
+1 yep!!!

 

[teddyboy]

Originally Posted By: vgliou
As a relatively new member to BITOG, I have caught the oil bug that you guys pass around here. I'm learning every day, so I thought I'd share my story.

I have a 2007 Audi A4 that I bought as a demo car with 25,000km - dealer serviced, driven hard (thankfully...no oil burn, *knock on wood).

As I gradually learned on BITOG, I switched to GC at around 40,000km doing 5000km oil changes. I remember first poking around the engine sludge was starting to form (dealer uses 5w40 Syntec, ugh). Yesterday, for fun, I thought i'd look at how my engine sludge was progressing...

And there wasn't any...i'm at 79800km now...

Never thought i'd learn so much about engine oil!


As often as you've been changing the oil, I have to believe almost anything would have cleaned it up.