What's the special thing about VW 502.00 oils?

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Is there something different that can be seen in the VOA's?
Is it the base stock? what is it that makes certain oils special enough to be rated for VW 502.00/505.01 or 503.01 and the majority of ACEA A3 oils not good enough?

And...really what is the chance of harm in not using a VW approved oil in a VW (i know that VW does specifically state that VW approved oils must be used for warranty purposes).
 
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What's the special thing about VW 502.00 oils?




The ability of VW to extract more cash out of your wallet?
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502.00 most likely nothing different then any half decent synthetic blend.

505.01 is a completely different case though, it was tested to provide the best protection for Pump Duse TDI's injectors & cam. Don't use it and your playing with fire.
 
These questions are too generic. What engine(s) do you have and what oils are you willing and able to buy for them. I'll tell you if which ones I think are suitable.
 
Well I for one have an Audi TT with the 1.8 liter turbo engine. I am using M1 0w-40 in it for the winter and the summer she is going to get Shell Rotella T Synthetic 5w-40. I have heard good thing here about Rotella so in it goes when the weather get's warm again.
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Obviously, for assured warranty coverage at the long recommended change intervals, you're pretty much stuck riding the VW spec parade. As I understand it, the VW specs are variations on the ACEA sequences, but with some extended duration alterations. It's a safe if occasionally confusing arrangement.

But as a practical matter, if the intervals are kept appropriately shorter, most A3 and synthetic oils should hold up just fine in most VAG engines, with some important caveats.

For instance, I see no problem whatsoever in running 5 or 10w-30 PP or Schaefers 7000 in the new 2.5NA at intervals of 5K or under. 6.3 qts, no turbo and a lower stress valve train allow that.

But conversely, the TDIs need the correct VW spec oil, or the risk of injection system damage increases.
 
I have a '00 VW GTI 1.8T that specifies VW 502.00 oil. I don't always use oil that meets that spec. I recently drained PP 10w30 after a 5k mile OCI & am currently running Q synthetic 5w30. I'll probably only run it for 3-4k miles, since my wife is driving the car for a while, and it won't get any highway miles for a little bit yet.

I ran dino oil & Fram filters in this car from 15k-36k with no apparent ill effects. The engine is still very clean, as far as I can tell looking through the oil fill hole. I don't notice anything different in the way the engine runs or sounds with non-VW-spec oil.

Another thing to note; every time I've had M1 0w40 analyzed after 5k+ miles in my GTI, it has always sheared to a light 30wt, and my wear metals are always very, very low. All this to say: Unless you regularly drive your VW/Audi (that spec's. 502.00 oil) on the Autobahn, or drag race, or you have heavily modified the engine, I think most any off-the-shelf, name brand 5w30 or xw40 synthetic will work absolutely fine in these engines. DISCLAIMER: I can't back up that last statement with any scientific evidence.

Lastly, if I had it to do over again, I would have used 502.00 spec. oil in my GTI while it was under warranty, just in case. No need to fight with the VW dealer over the oil used under warranty.
 
As mentioned before, with the turbo engines I would stick with 502.00 oils. In the case of the 1.8t, 5K miles is the OCI limit, regardless of the oil used. There are many previous posts on this subject.

I run a 10K mi. OCI with my 2.7t using GC, but it has a 7.3 qt. sump.
 
I don't think that VW 502 oils are really that special. Some groups 3 oils have the VW 502 approval so its not limited to full synthetic oils group 4. I believe that ACEA A3 oils will do fine in most normal non turbo VW gas engines. If you used say a 10W-30 or 10W-40 conventional oil in a VW 2.0L engine it would work fine. Just because it doesn't carry the VW 502 approval doesn't necessarily mean it can't meet that. For example it is likely Mobil 1 Truck & SUV 5W-40 should qualify.
 
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These questions are too generic. What engine(s) do you have and what oils are you willing and able to buy for them. I'll tell you if which ones I think are suitable.




VW 2.0T FSI
 
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505.01 is a completely different case though, it was tested to provide the best protection for Pump Duse TDI's injectors & cam. Don't use it and your playing with fire.




Can you provide proof of this in the form of documentation from VW? (TSB, etc...) I've heard this same point repeated dozens of times. Without something more definitive, this is just a repetition of speculation and heresay, IMO
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What's the special thing about VW 502.00 oils?




The ability of VW to extract more cash out of your wallet?
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grin.gif





Oils that are VW 502-approved or at least meet VW 502 are generally not more expensive than other Group III or IV oils.
 
