help-im running on the wrong oil!

[ROYKEANE]

hi everyone,

i appear to be using the wrong oil in my car.passat 1.8t se 20v turbo on an 02 plate.
i last had it serviced in november,im sure they used semi synthetic in it.
i had a sludge issue just after i bought it about a year ago.full dealer service history and it appears that they had used mineral based oil since new.

so,come on,what should i be using? my guess is 5w-30 fully.
am i correct?.



roy

[Crasher]

What is wrong with semi synth? 10w/40 is OK and 5w/30 Longlife III better but the 1.8T is happy on semi synth for normal intervals.

[ROYKEANE]

hi again crasher,

so theres nowt wrong with whats in at the mo?,well its due a service shortly so i will be going for 5w-30 anyway.my car tends to need a very slight top up every 3-4 weeks but im talking in ml not litres.i read on here yesterday that running synthetic may eradicate this-is there any truth in that statement?



roy

[Crasher]

Thinner oil may even increase consumption. I try and get my customers to run Quantum Longlife III (5w/30) in 1.8T engines due to their habit of sludge build up, especially on the longitudinal engines in the Passat/A4/A6.

[m4xmw]

I`m using Fuchs Supersyn synthetic 5w40.
My car had full history and used semi syth before I got it too.

Mine is a 991.8t Passat.
I also use the newer larger VW oil filter.
I`ll dig the part number out for you if you need it.

Mark

[Inspector Beetle]

Hi, This new larger filter,is that the one that has 2 years 50.000 k on it?
I have fitted that type, and I run on Castrol GTD and do not use anything at all between changes (10.000)This a 160,000 mile 1999 Tdi.
Have a good day!!!

[m4xmw]

The filter is specific to 1.8t petrol cars.
Its larger size is to offset the fact the the cars sump holds only 3.5 litres of oil.

With the new filter in use, the car holds nearer to 4litres.

Its all to do with sludge build up.

There are probably still lots of Passats using the original small size fitment no doubt?

Mark.

[ROYKEANE]

hi fellas,
thanks for the tip but its one that ive already found the hard way.
i was supplied with the smaller one from a main dealer not long after i got the car a year ago.im certain it contributed towards the oil pick up pipe clogging up.
had the sump taken off [a pig of a job] and the pick up taken to pieces and cleaned thoroughly.had the sump pan de-coked too.
we then fitted the larger filter fitted and ive not had a trouble since.


ive been into my local vw independent [volksparts of durham] excellent service!,to book in for an oil change a week thursday.im getting quantum longlife 3 5w-30 [gold bottle] full synthetic put in.its a tad dear at £52 for 5 litres but if its the right oil for the job then who cares..


roy

[m4xmw]

Thats the scenario VW had tried to avoid Roy... hence the change in filters...

I think 5w40 or 5w30 synth is a good way to go... keeps the engine safer....
ie its a more stable oil that is less likely to sludge.

I`ll be doing 1 or 2 oil and filter changes a year, as I get the oil for 15 quid plus vat.
I think the large genuine filters are 6.50+vat.

Mark

[ROYKEANE]

hi mark,
i cant beleive though that vw specced mineral oil for these engines.i know that my car was owned by a lady driver who lives in our region and the car was full dealer history when i bought it as second owner.ive read the service history a couple of times and ive been to the dealer in question and they told me to use quantum oil but when i had a good look it was mineral oil.when i questioned it they advised the semi synthetic-i think we know what theyve been using!!.
but its the problems ive had shortly after i bought it.the breather pipe which runs around the side of the engine was absolutely choked solid as was the rubber boot which the pipe joins into,i had the rocker gasket renewed.and then the oil stop light and beep started after that small filter was fitted.i mean you should have seen the crap in the bottom of the sump and sump pan-it was like a carbon,hard congealed oil.and this was dealer serviced!.

i had a saab 93 turbo just a few years ago,i ran that on 00-30,that engine was immaculate inside,the oil always came out pretty clean.its just a shame the mpg wasnt better-or i would have hung onto it.

roy