Volkswagen spec'ed oil: ANY weight will work.

[dparm]

What's there to know? Castrol Syntec 0w30 is VW 502/505 approved. The manual says "use 502/505". Done.

I think people are making too big a deal out of this...and are reading into it.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: dparm
What's there to know? Castrol Syntec 0w30 is VW 502/505 approved. The manual says "use 502/505". Done.

Supposedly some manuals say that it also needs to be 5w-40.

 

[Bluestream]

There's not enough difference between Castrol 0W30 and 5W40 viscosity wise to even lose sleep about.

Remember the good Dr. says a 0 is always better than a 5 or a 10...

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: dparm
What's there to know? Castrol Syntec 0w30 is VW 502/505 approved. The manual says "use 502/505". Done.

I think people are making too big a deal out of this...and are reading into it.


I agree. This is one aspect about these proprietary specs that I do happen to like. VW/Audi doesn't tell you (at least not anymore), like the others do to look for the latest Sx and GF-x spec, and it must be grade xw-xx regardless of ambient temperatures.

Find an oil that is certified to the appropriate VW specification (which includes a viscosity range) in the grade and brand that floats your boat, and away you go. I don't like the idea that such oils tend to be rather pricey synthetics, but it's certainly not any more confusing than saying you must run SM/GF-4 5w-20 whether towing in Death Valley or short tripping in the Arctic Circle.

 

[Sunstealer]

It is worded different in my 2011 Audi:

---
Viscosity:
Engine oils are graded according to their viscosity. The proper viscosity grade oil for your engine depends on climactic or seasonal conditions where you drive. You can use oil with a viscosity grade of SAE 5W40 across all temperature ranges for normal driving conditions.

However, if engine oil viscosity grade SAE 5W40 is not available, you can also use viscosity grade SAE 5W-30 or SAE 0W-40 as long as it meets Audi oil quality standard VW 502 00 specifications.
---

On down, when mentioning about adding a non 502-approved oil if none is available, it again states:
---
but, even then, only in viscosity grades SAE 5W-40, SAE 5W-30, or SAE 0W-40.
---

Maybe the higher performance engines are more particular about viscosity than others?

 

[dparm]

I'll take a photo of my 2005 S4's manual this weekend. It's the 4.2L 40V V8 (not FSI). It's crammed into a tiny engine bay and gets really toasty.

 

[fredf]

Originally Posted By: Sunstealer
It is worded different in my 2011 Audi:

---
Viscosity:
Engine oils are graded according to their viscosity. The proper viscosity grade oil for your engine depends on climactic or seasonal conditions where you drive. You can use oil with a viscosity grade of SAE 5W40 across all temperature ranges for normal driving conditions.

However, if engine oil viscosity grade SAE 5W40 is not available, you can also use viscosity grade SAE 5W-30 or SAE 0W-40 as long as it meets Audi oil quality standard VW 502 00 specifications.
---

On down, when mentioning about adding a non 502-approved oil if none is available, it again states:
---
but, even then, only in viscosity grades SAE 5W-40, SAE 5W-30, or SAE 0W-40.
---

Maybe the higher performance engines are more particular about viscosity than others?


There they go again! They say you can use 502 oil as long as the viscosity grade is: XW-30/40 but NONE of the ones they list would include GC which, of course, is 0W-30.
So, again, while GC is a 502 oil, they muddy the waters by going on to list all acceptable grades which do NOT include GC!

I really can understand peoples' confusion.

 

[rg200amp]

Originally Posted By: fredf
Originally Posted By: Sunstealer
It is worded different in my 2011 Audi:

---
Viscosity:
Engine oils are graded according to their viscosity. The proper viscosity grade oil for your engine depends on climactic or seasonal conditions where you drive. You can use oil with a viscosity grade of SAE 5W40 across all temperature ranges for normal driving conditions.

However, if engine oil viscosity grade SAE 5W40 is not available, you can also use viscosity grade SAE 5W-30 or SAE 0W-40 as long as it meets Audi oil quality standard VW 502 00 specifications.
---

On down, when mentioning about adding a non 502-approved oil if none is available, it again states:
---
but, even then, only in viscosity grades SAE 5W-40, SAE 5W-30, or SAE 0W-40.
---

Maybe the higher performance engines are more particular about viscosity than others?


There they go again! They say you can use 502 oil as long as the viscosity grade is: XW-30/40 but NONE of the ones they list would include GC which, of course, is 0W-30.
So, again, while GC is a 502 oil, they muddy the waters by going on to list all acceptable grades which do NOT include GC!

I really can understand peoples' confusion.


YOU are the one confused.
No offense and I not trying to be rude but you really lack reading comprehension.

YOU SAID:
Originally Posted By: fredf
They say you can use 502 oil as long as the viscosity grade is: XW-30/40


NO. YOU are twisting what was said. You are wrong. Sunstealer said his manual states the following:


Originally Posted By: Sunstealer
You can use oil with a viscosity grade of SAE 5W40 across all temperature ranges for normal driving conditions.

However, if engine oil viscosity grade SAE 5W40 is not available, you can also use viscosity grade SAE 5W-30 or SAE 0W-40 as long as it meets Audi oil quality standard VW 502 00 specifications.


His manual states you CAN use those weight.

C A N- Meaning you MAY, It is an OPTION, it is not a REQUIREMENT.


NO where does it say you must use a certain oil weight.