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502.00 most likely nothing different then any half decent synthetic blend.

505.01 is a completely different case though, it was tested to provide the best protection for Pump Duse TDI's injectors & cam. Don't use it and your playing with fire.




VW 502 and 505.01 are not mutually exclusive. Valvoline Synpower 5W-40 meets both specs. Someone mentioned that all VW 505.01 oils must now also meet VW 502.00, but if that claim is correct I do not know.

VW 502 oils are generally full synthetic (Group IV) or synthetic (Group III or Group III+IV) oils. Some are Group IV. VW 505.01 oils are to my best knowledge never pure Group IV oils, but rather Group III (possibly + IV).

VW 502 has been adjusted and modified repeatedly since its conception many years ago and is still an up-to-date spec. I use the VW 502 spec as the basis for oil choices for my engine (which specs the older VW 500.00). That doesn't mean I will necessarily use an oil that even meets VW 502, but I am aware of the more critical parameters like HTHS, ash content, and volatility limits that are specified for oils that are suitable for my engine and kind of driving.

A VW 502 oil will hold up during extended high speed and high load driving in normally and abnormally aspirated (
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)engines. VW 502 also allows extended drain.

VW 502 approval requires passing of the very tough, 248 hour lasting VW T4 test sequence, which Mercedes Benz also uses as part of their own oil test. No makeup oil is allowed during the T4 test and there are strict limits on allowed thickening of oil.

For normally aspirated and turbo VW, Audi and Porsche engines that have normal HTHS requirements and and do not require low ash oil or that call for extremely extended drain intervals, VW 502 is in my opinion the top safe "grab-off-the-shelf" choice oil spec. Most people are not inclined to laboriously figure out how to safely match or how to safely deviate from the car manufacturer's requirements and specs.
 
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Valvoline Synpower 5W-40 (VW 502/505.01) is around $5 a quart at NAPA and PepBoys. Same price as Valvoline's non-VW 502-rated oils.

Castrol Syntec 5W-40 (VW 502) is around $6 a quart at AutoZone. Same price as their non-VW 502-rated synthetic oils.

Pennzoil Platinum 5W-40 (VW 502) costs around $6.50 a quart. That one might be more than their non-VW 502-rated oil, but I don't know for sure.

M1 0W-40 (VW 502/505.00) costs now just a hair under $7 a quart. $6.99 seems to be the regular retail price for M1 oil, regardless off what specs the oil may meet.

The VW 502 approved/rated ("meeting") oil pricing seem to be in line with the common pricing for predominantly Group III or Group IV oils.

Yes, I know Rotella-T is cheaper. But their 5W-40 is hard to find, at least here.
 
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On second thought, I'm not sure M1 isn't $5.99 a quart. I know I did pay over $6 with tax when I bought M1 T&SU last summer at Kragen.

Anyway, I don't see any price difference between essentially comparable oils (same group, same viscosity) that can be attributed to meeting, exceeding or being certified for VW 502.
 
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VW 502 was run on an old VW 2.0l. Hardly the nector of the Gods. Run Rotella Synth with confidence. Any 5w-40 is fine. 10w-40 sunth is fine as well as some blends like DuraBlend. Delo 15w-40 as well as Supertech Synth carried the A3 spec for a while. MaxLife Synth claims VW 502 (great oil). Now there are a few 15w-40 blends like Castrol Syntec Blend and DuraBlend that would be interesting to try.
 
It doesn't matter if the 2.0 engine is an especially good engine or an old engine design. This engine is part of the CONSISTENT TESTING EQUIPMENT that VW chose to use for CONSISTENCY'S sake. The T4 test is not about engine, but instead about OIL PERFOMANCE. If VW (and Mercedes) were to constantly change the testing equipment, comparing testing results would be come difficult. Is that such a DIFFICULT to comprehend concept?
 
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VW 2.0T FSI




I am told VW use Castrol SLX Longtec 0w-30 for those motors here in SA. I would see no reason to use anything else, unless (as stated already) you were running the car at WOT for long periods, which is very unlikley unless you stay in the land of bockworst and hairy armpits.
 
I have no idea and don't care what features the 2.0T SA version has or lacks. The Euro 2.0T requires VW 504 oil, the US version with the detuned emissions control system requires VW 502 (Probably because VW 504 is not yet readily available and not required for the US version anyway).

The land of Bockwurst and hairy armpits, eh? At least there even the peasants use foks and nifes when eating kingklip in their shex.
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