VW Atlas V6 Oil

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My new Atlas and GTI are my first foray back into Euro cars since trading off my 01 SAAB 9-5 in 2009. Can I really not run RTS (excuse me, RT6) 5W40 in these cars?
 
Originally Posted by BrianWC
My new Atlas and GTI are my first foray back into Euro cars since trading off my 01 SAAB 9-5 in 2009. Can I really not run RTS (excuse me, RT6) 5W40 in these cars?

Of course you could - I'd keep the interval to 5k/6mo.

Why would you want to?
 
Originally Posted by rooflessVW
Originally Posted by BrianWC
My new Atlas and GTI are my first foray back into Euro cars since trading off my 01 SAAB 9-5 in 2009. Can I really not run RTS (excuse me, RT6) 5W40 in these cars?

Of course you could - I'd keep the interval to 5k/6mo.

Why would you want to?


IDK, always seemed to be the goto, no BS oil to use over the pricier euro-specific oils, while still seeming to hold up fine. I kept my OCIs to 5k in the SAAB b/c it was one of the sludger year cars (bad PCV design). I'm not worried about my GTI. I do 99% steady-state highway driving. Just wondering about the Atlas. Has anyone done UOAs of it in these situations to see how it compares? I've had 2 Hondas, a Ford, a Lincoln, and a GMC in the stable since my last european car. I have enjoyed not overthinking oil.

***I'm not against using the right oil. Just inquiring.***
 
Well Rotella T6 is no longer API SN, so I wouldn't use it.

After a lengthy chat with my local VW center's shop foreman, the information from VW is unclear at best. The above referenced Tech Tip says a 504 00 0W-30 MUST be used, but the owners manual and a separate (later!) Tech Tip say that 502 00 is suitable.

I do intend to use M1 FS 0W-40 for the life of the vehicle, but to be compliant with internal VW documentation it appears that 504 00 0W-30 is correct.
 
Originally Posted by BrianWC
IDK, always seemed to be the goto, no BS oil to use over the pricier euro-specific oils, while still seeming to hold up fine. I kept my OCIs to 5k in the SAAB b/c it was one of the sludger year cars (bad PCV design). I'm not worried about my GTI. I do 99% steady-state highway driving. Just wondering about the Atlas. Has anyone done UOAs of it in these situations to see how it compares? I've had 2 Hondas, a Ford, a Lincoln, and a GMC in the stable since my last european car. I have enjoyed not overthinking oil.

***I'm not against using the right oil. Just inquiring.***


Sorry I see a flaw in that. T6 is only 4 quarts at roughly $23 (price I saw last week) and say Castrol Edge 0w40 is only $25-27 for a full 5qt jug... Not to mention T6 is not VW approved and you're under warranty.
 
Originally Posted by Delta
Originally Posted by BrianWC
IDK, always seemed to be the goto, no BS oil to use over the pricier euro-specific oils, while still seeming to hold up fine. I kept my OCIs to 5k in the SAAB b/c it was one of the sludger year cars (bad PCV design). I'm not worried about my GTI. I do 99% steady-state highway driving. Just wondering about the Atlas. Has anyone done UOAs of it in these situations to see how it compares? I've had 2 Hondas, a Ford, a Lincoln, and a GMC in the stable since my last european car. I have enjoyed not overthinking oil.

***I'm not against using the right oil. Just inquiring.***


Sorry I see a flaw in that. T6 is only 4 quarts at roughly $23 (price I saw last week) and say Castrol Edge 0w40 is only $25-27 for a full 5qt jug... Not to mention T6 is not VW approved and you're under warranty.


Notice I said seemed. I traded in my SAAB 10 years ago. I'm not even sure if there was a Castrol 0W40 available at the time. People were still hoarding their GC Castrol 0W30. At the time, RTS was one of the cheaper options b/c M1 0W40 was almost as hard to find at Wal-Mart and online ordering was way more expensive. I settled on RTS and a maintenance dose (lol) of AutoRX. I just bought the T6 out of the assumption it would suffice. I've never had occasion to dig into the VW specs to see what makes them so special. Now I have 2 reasons, so maybe I will.
 
Originally Posted by BrianWC
Originally Posted by Delta
Sorry I see a flaw in that. T6 is only 4 quarts at roughly $23 (price I saw last week) and say Castrol Edge 0w40 is only $25-27 for a full 5qt jug... Not to mention T6 is not VW approved and you're under warranty.


