What oil for a 8v 2.0L engine

[Finklejag]

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

 

[Dominik]

I would not use 10W-40 dino for 5 kilo miles as it would for sure create sludge problem down the road, and 10W-40 dino would shear down to SAE 30 by half that distance. Use HDEO like Mobil Delvac 1300 15W-40, Delo 15W-40, or Pennzoil Long Life 15W-40 they will keep specs for the whole interval and well beyond too, plus you can not overlook their high TBN they will keep that engine clean. I Europe these engines call for 15W-40 anyway

 

[TC]

Hey, all moms should have kids like you who'll send her oil change money! A little payback for all that lunch money you got over the years, huh? 5w-40 is not very common here in So. Cal., at least for conventional oils. If she'll be changing it every 5K, a good conventional could work fine. Chevron is good oil, but I assume she'll be taking it to a garage or lube place of some sort, so Chevron's out unless she takes it to a Chevron station or brings her own oil. Pennzoil's 5w-30 spec's are quite good, so it should be easy for her to find a shop that features that brand. 10w-30 might work well for warmer climates, so this is a possible option too, but I wouldn't use 10w-40 dino: this weight has been dissed for a long time since it requires a large dose of polymers (viscosity modifiers) to reach that wide weight range. 10w-40 is really only for older engines these days. I'd suggest she finds a reputable shop which sends out promotional coupons for 10w-30 Pennzoil oil changes -- Havoline would work fine as well since it's a sister oil to Chevron but is more common. [ December 10, 2003, 09:53 PM: Message edited by: TC ]

 

[TSoA]

My Bosch mechanic uses Castrol RX 15w-40 HDEO in these engines. Other diesel-rated oils are good too, a 15w-40 rating is perfect for her climate. These engines burn oil and she might not be chacking it a lot. No 5w-30s would be my rule. A heavier synth would work, Shell Rotella T synth 5w-40 (once a year changes in Mom's Passat 2.0)or Castrol Syntec 5w-50 or the German 0w-30 Syntec or Mobil 1 0w-40. Other cheaper options are an ester blend hi-mi oil like Pennzoil HMV or Syntec blend. Although these hi-mi and semi-syn oils are 30 weight, they tend a little heavy and will not burn off in these engines. The length of your service interval and what you want to pay will determine your final choice. Once or twice a year is a good schedule. To meet warranty, changing 2 times a year, once at inspection and 6 months later is advised. Bring-your-own oil to the dealer is the way to go even if you want to spend only $1 for Chevron (Dello 400 15w-40). [ December 10, 2003, 10:01 PM: Message edited by: TSoA ]

 

[Finklejag]

Thanks guys. Maybe I should put synthetic in. With a 5,000 mile interval. She only puts 500 miles on a month. That would be a oil change every 10 to 12 months. So maybe a synthetic would be better suited for this drain interval. My parents live two hours east of LA. The temp gets into the 100 degree range all summer long. The winter temp average is about 60-70, with the low getting down to the mid 30's. The spring and fall are always in the 80's. I go down there every six months. I will buy the oil down there and store it in their garage. I will buying some VW OEM filters also. She will be taking it to a local VW dealer for service. Its only a block away. They have treated her pretty well. They replaced some wear and tear items after the warrenty expired. So I know they are pretty good. So how about these . Castol Syntec 5W-50 Castrol RX 15W-40 Shell Rotella 5W-40 Mobil 1 0W-40 This will probably be her last car. So I want to keep it in top shape for the years ahead. They are on a fixed income. So they can't afford a new car down the road.

 

[TheNauseator]

If you want to keep the car in top shape use synthetic oil. My vote goes for Mobil 0W-40. It's a tough, good oil. I just started using it in my 2.0. Its cSt viscosity @ 100 degrees is 14.3. That's good under stress especially when you have a high revving engine like the 2.0 which "lives" above 3,000 RPM.

 

[Sin City]

Finkljag, I think those oils that you listed are all good choices. The old 2.0L four cylinder eight valve VW motor is known to consume some oil between oil changes so a slightly thicker synthetic oil will be very beneficial. I would just buy whichever of those oils that you can get for the cheapest price. If your mother is like my mother she will never ever check the oil level in her car. My mother lives in Victorville, CA so it seems like our parents might be neighbors. [ December 11, 2003, 03:08 AM: Message edited by: Sin City ]

 

[vvk]

The bottom line is that this engine requires VWAG 502.00 oil. Any oil that has this approval will work great. Synthetic or otherwise.

 

[Al]

I'd go with either the Delvac 1300 (15W-40). Or if you want to go longer intervals Delvac 1 5W-40

 

[SL8Brick]

I've been using Shell Rotella T 5W40 in our `03 Golf 2.0. I did start using M1 5W30 but switched to Rotella to save some $$. (4-5k OCIs) If I had to use a dino, Chevron Supreme 5W30 would be at the top of the list.

 

[Dr. T]

Any synthetic 5-40...eg. Syntec 5-40.

 

[Finklejag]

I decided on Delvac 1 5W-40 and a Mobil 1 filter. The additives in Delvac 1 will help with the long drain intervals and low miles per year. I called my local Mobil distributor up. They sell a case of Delvac 1 for $90.00. That comes to $22.50 a gallon. I don't have to pay sales tax either in Oregon. I will be driving down later this month, so I will just throw them into the truck. Now its back to figuring out which oil o in my SAAB. I have a garage full of GC and SAAB turbo oil

 

[TSoA]

I just got back from Wal*Mart and Syntec Blend is the chepest A3-rated oil at $2.34 a quart. Delvac-1 might be overkill if you have to follow mfgs 7500 mile OCI for warranty period. Otherwise, go for the best 1-year oil you can find.

 

[Finklejag]

The warrenty on her car is over with. It was 2 year/24,000 mile. This was the basic warrenty on all VW's until 2002.

 

[TSoA]

In SoCal, a dino HDEO 15w-40 will work fine, even for a year. Dello 400 or Pennzoil Long-Life are the best-known around here. Your choices look good, but here are a few more. (ps my Mom is getting Rotella for her 1x year change as I write this) Valvoline 5w-40 SynPower Kendall Full Syn 5w-40 Delvac-1 5w-40 Again, Syntec Blend 5w-30 for $2 per or any Hi-Mi oil. If you are doing 1x year, I would use the Rotella, it is $3.25 at Wal*Marts that have auto service. M1 0w-40 would be a great choice for Northern climates and for long change intervals too. A toss-up unless you want HDEO dino. Wait for the new SM oils and/or the new Mobil 1 5w-40 SUV in Spring before you buy a lot of SL oil.

 

[FowVay]

I'm also going to suggest the use of a HDEO in the viscosity of 15W-40. The engine is getting very little use and the stronger additive package of the HDEO will help to combat the extra acids and deposits that a low use gasoline engine will produce. Also, the 2.0 liter VW engine is a known oil burner and a heavier oil will help with this. At the very least she should be checking her oil every fill-up. Take your pick of the oils available at wal-mart such as Delvac 1300, Delo 400, Rotella T, and my local Wal-Mart also sells the Ford 15W-40, Castrol RX 15W-40 and their store brand 15W-40. All of these oils would be a first choice for me if I lived in Southern Cali and drove a 2.0 VW.

 

[TSoA]

Bosch Premium filters with synthetic media and checkvalve are <$5 at AutoZone part #3421.