What oil to use in '98 Audi A4 2.8

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Hi Guys,

I have to do an LOF on my friends 98 A4 avant 2.8 v6.

I know it burns oil, he didn't say how much, but he said it wasn't bad. Though because of this he doesn't want to run synthetic.
My question to you is this. What Dino should I run, and what viscosity ?

Thanks,
Justin
 
Sorry, I forgot to mention that he will run a 3-5k oci.

Thanks Again,
Justin
 
For the summer, I'd say a good 15W-40 HDEO would work well.

For the winter, a HM 5W-30 would help with the cold starting.

Rotella T synthetic 5W-40 would work well year-round, and it isn't insanely expensive, so that might be an option.
 
Originally Posted By: addyguy
Rotella T synthetic 5W-40 would work well year-round, and it isn't insanely expensive, so that might be an option.

This, since it'll still fall in the price range of some name-brand conventional oils.
 
I called Audi customer care and they said a 5w40 or 5w30 but it must be syn.

Is this true ? Any of you guys out there running a dino 5w30 in a VW 2.8 30 valve engine ? What are your experiences good or bad.

I'm kinda leaning towards Castrol GTX 5w30, because it is a thicker 5w30. But not as expensive as Shell RTS 5w40.
I want to run a 5w40 but they all seem to be syn, and big $$.
Is there a dino 5w30 that is close to a 5w40 ?

I'm hoping to find something that is readily available and is reasonable money. (Like maybe 1 of the 5qt jugs from Wal-Mart.)

Thanks Again,
Justin
 
Will it hurt the engine to run dino ?

What dino 5w30's are on the thicker side ?

Thanks,
Justin
 
Sorry to be blunt...but stop cheaping out on this car! If you want to drive a 'premium' car...well, some stuff costs a bit more.

To the point of your question - 'most' European high-end cars require an oil that is A3 rated. Among other things, this means it needs to have a HT/HS value of 3.5 or better. This is 'usually' accomplished with a 40-weight oil. So, if you insist on dino oil, a 15W-40 HDEO or a 10W-40 PCMO is what you will be using. Pennzoil 10W-40 is a good choice.
 
You don't need a high HT/HS or a thick oil or synthetic to putt down the road in NH.

5w-40 is kind of thick for your winters, 10w-30 is thinner in cold and not too thin for the engine to wear properly. GTX is exellent at resisting burn-off. In Europe GTX 10w-40 meets the ACEA A1 spec for synth blend oils, basicly equal or within 80% of the synthetic A3 spec people cry out for. Pennzoil and Havoline are also excellent dino oils. I would also consider MaxLife.

For summer, bump it up to a 10w-40. If consumption is extreme, try 15w-40 as long as he is not taking very short trips. Synth oil is a skip in this engine with the exception of some Hi-Miles oils.

Walking out the door to buy, get 10w-30 Hi-Miles and maybe a quart or two of 10w-40 for topping off. If you see far below zero in winter, switch to 5w-30 if consumption on 10w-30 hi-miles is in-check.

I would not rule out synth oil, just no thin 5w-30. Try German Syntec 0w-30, MaxLife synth or maybe Mobil 1 10w-30 Hi-Miles.


There are other service items beyond oil selection, like intake cleaning, piston soak, etc. Is it a manual or automatic?


http://s15.photobucket.com/albums/a364/AudiJunkie/bitog/?action=view&current=blackstone2.jpg

http://www.lubrizol.com/EuropeanEngineOils/RelativePerformanceToolIntro.html
 
Originally Posted By: addyguy
Sorry to be blunt...but stop cheaping out on this car! If you want to drive a 'premium' car...well, some stuff costs a bit more.


Thanks for your response.

I'm not cheaping out on this car, my friend is. (Not my car)
If it were mine I would run VW 502.00 Syn 5w40 Like Audi says.
I told him to buy a Toyota, b/c maintenance cost are significantly less.
That being said, I'm still unsure weather or not it is safe to run Dino in this application without damage.
I think I'm just gonna tell him that I won't use anything other than what VDub says to run. So I won't be held responsible in case anything happens due to the wrong oil.
 
Originally Posted By: Audi Junkie
You don't need a high HT/HS or a thick oil or synthetic to putt down the road in NH.

5w-40 is kind of thick for your winters, 10w-30 is thinner in cold and not too thin for the engine to wear properly. GTX is exellent at resisting burn-off. In Europe GTX 10w-40 meets the ACEA A1 spec for synth blend oils, basicly equal or within 80% of the synthetic A3 spec people cry out for. Pennzoil and Havoline are also excellent dino oils. I would also consider MaxLife.

For summer, bump it up to a 10w-40. If consumption is extreme, try 15w-40 as long as he is not taking very short trips. Synth oil is a skip in this engine with the exception of some Hi-Miles oils.

Walking out the door to buy, get 10w-30 Hi-Miles and maybe a quart or two of 10w-40 for topping off. If you see far below zero in winter, switch to 5w-30 if consumption on 10w-30 hi-miles is in-check.

I would not rule out synth oil, just no thin 5w-30. Try German Syntec 0w-30, MaxLife synth or maybe Mobil 1 10w-30 Hi-Miles.


There are other service items beyond oil selection, like intake cleaning, piston soak, etc. Is it a manual or automatic?


http://s15.photobucket.com/albums/a364/AudiJunkie/bitog/?action=view&current=blackstone2.jpg

http://www.lubrizol.com/EuropeanEngineOils/RelativePerformanceToolIntro.html


Thanks for the reply,
Car is a '98 A4 Avant Quattro Manual trans.

Justin
 
I've had Audi's since the early 80's. I've cycled through 6 of them. I never once used Synthetic on them. But that doesn't mean Syn is a bad choice. For that engine I'd run a 10/40 dino. Its readily available and affordable. Go with the Castrol GTX. How many miles are on this car? If you want to clean it up some, do the GTX with a quart of Marvel Mystery Oil for 3500 miles then dump it. May even help with the oil burning issue. I know others like the Auto RX, But I've used the MMO forever with great results.
 
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