Castrol EDGE 5w-40 U.S.–is it actually VW 502.00 approved?

[TurboDieselPoint]

Hi all,

I bought Castrol Edge 5w-40 U.S. for my 2017 Volkswagen Passat. The car has the 1.8 TSI engine which requires an oil which "expressly complies" with VW standard 502.00. I follow the Volkswagen recommended 10,000 mile or 1 year OCI.

Here's the deal: I have Edge 5w-40 U.S. (black bottle), but Castrol also makes Edge Professional OE 5w-40, which comes in a gold bottle. What strikes me is that the Edge Professional OE bottle says that it is "approved and licensed" for VW 502.00, whereas the bottle I have has more vague language. A similar story is seen in the PDSs from Castrol: the Professional OE oil PDS says "formulation approved and licensed" whereas the PDS for my oil say "formulated for approved and licensed...specifications."

https://msdspds.castrol.com/bpglis/FusionPDS.nsf/Files/9968EF087EC8CBD6802582A4004AD6DA/$File/BPXE-AA5D4U.pdf

https://msdspds.castrol.com/bpglis/FusionPDS.nsf/Files/9968EF087EC8CBD6802582A4004AD6DA/$File/BPXE-AA5D4U.pdf

It seems to me that there could be something fishy here. After reading the language, I feel there is a possibility that the oil I have may not actually have earned the official VW 502.00 license. Rather, it may be simply what Castrol recommends for cars with that requirement.

Is this oil truly approved and licensed by Volkswagen for 502.00?

Thanks!

 

[Linctex]

I stopped reading when I saw "Porsche A40"

If it meets that - - it is the GOOD stuff.

 

[Nyogtha]

I used that oil purchased during an annual Autozone clearance in a friend's late model turbo Audi based on VW 502.00 appearing in that list when I lived in the Great Lakes area for up to 10K miles with no problems.

 

[Gokhan]

Edge 5W-40 US and Edge Professional OE 5W-40 are identical oils -- just different packages.

 

[RooflessVW]

It is on the list and approved.

 

[knerml]

Yes, as stated above it is approved by VAG.

Here is the link to the list:
https://www.audiusa.com/content/dam...Technical-Service-Bulletin-1.22.2018.pdf

 

[Kjmack]

Originally Posted by Gokhan
Edge 5W-40 US and Edge Professional OE 5W-40 are identical oils -- just different packages.

Pro. is micro filtered . That may be a bad thing because I was told here that dirty oil is better for your engine . So if you do your 10k OCI your last 5k will be better for your timing chain than the first 5k

 

[Kjmack]

What strikes me as odd you are so concerned with the wording of the black bottle compared to gold bottle but you are not concerned about going 10k , when all know VWs like to make carbon and shear oil ?

 

[Snagglefoot]

Here is the Canadian bottle: " Meets the engine test requirements of: "

 

[Egg_Head]

Originally Posted by Kjmack
What strikes me as odd you are so concerned with the wording of the black bottle compared to gold bottle but you are not concerned about going 10k , when all know VWs like to make carbon and shear oil ?

+1

 

[Onetor]

It meets the spec. Follow your OM.

 

[edyvw]

Originally Posted by Kjmack
What strikes me as odd you are so concerned with the wording of the black bottle compared to gold bottle but you are not concerned about going 10k , when all know VWs like to make carbon and shear oil ?

And using 5W40 which is step below 0W40.

 

[weasley]

Originally Posted by edyvw
And using 5W40 which is step below 0W40.

Have you seen how many 0W-40 oils are on the 502 00 list?

 

[edyvw]

Originally Posted by weasley
Originally Posted by edyvw
And using 5W40 which is step below 0W40.

Have you seen how many 0W-40 oils are on the 502 00 list?

No, I am talking about this particular topic. OP asked about oil in the US. Castrol 0W40 which is approved for VW502.00 is readily available for the same price.
Take in the consideration that there is substantial difference in Euro oils availability between US and UK.

 

[TurboDieselPoint]

Hi all,

First off, thank you all for the replies.

To resolve my question, I ended up returning the unopened black bottles and buying the Castrol Edge Professional OE 5w-40 for only $1 more per bottle ($7.71/bottle) directly from the local Audi dealership.