Sunstealer stated something along the lines that the manual gives a weight requirement When (ARE YOU READY FOR THIS)

A VW 502 speced oil IS NOT AVAILABLE!!!


There's nothing else we can do for you. The facts are black and white. YOU want there to be a grey area, but there is NONE.

 

[fredf]

Believe me, I hear you. But while my interpretation agrees with yours--I actually went out and bought a bunch of CG on sale for my next change--many people are still confused and I can see why.

Ok. I JUST GOT A CALL BACK FROM VW:
Here is their official response (they phoned and did not email so I cannot cut and paste). The very pleasant woman on the phone said:" We are only customer service and are not trained in technical matters. As a result we cannot answer this question."
Me: "Can you please put me through to a technical consultant"
VW: "I'm afraid we don't have one. What we suggest is that you consult your dealer"
Me: "My dealer is vague on this issue."
VW: "You dealer is the one to ask."

So, that's it. VW's official word, for those who have been waiting: "Don't ask us"!!

I'm going to use the GC. It is 502 and MY reading of the manual says it is ok.
However, in contrast to fg200amp, more than one dealer have refused to use 5W-30, saying 'read the manual, it states 5W-40".

There, story unresolved.

 

[dparm]

You guys need to chill out.

Plenty of us use non-502/505 oils and our cars haven't exploded yet.

 

[fredf]

Originally Posted By: dparm
You guys need to chill out.

Plenty of us use non-502/505 oils and our cars haven't exploded yet.


Of course multiple oils will be fine for these cars. The issue is maintaining the warranty.

 

[Finklejag]

My brother uses 10W-40 dino oil in his 2.slow. It also used Mobil TDT 5W-40, which is not a 502 oil, and had a great 10K UOA.

I use Redline 5W-40 in my 2010 GTI.

 

[dparm]

Originally Posted By: fredf
Originally Posted By: dparm
You guys need to chill out.

Plenty of us use non-502/505 oils and our cars haven't exploded yet.


Of course multiple oils will be fine for these cars. The issue is maintaining the warranty.


Well the warranties on those cars include no-cost maintenance...

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: dparm

Well the warranties on those cars include no-cost maintenance...

If you want to wait 10K miles between oil changes, that is.

This is BITOG crowd here... we change oil weekly.

 

[rg200amp]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: dparm

Well the warranties on those cars include no-cost maintenance...

If you want to wait 10K miles between oil changes, that is.

This is BITOG crowd here... we change oil weekly.

Man, what a waste of oil.

Bi-weekly is the way to do it.

 

[felixthecat]

This is from an Audi MY 2010.

My issue is with the second paragraph.
If owner's manuals are very carefully worded and represent the final arbiter in all matters relating to your car..........why make such an ambiguous statement?

 

[AlienBug]

I will never understand why this is so confusing to some people. VW 502. Done.

 

[buickman50401]

The manual for my wifes '06 Golf 2.slow is so ambiguous that I finally said nuts to it all and am just using a good quality synthetic currently in the 5w30 flavor (to eek out a bit of fuel savings and better flow for her winter short trip driving).

Her manual states something to the effect of (I'll try to get a pic up later).

You may use an oil in which any of the following designations appear singly or in any combination:

VW 502.00
SL
A3

It also states that 5w40 is the weight to use... unless of course you can't find 5w40 and then says 5w30 is just fine as well.

Eh, whatever. Its a 2.slow (BEV). Easy on the oil to begin with. The wife doesn't flog it to death. And rather than follow the VW 10k mi/1year schedule its on a 5k/6mo schedule.

Currently running Castrol Edge w/ Syntec 5w30 and a K&N filter (the K&N was from an oil change special last summer I had lying on the shelf). Yep its only A1/B1 A5/B5 rated meaning its HTHS isn't up to par (A3). But it is of the SM/GF-5/Dexos variety and really I COULDN"T CARE LESS at this point about running a VW spec oil in an non-turbo non DI VW engine that is never going to see the 10k/1yr interval VW sets.

Next fill will likely be Rotella T5 10w30 and maybe I'll toss on another Purolator Classic.

Honestly, for all the VWs on the road (not under warranty), particularly the myriad of Jettas and Golfs owned by the younger crowd, when the oil gets changed in those its going to a quick lube joint that likely doesn't even have 5w40 in stock, much less a 502 or even an A3 so they're getting 5w30 syn at best.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: AlienBug
I will never understand why this is so confusing to some people. VW 502. Done.

Not the way I read it (felixthecat's page from the manual). The way it's phrased, it sounds like they first require 502.00, but then they further qualify it to stick with 5w-40. And only if 502.00 5w-40 is not available, then use 502.00 5w-30 or 0w-40.

Basically, it's worded poorly so it leaves a lot of room to personal interpretation.

 

[felixthecat]

Originally Posted By: AlienBug
I will never understand why this is so confusing to some people. VW 502. Done.


Forget that you understand oils.

(1) There is a whole section titled "viscosity". You would therefore figure that this would be important.
(2)They list a number of viscosities that , perhaps, are allowed.......but they do not list all VW 502 viscosities.....like 0w-30. (and there are others).
(3) Most people first read the manual in the middle of a trip and they urgently need to make an oil selection :
http://blogs.insideline.com/roadtests/2009/01/2008-audi-r8-yet-another-oil-post.html

I will promise you that 95%+ of mechanics don't understand viscosities. I experienced significant resistance in having 0w-40 oil used on my car by the dealership and reference made to the owner's manual.