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Gentlemen:
Can you help with clarification here? I have a 2005 Jetta 1.9 PD Diesel wagon and I live in Minnesota. At the time of my first oil change, I was a bit shocked to discover that the dealer price was nearly $8 per litre.
Some dealerships charge even more than that, some charge a bit less. Somewhere between $6-7 is as cheap as you're going to find, and the only way to get that is to find an online vendor that ships for free if you buy $75-100 worth or more.
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In checking with my local auto parts outlets (Auto Zone, Checker, NAPA, etc., back in early 2006), I couldn't seem to find ANY oil that met the 505.01 requirement.
True. The closest thing to a VW505.01 oil at normal retail outlets is the Quaker State Q Diesel 5w40 that can sometimes be found at Jiffy Lube outlets. This is repackaged Shell Helix Q Diesel, sold in many European countries. The product is good, but I recommend that buy the oil from them and then change it yourself. Or, bring your own oil filter, have them change the oil, but make positively certain that they install the filter properly, that they don't strip the threads on the drain plug/oilpan, that they fill only to the proper level and then give you back the partial container, etc. If you want it done right, you should probably do it yourself.
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In perusing both the BITOG and Bentley forums, I have read comments about AMSOIL European Blend, Valvoline SYNPWR, Motul, Elf and Pentosin. Am I correct in assuming that all of these meet the 505.01 standard? Can I also assume that any of the later specs (506.01, 507.01) will EXCEED the 505/01? Lastly, are any of the above-referenced alternatives priced more competitively than the $8 I mentioned above?
No one can verify regarding Valvoline. As for the others, they each offer one or more products that meet 505.01 or better. They also offer products that don't -- so do your research.
I suggest you forget about 506.01 -- it is being phased out everywhere, and it wasn't that great in the first place unless you had an engine that produced extremely low levels of soot. One of the important qualities of a diesel engine oil is its ability to handle soot, and the Elf CRV 506.01 failed this test.
Several oils meeting the VW507.00 spec are starting to be offered. I believe all of them are 5w30 viscosity, not 5w40. Oils meeting VW507.00 absolutely meet the older spec for warranty purposes. Many VW dealerships only carry the 507.00 5w30 oil, and have completely stopped carrying the older 5w40 stuff.