Best Oil for High Mileage (160k) 2005 Audi S4

[schockster]

Hi All,

As you can see, I've got very high mileage on my 2005 S4 with the 4.2. Had it for a little over a year now and have been running the [censored] dealer Castrol 5w-30 (I am so sorry, please forgive me). I live in a fairly cold climate, but my main question is what is the best oil for my S given its mileage?

I've heard good things about GC 0w-30, Mobil TDT 5w-40 and a few others for these cars normally. What do I need to look for in an oil as my car gets up there in miles?

Your advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Artem]

That ain't high mileage. That's Broken in properly!

Use whatever floats your boat and is easily obtained (unless you WANT to order online and have it shipped to your door step)

 

[67Customs]

What does the Audi call for?

Also, are you losing any oil between changes?

 

[Maxima97]

Maxlife 5W30. Loads of moly and seal conditioner. HTHSV>3.0.

 

[schockster]

Originally Posted By: Artem
That ain't high mileage. That's Broken in properly!

Glad to see I'm not alone in my love of well-cared-for, high-mileage cars.


I'm losing about a quart every 900 miles (not far from average in these things). The dealers all put in that Castrol synthetic 5w-30, although I've heard of some using 5w-40.

 

[Drew99GT]

I'd try Mobil 1 High Mileage 5w-30 winter and 10w-30 summer. It's ACEA A3 rated and has seal conditioners. That might help the oil consumption.

 

[67Customs]

I would give Mobil 1 High Mileage 5W-30 a shot or Mobil Super High Mileage 5W-30.

Both are great oils.

 

[Norm Olt]

Any 5W-40 ought to work like a charm. Rotella T jumps to mind.

Amsoil make a great one, as well.

German V8's also seem to REALLY love Amsoil's AME 15W-40.

What kind of OCI do you anticipate?

Any of the above-mentioned should be good for quite a while, and, NO, a 15W-40 full synthetic is not too heavy for Iowa winters. I'd be willing to give up a miniscule amount of gas mileage for increased engine life: I know that your motor is sorta' completely filling the engine compartment...

Cheers!

 

[typ901]

Doesn't 'dparm' have the same vehicle. Look for him here on the BITOG forums and see what he runs. He posts frequently, so he may see this too.

 

[dparm]

Originally Posted By: Maxima97
Maxlife 5W30. Loads of moly and seal conditioner. HTHSV>3.0.


No. The car requires an oil meeting 502/505, which means ACEA A3/B4. He needs HTHS 3.5 or higher.

 

[dparm]

Originally Posted By: schockster
Originally Posted By: Artem
That ain't high mileage. That's Broken in properly!

Glad to see I'm not alone in my love of well-cared-for, high-mileage cars.


I'm losing about a quart every 900 miles (not far from average in these things). The dealers all put in that Castrol synthetic 5w-30, although I've heard of some using 5w-40.




The only Castrol synthetic 5w30 they should be using is the SLX Pro. If it's straight Syntec 5w30, they're slowly killing that motor.

 

[dparm]

I would run Mobil 1 0w40 if the car is a daily driver. It meets the Audi requirements and has a proven record. It's cheap and readily available.

If you're willing to spend more and order oils, plenty of other good choices.

 

[schockster]

What do you guys think of the Mobil TDT 5W-40?

 

[Norm Olt]

Mobil TDT 5W-40? Probably an excellent choice, as well.

Cheers II!!

p.s. Out of warranty a lot of the letters & numbers on the bottle don't really mean as much as under...

Great oils that probably are 6 of 1 and a half-dozen of the other, IMHO.

 

[typ901]

Originally Posted By: schockster
What do you guys think of the Mobil TDT 5W-40?


I would follow dparm, and his advice, he seems to have an idea what this engine needs. If I recall correctly M1 TDT, is a just slightly cheaper then M1 0w-40. Even Castrol 0w-30 or 5w-40 meet VW 505

http://www.castrol.com/liveassets/bp_internet/castrol/castrol_usa/STAGING/local_assets/downloads/p,q/Edge_BLACK_PDS_Sept_2011.pdf

 

[Norm Olt]

Just FYI the Mobil site also recommends a 0W-40 for my 1991 420SEL!

Overkill if you don't live in Arctic conditions, IMHO.

 

[45ACP]

Originally Posted By: schockster
Originally Posted By: Artem
That ain't high mileage. That's Broken in properly!

Glad to see I'm not alone in my love of well-cared-for, high-mileage cars.





+1!

 

[dparm]

Originally Posted By: Norm Olt
Just FYI the Mobil site also recommends a 0W-40 for my 1991 420SEL!

Overkill if you don't live in Arctic conditions, IMHO.


Absolutely not! The 0w40 has a very high viscosity index and the proper HTHS for his motor. You're misinformed if you think a 0w oil is "overkill".

As for the question about TDT, it's not a very impressive oil in my opinion. There are far better oils I'd rather run.

You don't have to run a 502/505-approved oil, but do make sure the oil you use meets or beats ACEA A3/B4.

 

[Flying_A]

Wow, I'm stunned by some of the recommendations. Said recommendations don't even have a VW approval, Maxlife, really!?

Sure, you don't have to use a VW approved oil due to the mileage of your car but I would. Don;t understand why one would stray from it, especially in a high priced car that is expensive to repair with a lot of miles on the clock. Just replacing the timing chain tensioners on this thing is like a 27 hour job and a common one.

M1 0W-40 really could be the answer here but as for non VW approved oils, the Rotella T6 syn 5W-40 would work well I suppose if you want to go on that route. Both are cheap, readily available and a GREAT oils.

 

[OVERKILL]

M1 0w40 as dparm has suggested. It is the obvious choice.