Special oil?

[mhenon]

There's a debate of sorts on the VW web-page (Freds TDI). VW claims their new PD diesel engine (common rail I think) requires "special" motor oil. You can't just dump a good quality CH-1 or CI-1 oil in the engine and call it good. It has to be a custom synthetic oil designed for that engine.

From reading the threads. . this is the way things are in Europe. Each engine design has it's own set of "special" needs. . and an oil is made to fill that nitch.

Seems to me if it needed special oil, they'ed have to provide it for free.

Anybody have any thoughts or input on this? Doesn't sound right to me. I have noticed a difference between my Jetta and Dodge however. The Jetta oil turns black really fast... much faster then the Cummins. Not only black. . but sort of gritty... like there's fine sand in the oil. Makes you want to change the oil "fast". The Cummins never gets this grainy look to it no matter how long between changes. This is using Mobile Delvac 1... so I'm not dumping soom cheap crap in there.

Maybe the high rev's of the Jetta (5000 rpm red-line) puts more wear on the oil. But, the book says you can go 10k miles between changes.

Bottom line... VW says use this new oil or the engine will be destroyed. Watta ya think?



Mike

 

[amsoilman]

There's a debate of sorts on the VW web-page (Freds TDI). VW claims their new PD diesel engine (common rail I think) requires "special" motor oil. You can't just dump a good quality CH-1 or CI-1 oil in the engine and call it good. It has to be a custom synthetic oil designed for that engine.

From reading the threads. . this is the way things are in Europe. Each engine design has it's own set of "special" needs. . and an oil is made to fill that nitch.

Seems to me if it needed special oil, they'ed have to provide it for free.

Anybody have any thoughts or input on this? Doesn't sound right to me. I have noticed a difference between my Jetta and Dodge however. The Jetta oil turns black really fast... much faster then the Cummins. Not only black. . but sort of gritty... like there's fine sand in the oil. Makes you want to change the oil "fast". The Cummins never gets this grainy look to it no matter how long between changes. This is using Mobile Delvac 1... so I'm not dumping soom cheap crap in there.

Maybe the high rev's of the Jetta (5000 rpm red-line) puts more wear on the oil. But, the book says you can go 10k miles between changes.

Bottom line... VW says use this new oil or the engine will be destroyed. Watta ya think?



Mike

MIke,

As long as you use an oil that will meet these specs, you can use any oil you want. Volkswagen 501. 01, 502. 00, 503. 00, 505. 00, 506. 00

For your information, Amsoil Inc. just released a 5W-40 that does meet and exceed these specs.



Wayne

amsoilman

 

[rbattelle]

Perhaps it has something to do with the VW EGR system, which (I've heard) has a tendency to coke up intake manifolds. Perhaps they're relying on the oil to absorb all that coke.



-Ryan

 

[SBall]

I questioned my V-Dub dealer about this and the service guys said it had to do with the unit injectors which are apparently actuated with the cam shaft.

Steve

 

[mhenon]

Wayne, I guess the question is: What's that 5W/40 European oil doing. . that a regular 5W/40 synthetic diesel grade oil isn't? Why can't you just use off the shelf Mobil or Rotella 5W/40 synthetic?

SBall, above, mentioned the cam actuated injectors. That's what I read on the VW page. So why wouldn't "any" good diesel rated sythetic handle the problem?

Mike