changing the oil in a 2002 VW passat wit the 1.8 turbo engine. thinking of going with either Mobil 1 0W40 or Castrol 5W40 and a P1 filter. which oil would be better for this particular engine? does anyone on here have a car like this or can point me out to a video on how to change the oil on it, ive heard horror stories of how difficult it is to get to the drain plug.
oil change in a 2002 passat
- Thread starter mobilaltima
- Start date
- Status
Mobil 1 0w-40. Also, I think you will need a new drain plug since I believe the drain plug washer is permanently attached to the plug.
alright. anyone here have a video or pics on how to remove everything necessary to get to the drain plug?
A friend of mine owned a 2002 Passat 1.8T. He always had it serviced in a shop, so I'm unsure about the drain plug removal and if it needs to be replaced every time.
What I can tell you is that this year Passat with the 1.8T is a known sludger. Any of the oils mentioned so far will work well, just don't go too long before oil changes. I'd say 5,000 miles max.
What I can tell you is that this year Passat with the 1.8T is a known sludger. Any of the oils mentioned so far will work well, just don't go too long before oil changes. I'd say 5,000 miles max.
www.passatworld.com
Not hard at all, you don't need a new drain plug, just a copper washer. You may have to pull a few torx screws to take the plastic underbody cover off to gain access to the oil pan. ALSO, wrap the oil filter in a plastic bag BEFORE you unscrew it to catch the oil that would otherwise drip all over the suspension parts and make everything especially messy down there.
Plenty of DIY pics on the web if you search.
Mobil1 0-40 is good, GC if you can find it, most other high-quality 40wt synthetics turbo engines are probably ok (RP, Amsoil, etc). Or HDEO like RotellaT6, Delo400 synthetic. IF the oil says designed for turbo applications it's probably ok. Use the extra large oil filter as well, and do not go past 5k miles between oil changes. These have a small sump capacity and will take slightly less than 4qts even with the large oil filter.
Not hard at all, you don't need a new drain plug, just a copper washer. You may have to pull a few torx screws to take the plastic underbody cover off to gain access to the oil pan. ALSO, wrap the oil filter in a plastic bag BEFORE you unscrew it to catch the oil that would otherwise drip all over the suspension parts and make everything especially messy down there.
Plenty of DIY pics on the web if you search.
Mobil1 0-40 is good, GC if you can find it, most other high-quality 40wt synthetics turbo engines are probably ok (RP, Amsoil, etc). Or HDEO like RotellaT6, Delo400 synthetic. IF the oil says designed for turbo applications it's probably ok. Use the extra large oil filter as well, and do not go past 5k miles between oil changes. These have a small sump capacity and will take slightly less than 4qts even with the large oil filter.
I had success with both of those oils in my 2002 1.8T Passat. I had to make an absolute choice it would be the Mobil 1.
I used a Mighty Vac oil extractor for my oil changes. If you read the Passat forums, this is a popular alternative because of the hassle of removing and reinstalling the belly pan.
I found the best way to remove the oil filter is from above. Remove the fasteners from the coolant overflow tank, unhook the temperature sensor and move it out of the way. The filter is then easily accessible. The plastic bag trick also works well – most of the time ;>)
I used a Mighty Vac oil extractor for my oil changes. If you read the Passat forums, this is a popular alternative because of the hassle of removing and reinstalling the belly pan.
I found the best way to remove the oil filter is from above. Remove the fasteners from the coolant overflow tank, unhook the temperature sensor and move it out of the way. The filter is then easily accessible. The plastic bag trick also works well – most of the time ;>)
My first post here, but I have a 2004 Passat with 1.8t as well. You will need a 19mm wrench to remove the drain plug; you won't need to replace the plug, but it won't hurt to replace with one that has a magnet on it. I did this a couple years ago. You can order one from GermanAutoParts.com, along with a bag of 10 copper washers for cheap.
Removing the belly pan is the least fun part, but easier than the one I have, which is the aluminum Thor plate. You'll be best served removing the 3 screws from the coolant tank, lift it up and unplug the coolant sensor so it'll be easier to lift up. From there reach down and remove the filter. What I do is loosen it a little, then lay a couple shop towels under it, and place a Target bag around the oil cooler. This helps with dripping oil, but once the oil drips down the filter, the bag will be slippery as well. There really isn't a quick and easy way to drain the oil on these cars, but it goes with the territory.