Notice I said seemed. I traded in my SAAB 10 years ago. I'm not even sure if there was a Castrol 0W40 available at the time. People were still hoarding their GC Castrol 0W30. At the time, RTS was one of the cheaper options b/c M1 0W40 was almost as hard to find at Wal-Mart and online ordering was way more expensive. I settled on RTS and a maintenance dose (lol) of AutoRX. I just bought the T6 out of the assumption it would suffice. I've never had occasion to dig into the VW specs to see what makes them so special. Now I have 2 reasons, so maybe I will.


I actually used to run the old formulation T6 in my MKV 2.5 Jetta back when I lived in Mississippi. This was before I really learned about Edge 0w40 (or the like) and thought it would be too "thin" for the climate. Truth be told the Edge did just fine down there. I've run it twice in my MK7 and now am running Pennzoil Euro 5w40 from the dealer. I do notice higher oil temps even in the winter time, so I'll go back to DIY. I was just being lazy.
 
Originally Posted by rooflessVW
Well Rotella T6 is no longer API SN, so I wouldn't use it.

After a lengthy chat with my local VW center's shop foreman, the information from VW is unclear at best. The above referenced Tech Tip says a 504 00 0W-30 MUST be used, but the owners manual and a separate (later!) Tech Tip say that 502 00 is suitable.

I do intend to use M1 FS 0W-40 for the life of the vehicle, but to be compliant with internal VW documentation it appears that 504 00 0W-30 is correct.


Shell Introduced another RT6, 5w30 Multivehicle, which is SN.

I wouldn't lose sleep about not being SN, which SN requires the HTHS to be less than 3.5 cP. 504 and 502 require the HTHS to be greater or equal to 3.5 cP.
 
Originally Posted by BrianWC
My new Atlas and GTI are my first foray back into Euro cars since trading off my 01 SAAB 9-5 in 2009. Can I really not run RTS (excuse me, RT6) 5W40 in these cars?

You can run T6, but T6 is heavier than Castrol 0W40, and IMO, for gas applications, Castrol 0W30/40 are far better option.
In VR6 I would run thin W40 like Castrol 0W40 or M1 0W40, Pennzoil 5W40. Castrol 0W30 would be my choice, but as of last week 6qt is $86 on Amazon. Nor really worth it.
 
Originally Posted by edyvw
Originally Posted by BrianWC
My new Atlas and GTI are my first foray back into Euro cars since trading off my 01 SAAB 9-5 in 2009. Can I really not run RTS (excuse me, RT6) 5W40 in these cars?

You can run T6, but T6 is heavier than Castrol 0W40, and IMO, for gas applications, Castrol 0W30/40 are far better option.
In VR6 I would run thin W40 like Castrol 0W40 or M1 0W40, Pennzoil 5W40. Castrol 0W30 would be my choice, but as of last week 6qt is $86 on Amazon. Nor really worth it.


RT6 has a 0w40 option also.
 
Originally Posted by UG_Passat
Originally Posted by edyvw
Originally Posted by BrianWC
My new Atlas and GTI are my first foray back into Euro cars since trading off my 01 SAAB 9-5 in 2009. Can I really not run RTS (excuse me, RT6) 5W40 in these cars?

You can run T6, but T6 is heavier than Castrol 0W40, and IMO, for gas applications, Castrol 0W30/40 are far better option.
In VR6 I would run thin W40 like Castrol 0W40 or M1 0W40, Pennzoil 5W40. Castrol 0W30 would be my choice, but as of last week 6qt is $86 on Amazon. Nor really worth it.


RT6 has a 0w40 option also.

I was thinking more of KV100 viscosity. I know previous T6 had HTHS above 4, not sure about this one and why would it be necessary to go that way in VR6.
 
I'm not worried about thick/thin. I'll use whatever is appropriate and easy to come by. I may just go w/ Motul. I've always wanted an excuse to buy the stuff.
 
0W30 504, not much out there at this point it seems.

Motul Specific, Castrol OE from the dealer, Pennzoil Euro LX is really about it for now.
 
Originally Posted by Jimmy_Russells
0W30 504, not much out there at this point it seems.

Motul Specific, Castrol OE from the dealer, Pennzoil Euro LX is really about it for now.

Mobil 1 ESP as well, if you can find it for a decent price.
 
Originally Posted by UG_Passat
I wouldn't lose sleep about not being SN, which SN requires the HTHS to be less than 3.5 cP. 504 and 502 require the HTHS to be greater or equal to 3.5 cP.

