5w-30 or 10w-49 for high mileage Jetta?

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gregoron

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I'm planning on changing my oil next week and was buying oil from the local VW dealer who advices 5w-30 for my 2.0 norm ASP engine. Of course my manual says 5w40, 10w40, or 20w50. Only use 5w30 for topping up. I called my Audi/VW mechanic and he recommends 10w40 or 20w50 for hot climates. Avg temp here in Hawaii is 80 year round.

My car consumes a liter per 1000k only after 3 months following an oil change. I drive around 50 mil mostly hidhway miles with some hills.

Any opinions?
 
Use a 40 weight (don`t all/most VW`s spec 40 weights?). Go by what your manual/fsm says NOT the dealer.
 
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Hawaii isn't a hot climate.

I would use a 5w30 high mileage oil - Valvoline Maxlife or similar. Keep a close eye on the oil level (check it at least every time you get gas) and top up frequently if it's burning a liter every 1000 miles. Rotella T6 5w40 would also be a good choice for the engine.

The 2 point slow isn't particularly fast or efficient but it is very easy to service and will last a long time if cared for. Keeping the oil at an appropriate level is definitely #1 on that list.
 
As you don't have any cold start concerns I would use a 10/40. It will increase your fuel consumption by a few percent, but it will help reduce your oil consumption. 10/40 oil is also cheaper than the other viscosity ranges.
 
50 miles, mostly highway in Hawai'i? Didn't know that there was even 50 miles of highway on the islands.

I've run both 5W-30 synthetic and 0/5W-40 synthetic in my Audi, and have not seen a difference in MPG with either. I'd advise you to run Mobil 1 0W-40 if it is readily available in you location, otherwise something like Mobil 1 High Mileage 10W-30 or 10W-40 because they both meet ACEA A3/B4, which is what the VW502.00 spec is based on.

I none of those are available, a semi-synthetic like MaxLife in the 10W-30 or 10W-40 is also a good suggestion. Just cut your OCI down to 5-6k miles instead of the 10k mile interval with the full syn.
 
Mahalo for the replies. Yes, it's 50 miles per day commute round trip from one end of the island to the other :). I drive the car hard on the highways cause it's fun to drive. Engine's screaming at 3,500 rpm at 65 at times going up hill while some cars can't keep up. Any advantage of using full or blend synthetics to this 105k mileage car?
 
Full synthetics do last longer than conventional oils, BUT with an older car there is a greater risk of fuel or coolant contamination and both types of oil fail to protect an engine in the same way when contaminated.
If you do 5K miles OCI's then a major brand conventional oil would be just as good as a more expensive synthetic, BUT if you want to do a 10K miles OCI it would be better to use a full synthetic and do an annual UOA to check for contamination and to confirm the TBN and other figures are OK.
 
Originally Posted By: scurvy
Hawaii isn't a hot climate.

I would use a 5w30 high mileage oil - Valvoline Maxlife or similar. Keep a close eye on the oil level (check it at least every time you get gas) and top up frequently if it's burning a liter every 1000 miles. Rotella T6 5w40 would also be a good choice for the engine.

The 2 point slow isn't particularly fast or efficient but it is very easy to service and will last a long time if cared for. Keeping the oil at an appropriate level is definitely #1 on that list.


"2 point slow" lol haven't heard that since my days of hanging around my TDI friends....and I see you have a TDI!
 
With that kind of use, consumption and the fact the vehicle is actually spec'd for 10w40 I see no reason to use a 5w30.
 
Well we all know what I will say but I will say it anyway!

Mobil 1 0w40 would be a decent choice, but then again so would any decent within spec semi synthetic oil in 10w40 flavour, VW's are well known to use a little bit of oil, despite what the press may say, but so long as you keep the levels checked there is no real harm done, a litre per thousand miles is within normal tolerances according to VW UK.

I know there is a lot of use of thin we oils in the US but this car is not one I would put 5w30 in to be honest.

If the engine is the same as fitted to UK models it is a reliable enough lump but certainly not cutting edge tech.

Come to think about it my Taxi has been running really well on the latest OC with Maxlife 10w40, noticeably quieter and hopefully it's little leaks will lessen.

So why not give 10w40 Maxlife a try, surely a good candidate for HM oil? Should give good service as it is a synthetic blend.
 
@threeputtpar, I buy oil at Walmart. They pretty much have a good selection of oil. I even saw the 502 spec Valvoline Syntech 5w40, but only comes in quarts @ $7.81 each.

Good suggestions on the Maxlife 40 weight. I don't know why the VW dealer here use 5w30 for the 2.0. They use the 5w40 Syntech for newer and turbocharged models though.

I read Maxlife is a thinner HM oil compared to Castrol HM. i like the idea of getting thinner oil for max oil flow, less engine heat, and more hp. Would a thick Castrol HM 5w-30 get the same viscosity protection as a conventional 10w40?

PS. Or, I could also go with Maxlife 10w40. So, oils I'm looking at are: conventional 10w40, ML HM 10w40, and Castrol HM 5w30. Full synthetic is out of my budget right now.
 
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The 2.0 had some production issues where some would drink oil, and it sounds like you got one of them. VW typically recommends synthetic, 5w40 or 0w40, but 10w40 would be acceptable in HI. I would start with Rotella T6 5w40, pick up two gallons for about $20 each, so you will have some make up oil since you will burn some. It is on the thicker side of 40 weights. If that is consuming at the same rate that what else you use, I would next try Mobil 1 HM 10w40. If that doesn't change any, then I would go for Maxlife 10w40. If that still doesn't change it, I would just go for the cheapest 10w40 you can find and keep an eye on it. Heck, you could probably even go 15w40 HDEO.
 
Originally Posted By: gregoron
Would a thick Castrol HM 5w-30 get the same viscosity protection as a conventional 10w40?



Same viscosity? No, but the Castrol is the thickest 5w30 HM I know of with an HTHS of at least 3.3. Most 10w40's are going to be at least HTHS 3.7 for reference.

I've been running the Castrol HM 5w30 and it is thick stuff for sure but certainly not a 10w40. You could blend it if you wanted it thicker (say 50/50 Castrol HM 5w30 and 10w40 is going to get you close to a thin 40 weight) or just run the Castrol HM 10w40 if you want REALLY thick.

Or just run the Maxlife 10w40 and save yourself the trouble, it is thinner than the Castrol HM 10w40 and has a higher VI as well, good stuff too.
 
Good advice everyone. Thanks. I'm leaning on the T6 as the gallon jugs are available here. Read good things about it. But, now if I'm going to spend $20 on a gallon, it's not that much of a stretch to get 4 qts of the Syntech 5w40 for $30. I'll try it out first. If it still consumes, I'll go thicker and less expensive.

I figured out now why the dealer recommends 5w30 as refill oil for my 2.0. They're just going by what the manual says and what's available and cheaper. It's confusing what the manual says and what my Bentley repair guide says, which is 5 or 10w-40 or 20w-50. The 5w-30 is for topping up only.

PS. My VW mechanic also recommended 10w-40 and he worked at a dealer and now repairs and modifies Audis and VWs exclusively.
 
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I really doubt that the low output 2.0 really needs a forty grade oil.
I think that the only reason it even calls for a VW spec beyond a mere API one is for service commonality with other VAG engines.
If you want to use a forty, Maxlife SB, either red or green bottle, would be a good choice.
I don't think that the 2.0 needs or will benefit from a full synthetic, and if you're going to be adding oil anyway, you may as well add a cheaper oil.
I don't think that Valvoline offers Maxlife in the 10W-49 grade, but you could look for it:)
 
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