Valvoline SynPower 5W-40 VW 505.01 Now Approved?

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I just bought a '06 Jetta TDI. As most TDI folks know it calls for VW 505.01 spec. SynPower 5W-40 lists VW 505.01 as meeting the Approval/Performance Level. I have read that is not officially certified but has the physical properties of a certified 505.01 My question is could Valvoline put this on the jug and in their product lit if they were not in complience? Does anyone run this in a late model TDI?
 
Well, Valvoline has in the past erroneously claimed their 5W-30 was meeting ACEA A3 and VW 502.00. Other companies make similar "mistakes." Quite frankly, I don't trust any labels. Too many "mistakes" happen.

I use Valvoline 5W-40 in my Audi gas engines, and it appears to be working just fine. You should probably ask your question in the diesel engine forum.

Are all TDI engines now PD?
 
It also lists BMW LL-04 as well, which is suitable for lighter duty passenger car diesels with exhaust stream particulate filters. If you do use this oil in your TDI, I would consider sampling it at 5k miles to see how it is doing.
 
moribundman What you say may be true but how can a multi million $ Company make a mistake labeling the certificaton of their oil. It that was true I would wonder if what they put in the bottle is what they say it is.

Also would it be legal to say that it specs out if they did not have certification?

So confusing
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Mistakes do happen -- by accident or on purpose. Sorry for serving sour grapes. I have no answers, just questions.
 
If Valvoline knows what the requirements of VW 505.01 are, and their Synpower 5w40 meets or exceeds those requirements, but they don't want to pay for the official VW certification, they can state on the oil container "Exceeds engine protection requirements of VW 505.01" or some such language.
 
moribundman Thanks for the reply.

I did email Valvoline with the question and got this canned response:

The current Synpower 5W40 is not approved against the VW 505.01 specification. It uses VW 505.01 capable chemistry, similar to the chemistry used in our Synpower MST 5W-30 that we are progressing an official VW 505.01 approval on, and the 5W40 meets all the physical and
chemical characteristics required for the VW 505.01 specification. We feel based on the engine test data and the Physical/Chemical characteristics it
has VW 505.01 performance and we fully back its use in applications calling for a VW 505.01 approved product.

I think they are saying:

1. Not officially recognized/approved by VW.
2. However it has same specs of a certified 505.01
3. Valvoline will stand behind any failure attributed to the oil in a application calling for 505.01.
 
At least Valvoline isn't claiming their product meets mutually exclusive specs, which I see other companies regularly do with impunity.
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Quote:


Well, Valvoline has in the past erroneously claimed their 5W-30 was meeting ACEA A3 and VW 502.00. Other companies make similar "mistakes." Quite frankly, I don't trust any labels. Too many "mistakes" happen.

I use Valvoline 5W-40 in my Audi gas engines, and it appears to be working just fine. You should probably ask your question in the diesel engine forum.

Are all TDI engines now PD?




Actually VW was the one that claimed Synpower 5w-30 met the 502 spec released in a bulletin when the 1.8t engines were sludging . The European 5w-30 Synpower did meet 502, however the flavor of 5w-30 Synpower available in the U.S. did not. Not sure if VW ever corrected that confusion.
 
I suppose both, VW and Valvoline can be blamed for being sloppy and not double checking. Anyway, confusing the customer is probably good for business.
tongue.gif
 
I saw a picture once of someone photoshoping a 5w20 on a 5w40 bottle of 505.01, now that would be blasphemy.

It might have been Vavoline, unsure.
 
Valvoline Synpower 20W-50 and 5W-40 meet VW 505.01 as already mentioned above. Also, Valvoline Maxlife Synthetic 5W-30 and 10W-30 do too. I will give some 5W-30 a try in my 04 Jetta TDI once I exhaust my stash of Castrol TXT 5W-40.
 
Isn't one of the requirements of 505.01 that the weight must be a 5w40? So, I don't see how the 30wt or 50wt meet the .01 spec! They're probably 505 but not .01!

You can find Schaeffers, Amsoil, and QuakerState 505.01 oils, as well as all the fancy brands, online if you don't want to visit the dealer for your oil.

There are a couple of non-505.01 UOAs used in PD-TDI motors here and at TDIclub. They were as good as the 505.01 oils. So, I wouldn't fear using ANY full synthetic 5w40 oil as a top off in an emergency.

If Valvoline claims its good for 505.01, I wouldn't fear using it. But, I would definitely print up the oil's datasheet and keep it in the glove box. Also, since one of the .01 requirements is long life, simply changing a non-OEM-approved oil out a little earlier would be smart.

You also have other things to worry about.
Intake manifold buildup is an issue. Install an oil catch can. Provent, or any CCV filter, is worth looking into.
And, since its a diesel, you should use a fuel cleaner and lubricity additive always, and antigel during the winter. I won't preach about which brand is best but find something that can be purchased in gallons, and measure an appropriate amount at every fillup. If carrying a gallon jug, funnel, measuring beaker is a hassle, feel free to refill some FI cleaner/additive bottles and keep several in your trunk for those fuel fillups.
Anyone know if VW is finally installing MAFs that don't fail a week after the warranty expires?
 
Quote:


If Valvoline claims its good for 505.01, I wouldn't fear using it.



I suspect Valvoline is confident their oil won't destroy too many PD engines, so they won't be on the hook for warranty repair expenses. It's probably just good enough to do the job. If a few engines fail, it will be hard for the owners to prove Valvoline was to blame.

There are a number of good 1st-generation VW505.01-rated motor oils, and even a few 2nd-generation oils. I can't think of any reason to trust these Valvoline oils that are alleged to meet VW505.01.
 
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