wrong oil!

J

James23

Member
the car was serviced earlier this week, and the mechanic has put sum GMoil 10w40 in it, that is does not have the VW 507 00 or any other VW mark for that matter.
does it really matter? shall i change it?
cheers
 
You should really drop the oil, flush it and put fresh in, especially is you want to benefit from variable service intervals.

Cheers,

Mike
 
would this be why it said it only has 9300 or 9700 miles to next service?
what will the difference between this oil and the VW marked one?
cheers
 
Hi James23
It's extremely important to use the correct VW spec oil, particularly in the TDi engine due to the very high loading on the camshaft which operates the PD injectors. Secondly, you must use this to take advantage of the extended service intervals - if your mechanic actually reset the service indicator accordingly. The engine does not have an oil condition sensor (just a level sensor) so the oil used has no effect on the miles to next service figure. It is however normal for the indicated miles to gradually increase immediately after a service as the ECU re learns your driving style.
To ensure you do no long term damage to the engine, do as Mike suggests and change to the correct oil asap.

Cheers Spike
 
James23 said:
would this be why it said it only has 9300 or 9700 miles to next service?
what will the difference between this oil and the VW marked one?
cheers
Click to expand...

The next service display always starts off at around this value. It takes up to a month to work out a true interval to the next service based on your useage pattern.
Whats the difference, the viscosity for a start. The correct oil is slightly thinner. This helps when the engine is cold. Thereafter, VW approved oil has been checked to see that it provides the protection and properties required for the full life span that the oil in in the engine. Non approved oil may or may not. This is very important if you are using the variable service mode rather then the fixed interval service.
VW themselves allow cheaper grades of oil if you are using the fixed service interval.
When you consider that with the variable interval service, the oil will be in the engine for up to two years. This means that in the long run the extra cost of the correct grade of oil will be lost as fewer oil changes will be required.
 
When I picked mine up from the last service it said 50000 km to next service so it doesn't always start from a low value. I checked it immediately before I drove off.
 
how do i know if it is on variable or fixed? surely the fixed one is better for the longevity of the engine, as like you said, on variable the oil is in there for up to 2 years, which surely cant be as good as changing it every x miles?
 
Hi James23
The fixed service reminder will count down from a nominal 10,000 miles (the figure is 15,000km which is nearer 9,300 miles) while the variable reminder would normally settle to over 20,000 miles before counting down.
There is no hard evidence to suggest that leaving oil in the engine for up to 2 years has any adverse effects but I personally always use the 507.00 spec oil and change it every year.

Cheers Spike
 
hi spike, thanks for your very informative response, is there a way i can reset it now (after changing the oil) to the variable service? and are there any other things which my mechanic may not have done that should be done for the variable service?
thanks
 
have just been looking on the web and found a thread on a VW forum, saying that the 507 00 is for longlife and there is another spec for fixed service intervals. i assume that the longlife oil would be better to use even if it was swapped at regular intervals? or would the other one be better?
cheers
 
Hi James
A VagCom or similar diagnostic tool is required for setting the variable service indicator. For fixed service intervals the buttons on the dash can be used - the procedure is in the owners handbook.
50700 spec oil is recommended for both standard and longlife services and is the ONLY oil suitable for PD diesel engines with diesel particulate filters (not sure if the 90 tdi has one) If it does not, then 50501 spec oil can also be used for the standard service and 50601 for the longlife.
When I last checked at Halfords there was only about £4 difference in the price so it's hardly worth the trouble of finding the lower spec oil.
An extract from the current A5 brochure provides some good advice on which service reigeme suits your driving style best.

Cheers Spike
 
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