No 0W-X oils are recommended for my Audi

moribundman · Jan 22, 2004

My '96 manual lists oils from 5W-30 to 20W-50 to 10W-60 as suitable for my 2.8 12 valve. Surely there were 0W-X oils in 1996. I wonder why Audi did not recommend any 0W-X oil then for this engine? I know they do recommend 0W-30 in their newer engines. Any ideas?

quadrun1 · Jan 22, 2004

Were there 0W oils back in '96?

I'm sure GC 0W-30 would be fine for your Audi, hasn't that been the factory fill for the 2.8 in recent years?

[ January 22, 2004, 10:29 PM: Message edited by: quadrun1 ]

TSoA · Jan 22, 2004

I guess you have to determine *if* there were 0w-X oils widely available in NA when the manual was prepared. My guess is Mobil 1 "Extreme Performance" 0w-30 was the first as an SJ in 1999. Probally 0w-X was not considered as 5w-40 was King and itself, barely available in USA. 0w-X oils, even in Europe, seem rare at that time, 8 years ago. A3 spec was in 1998, I believe. The 1998 A3 spec could have been the inspiration for the 0w-X formulas.

moribundman · Jan 22, 2004

Well, this isn't about which oil is fine for my car, I know the answer to that.

I'm sure there were 0W-30 oils back in '96. And the oil chart in my manual is identical to the one shown in the German manual from back then. I can only imagine that there was no 0W-30 oil that met VW 500.00, which back then was the required spec for this engine (supplanted by VW 502.00). I'm just curios why the 0W-X oils have been omitted.

batterycar · Jan 22, 2004

quote:

Originally posted by moribundman:
I'm sure there were 0W-30 oils back in '96

Not in the major brands. Mobil, Pennzoil, Castrol... none of them had 0W oils in 1996. That's a recent invention.

moribundman · Jan 22, 2004

batterycar, are you sure of that? I admit I didn't pay much attention to 0W-X oils, because I'm in a rather mild climate.

Does anyone know when Mobil, Castrol, BP, Shell, et al came out with 0W-X oils?

Rand · Jan 22, 2004

I think hes right. I dont remember seeing any before LATE 90's .. At least at the regular places. Walmart, advanced auto, autozone...

Hankrr · Jan 22, 2004

quote:

Originally posted by batterycar:

quote:

Originally posted by moribundman:
I'm sure there were 0W-30 oils back in '96

Click to expand...

Not in the major brands. Mobil, Pennzoil, Castrol... none of them had 0W oils in 1996. That's a recent invention.

This is wrong I've been using Mobil-1 0w30 since my very first oil change on my new 1996 Chevy 1500 pickup. I know for positive Mobil-1 0w30 has been around AT LEAST since 1996..

Hankrr · Jan 22, 2004

Link below shows AMSOIL as well as SEVERAL other companies also had zero weight oils back in 1996:

http://www.oil-tech.com/ser0w-30.htm

joatmon · Jan 22, 2004

I started working from my home in April of '91. I remember going out to the garage as my wife started her 86 528e in the morning and being concerned about the noise on startup. I changed this car to Mobil 1 0W30. I'm sure it was between April of '91 and January of '92. I do remember the 0W30 as being difficult to locate in those days. I quit asking for it because of the "deer in the headlights" looks I would get.

BTW, I never had any consumption issues with Mobil 1 0W30. I also used some Mobil 1 5W30 and 10W30 without consumption. Many here fell that BMWs need a "thick" oil. My experience goes against that theory. Car was sold this spring at 198k and was running great, and still used little if any oil.

FWIW, I think BMWs may do better with a thicker oil after there are consumption issues.

[ January 23, 2004, 10:50 AM: Message edited by: joatmon ]

therion · Jan 22, 2004

quote:

Originally posted by moribundman:
My '96 manual lists oils from 5W-30 to 20W-50 to 10W-60 as suitable for my 2.8 12 valve. Surely there were 0W-X oils in 1996. I wonder why Audi did not recommend any 0W-X oil then for this engine? I know they do recommend 0W-30 in their newer engines. Any ideas?

