VW 504 vs Longlife-04

My '01 had the little leaflet in the manual that indicated it called for LL-01. This was the case for Canada and Europe, but interestingly, it never happened stateside.
it happened here too. early 2000s were 10w60 only, had something to do with oil burning. everything after has the choice of LL-01 or 10w60
 
Negative. I've seen dozens of VW factory fill UOAs so far and they all appear
to be common VW approved oils. The majority of VW 504/507 00 fills have
been either Castrol or Shell, while all VW 508/509 00 fills have been greenish.
Why should it be different? VW and Audi don't use any special break-in oils.
Because some OEMs, including VW, have factory fill specifications and separate aftermarket (known as "service fill") specifications, and they are not always the same. They have the same fundamental requirements but the FF spec often goes way further. VW don't fill with 508 00/509 00 oil (which is a service fill spec), they fill with their VW part number. You can (and should) not assume that they are the same, nor can you rely on a UOA to identify what spec an oil meets.
 
Never came across any example, only read some speculations on
several forums.
The green dye is inherant part of the VW 508 00/509 00 approval.
I don't see any reason why it shouldn't be in factory fills, as it isn't
even expensive. Had a talk with a VW guy some years ago and he
confirmed that there doesn't exist any dedicated break-in first fill.
I'm talking about an engineer sitting in Wolfsburg, not just another
service tech. I know this guy from university for more than 25 years
and have no reason to doubt he's knowing what he's talking about.
Again, I've seen this confirmed by lots of UOAs. FFs are the same as
what you get on a service, at least when i comes to VWs and Audis.
.
 
Never came across any example, only read some speculations on
several forums.
The green dye is inherant part of the VW 508 00/509 00 approval.
I don't see any reason why it shouldn't be in factory fills, as it isn't
even expensive. Had a talk with a VW guy some years ago and he
confirmed that there doesn't exist any dedicated break-in first fill.
I'm talking about an engineer sitting in Wolfsburg, not just another
service tech. I know this guy from university for more than 25 years
and have no reason to doubt he's knowing what he's talking about.
Again, I've seen this confirmed by lots of UOAs. FFs are the same as
what you get on a service, at least when i comes to VWs and Audis.
.
VW service fill spec is 508 00/509 00 - as you say this demands the dye. However this is specifically a service fill spec - for example the 508 00 specification is entitled: "SAE 0W-20 Service Engine Oil with Reduced Ash Content and Special Fuel Saving Properties for Gasoline Engines". There is a different specification for factory fill which does not require the dye. You cannot supply the VW factory with an oil just meeting 508 00/509 00.

It is not unknown for factory-fill and service-fill specifications to differ, although the fundamentals of the oil are often the same (hence why UOA wouldn't differentiate them). I'm not talking about a break-in oil, just a different specification demand for the factory-fill version of the engine oil. As I said, the VW factory fill spec doesn't need the dye - it might be cheap, but it's an unnecessary cost that builds up over millions of litres.
 
VW service fill spec is 508 00/509 00 - as you say this demands the dye. However this is specifically a service fill spec - for example the 508 00 specification is entitled: "SAE 0W-20 Service Engine Oil with Reduced Ash Content and Special Fuel Saving Properties for Gasoline Engines". There is a different specification for factory fill which does not require the dye. You cannot supply the VW factory with an oil just meeting 508 00/509 00.

It is not unknown for factory-fill and service-fill specifications to differ, although the fundamentals of the oil are often the same (hence why UOA wouldn't differentiate them). I'm not talking about a break-in oil, just a different specification demand for the factory-fill version of the engine oil. As I said, the VW factory fill spec doesn't need the dye - it might be cheap, but it's an unnecessary cost that builds up over millions of litres.
Which is odd because the factory fill oil on our Tiguan had a green tint that was quite noticeable.
 
Which is odd because the factory fill oil on our Tiguan had a green tint that was quite noticeable.
Well, the factory-fill specification does not require it but then it doesn't forbid it either. Dependent on the supplier it could be that the same oil is tested and approved to the factory fill and service fill specifications. However you can not assume that any oil with 508 00/509 00 could be used or is the same as a factory fill oil.

There is also the possibility that a brand new car fresh from the dealership has received a top-up of oil during the PDI.
 
When should we changed oil in diesels then?
Diesels are a different beast. Typically diesel engines have larger oil sumps, say ram 2500 holds 3 gal. I would change that at 7500, I don't do long OCIs. I keep my gas engines to 5k, no longer than 7500. I don't care what a UOA says. A UOA cost just as much as 5qt jug at Walmart
 
When should we changed oil in diesels then?
If you don't have EGR and change the oil often enough, you can keep almost translucent oil for at least a few hundred miles, lol!

At least that was my experience with my Fiat diesel, whose sump was generously holding 4 liters of oil. North American view on diesel engines can be different.
 
Oil turns dark bc it's getting dirty. OF only can do so much
Yes, but the detergents and dispersants also do their job, which is holding the 'dirt' in harmless suspension (which is why the oil turn black).

I have run engines out to 18k miles OCI based on the onboard computer assessment of service interval - and that's both gasoline and diesel (not the truck-type diesel you mention, but car-type diesel, with 4-5 litre sumps).
 
Yes, but the detergents and dispersants also do their job, which is holding the 'dirt' in harmless suspension (which is why the oil turn black).

I have run engines out to 18k miles OCI based on the onboard computer assessment of service interval - and that's both gasoline and diesel (not the truck-type diesel you mention, but car-type diesel, with 4-5 litre sumps).
That's your personal choice. I just don't see a reason to run OCI so long. Oil is so inexpensive especially doing oil changes yourself. I know people that own German cars and how much a shop charges for an oil change is absolutely ridiculous
 
That's your personal choice. I just don't see a reason to run OCI so long. Oil is so inexpensive especially doing oil changes yourself. I know people that own German cars and how much a shop charges for an oil change is absolutely ridiculous

He's in the UK, and is talking about small diesels found in cars - not the 3 gallon RAM 2500 mall haulers you find in North America.

Central Europe has had 18,500mi intervals for years because their fuel quality was better (read: 10ppm sulphur content).

This is more or less the same story today in 202X America, so the idea of ditching oil at 3-5k mi is laughable by today's standards.
 
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