oil for 2.5 2013 vw passat?

[jstert]

coming up to 75k miles on my 2.5 liter, non turbo, 5 cylinder, paid off, passat s. it's been faithfully dealer serviced at required 10k intervals. only problem so far was an emissions related cel at 62k miles, just out of its cpo warranty. i really like the 2.5 engine and simplicity of the s model. despite the new car itch i cannot find anything i prefer enough to take on a car payment again.

my question: at this point in its life should i do shorter oci, say 5k miles, with a decent, less costly oil that isnt necessarily vw 502/504 spec? i have no real complaints with my vw dealer but its lof charge is $80; instead i could do two 5k oci at $40 each elsewhere with nonvw spec 5w or 10w/30. as i understand it, the vw oil spec is really meant to address turbo engines, and make dealership logistics easier. i would of course do the other maintenance per the manual.

so, 5k oci for a non turbo 2.5 with a decent synthetic?
and if so, which oil, brand, grade, type?

thanks folks!

 

[Oildudeny]

Castrol edge ep 5w40 or Mobil 1 ep 5w40... or a 0w40 depending on your region and temps.

5k oci is a waste on synthetic on the above mentioned oils

 

[jstert]

Originally Posted by Oildudeny
Castrol edge ep 5w40 or Mobil 1 ep 5w40... or a 0w40 depending on your region and temps.

5k oci is a waste on synthetic on the above mentioned oils



this is what i'm doing now. i'm looking at shorter oci, not necessarily to reduce cost (one dealer 10k at $80 = two non dealer 5k at $40), but for better engine health. i can get conventional or semisynthetic oil changes cheaper than $40, if such non-synthetic oil is ok for a non turbo vw 2.5. northeast suburban and highway mix, no daily commutes anymore. oh and my circumstance don't permit diy. suggestions?

 

[kschachn]

Originally Posted by Oildudeny
Castrol edge ep 5w40 or Mobil 1 ep 5w40... or a 0w40 depending on your region and temps.

What are "Castrol edge ep 5w40" and "Mobil 1 ep 5w40"? I've never heard of them before.

 

[jeepman3071]

That dealer price isn't bad.

My sister has a 2013 Jetta 2.5, and she lives 3 hours away, also unable to DIY the oil changes. I've done it a few times with Castrol 0w40, but in her case it seems to make sense just to go to the dealer every 10k for the price they charge.

She tried some oil change places local to her, all with bad results. They charged about the same as the dealer for lesser quality oil, cheap filters that were crushed when I took them out, and they stripped the oil drain plug which leaked and I had to fix it.

 

[kschachn]

Originally Posted by jstert
my question: at this point in its life should i do shorter oci, say 5k miles, with a decent, less costly oil that isnt necessarily vw 502/504 spec? i have no real complaints with my vw dealer but its lof charge is $80; instead i could do two 5k oci at $40 each elsewhere with nonvw spec 5w or 10w/30. as i understand it, the vw oil spec is really meant to address turbo engines, and make dealership logistics easier. i would of course do the other maintenance per the manual.

Where have you seen that? The VW approvals encompass a lot in regards to oil performance and suitability.

If doing your own oil changes is not feasible, purchasing Castrol 0W-40 or M1 0W-40 (both of which have 502 00 approval) at Walmart and taking them to a facility for the labor portion is also an option. Giving up VW approval solely for your convenience is not what I would call a legitimate reason.

 

[jstert]

Originally Posted by kschachn
Originally Posted by jstert
my question: at this point in its life should i do shorter oci, say 5k miles, with a decent, less costly oil that isnt necessarily vw 502/504 spec? i have no real complaints with my vw dealer but its lof charge is $80; instead i could do two 5k oci at $40 each elsewhere with nonvw spec 5w or 10w/30. as i understand it, the vw oil spec is really meant to address turbo engines, and make dealership logistics easier. i would of course do the other maintenance per the manual.

