VW V6 - Mobil 1 or SynPower
- Thread starter mardigan
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My suggestion in this application is going to be for the Valvoline. I am not a fan of Valvoline oil but I'm even less a fan of Mobil'1 0W-40.
I've used Valvolines 5W-40 in the past and it seemed to do a fine job for short drain intervals up to 5000 miles. I wouldn't try to extend past that.
My older Passat VR6 is getting Pentosin Pentosynth 5W-40 at the moment. I think it likes it ![[Big Grin]](images/icons/grin.gif)
My first choice would be Castrol Syntec 5w40. It was specifically formulated for the VW specs. It's one of their European made oils, and is reputedly a true PAO/Ester synthetic. It is essentially a VW specific oil.
Second choice would be the M1 0w40. It meets several of the VW specs and is also a true synth.
The Synpower is uses a group III hydrocracked dino base stock, and is not really synthetic. It might get the job done, but I'd trust the others more.
I started out by looking for the Castrol 5w40 but have been unsuccessful at finding it anywhere locally. I also think the Pentosin would be a great choice, I just wanted to find something that was available locally instead of paying for shipping everytime to order it online.
Anyone know of a place that would stock either of these oils in the Salt Lake, Utah area?
Edit: What drain interval are you using on the Pentosin?
[ February 09, 2004, 06:44 PM: Message edited by: mardigan ]
I am researching this for my vw v6 as well. Does anyone know how much difference there is between the Castrol 5w-40 and the 5w-50? Do they have a different base oil? I can't find the 40w anywhere, yet the 50w is everywhere.
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I am going to run the Pentosin for 5000 mile intervals. I got a super deal on the oil and so it cost me $2.75 per liter.
I want to buy some Quaker State 5W-50 to try in the VR6 engine just to see if it runs smoothly. I have three vehicles that I can use the Pentosin in so it won't go waste. I plan on doing a oil change at the 95,000 mile mark which will finish up this 5,000 mile run on the Pentosin.
I'm going to try German Castrol 0w-30 next in my VR6, and will probably do a UOA to see how it does. I like the fact GC meets VW 502/505/503.01, and is a very thick 30wt at 12.2cSt.
If you really want to try Castrol Syntec 5w-40, you can get it at the VW dealer under part # ZVW352540S for a spendy $6.75. You can also get the 5w-40 at Castrol distributors, call 1-888-CASTROL and ask them for the nearest one. Distributor part # is 06602 for Castrol Syntec 5w-40.
Mardigan,
I'm running the 5W 40 SynPower in my 99' Passat 1.8T which is also chipped. Have 112,000 miles on it, Valvoline SynPower since 15,000 miles. I did an UOA last Spring and it came back great at 8100 miles however the additives were mostly depleted. The 1.8T has only a 3.7 quart sump while your V6 has over a 6 quart sump. You should be able to go at least 10,000 miles if mostly hwy., some city.
BTW, the Vavloline SynPower is available at any Napa for $4.49 or something. It also is an ACEA A3 oil and was one of the first oils to meet the VW's specs which is why I've used it since 1999.
I prefer Synpower 5w-40 over M1 0w-40. Wear numbers tend to be better with Valvoline. Having said that, I will be running M1 5w-30 because I don't like the shearing that occurs with any 0w-40 or 5w-40 oil.
You can go to fancier brands like Lubro-Moly or Pentosin 5w-40, but in a couple of analyses on Lubro-Moly, it also sheared to a 30 wt. There is one analysis with Pentosin in a VW W8, and that oil barely remained a 40 wt even in a non-turbo with an 8 quart sump. Hate to see what a 1.8T would do to the oil.
Who knows, maybe Synpower will hold up okay in the V6 since it has a large sump and no turbo. Only way to know is to try it and do an analysis.
Thanks for the info. I think I'm going to start with the Valvoline, run it for 3000 for the initial conversion from dino and then go with a few runs at 5000 before an analysis.
Now I just need to find that oil leak before my warranty is up...
Even if it sheers, which is questionable at best, the M1 0w40 stays at a high 30. Even then, it's running at a higher vis than the 5w30, which starts out as a lowish 30.
quote:
Originally posted by VeeDubb: I prefer Synpower 5w-40 over M1 0w-40. Wear numbers tend to be better with Valvoline. Having said that, I will be running M1 5w-30 because I don't like the shearing that occurs with any 0w-40 or 5w-40 oil. You can go to fancier brands like Lubro-Moly or Pentosin 5w-40, but in a couple of analyses on Lubro-Moly, it also sheared to a 30 wt. There is one analysis with Pentosin in a VW W8, and that oil barely remained a 40 wt even in a non-turbo with an 8 quart sump. Hate to see what a 1.8T would do to the oil. Who knows, maybe Synpower will hold up okay in the V6 since it has a large sump and no turbo. Only way to know is to try it and do an analysis.
Look for a Castrol-centric quick change place. I found one attached to a car wash. In the retail part of the car wash, they had a surprisingly good selection of Syntecs, including the German 0w30 and the Belgian 5w40. They were charging 5.25 a bottle, and this was in Manhattan.
quote:
Originally posted by mardigan: I started out by looking for the Castrol 5w40 but have been unsuccessful at finding it anywhere locally. I also think the Pentosin would be a great choice, I just wanted to find something that was available locally instead of paying for shipping everytime to order it online. Anyone know of a place that would stock either of these oils in the Salt Lake, Utah area? Edit: What drain interval are you using on the Pentosin?
quote:I'm not worried about shearing because of the viscosity per se. Otherwise, I wouldn't be running a 5w-30. I don't like shearing because it implies VII breakdown which leaves varnish in your engine over the long run. The M1 5w-30 stays in grade even in the 1.8T. That's why I use it. If it lost 15% of its viscosity, I wouldn't use it because it is probably depositing gunk into my engine (even if wear rates are completely unaffected in the short run). p.s. there is no question that the 0w-40 shears in the 1.8t. Do a search on used UOAs. The only question is whether it will shear in the V6. Not enough data to confirm. [ February 10, 2004, 12:48 PM: Message edited by: VeeDubb ]
Originally posted by MikeW: [QB] Even if it sheers, which is questionable at best, the M1 0w40 stays at a high 30. Even then, it's running at a higher vis than the 5w30, which starts out as a lowish 30.
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