Should I drain the oil and add the synthetic or must I remove the filter and replace. The concern is the remaining oil in the fiter and how will synthetic and dino oil mix. I plan on using Mobil 1, but have not decided on viscosity. Also, should I take my own oil in to the dealer or will they provide at a reasonable charge. Thanks in advance.

<i>Should I drain the oil and add the synthetic or must I remove the filter and replace. The concern is the remaining oil in the fiter and how will synthetic and dino oil mix.</i>

The preferred method would be to drain oil and remove filter and then fill with synthetic using a new filter. BUT, synthetic oil is fully compatible with regular dino oil so there won't be a problem leaving the stock filter on there.

<i>I plan on using Mobil 1, but have not decided on viscosity.</i>

Good stuff, I'm using Mobil-1 10w-30 right now in my '97 1.8t (with Wett chip) and I'll run 5w-30 Mobil-1 in the winter.

<i>Also, should I take my own oil in to the dealer or will they provide at a reasonable charge.</i>

My dealer will gladly fill my car with Mobil-1 for something like $7/quart. I said "No thanks" and picked up a case for $3.89/quart from K-Mart and brought it with me to the dealer (this was prior to me changing my own oil on my 1.8t).

BUT, after telling you all of this, I'd strongly recommend that you wait until the 2nd oil change (10,000 miles) prior to switching over to synthetic oil. This is MHO and more info can be found be reading through the archives (when they get fixed in a day or so).

<A HREF="Mailto:andy_hedin@hotmail.com">Andy Hedin</A>
'97 A4 1.8Tqms, Wett 1.0 Bar, ABT Filter, Euro Headlights, APR/Borla Exhaust (coming soon!)...

Why wait? I will be getting my WETT chip in the next week or so and have 1300 miles on my car so far.

99.5 1.8TQMS

I've heard two reasons:
1) Supposedly, Audi factory fill oil has some additives designed to allow engine to break-in properly - more technical jargon is in the archives, and
2) Proper engine break-in requires some natural friction. Synthetics, from this standpoint, are too efficient and may actually prevent proper break-in.

Anyway, sorry for the lack of technical jargon but it is fairly widely accepted that switching to synthetic should only occur after break-in.

Hold off and read the archives tommorow.

Chris

I agree with Andy. ALthough, I don't think it makes any difference, ie Porsches, some BMW and
Mercedes come from the factory with Mobil 1 as new cars. However, VW?audi is real picky about the "break in period". There are conflicting reports about use of "Break in oil" by vw/audi. ie the FAQ says it is. In any event, to be on the safe side, I waited till 5K, and took my own mobil 1 in to the dealer. I have heard several instances of VM/Audi fighting engine warranty claims when owner changed oil to synthetic prior to "break in". In fact one of the salesmen at my dealer changed to mobil 1 in a corrado after 100 miles, the engine then subsequently blew up (rings did not seat) - vw hassled him for many months before finally replacing engine - not worth the hassle.

On your other point - never change oil without filter - its a waste of time - do both at once.