This engine is in my mothers 2001 VW Beetle. She bought it in May 2001. She only has 14,000 miles on it. The first two oil changes were free for 2001 VW's. The car is out of warrenty already. The warrenty was only two years on VW's back then. I'm not sure what the dealer used for the first two changes. I would guess bulk 5W-30 Havoline. This seems to be the oil of choice for VW dealers. The owners manual says the oil change intervals is every 10,000 miles. I will be sending her money so she can do it every 5,000 miles. The owners manual says to use 5W-40 or 5W-30 if the former is not available.
I was thinking since this is not a turbocharged engine. The 8v 2.0L is a really dated design also. Would it be OK to use just Dino oil in it? I was thinking Chevron Supreme. She lives in Southern California. So would a 10W-40 work well? They will keep the oil specs close to the 40 weight they call for.
Thanks for the helps guys