You'll need to make sure to use the larger filter, I use Mann 940/25 filters. Order 10 and get free shipping from germanfilters.com, and the price is cheaper per unit. For oil, just get something local that meets VW's 502 cert. Most widely available would likely be Mobil1 0w-40, Castrol Syntec 5w-40, and some others. Shop around for some Euro oils if you feel so inclined. For more useful info on this car, check out passatworld.com/forums. There's a ton of info on these cars. I recommend not going much beyond 5k mile OCIs, especially if you don't know much about the previous owner's maintenance. I've used the oils you've mentioned with no issues, and I'm currently using Motul 8100 x-cess 5w-40. As long as it meets the spec and viscosity I wouldn't worry about it.
-Mike
Removing the belly pan is the least fun part, but easier than the one I have, which is the aluminum Thor plate. You'll be best served removing the 3 screws from the coolant tank, lift it up and unplug the coolant sensor so it'll be easier to lift up. From there reach down and remove the filter. What I do is loosen it a little, then lay a couple shop towels under it, and place a Target bag around the oil cooler. This helps with dripping oil, but once the oil drips down the filter, the bag will be slippery as well. There really isn't a quick and easy way to drain the oil on these cars, but it goes with the territory.
You'll need to make sure to use the larger filter, I use Mann 940/25 filters. Order 10 and get free shipping from germanfilters.com, and the price is cheaper per unit. For oil, just get something local that meets VW's 502 cert. Most widely available would likely be Mobil1 0w-40, Castrol Syntec 5w-40, and some others. Shop around for some Euro oils if you feel so inclined. For more useful info on this car, check out passatworld.com/forums. There's a ton of info on these cars. I recommend not going much beyond 5k mile OCIs, especially if you don't know much about the previous owner's maintenance. I've used the oils you've mentioned with no issues, and I'm currently using Motul 8100 x-cess 5w-40. As long as it meets the spec and viscosity I wouldn't worry about it.
-Mike
Last edited:
Oh, one more thing, please be sure you're removing the drain plug from the oil pan, not the transmission pan! Different plugs, but people have done it on this car. I've had mine almost 5 years and 70k miles, let me know if you need other advice.
alright thanks guys. this is my friends car. having a hard time deciding between mobil 1 0w40 or GC because they are both readily available at my local AutoZone. as for the filter, ill either go with Mobil 1 EP or a P1, anyone know what is the part number for the oversize filter for these two in particular?
I think M1 filter part number is m1-301. I've used both M1 and GC you're referring to, and I was told over the summer by a buddy of mine who works on VWs, Passats in particular, that the GC while an excellent oil and on VW 502 list, isn't necessarily the best for this engine, particularly when the motor gets some age as GC is a bit "thin" for this application.
While it likely won't shear much (very robust for a 0w-30), we should be running something higher, such as Castrol Syntec 5w-40 or M1 0w-40. Both are quality oils and easily obtainable at most over the counter parts stores. Again, I have used GC and had no issues with it, and wouldn't be afraid of it, I just wanted to give you some food for thought. Cheers!
While it likely won't shear much (very robust for a 0w-30), we should be running something higher, such as Castrol Syntec 5w-40 or M1 0w-40. Both are quality oils and easily obtainable at most over the counter parts stores. Again, I have used GC and had no issues with it, and wouldn't be afraid of it, I just wanted to give you some food for thought. Cheers!
Last edited:
Although I have the 2.0T and not the 1.8T I would argue recomending Castrol Syntec 5W-40 over Castrol Syntec (GC) 0W-30. In my application, the vehicle came from the dealer with Syntec 5W-40 ......had to do a top up after about 3K kms. Dealer did the next OC and same thing, another top up needed mid OCI. I put in GC next and after 4K kms it is still at the full level and no top ups required.
These engines can be tough on your oil, my recomendations are the same as most BITOG recomendations - Mobil 1 0W-40, GC, or if you can find it PU 5W-40. There are other non VW 502 oils such as Shell and Mobil TDT that as per the UOA's also work great.
These engines can be tough on your oil, my recomendations are the same as most BITOG recomendations - Mobil 1 0W-40, GC, or if you can find it PU 5W-40. There are other non VW 502 oils such as Shell and Mobil TDT that as per the UOA's also work great.
The 2.0t is known to be a little harder on oil as it tends to dilute the oil (fuel mixing in with the oil) because of the nature of its direct injection. For this reason, I could see GC being a little better as it's more shear stable. It starts out at a lower base number than the 5w-40, but generally on these engines doesn't shear as much. This could explain why you using GC works out better than the 5w-40 counterpart. I've never had to top up oil since I've had this car, not with a little over 100k miles, oil and filter changes every 5k miles. 2.0t engines generally aren't so lucky on any of VW cars; most seem to use oil, somewhat like the 2.8 VW motors did it seems.
Last edited:
- Status
Similar threads
- Question