Mobil 1 0w-40, 5100 mi, 2006 Audi A4 3.2L V6

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2006 Audi A4, 3.2L V6 FSI, 6 speed manual transmission. 50/50 city/highway driving. 15 mile commute to/from work each way, with stop and go traffic in the afternoon.

Oil changes with Castrol Syntec 5w-40 were performed at 5K, 10K, 15K, 25K, 30K, 35K, and 40K. Switched to M1 0w-40 at 48K, and used M1 again at 55K.

The valve cover gaskets recently started leaking, so 1/2 quart of make up oil was added at 59K and another 1/2 quart was added at 59.7K.

This oil sample was obtained during the latest oil change at 60K on 2/28. Valve cover gaskets were fixed at this time also.

Any thought/comments/recommendations are welcome. Would Redline, Motul, Total, LiquiMoly, Rotella T6, or Pennzoil Ultra be better?

BlackstoneReport.jpg

Blackstone Results:
CHARLES: While a leaking valve cover isn't ideal, it doesn't seem to be affecting wear. All metals read at
or better than universal averages (based on 5,600 miles), which is a good sign this engine is wearing
normally. The oil was in good shape physically, showing no traces of fuel or coolant, and the viscosity read
normally for 0W/40. With a TBN reading of 3.1, there was plenty of active additive left in the oil. When this
number gets below 1.0, most of the additive has been exhausted. At 60,000 miles this engine looks good in
analysis.

Code:




Measured (Universal Averages)

ALUMINUM 6 (6)

CHROMIUM 1 (1)

IRON 35 (39)

COPPER 5 (5)

LEAD 0 (1)

TIN 0 (1)

MOLYBDENUM 93 (20)

NICKEL 0 (1)

MANGANESE 1 (4)

SILVER 0 (0)

TITANIUM 0 (0)

POTASSIUM 0 (1)

BORON 146 (28)

SILICON 10 (11)

SODIUM 7 (15)

CALCIUM 3162 (1666)

MAGNESIUM 59 (600)

PHOSPHORUS 920 (785)

ZINC 1195 (959)

BARIUM 0 (0)





Measured (Values Should Be)

SUS Viscosity @ 210°F: 66.4 (65 - 76)

cSt Viscosity @ 100°C: 11.99 (11.6 - 14.8)

Flashpoint in °F: 380 (>375)

Fuel %:
Antifreeze %: 0.0 (0)

Water %: 0.0 (
Insolubles %: 0.4 (
TBN: 3.1
 
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Originally Posted By: tam92
Would Redline, Motul, Total, LiquiMoly, Rotella T6, or Pennzoil Ultra be better?

I would stick with this oil. From the comments Blackstone gave you I see no reason to change, in fact you should be running the oil longer. The specialty oils you listed above aren't going to do anything more except drain you of your hard earned money. M1 Euro formula is easily attainable, goes on sale all the time, so sticking with it should be a no brainer.
 
personally i swear by amsoil....my vortec 350 is so clean inside that you can eat off it and it has 190k on it, it also saw a nice fuel mileage gain and it runs real smooth. better than anything else i have used. my case for liquimoly is pretty simple i know people who have 600hp turbo vr6 engines that are used as summer daily drivers and driven very hard and these guys swear by it.
Either way you should be using a synthetic oil because vr6's are hard on engine oil and fsi is a direct injected engine that makes the oils life even harder
 
Originally Posted By: Doug Hillary
Hi,
Cause4Alarm - You said this:

"i would go to liquimoly or amsoil in 5w40 or 0w40"

Why?


Because he likes those products. These days on bitog that's good enough
whistle.gif


OP, I see no reason to use a diff oil. M1 0W-40 is a fine oil, and it looks like it's serving you well.

I'd like to see more people get a TAN reading, it would be interesting to see how it would correlate with a high/low TBN.
 
Hi,
Cause4Alarm - Yous said:

"my wording sucks, i know you use a synthetic"

Yes, and why would you mention LiquiMoly and Amsoil in a UOA Thread that concerns another lubricant and not offer constructive comments about it?
 
Tam92, great analysis! Don't change a thing I don't know how someone can look at an analysis like this and tell you to switch brands, when you find something that works well you stick to it. Personally I feel M1 0w40 is one of the best oils for the price and quality on the common market.
 
Switch to Accel 10-40 from big lots. I have a friend who uses it and swears his car hasn't blown up yet.

J/k!
smile.gif
wink.gif


Looks great, and I love your car! I love Audis! Keep up the good work.
 
Hi,
tam92 - As others have advised you the analysis suggests that you are "on the right tram". You are using an excellent lubricant for your application

The viscosity and TBN are two key indicators in your UOA
 
Fe wear seems somewhat high for only 5k.

No, that isn't a 'M1 iron' quip, I'm serious - M1 0W-40 usually shows very low FE levels.
 
Originally Posted By: addyguy
Fe wear seems somewhat high for only 5k.

No, that isn't a 'M1 iron' quip, I'm serious - M1 0W-40 usually shows very low FE levels.


Agreed. But after years of being on bitog I've been brainwashed to ignore wear metals because they "don't mean anything"....
grin2.gif


Viscosity is in 30 weight territory and tbn is low for miles. Good report, but I wouldn't extend your OCI past 5k miles IMHO.
 
Originally Posted By: Cause4Alarm
Either way you should be using a synthetic oil because vr6's are hard on engine oil and fsi is a direct injected engine that makes the oils life even harder


The 3.2 V6 in the A4 isn't the same 3.2 VR6 that's in the A3 and TT.

Stick with the Mobil 1 0W-40 at 5K intervals.
 
Everyone, thanks for all of the responses so far. I concur with several of the replies regarding 5K oil changes with this engine. I've extended the oil mileage up to 10K before, but the engine is noticeably louder and doesn't feel as smooth at that point.

I've been satisfied with the M1 0w-40 so far, but I really wanted to see a UOA for it in this car. Normal price for M1 is now $8 a quart, but it will occasionally go on sale, usually a few days after I buy 7 quarts.
mad.gif


Regarding Blackstone's universal averages on wear metals, does anyone know how they developed those numbers? Looking at other UOAs on this website, the numbers vary. Are the numbers based on mileage or oil type?
 
I contacted Blackstone, and they confirmed it is based on the readings they've seen for that engine type.
 
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