Castrol has a 5w30 that meets MB 229.5 on shelves right now. All Valvoline needs is a 5w30 RNP formula that meets MB specs AND they could go get it licensed.
Would you consider Valvoline Restore and Protect in your Euro car?
- Thread starter himemsys
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edyvw
$50 site donor 2025
You are forgetting key thing here: known issues with piston rings on Audi from that generation. No oil will solve engineering problem.
edyvw
$50 site donor 2025
Using VRP in an engine with known problems with timing chain, while your LL04 available on any local gas station in Germany has specific test for that type of timing chain.
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It's low tension piston rings that get coked up and stuck in the ring lands. I did the Berrymans B12 piston soak, BG EPR flush right after, and switched to 5w30 VR&P. Went from 400 miles to a quart of oil to not using any oil in 5000 mile runs, and you telling me it doesn't work? Sorry you cant wrap your head around that. I'll continue to use the VR&P moving forward. If the consumption comes back then I'd tell ya the oil didn't work, but until then Its obvious to me the "engineering problem" can easily be fixed with what I did here.
edyvw
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OK, keep doing it then.
so he is the reason i cant find it here in europe
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Well VR&P does not have any Euro approvals obviously, but myself I dont care as the Castrol Euro oil is what plugged things up in the first place on our Q7.
People need to actually think outside the box sometimes. In my case, I don't drive on the Autobahn, so the higher Euro HTHS requirement is not something I'm worried about as our oil temps run much cooler in the states where we have speed limits. I also wont run the VR&P to 10,000 mile intervals. I'll change it at 5-6000 miles. Valvoline does not recommend using it in place of the Euro spec oils as they already have a Euro oil, but what good are those Euro oils when it doesn't have the secret sauce in it to literally clean up the piston deposits for the low tension oil control rings some of these engines are faced with?
I've been using Mobil1 0-40 oil forever in all my Euro vehicles till this Q7 with its CREC engine thats known to stick the low tension oil control rings. Now I needed something better for it to clean it up and keep it clean so figured I needed to do something different with it. So VR&P it is. I also run it in my 5.3 Chevy truck and it working so well in these vehicles I'm also going to with my 2013 Audi A6 3.0t over to VR&P also. I've noticed increased idle smoothness and increased fuel mileage in the truck and the Q7. I'm curious if I see the same in the A6 when I switch to it this week. Even though the older A6 is not known for oil consumption, and I've never experienced any usage of Mobile 1 doing 10,000 mile changes, I want to see how it responds to the VR&P and I see the same fuel mileage gains and improved engine idle smoothness. It doesn't get driven over a couple thousand miles a year anyway now that I have retired, so doing extended drains is not important to me anymore, I'll do it yearly now anyway.
I think VR&P works well and does what its supposed to do cleaning piston and control ring pack and ring lands. It's not going to be for the guy that wants extend drain intervals, runs the Autobahn or high speeds and needs that increased HTHS, or tracks a car, but for many who needs the cleaning power for the low tension control rings or face oil consumption from stuck rings, what is your other options? About the only other oil I'd consider is the high priced HPL oils. I'd like to think Valvoline will eventually bring a Euro spec oil or even at least a 40 weight oil, but until then I know I'm fine with the 5w30 version of VR&P.
People need to actually think outside the box sometimes. In my case, I don't drive on the Autobahn, so the higher Euro HTHS requirement is not something I'm worried about as our oil temps run much cooler in the states where we have speed limits. I also wont run the VR&P to 10,000 mile intervals. I'll change it at 5-6000 miles. Valvoline does not recommend using it in place of the Euro spec oils as they already have a Euro oil, but what good are those Euro oils when it doesn't have the secret sauce in it to literally clean up the piston deposits for the low tension oil control rings some of these engines are faced with?
