02 Jetta TDI

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LiftBig315

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Oct 17, 2009
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North Dakota
My wife owns an 02 Jetta TDI, she has always got the oil changed at the dealership and I told her she needs to start letting me do it. (save a load of money)

What would you guys recommend as far as oil?
I was looking at Amsoil 5-40w European.

I live in Eastern ND and it gets pretty cold, as well.
 
Thanks. After reading for a while, I am liking the idea of squeezing every mile out of our cars that we can
wink.gif
 
I would agree, that is a very good oil. You could also use mobil 1 5-40 or rotella synthetic 5-40. those are all very good oils and have used them in our shop here in missoula on several vehicles.


WELCOME
 
Motul, TDI's love it!! The 5-40 european Amsoil is VERY good to. you can't lose with either and both carry the Specs for the TDI where others do NOT.
 
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You can get LOTS of information on the TDIclub website. I have an '01 Jetta (great car)and I use 15W-40 dino oil in the summer. For the winter, any of the oils mentioned will be fine. I use either Mobil 1 0W-40 or 5W-40 synthetic. The 5W-40 doesn't have VW certification, but is highly regarded by diesel heads. I run the synthetic only 5,000 miles during winter because I feel the car doesn't run hard enough and loads the oil with more soot.
 
If you want to stick with Amsoil, either of their 5w40 (AFL Euro or DEO truck oil) oils will be good. I'm partial to DEO though.

Castrol Syntec 5w40 is popular, as is Mobil 1 Turbo Diesel Truck 5w40 and Shell Rotella T 5w40. Pretty much any 0w40 or 5w40 will meet either of the 3 specs for that year TDI.

Mobil 1 0w40 might be the best year-round oil since you're in ND.
 
I went from 40WT down to 30WT in my TDI and gain about 2mpg. I am currently running a blend of Liqui Moly 5w30 Longtime Hightech oil and Redline 30WT race oil for my 20K OCI. I also have a DG/Amsoil bypass.
 
Originally Posted By: LiftBig315
My wife owns an 02 Jetta TDI, she has always got the oil changed at the dealership and I told her she needs to start letting me do it. (save a load of money)

What would you guys recommend as far as oil?
I was looking at Amsoil 5-40w European.

I live in Eastern ND and it gets pretty cold, as well.


If you haven't visited the TDI Club ( www.tdiclub.com ) then you definitely should.

There is absolutely no reason to frequent the dealership except for emergencies.

My '03 Golf TDI, purchased new, is only a few miles shy of 300k and has always had Mobil 5w40 except for one unsuccessful experiment with a 0w30 synthetic. I bought Delvac 1 5w40 when it was available, now use Mobil 1 Turbo Diesel Truck exclusively. It has always worked well for me and I do not plan to switch over the next 300k miles.
 
If you have an ALH engine, you are in luck. You can run almost any oil you wish. I tried GC 0W-30 and was disappointed that I didn't see a mileage increase. I moved to 0W-40 LubriMoly and saw no change, but the engine was a little quieter. In your truly cold climate, I'd stick with a synthetic oil, 5W-40 or 0W-40. To assist starts, you may want a magnetic oil pan heater. Put it on an outdoor timer and according to our Canadian and Alaskan friends, starts are much easier. When I use up my LubriMoly stash, I'll go with the M1 European car formula 0W-40 year 'round.
You may also get in the winter habit of using a fuel tratment like Howe's or FPPF or any anti-gel product you can easily find.
 
Mobil 1 Turbo Diesel Truck 5W-40.

Rotella T Synthetic 5W-40.

You're using the wrong Amsoil right now - for a Diesel, you want their 'DEO' 5W-40, as Pablo pointed out, not their AFL 5W-40, which is for gas applications.
 
Originally Posted By: addyguy
Mobil 1 Turbo Diesel Truck 5W-40.

Rotella T Synthetic 5W-40.

You're using the wrong Amsoil right now - for a Diesel, you want their 'DEO' 5W-40, as Pablo pointed out, not their AFL 5W-40, which is for gas applications.


AFL is Amsoil's VW505.01-rated oil for PD diesel engines. DEO is their API CJ-4 rated oil. Either one will work in the older TDI engines, DEO has a stronger additive package, it is better but both will work.
 
Originally Posted By: ARB1977
My buddy uses Syntec 5W30 in his bug tdi.


Depending on the model year, that is either a bad choice or a terrible choice. Syntec 5w30 almost certainly says "For Gasoline Engines Only" on the label. Or at least it is not rated for diesel engines by either VW or API.

Considering how many varieties of synthetic oil there are for diesel engines, there is never a need to use an unsuitable oil.
 
Ya, Syntec 5w30 doesn't belong in *any* TDI, as it's not diesel rated. Castrol SLX 5w30 though is a different beast.
 
Originally Posted By: BobFout
Ya, Syntec 5w30 doesn't belong in *any* TDI, as it's not diesel rated. Castrol SLX 5w30 though is a different beast.


Of course, when you crack about the owner's manual for a MK4 TDI with the ALH engine....

It did mention 505.00 or API CF-4/CG-4, or ACEA B3 (I forgot what year)

Coincidentally, all the 505.00 oils only met API CF

..which many in the TDI community went to heavy duty diesel oils. OThers stuck to 505.00/CF, others experimented.
 
Originally Posted By: Tornado Red
Originally Posted By: ARB1977
My buddy uses Syntec 5W30 in his bug tdi.


Depending on the model year, that is either a bad choice or a terrible choice. Syntec 5w30 almost certainly says "For Gasoline Engines Only" on the label. Or at least it is not rated for diesel engines by either VW or API.

Considering how many varieties of synthetic oil there are for diesel engines, there is never a need to use an unsuitable oil.


As far as i know his little bug is still ticking. Would it be my choice....no.
 
I have the exact same car and the replies above are really spot on for your oil choice.
For $ value, I use Mobil TD&T 5w40 when it's on sale.(AutoZone, Advanced, etc.) Usually works out to about $5 a quart with some filter you need to buy for a different car. Rotella S 5w40 is another good choice when you get it on sale. I've seen it as low as $12 a gallon, but you have to keep an eagle eye out. Tractor Supply, Farm/Fleet, etc.
Enjoy the car and do go to the tdiclub website. You'll be happy you did.
 
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That Rotella is the Rotella T Synthetic 5w40, not the 15w40.
The other choices (the diesel ones) are good too, just a little bit more money. Lot of options.
 
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