VAG and Castrol collaborated to make this oil, and this is the one which came in the car from the factory. It's the one recommended in the owner's manual and on the oil cap; it's the one which has explicitly earned the 502 license; it's the one which was almost certainly used during the engine's development and testing; it's the one which actually has a VW/Audi part number; and, most importantly, it's the one I like.

For those of you scratching your head about why I am insisting on 5w-40 and not 0w-40, it's simple: the owner's manual instructs 5w-40 or 5w-30 only. In fact, it says I should resort to anything other than those only if the 5w-30 or 5w-40 grades are not available. They know what they are talking about because they are the ones who engineered the car, after all. If 0w-40 were a good idea, they would have said so.

As for the 10K mi./1 yr OCI: same story as above. The manual instructs that OCI, so why bother with anything else?

Thanks again, everyone.

 

[Kjmack]

Well I guess there you go then , I'm glad I don't follow my owners manual to the letter . You got your mind set and nobody is going to change your mind . Your car you can do as you please.

 

[RooflessVW]

So, you paid more for the same oil in a gold bottle?

That's cool, I guess. I just did my Q7's oil change with clearance Castrol 0W-40 and a Fram cartridge... To the tune of $18.

 

[kschachn]

Originally Posted by TurboDieselPoint
For those of you scratching your head about why I am insisting on 5w-40 and not 0w-40, it's simple: the owner's manual instructs 5w-40 or 5w-30 only. In fact, it says I should resort to anything other than those only if the 5w-30 or 5w-40 grades are not available. They know what they are talking about because they are the ones who engineered the car, after all. If 0w-40 were a good idea, they would have said so.

Please post the exact language from your owner's manual that states 5W-40 or 5W-30 only. The owner's manual I looked at online for the Passat only requires 502 00 approved oil and does not require a specific grade. Your manual must be different.

I agree that they know what they are talking about, but what they are talking about is the approval. No one oil is more "approved" than any other oil that carries the same approval, you're living in fantasy land if you think so. Castrol 0W-40 is just as explicitly approved as the oil you purchased from the dealer. If Volkswagen didn't wish to approve a 0W-40 oil for 502 00 applications then they wouldn't have granted it approval, would they?

 

[Delta]

Originally Posted by kschachn

Please post the exact language from your owner's manual that states 5W-40 or 5W-30 only. The owner's manual I looked at online for the Passat only requires 502 00 approved oil and does not require a specific grade. Your manual must be different.


Here's the literature from the owners manual. (Even though I have a GTI the manual applies to all Golf variants which includes the 1.8T that is in the OP's car)

Nowhere does it say 5w40 or 5w30 only. "Be sure to use a viscosity for the climate, season, and operating conditions where the vehicle is used."

 

[edyvw]

Originally Posted by TurboDieselPoint
Hi all,

First off, thank you all for the replies.

To resolve my question, I ended up returning the unopened black bottles and buying the Castrol Edge Professional OE 5w-40 for only $1 more per bottle ($7.71/bottle) directly from the local Audi dealership.

VAG and Castrol collaborated to make this oil, and this is the one which came in the car from the factory. It's the one recommended in the owner's manual and on the oil cap; it's the one which has explicitly earned the 502 license; it's the one which was almost certainly used during the engine's development and testing; it's the one which actually has a VW/Audi part number; and, most importantly, it's the one I like.

For those of you scratching your head about why I am insisting on 5w-40 and not 0w-40, it's simple: the owner's manual instructs 5w-40 or 5w-30 only. In fact, it says I should resort to anything other than those only if the 5w-30 or 5w-40 grades are not available. They know what they are talking about because they are the ones who engineered the car, after all. If 0w-40 were a good idea, they would have said so.

As for the 10K mi./1 yr OCI: same story as above. The manual instructs that OCI, so why bother with anything else?

Thanks again, everyone.

Your car comes with 0W30 oil inside, at least that is what VW/Audi used for years.
VW uses 5W40 OE because it has dye in it and it is easier to locate leaks. No other difference is between 5W40 OE and 5W40 in black bottles
VW502.00 is what matters, and numerous oils are approved (not particularly stringent specification). That engine is developed around requirements NOT particular oils. Take into consideration that those engines are using in Europe VW504.00/507.00 which are "lighter" oils than 5W40 (VW 504.00/507.00 are strictly confined to W30, either 0W30 or 5W30).
So only thing that matters in your post is, that you like that oil. All things you mentioned are actually factually wrong. On top of that, much factually better VW502.00 oils are readily available to purchase.