SN does not require this. GF-5 does. There are plenty of SN lubes with HTHS above 3.5.
 
Update for posterity.

So quite unlike me, I decided to let the dealer do the 10,000 mile service on my 2018 Passat GT with the VR6. I didn't say a word about oil, but I half wondered if they would stick VW 508 0w20 in it since all other 2018 Passats get it. Then we would be having a discussion.

Nope, they were paying attention. But despite all the verbiage in the manual about 0w30 yadda yadda yadda, they filled it with Castrol OE 5w40. Which is exactly what I expected. And I now have it on paper they put VW 502 5w40 in it so I am not going to sweat the 0w30 language any longer.

I still wonder what an Atlas VR6 would have gotten with it's VW 504 0w30 ONLY (supposedly) spec. I did call the parts department ahead of time, they claimed to have the VW OE 0w30 oil in stock for purchase, but they wanted over 10 bucks a quart for it.
 
Originally Posted by KCJeep
Update for posterity.

So quite unlike me, I decided to let the dealer do the 10,000 mile service on my 2018 Passat GT with the VR6. I didn't say a word about oil, but I half wondered if they would stick VW 508 0w20 in it since all other 2018 Passats get it. Then we would be having a discussion.

Nope, they were paying attention. But despite all the verbiage in the manual about 0w30 yadda yadda yadda, they filled it with Castrol OE 5w40. Which is exactly what I expected. And I now have it on paper they put VW 502 5w40 in it so I am not going to sweat the 0w30 language any longer.

I still wonder what an Atlas VR6 would have gotten with it's VW 504 0w30 ONLY (supposedly) spec. I did call the parts department ahead of time, they claimed to have the VW OE 0w30 oil in stock for purchase, but they wanted over 10 bucks a quart for it.


It will get VW502.00 5W40 like almost every other VW at a dealer currently.
 
Originally Posted by edyvw
Originally Posted by TWsVW
The manual says every 10k miles, if I'm using the right oil? I just don't understand the differences between the manual (VW 502 00) and the factory advisory sticker (VW 504 00). VW 502 00 oils seem to be the norm, but VW 504 00 seems to provide better wear protection. 0W-30 is specified in both the manual and the advisory sticker, but I haven't seen any 0W-30's that are VW 504 00 approved (all seem to be 5W-30). The manual says that the factory filled was SAE 0W-30, so I think I'll just go with Castrol EDGE 0W-30 A3/B4 (VW 502 00) on the new engine for now and have the oil analyzed at some point. Just wish VW would clear-up the confusion...there are some Technical Bulletins out there for the Atlas, but I just don't have access:

2052987/1 17-18-02TT - Engine Oil Type and Viscosity Change for New Model Year

2012855/19 17-18-05 - Engine Oils Which Meet Volkswagen Oil Quality Standards (U.S. Only)

TW

OK, again, your Atlas DID NOT come with 0W30 oil. It is VW's usual mistake in manual. Welcome to the club, it is ongoing affair since 1997!
There was a time when Audi S4 was coming with 0W30 oil, and I think that ended up in Atlas manual.
You need VW502.00 oil! That is it. ANY oil with that approval will do it, whether it is 0W30, 5W30, 0W40 or 5W40 or even some 10W40. On top of that, VR6 is not that demanding.
Get Castrol 0W40 or Mobil1 0W40 FS in Wal Mart. Both are APPROVED by VW for using in engines requiring VW502.00 oils.
Castrol 0W30 is same oil basically as 0W40 except few minor chemistry details. You do not need it and you are wasting money. VW acknowledge confusion in manual in VW Atlas.


Agree. Oiling this VW shouldn't be that difficult. A spec 0W-40 or 5W-40 will do it. Just like in my son's Sportwagen, even Costco stocks a M1 Euro oil that'll work in that VW.
 
^^^I'll have to look next time I'm at Costco, I though they only carried the more ubiquitous 5W20/30.
 
Originally Posted by TiGeo
^^^I'll have to look next time I'm at Costco, I though they only carried the more ubiquitous 5W20/30.

M1 Euro 0W-40 is stocked in the auto isle, along with M1 vanilla 0W-20, 5W-30, and 10W-30.
They also stock Chevron Supreme 5W-30 and 10W-30, to include Delo SDE 15W-40. Occasionally, I'll see a older LE flavor show up.
smile.gif
 
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