Oil Question

[Stampy]

Yes I searched. I Just got a 01 A6 4.2. It has 80K on it and so far so good. Little things here and there, nothing major. As this is not my first Audi, I'm doing the "audi" maintenance. Getting the TB done in a week or two. All the CV's look good. Brakes and such. I bought a filter to do an oil change today at the dealer. Then I went to buy oil and I was really confused. I understand the benefits of synthetic. I really do. This is my daily cruiser and honestly will probably never get floored. Biggest thing to me is mechanical reliability. So If I add synthetic don't I run the risk of starting leaks where I had none before? I have always used synthetic in the past, but that was on cars that I had from new. I will be changing it every 5000K. I have seen oil break down test before and wasn't turned off from using a quality oil like a Mobile 5000. 1.8T which has always been my domain. No question you do synthetic. Too many sludge issues there. I can't seem to really find any concrete info through searching other than people saying "use synthetic" or "synthetic on high mileage is begging for leaks". Just thought I would ask before made my purchase. Thanks all -Jeff

[Hex168]

Try a Used Oil Analysis to see how a particular oil performs in your engine. You may or may not have any issues.

Exxon-Mobil specifically recommends Mobil 1 High Mileage 10w-30 for people switching from convetional oil. To some extent this may be marketing mumbo-jumbo but the HM oil should ensure that your seals won't leak if there is nothing mechanically wrong with them. If they are failing, replace them.

Personally, I'd go with the M1 HM 10w-30 for a couple of oil change intervals, and then change over to M1 Delvac 1 or Turbo Diesel Truck 5w-40. But I'd only bother to do this if I intended 7 or 8K mile intervals for the 5w-40.

Do an oil analysis after 3K miles if you go conventional. It did not look good for me. YMMV.

• Click here for a short thread on oil for the (non-D.I.) 4.2.

[transporter2004]

5w40w? Jesus, you'l put so much pressure on the poor car. Just cycle through a couple of oil changes quickly. About 3k. You can use conventional oil, no need for synthetic here. Beware, if you use a full synthetic, you may notice some leaks here and there. Nothing you can do once they start. The most important thing is to be sure to change the oil and use a name you recognize. If you have never heard of the brand, it is probably recycled, stay away. This is one place where you need to spend the money on a good filter, and good oil.

[uberwgn]

Jeff, if you use the oil recommended by the engine manufacturer, you'll never have to worry about any of this:

Originally Posted by Stampy

Yes I searched. I Just got a 01 A6 4.2. It has 80K on it and so far so good. Little things here and there, nothing major. As this is not my first Audi, I'm doing the "audi" maintenance. Getting the TB done in a week or two. All the CV's look good. Brakes and such. I bought a filter to do an oil change today at the dealer. Then I went to buy oil and I was really confused. I understand the benefits of synthetic. I really do. This is my daily cruiser and honestly will probably never get floored. Biggest thing to me is mechanical reliability. So If I add synthetic don't I run the risk of starting leaks where I had none before? I have always used synthetic in the past, but that was on cars that I had from new. I will be changing it every 5000K. I have seen oil break down test before and wasn't turned off from using a quality oil like a Mobile 5000.

1.8T which has always been my domain. No question you do synthetic. Too many sludge issues there. I can't seem to really find any concrete info through searching other than people saying "use synthetic" or "synthetic on high mileage is begging for leaks". Just thought I would ask before made my purchase.

[aTOMic*]

I had an MB M104 (inline six) that had 200k on it. Always used synthetic. The view through the oil fill was too dirty for my taste so I put Delvac (diesel) oil in it to see if it would clean up. It did, somewhat, but I had to do the head gasket within about 500 miles of the beginning of that experiment, because it similtaneously developed two pretty major external oil leaks. Diesel oil has much stronger detergent properties. It is for diesels. I would, however, like to try it on a new engine and see if the innards stay cleaner after 150000 miles. Putting it into an engine that's being sealed by brittle old rubber and dirt is asking for trouble, I found!

X2 on sticking with the manufacturer's spec on this one.

-Tom

PS I have a 1.8T, too, in my Passat w/125k miles - no sludge. Bought it new and used Castrol GTX straight SAE30 Dino oil for its first 50000 or so, before the VW sludge letter! I always let the turbo cool down 60 seconds (or at least 120 sec if I was driving hard). Also, I'm in TN, with a heated garage, FWIW I think that's what saved me! (Before anyone flames me for the "straight-weight" oil, read up on "viscosity extenders" please). Also VW spec at the time said SAE30 was OK for temperatures above 30F.

[Prospeeder]

Originally Posted by transporter2004

5w40w? Jesus, you'l put so much pressure on the poor car. Just cycle through a couple of oil changes quickly. About 3k. You can use conventional oil, no need for synthetic here. Beware, if you use a full synthetic, you may notice some leaks here and there. Nothing you can do once they start. The most important thing is to be sure to change the oil and use a name you recognize. If you have never heard of the brand, it is probably recycled, stay away. This is one place where you need to spend the money on a good filter, and good oil.

Everything said here should be completely ignored. First off, 5w40 is the recommended all weather weight for all Audi/VW engines. Secondly, these engines use Gasket sealant for most parts, and special PTFE paper like seals, WHICH ARE NOT AFFECTED BY OIL OR ADDITIVES like rubber seals do. So that myth is bunked for our cars at least. Lastly, this whole, dont know the brand it must be recycled is garbage. It HAS to meet specific standards to even be on the shelf as engine oil. Most of these oils have HIGHER API specifications of quality than was around when they were new. Most "generic" oil brands are rebadged Valvoline, which is GREAT oil.

As far as if you NEED it, no, you don't, but you better keep up on service intervals. And "never flooring it" is not good for an engine as people believe. Engines that are "grandma" drivin around end up with alot of carbon deposits and end up burning oil from rings not staying seated (common issue on high performance V8 engines from ALL Manufactures)They are designed to be drivin!