Passat V6 oil question

[ruleof72]

I have a 2004 Passat V6 with 36,000 miles on it. I have used Mobil 1 0w40 the entire time and Blackstone for oil analysis. The last report came back with an elevated lead level which they said could be due to the oil. Also, I am burning about 1qt each 3,000 miles or so. That has been pretty constant since new. I am coming up on the next change interval and am wondering if I should try another oil.

Any suggestions/insight into the increased lead and oil burning issue?

 

[Auto-Union]

Since you are out of warranty, you could switch to a diesel 5w-40 w/o VW specs. Mobil 1 5w-40 or Shell Rotella T Synthetic 5w-40 should address the burning. A 10w-40 Hi-Miles is worth considering in your mild climate. How was the car broken-in and drivin now? Too mild of a break-in can lead to burning. Likely driving it hard and an oil swap will help a lot. Using synthetic oil and then having to add synthetic oil is not a good practice.

 

[ruleof72]

I am still in warranty until Sep 2008. The car was broken in by doing normal city/highway driving, mostly city. Since I am still in warranty would something like the Valvoline synpower 5w40 be a good choice (I need vw 502 spec)?

 

[georgiablue]

at the very least, Valvoline Synpower is BOGO at advance auto through 9/1. if your local store doesn't have 5w40, you can order it and still get the BOGO offer.

 

[williar]

I'm happy with GC in my 2.7t after 70K mi. No need for makeup oil with a 10K mi OCI.

 

[newtoncd8]

BOGO at AAP on Valvoline 5W40 is a great deal. It meets both VW502 and ACEA A3.

You can run Castrol Syntec 5W40 or there are hints Castrol Syntec 0W30 may be back on the shelves at Autozone. Both meet VW502 and ACEA A3.

Else, Mobil 1 High Mileage 10w40 or 10W30 (the latter meets ACEA A3).

 

[glxpassat]

ruleof72, I have an '03 with the same motor and I had elevated lead using GC, which caused me to sell my stash. I'm currently running Mobil 1 Turbo Diesel Truck 5w-40 but am only 2600 miles into it, but I do plan on having it tested. It is burning it some, faster than the GC, but that may be normal when changing oils.

I am also considering Schaeffer's 9000 5w-40 as salesrep here on the forum has a great deal on 2 cases. It is not on the VW list as an approved oil though. The Mobil 1 Turbo Diesel Truck is on the list and is probably worth a try since it has a higher HTHS and should protect the bearings better than the 0w-40. Your motor is covered for 5y/60k miles.

I read here one time, I think it was John Browning, that stated elevated lead can be associated with oils that have esters in them. If that's the case the Mobil 1 Turbo Diesel Truck may not work out and a group 3 like the valvoline or castrol 5w-40 may work best.

Please let me know if you find something that works! I'm going to bookmark this thread.

 

[chet2]

my bro in laws 01 1.8 turbo has some crud underneath the oil cap and on engine...how much is normal or acceptable? i know he went 8000 miles o on conventional oil till ihammered on my sister to change the oil and use syn...i know u cant just neglect these engines and not get sludge, he is notorious for not changing his oil

 

[ruleof72]

Ok, I am going with The Synpower 5w40. The AAP sale is nice! I will change the oil in the next week or two. I'm also going to send in a sample of the Mobil 1 0w40 that's in the car to see if the lead is still there. I will post results with the Synpower once I get it in the car and also when I test it on the next oil change. But, that may be a while since I'm only driving about 600-700 miles a month.

 

[georgiablue]

ruleof72, also make your way over to www.passatworld.com if you haven't already. a lot of good info over there (along with some of the usual message board banality).

 

[VeeDubb]

Quote:

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my bro in laws 01 1.8 turbo has some crud underneath the oil cap and on engine...how much is normal or acceptable? i know he went 8000 miles o on conventional oil till ihammered on my sister to change the oil and use syn...i know u cant just neglect these engines and not get sludge, he is notorious for not changing his oil

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It's normal for cars that go 8000 miles on conventional. It's not acceptable.

Synthetic VW502 oil is the way to go. No more than 5k drains. But in this neglected motor, I'd even do 3k's for a while.

 

[ericthepig]

Ruleof, what are your OCIs?

 

[ruleof72]

Quote:

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ruleof72, also make your way over to www.passatworld.com if you haven't already. a lot of good info over there (along with some of the usual message board banality).

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I've spent some time over there and have gotten some good info. I've also visited VW Vortex.

Since you are in Atlanta, who do you suggest for repairs? I'm new to the area and want to find a reliable shop.

 

[ruleof72]

Quote:

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Ruleof, what are your OCIs?

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Around 4,000 miles.

 

[ericthepig]

Interesting issue. Doesn't seem like Mobil 1 0w40 would be the cause of the consumption, nor the lead. 4k is not much time to get lead issues. W/ German engineering you have to "think, think, think".

 

[ericthepig]

BTW, I know (from personal experience) that it can take a while on BITOG to be open to the idea of moving away from the name brand oils. And there is a lot in my head as to why I have now moved away from the name brands - but here's a long story short -

If I bought a Passat today (past warranty) - I'd be procuring one of the following tomorrow -

Schaeffers 9000 5w40
Amsoil European 5w40
Mobil 1 0w40 (ok, that's my one name brand concession).

Note, getting "certified" by a german car company is supposedly prohibitively expensive - thus the niche players often don't try to fill in those blanks. But I doubt you'll hear any naysayers on the oils above once your past warranty. During your coming OCI, you might want to research these other two oils for your Passat.

 

[glxpassat]

Eric, why would you use Mobil 1 0w-40 when Mobil 1 Turbo Diesel Truck 5w40 is more comparable to the 9000?

 

[ericthepig]

glx,

Lack of familiarity. I've poked around in the specs of Mobil 1 Turbo Diesel Truck, but wasn't really focused on it at the time. Turbo Diesel Truck - that's about as far away from my Mazda 323 and Sienna minivan that you can get. But since you've brought it to light, I'll start the learning curve on it. If it's in the category of 9000, then it's worth learning about.