I know similar threads were posted a few months ago, but now that there are a few more of these engines in circulation, I was curious for your thoughts on VW's recommended oil change interval of 10K after the first two at 5k miles.
In short, assuming I do about 50/50 city/highway driving and use VW 502 00 spec oil, is it safe to stick with VW's recommended intervals, or do you think that given VW's experience with the hotter-running 1.8T I should be more conservative with the OCI? My dealer recommended a 5K interval, although I've never heard of a dealer who didn't want to sell twice as many oil changes, and to be fair he did admit that it was "my call" and that the 2.0T runs cooler than the 1.8T.
I don't want this to turn into a "Brand X vs. Brand Y" thread. I plan to use Mobil1 0w40 since a) that's what the dealer put in for the first change, b) it is VW 502 00 rated, and c) it is what I can find most easily in auto parts stores.
For the record, I previously owned a 1998 Passat with the 1.8T engine and didn't have the sludging issue in nearly 100k miles of ownership, using 5k OCI and conventional oil for the first 85k miles (my old dealer put in conventional, and my 1998 manual didn't mention VW 502 or synthetic).
On a side note, a lot of the articles on the BITOG homepage are very technical and beyond my comprehension of oil specs. Is there a "sticky" FAQ or summary that is good for the newbie in terms of explaining key oil terms, differences between oil specs, and why it is that all of a sudden manufacturers each have their own oil specs when for the past 3 decades the API ratings were the only advertised specs?
In short, assuming I do about 50/50 city/highway driving and use VW 502 00 spec oil, is it safe to stick with VW's recommended intervals, or do you think that given VW's experience with the hotter-running 1.8T I should be more conservative with the OCI? My dealer recommended a 5K interval, although I've never heard of a dealer who didn't want to sell twice as many oil changes, and to be fair he did admit that it was "my call" and that the 2.0T runs cooler than the 1.8T.
I don't want this to turn into a "Brand X vs. Brand Y" thread. I plan to use Mobil1 0w40 since a) that's what the dealer put in for the first change, b) it is VW 502 00 rated, and c) it is what I can find most easily in auto parts stores.
For the record, I previously owned a 1998 Passat with the 1.8T engine and didn't have the sludging issue in nearly 100k miles of ownership, using 5k OCI and conventional oil for the first 85k miles (my old dealer put in conventional, and my 1998 manual didn't mention VW 502 or synthetic).
On a side note, a lot of the articles on the BITOG homepage are very technical and beyond my comprehension of oil specs. Is there a "sticky" FAQ or summary that is good for the newbie in terms of explaining key oil terms, differences between oil specs, and why it is that all of a sudden manufacturers each have their own oil specs when for the past 3 decades the API ratings were the only advertised specs?
