2003 VW Jetta Oil Recommendation

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FordTruckMan

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Hi Folks-

I have a 2003 VW Jetta that I just purchased to drive back and forth to work (About 200 miles round trip per day). It was about time for an oil change and I decided I wasn't going to go to the neighborhood quick lube place anymore, I was going to change it myself. So, since I didn't get an owner's manual with it, I called the VW dealer and asked what weight they preferred. They said to use only a 5w-40 full synthetic, nothing less. They also stated to NEVER use Mobil 1 synthetic in a VW because it is bad for it. This caught me off guard because I run 0w20 Mobil 1 in my 04 F150 and have never had a single problem with it. The neighborhood place was using conventional 5w30 because that's "what they recommend for everyone." I started shopping around and it's relatively difficult to find a good 5w40 synthetic in my area. You think I would be ok using something like Pennzoil Platinum 5w30? European blends and those that meet the VW 502 standard are both hard to find and a little pricey, but I haven't been able to find one near me, and I don't want to pay the dealer an arm and a leg just for an oil change. As fast as I rack up the miles, I would be building up quite a tab in a hurry. Thanks for the help!
 
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Your dealer is full of it. Go to Wal Mart and get you some Mobil 1 0W-40 and enjoy your Jetta for many years to come.
 
Which engine? 2.0 or 1.8T? The 1.8T is tougher on the oil, but you're fine using M1 0w-40, regardless.

Looks like you'll be racking up hwy miles pretty fast. 10k mile OCI should be fine.

Castrol Syntec 0w-30 or Rotella T 5w-40 would be some other oils that you can use if you can find them.
 
Originally Posted By: Johnny
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Your dealer is full of it. Go to Wal Mart and get you some Mobil 1 0W-40 and enjoy your Jetta for many years to come.


+1 Exactly!
 
I have the 2.0 gasoline motor in it. I was thinking of going at least 5k OCI, but was leaning toward 10k since most of my miles are all highway. I dont't know why a VW dealership would say that Mobil 1 has caused problems and is harmful to the engine, it says it meets the VW 502 etc standards. Can't trust many dealers these days.....
 
Another vote for "your dealer is a fool." M1 0W-40 or ANY synthetic 5W-40 oil is going to be just fine. Also agree with QP that 10K change interval is OK. Might even be able to pull off 15K since you'll be doing 1K/week on the highway.
 
With all highway mileage, you could easily do 12-15k mile OCI's with a good-quality synthetic.

I don't know if the base VW gas engine needs an A3-rated oil, but if it doesn't, look into something like Amsoil SSO, or M1 EP, and enjoy longer changes.

If the engine does need and A3 rated oil, I'd go with a slightly cheaper 5W-40 synthetic like Rotella T 5W-40. As mentioned, M1 0W-40 is also an excllent choice for a long-life oil.

Keep an eye on the oil level - no personal experience, but I have read here that the 2.0 gas engine can use a lot of oil. Something to do with incorrectly installed oil rings.
 
Originally Posted By: addyguy
With all highway mileage, you could easily do 12-15k mile OCI's with a good-quality synthetic.

I agree, especially if he'll be topping it off quite a bit.

I'm doing 10k oci in ours, and adding about 2.5 quarts of extra oil during that time - that's about 60% of the total capacity.
 
I'm using a Purolator PureOne Filter, I should be ok for the longer OCIs correct? Or do I need to change them more frequently. I figured if I spent a couple extra bucks on a quality filter it would go a long way in between changes. Thanks for all the suggestions/help guys!
 
Originally Posted By: FordTruckMan
I'm using a Purolator PureOne Filter, I should be ok for the longer OCIs correct? Or do I need to change them more frequently. I figured if I spent a couple extra bucks on a quality filter it would go a long way in between changes. Thanks for all the suggestions/help guys!

How much are you paying for those PureOne filters? If you want to make sure you get a quality filter that can go the distance, go with OEM filter. The OEM Mann/Mahle filters can be purchased on-line for about $7-8. If you buy larger quantities, the shipping costs isn't really an issue.
 
I have a 2000 Jetta w/2.0. I do about 7.5K OCIs now, but have done 10Ks in the past. I use either Mobil 1 0w-40 or Castrol Syntec 5w-40. Both can be easily found at either Wally World or Advanced Auto. I too use my Jetta for heavy highway commuting; about 120 miles/day. Until I switched to the xw-40 syn oils, I was consuming up to 1 qt/1000 miles of regular 5w-30!!!!!!!
 
PureOne filter is up to the task for an extended change interval, but QP again has a good point. The Mann/Mahle filters are not expensive and I believe are spec'ed by VW for 30,000KM change intervals...which translates to nearly 19K miles.
 
Originally Posted By: addyguy


Keep an eye on the oil level - no personal experience, but I have read here that the 2.0 gas engine can use a lot of oil. Something to do with incorrectly installed oil rings.


Yup, somehow a number of the 2.0 engines had the oil rings installed upside down. Nice, eh?

IIRC VW's solution was to say that it was OK to burn 'x' number of litres every 'x' number of kilometres where 'x' equalled whatever amount of oil YOUR vehicle consumed.

Not sure, but I think it was a problem earlier (2000 or so) and may have been corrected by 2003.
 
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My oil consumptions is well within a normal range when using the proper oil as spec'd in my owner's manual. I would say during a normal 7.5-10K OCI, I use about 1 qt. I have heard the upside down ring story too, but not sure if this is fact or fiction. When my wife first bought the Jetta new, after about 3K miles I opened the hood and to my horror, the dip stick was dry! I obviously asked the dealer and got the "this is normal" answer. I will say though, oil consumption is talked about in the manual....makes it hard to say this was upside down rings or similar build issues..if it was learned after the cars had been built, why was there quite a bit about oil consumption in the manual? I think the oil consumption issue had more to do with the odd-ball oil requirement more than anything else (odd-ball meaning not 5w-30 or similar oil that most people have heard of etc.).
 
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Our particular Beetle (it was my wife's car)had the 2.0 and it never consumed much oil either - I'd guess 1 litre in maybe 8000km but that was using Esso XD3 in 0w30 and 0w40, both of which tend to be on the thick side.

However, owner's manual specified 5w40, not so oddball. So if anything I would think oil consumption would tend to be less, since it required a heavier oil.
 
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Originally Posted By: Johnny
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Your dealer is full of it. Go to Wal Mart and get you some Mobil 1 0W-40 and enjoy your Jetta for many years to come.
+2
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Egads...I wish we had more time to edit posts..

Anyway, upside down rings - fact or fiction?

In March 2001 VW issued a TSB 1701-01 regarding this. The original poster has a 2003, so he may not even have this problem.
 
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