Where have you seen that? The VW approvals encompass a lot in regards to oil performance and suitability.

Is changing the oil yourself not an option? Even if it is not, purchasing Castrol 0W-40 or M1 0W-40 (both of which have 502 00 approval) at Walmart and taking them to a facility for the labor portion is also an option. Giving up VW approval solely for your convenience is not what I would call a legitimate reason.


hi, im not thinking of convenience here (twice as many oil changes is less convenient isnt it?). im thinking of engine longevity for this particular application for the same cost. i can continue with vw spec 10k oci dealer, but wondering if there may be a healthier 5k oci for this simple non turbo engine. thanks.

 

[kschachn]

Originally Posted by jstert
hi, im not thinking of convenience here (twice as many oil changes is less convenient isnt it?). im thinking of engine longevity for this particular application.

If that is your concern then I would suggest using the oil specified by the manufacturer. But maybe that's just me.

 

[jstert]

Originally Posted by jeepman3071
That dealer price isn't bad.

My sister has a 2013 Jetta 2.5, and she lives 3 hours away, also unable to DIY the oil changes. I've done it a few times with Castrol 0w40, but in her case it seems to make sense just to go to the dealer every 10k for the price they charge.

She tried some oil change places local to her, all with bad results. They charged about the same as the dealer for lesser quality oil, cheap filters that were crushed when I took them out, and they stripped the oil drain plug which leaked and I had to fix it.


excellent points on the quality of service, thank you. how has her 2.5 jetta been?

 

[Snagglefoot]

Hello Jstert. You mentioned you might want to stay with a 30 weight oil I f so, Pennzoil has this 504 approved oil in a 0w30.

 

[jeepman3071]

Originally Posted by jstert
Originally Posted by jeepman3071
That dealer price isn't bad.

My sister has a 2013 Jetta 2.5, and she lives 3 hours away, also unable to DIY the oil changes. I've done it a few times with Castrol 0w40, but in her case it seems to make sense just to go to the dealer every 10k for the price they charge.

She tried some oil change places local to her, all with bad results. They charged about the same as the dealer for lesser quality oil, cheap filters that were crushed when I took them out, and they stripped the oil drain plug which leaked and I had to fix it.


excellent points on the quality of service, thank you. how has her 2.5 jetta been?


It has been flawless with around 90k miles on it now. I did a transmission service about 20,000 miles ago which improved shifting. I will probably do another one at some point. 10k mile changes with the dealer approved oil should be fine with that engine. The 2.5L is not hard on oil, just check it occasionally and keep it topped off if it needs it. The dealer seems to be the only place that will use OEM filters/oil and knows how to tighten the filter housing (which is plastic) and drain plug so it won't leak. I was really mad when I went to change the oil on her car after the quick lube and found everything stripped, leaking, and the car over a quart low on oil.

 

[Brigadier]

Talk to your local oil change places. Speak to the managers. My local Jiffy Lube is great - the crew is courteous and knowledgeable - not the apes they are portrayed to be. And this place lets me bring my own oil and filter, no questions asked. And they even let me watch them work and chat with me the whole time.

The reason I no longer change my own oil is I do not have a garage and I have bad knees from high school injuries..

 

[maxdustington]

Originally Posted by jstert
my question: at this point in its life should i do shorter oci, say 5k miles, with a decent, less costly oil that isnt necessarily vw 502/504 spec? i have no real complaints with my vw dealer but its lof charge is $80; instead i could do two 5k oci at $40 each elsewhere with nonvw spec 5w or 10w/30. as i understand it, the vw oil spec is really meant to address turbo engines, and make dealership logistics easier. i would of course do the other maintenance per the manual.
If you want to cut costs find a independent euro shop. I know this is BITOG and we throw the manual out the window a lot, but you are trying to justify being a cheapskate because your car is naturally aspirated. If you wanted a car that could run on bulk oil, why would you buy a VW?

