2003 Passat 1.8T and auto-rx

[harthamm]

I have a 1.8 Turbo with 31,000 miles. Oil changes religiously at 5K. These were 5w-40 dino until VW realized this and mandated synthetic.
We have had no problems,but, I decided to add 3 oz. autorx at last oil change.
Questions:
1)Is this useful without the full treatment (especially using synthetic)?
2)I am concerned about a full treatment in terms of it voiding VW's 8 yr. extended sludge coverage (especially if I use dino for rinse)
3)With the quality of synthetic do we really need autorx or anything else?

 

[darkdan]

1.) Should be. I believe the original problem was people going 10,000 mile intervals on conventional oil.

2.) No one has had an issue yet and many 1.8T users have done it. If 31,000 miles on conventional 5k intervals didn't kill your engine, then 3500 miles split between two intervals on conventional won't kill it either. If you're worried about the warranty, buy some Mobil1, keep the receipt, and fake the log book entries.

3.) Yes. Regardless of the type of oil used deposits will form. According to a book I just read although synthetics allow less deposits to form, the ones that do form are typically harder and more abrasive.

Really the only way for you to decide if you should run a full treatment or just start on the auto-rx maintenance plan is to look under your oil cap. If it looks bad then do a full treatment. If it looks okay (a little darkening is perfectly normal) then start out on the maintenance doses.

 

[moribundman]

quote:

---

These were 5w-40 dino until VW realized this and mandated synthetic.

---

What 5W-40 dino oil is there? To my best knowledge all 5W-40 oils are at least Group III and up.

 

[darkdan]

Yes, but not all group III (if you're of the school of thought that considers that synthetic) 5w40s claim to meet 502.00, but I'm sure they'd do fine in drains under 10k.

According to Rotella.com and Delvac.com neither claim to be 502.00 approved.

Sadly, I couldn't find a list of actual approved oils at vw.com, but I did find:

http://www.vw.com/vwcom/content/objects/pdf/service_maint/engoil_gas.pdf

Edit: All I had to do was search for 14 more seconds before hitting add post and I would have been able to put this on too:

www.dantheoilman.com/images/vw_approved_list.jpg

Just because it's not on the list doesn't mean it wouldn't work.

 

[wavinwayne]

harthamm,

Please tell us what 5w-40 dino you were using. If there is truly such an oil, I would like to know who's making one.

 

[harthamm]

It was put in by the VW dealership. I was told it was 5w-40, but, don't have any specific documentation. It is not specifically spelled out on the receipt as to brand or viscosity.

 

[wavinwayne]

Thanks for clearing that up.

 

[Mud]

Sounds like the dealer went the bulk oil route, not uncommon.

We have had good luck with our 02 A4 1.8T using M1 0W-40 or Castrol Syntec 5W-40 and the larger Mann oil filter. I do not go over 4K OCI's with this engine, and I add 6-8oz of LC at each oil change. Oil selection is based on BITOG wisdom and sticking with the 502.00 spec.

Car has about 63K miles and under the cap is a little dark, but no trace of sludge buildup.

 

[Frank]

harthamm your question 1-3 ounce maintenance dose is useful with or without sysntheric oil, it would have been spectacular had you cleaned your engine first.

Question 2 VW would never know you use non synthetic oil for 2000 miles and since it was fortified with Auto-Rx it is undetectable with average oil analysis

Question 3 oil does not do anything but surface clean it is not going to stop your engine from forming sludge.

Auto-Rx was born in Ormond Beach Fl and i would urge you to go to auto-rx forum and read about sludge.

 

[Ken2]

Are you sure that the originally used oil wasn't ordinary 5W-30? That's what the local VW dealership used until the sludge problem arose.

1) Not really.
2) Do a full treatment by the book. The results will be worth it. There is no problem running conventional oil for that short mileage. Do use a good filter, preferable a MANN or the identical VW filter at twice the price.
3) Synthetic oils are made so they are don't have too much detergency and cause problems. They won't remove any carbon or sludge present. Synthetic oils do leave a very small amount of residue behind which accumulates over time.

How long do you plan on keeping that car? If you need it to be reliable and minumum maintenance cost for a long time, do the full Auto-Rx routine.


Ken

 

[moribundman]

quote:

---

It is not specifically spelled out on the receipt as to brand or viscosity.

---

...