I've been using Mobil1 0-40 oil forever in all my Euro vehicles till this Q7 with its CREC engine thats known to stick the low tension oil control rings. Now I needed something better for it to clean it up and keep it clean so figured I needed to do something different with it. So VR&P it is. I also run it in my 5.3 Chevy truck and it working so well in these vehicles I'm also going to with my 2013 Audi A6 3.0t over to VR&P also. I've noticed increased idle smoothness and increased fuel mileage in the truck and the Q7. I'm curious if I see the same in the A6 when I switch to it this week. Even though the older A6 is not known for oil consumption, and I've never experienced any usage of Mobile 1 doing 10,000 mile changes, I want to see how it responds to the VR&P and I see the same fuel mileage gains and improved engine idle smoothness. It doesn't get driven over a couple thousand miles a year anyway now that I have retired, so doing extended drains is not important to me anymore, I'll do it yearly now anyway.
I think VR&P works well and does what its supposed to do cleaning piston and control ring pack and ring lands. It's not going to be for the guy that wants extend drain intervals, runs the Autobahn or high speeds and needs that increased HTHS, or tracks a car, but for many who needs the cleaning power for the low tension control rings or face oil consumption from stuck rings, what is your other options? About the only other oil I'd consider is the high priced HPL oils. I'd like to think Valvoline will eventually bring a Euro spec oil or even at least a 40 weight oil, but until then I know I'm fine with the 5w30 version of VR&P.
I would not mind using it, but I would also keep my oil change interval significantly shorter than manufacturer`s suggestion. The first thing comes to mind with euro vs non euro oils is the HTHS and detergency. VRP will probably sheer much faster, and be less resistant to high temperature around the Turbo. So maybe I would do a 3K mile interval? So I would treat VRP almost like a cleaning additive rather than an engine oil replacement. In just 10-12k miles you would be done with all 4 cycles
Yes I have to think that eventually they will release a Euro oil with the cleaning additive. Apparently a transmission fluid with it is on the way. A Valvoline Euro with the additive seems like a forever oil to me, outside of those who want really long intervals.
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You could always mix it with heavier Valvoline euro oil.
Why would it shear "much faster? Is Valvoline using an inferior VM in that product?
And I doubt detergency is an issue.
I don’t want to dilute whatever they’re using to clean. I think I’ll just use a fully formulated product and not play amateur chemist. Fortunately for me, our engines aren’t too hard on oil it seems. I’ll probably be ok with VRP with its API spec. Even though it’s a low bar.
edyvw
$50 site donor 2025
Castrol 5W40 was always mediocre oil. In that critical years with problematic rings it didn’t have MB229.5 approval like M1 0W40, which is far more demanding on deposits etc. I always got hate here telling folks that I would pick any other OTS oil than Castrol 5W40. It is for all intended purposes a budget oil.
As for VRP it did what supposed to do. However, we really don’t know what that oil leaves behind compared to Euro oils. Euro approvals are not just HTHS, but deposit limits, oxidation etc. MB229.5/51/52 are gold standard. If car requires VW502.00, my rule is always to get oil that has MB229.5 too.
Thanks. This was really clarifying. I have been trying to square how his Q7 and other Audis I had read about had poor experiences on high quality Euro oils. That would explain it. I think he had 10k intervals with dealer changes on Castrol 5W-40 before he purchased it.
Seems to have finally picked up the MB 229.5 spec since then.
Interestingly I saw a "5W-40 M" that did not have that approval.
edyvw
$50 site donor 2025
The MB 229.5 was introduced with API SN in Edge 5W40, until then it was MB229.3
Long OCI, and one more thing, driven leisurely. Euro engines, in general, like to be driven hard. They are made for that.
If Valvoline brings a Euro Spec VRP later, what do you think would be different than the current version?
hope it has approvals..its difficult due to cleaning additives..perhaps someone can tell us why they still havent pushed this product to european market.
approvals
As noted, a higher HT/HS and approvals.
So why would the current product shear "much faster"?
I feel lost here. Are you suggesting that HTHS value has no relation with oil sheering? I know you are a very knowledable member of this forum, so I am definitely missing something
First it’s shearing, not “sheering”. But after that I’m only asking you about your statement where you said the VRP product would “sheer much faster”. Why would you think that? It would have to be related to the amount or type of VM used in the product since oil itself doesn’t shear. I wanted to know why you thought VRP itself would be more prone to mechanical shear.
You could have a monograde SAE 40 oil with a fairly large HT/HS that isn’t going to mechanically shear, due to the absence of any VM. Yes the HT/HS value is measured under rotation and shear forces but that’s not the same as an oil “shearing” due to VM cleaving.
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