 

[edyvw]

Originally Posted by jstert
coming up to 75k miles on my 2.5 liter, non turbo, 5 cylinder, paid off, passat s. it's been faithfully dealer serviced at required 10k intervals. only problem so far was an emissions related cel at 62k miles, just out of its cpo warranty. i really like the 2.5 engine and simplicity of the s model. despite the new car itch i cannot find anything i prefer enough to take on a car payment again.

my question: at this point in its life should i do shorter oci, say 5k miles, with a decent, less costly oil that isnt necessarily vw 502/504 spec? i have no real complaints with my vw dealer but its lof charge is $80; instead i could do two 5k oci at $40 each elsewhere with nonvw spec 5w or 10w/30. as i understand it, the vw oil spec is really meant to address turbo engines, and make dealership logistics easier. i would of course do the other maintenance per the manual.

so, 5k oci for a non turbo 2.5 with a decent synthetic?
and if so, which oil, brand, grade, type?

thanks folks!

You have wrong understanding. VW 502.00 specification is in play before VW moved to all turbo engines. There is much more to specification than just wear numbers or dealership logistic.
In Wal Mart you have several VW502.00 oils that will serve your Jetta good. It is not sophisticated engine so no need to over think which one to get.
Any of these is available in Wal Mart and meet VW 5002.00:
Castrol Edge 0W40
Mobil1 0W40
Castrol Edge 5W40
Valvoline 5W40 MST.

 

[CARJ]

We've got a 12 Passat S (manual trans) with 85k. I was in the same position as you, paid off, out of warranty, wanting to go from 10k to 5k oil changes. My wife drives about 6 miles a day, which makes me want to switch to a more conservative interval. The manual says 5w-30 or 5w-40. I decided to try a 5w-30 and since I had some PPHM in my stash, I used that. I don't see a problem using a non 502 spec oil at this interval. Car is running fine. At this point I'm looking for inexpensive oil changes so I'll use whatever cheap syn I can find.

 

[Oildudeny]

Originally Posted by kschachn
Originally Posted by Oildudeny
Castrol edge ep 5w40 or Mobil 1 ep 5w40... or a 0w40 depending on your region and temps.

What are "Castrol edge ep 5w40" and "Mobil 1 ep 5w40"? I've never heard of them before.

Ep extended performance

 

[kschachn]

Originally Posted by Oildudeny
Originally Posted by kschachn
Originally Posted by Oildudeny
Castrol edge ep 5w40 or Mobil 1 ep 5w40... or a 0w40 depending on your region and temps.

What are "Castrol edge ep 5w40" and "Mobil 1 ep 5w40"? I've never heard of them before.

Ep extended performance

I see. Where are you finding these elusive elixirs? We don't seem to have them in our local Walmart.

 

[gregk24]

Stick with the proper spec oil, which I believe is 502.0. Castrol Edge 0w40 is my flavor of choice and what I recommend.

 

[jstert]

thank you carj and jeepman3071, your replies are most relevant to my inquiry. like brigadier my diy days are done, too bad for us... i suppose that a definitive answer comes by doing two oil analyses: the first on my current vw spec oil, the second after 5k on non spec oil. absent those analyses, and anyone else's personal experience doing 5k non vw oci, staying with 10k dealer oci may be best for engine longevity. cheers.

 

[kschachn]

Originally Posted by jstert
thank you carj and jeepman3071, your replies are most relevant to my inquiry. like brigadier my diy days are done, too bad for us... i suppose that a definitive answer comes by doing two oil analyses: the first on my current vw spec oil, the second after 5k on non spec oil. absent those analyses, and anyone else's personal experience doing 5k non vw oci, staying with 10k dealer oci may be best for engine longevity. cheers.

The question becomes, which parameters of a UOA would you look at to determine if the oil you are using is a suitable substitute for VW 502 00 or 504 00?