Hello All:
I am starting this thread primarily to help the recent oil choice discussions regarding which oil to use on the new Volkswagen 3.6 liter VR6 engines.
I just bought a brand new 2016 VW Passat SEL Premium with the 3.6 liter motor. (More on the 2016 model year later).
My under hood sticker says to use VW502.00 only. Also too, my 2016 owners manual is just as confusing as KCJeep's. In one paragraph our manual recommends 5W-30 or 5W-40, but as the paragraph continues it says to use a viscosity that suits the climate. But in another paragraph on the same page it says if you have to add oil and all you have is 5W-40, add no more than 1/2 quart. This is both contradictory and confusing.
KCJeep's post. https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/foru...zoil-euro-lx-0w30-passat-vr6#Post4942810
motech's post. https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/4951702/vw-atlas-v6-oil#Post4951702
Furthermore I checked with two different VW dealers and asked what oil we should use in our new Passat. They said Castrol Professional 5W-40 (which both dealerships had stacks of 6 quart cases in the parts department, and which based on the approvals listed on the bottle looks like black bottle Castrol 5W-40, the stuff that "edyvw" hates so much). Haha!
Anyway, I am going to use Belgian Castrol 0W-30 - and without reservation. In fact, I already changed the factory fill and filter at 210 miles using that. What's nice about my choice too is that I use that oil in both my BMWs. Changing FF at 210 miles, you ask. Imagine how many cold starts were made on that thing, moving it 100 feet from here to there! I had to change it, and the oil looked as dark as something you'd see with 4K or 5K miles on it.
Now, with respect to buying a NEW 2016 model. Weird, eh? The thing MSRP'd at $36,835. I got it for $26,500 even plus tax and license. It had a build date of July 2016 and had 154 miles on it when I took delivery. It was grimy inside and dusty outside, but I didn't want them touching it. I carefully wiped down a few areas on the roof and hood to make sure the paint wasn't pitted, etc. Everything looked great. I spent 9 hours detailing the interior and exterior the following day and it literally looks brand new. Pun intended. The paint is truly perfect, very smooth and seems nice quality. Reef blue with black interior.
My wife is finishing off her career and has just 17 months to go. She drives 4,000 to 4,500 miles for that job (!), and has been commuting for the last 6 or 7 years (we moved away from the area). She has a very well paying "trophy job" which makes it worthwhile. Even splitting time in our Honda Element, she put 80K miles on the 2015 Ford Focus Titanium in just 3 years. Thank God we leased the Focus because the the DCT transmission ruined what was a perfectly fine automobile. She averaged just shy of 36mpg overall, but the car was small and the transmission was not giving me warm and fuzzies.
So, I bought the Passat as an upgrade for her. For the price, even with it being a 2016 model, I think I got a good deal. In 17 months it will be approaching 70k miles so IMO the model year doesn't really matter. In fact, I think it fits our needs perfectly. Given the mileage that she will be racking up, model year makes no difference. Of course, it has VW's brand new factory warranty.
As I said, I already changed the oil and filter the day I brought it home. My biggest worry was stale gasoline, so I topped it off myself and added a full bottle of Redline fuel system cleaner (it had about 2/3s of a tank in it when we got it.). I drove it just to burn gas after the oil change and topped it off again at 2/3's of a tank. Just so far this week my wife called and told me it's down to about 1/4 tank, so I told her to fill it up. I think the stale gasoline situation is good now.
We bought the car and in all likelihood we will sell it shortly after she retires. That said, the car is really nice. She likes it alot, and I'm pleasantly surprised at how nice it drives. Quiet, smooth, roomy, and it has all the latest safety technology. It has a nice exhaust rumble and seems like it has a lot of power too, although I haven't yet stomped in it. Perfect.
Sorry for the ramble,
Scott
I am starting this thread primarily to help the recent oil choice discussions regarding which oil to use on the new Volkswagen 3.6 liter VR6 engines.
I just bought a brand new 2016 VW Passat SEL Premium with the 3.6 liter motor. (More on the 2016 model year later).
My under hood sticker says to use VW502.00 only. Also too, my 2016 owners manual is just as confusing as KCJeep's. In one paragraph our manual recommends 5W-30 or 5W-40, but as the paragraph continues it says to use a viscosity that suits the climate. But in another paragraph on the same page it says if you have to add oil and all you have is 5W-40, add no more than 1/2 quart. This is both contradictory and confusing.
KCJeep's post. https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/foru...zoil-euro-lx-0w30-passat-vr6#Post4942810
motech's post. https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/4951702/vw-atlas-v6-oil#Post4951702
Furthermore I checked with two different VW dealers and asked what oil we should use in our new Passat. They said Castrol Professional 5W-40 (which both dealerships had stacks of 6 quart cases in the parts department, and which based on the approvals listed on the bottle looks like black bottle Castrol 5W-40, the stuff that "edyvw" hates so much). Haha!
Anyway, I am going to use Belgian Castrol 0W-30 - and without reservation. In fact, I already changed the factory fill and filter at 210 miles using that. What's nice about my choice too is that I use that oil in both my BMWs. Changing FF at 210 miles, you ask. Imagine how many cold starts were made on that thing, moving it 100 feet from here to there! I had to change it, and the oil looked as dark as something you'd see with 4K or 5K miles on it.
Now, with respect to buying a NEW 2016 model. Weird, eh? The thing MSRP'd at $36,835. I got it for $26,500 even plus tax and license. It had a build date of July 2016 and had 154 miles on it when I took delivery. It was grimy inside and dusty outside, but I didn't want them touching it. I carefully wiped down a few areas on the roof and hood to make sure the paint wasn't pitted, etc. Everything looked great. I spent 9 hours detailing the interior and exterior the following day and it literally looks brand new. Pun intended. The paint is truly perfect, very smooth and seems nice quality. Reef blue with black interior.
My wife is finishing off her career and has just 17 months to go. She drives 4,000 to 4,500 miles for that job (!), and has been commuting for the last 6 or 7 years (we moved away from the area). She has a very well paying "trophy job" which makes it worthwhile. Even splitting time in our Honda Element, she put 80K miles on the 2015 Ford Focus Titanium in just 3 years. Thank God we leased the Focus because the the DCT transmission ruined what was a perfectly fine automobile. She averaged just shy of 36mpg overall, but the car was small and the transmission was not giving me warm and fuzzies.
So, I bought the Passat as an upgrade for her. For the price, even with it being a 2016 model, I think I got a good deal. In 17 months it will be approaching 70k miles so IMO the model year doesn't really matter. In fact, I think it fits our needs perfectly. Given the mileage that she will be racking up, model year makes no difference. Of course, it has VW's brand new factory warranty.
As I said, I already changed the oil and filter the day I brought it home. My biggest worry was stale gasoline, so I topped it off myself and added a full bottle of Redline fuel system cleaner (it had about 2/3s of a tank in it when we got it.). I drove it just to burn gas after the oil change and topped it off again at 2/3's of a tank. Just so far this week my wife called and told me it's down to about 1/4 tank, so I told her to fill it up. I think the stale gasoline situation is good now.
We bought the car and in all likelihood we will sell it shortly after she retires. That said, the car is really nice. She likes it alot, and I'm pleasantly surprised at how nice it drives. Quiet, smooth, roomy, and it has all the latest safety technology. It has a nice exhaust rumble and seems like it has a lot of power too, although I haven't yet stomped in it. Perfect.
Sorry for the ramble,
Scott