Of course you can use a 0W-30 oil!, Look at an old ford owners manual and it says 10W-30 or 10W-40, but i use 0W-30 with no issues!

Btw, right now im using a 5W-30 Mobil 1 in my 351 V8 Ford and no oil consumption. I have used Mobil 1 10W-30 previously for over 3,000 miles with no loss of oil...

[ January 23, 2004, 11:19 AM: Message edited by: therion ]

moribundman · Jan 23, 2004

I'll say it one more time, because it's being overlooked: I'm not looking for a 0W-X oil. I am already using one.

Back to my actual question: I believe Castrol SLX 0W-30 was the first widely available 0W-X oil, but I can't remember when it came out.

Quattro Pete · Jan 23, 2004

SLX was launched in Europe in 1996, AFAIK. However, this would have no bearing on what's recommended by your US-spec owner's manual since they can't tell you to use a viscosity grade that's only available in Europe. Nobody would buy their cars then.

To my knowledge, there weren't any widely available 0w-XX oils in the US in 1996. Maybe some exotics, but I can't name one.

In the US, Audi only began recommending 0w-30 grade oil for 2001 model year, maybe also 2000, but certainly not earlier than that. I believe they waited for the 0w-XX to become widely available before updating the US owner manuals.

Now, let's see if they follow suit and start recommending 0w-20 in a few years, while extending OCIs to 15K miles, like I've heard they were planning.

moribundman · Jan 23, 2004

Pete, my manual has an oil chart identical to the Euro manual. The notion that Audi can't recommend any oil that isn't available rings quite true when reading this additional info in my manual:

"Due to higher speds permitted in Europe, use only the following good quality oils or high performance oils while operating your vehicle in Europe: VW 500.00 or VW 501.00"

That said, the chart in the manual IS the same as the one in the Euro manual. The question is whether there were any VW-500 approved 0W-X oils in 1996, and if so, why would Audi not recommend them for the 2.8 12 valve motor?

quadrun1 · Jan 23, 2004

Did any (not just Audi) 1996 owner's manual recommend a 0W-xx oil ??

moribundman · Jan 23, 2004

quote:

Did any (not just Audi) 1996 owner's manual recommend a 0W-xx oil ??

Good question... Anyone? ...hello?

dagmando · Jan 23, 2004

Except for maybe some smaller companies, I do not remember a mass marketed 0W oil back in 1996. I rememeber when the Castrol Syntec 5w-50 came out and that was a new viscocity I never saw before. The Mobil 1 0W-40 oil was built for engines like yours and VW's VR6 version , a perfect match and easier to find than Valvoline Synpower 5w-40.

[ January 23, 2004, 12:08 PM: Message edited by: dagmando ]

DEWFPO · Jan 30, 2004

Our 2003 Audi 2.7L bi-turbo comes from the factory with Synthetic 0W30 so I'm sure it will be fine in your NA engine.

DEWFPO

Yuk · Jan 30, 2004

moribundman,

I case you haven't heard you can use 0W-30 in your '96 V6..... No problem...... Go ahead, it's ok to use 0W-30...... BTW you can use 0W-30. Don't hesitate to use 0W-30....................

P.S. 0W-30 will be fine.

heyjay · Jan 30, 2004

In spring of 1997 I noticed a new addition to the Mobil 1 line at Autozone in Salt Lake City: Mobil 1 "Extreme" 0W-30. I also found it in Lost Wages.

It was priced the same as their other Mobil 1 oils, so I thought I'd get a few cases as I was moving back to Canada.

Good thing too. Was chilly that winter and the Mobil 1 "Extreme" worked very well in cold temps.

I think Mobil 1 0W-30 was available locally in 2000. Strange how Mobil had their 0W-30 available first in a warmer climate before a cold climate, hmmm?

Check with your Audi dealer to see what their Service Manager recommends. The Castrol SLX LongLife II 0W-30 is VW 506.x rated, so not sure if VW group recommends it in any other motor.

If you don't have an extreme cold temp issue like I do, run the Mobil 1 15W-50 or the "new" Mobil 1 SUV and Truck.

Jerry

No 0W-X oils are recommended for my Audi

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