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I'd probably go for the semi-synth then if it needs changed that often, sounds expensive. Costco have some good deals on oil.
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"..I'm more in favour of changing it every 5k miles"
Quite agree. The expensive stuff is expensive because it is designed to deteriorate slowly, not because it is inherently more slippery!
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If I were you i`d ignore what halfords et al say and use MOBIL 1 every 5k.Thats exactly what i do with my A4 1.9 TDI still going fantastic at 160k.
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Another viable option is to use Millers XFD, which is fully synthetic and costs approx £25 for 5 litres. I am currently using SLX but will switch to Millers when my car is out of the manufacturer`s 3 year warranty period.
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Sorry thought your Audi was diesel - Millers fully synthetic for petrol motors is XFS, which is also approx £25 for 5 litres.
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oops! chaps,
my car is supposed to use fully synthetic oil, but i have always used castrol magnatec, as it says on the can, "synthetically engineered"for modern engines, i have always thought it was fully "synthetic".will i have done engine any harm,? i change every 6000mls,and have used it for 6yrs!!.as a further matter of interest, why can't i use "mobil 1"? there is a sticker on the rocker-box cover stating not to.
p.s
apologies for the attempted hi-jack of this thread, but after reading it, it seems appropiate for my question.
billy.
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Probably no reason why you cant use MOBIL 1 or any fully synthetic.On servicing my car last year an Audi dealer poo pood my choice of oil which i supplied.D`ya know he tried to tell me not to use fully synth because my car would "burn it".Needless to say i ignored his advice.I continue to change oil every 5k using mobil 1 and my car honestly dosent use one iota of oil over that time.
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"..there is a sticker on the rocker-box cover stating not to"
Interesting! Does it really say not to use specific oils, or just 'only' to use others?
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jbj - remember the halfords fully synth you mentioned in january 2004.
well that 5w40 is back on offer this week for £15 for 5 litres.
at that price it is cheaper than some part-synth and dyno oils.
dyno=dynosaur=fossil.
offer claims it to be reduced from £30 for 5 litres.
i am no expert just my personal opinions:
this halfords fully synth is probably the best oil bargain you can get from a mass market supplier.
it is also probably suitable for most engines.
to avoid disspointment buy while stocks last
this offer will be repeated many times
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my a6 takes 10w 40w according to manual. can you do any harm by putting the halfords stuff in (5w 40w) that Dalglish was on about? halfords stuff is esso ive heard elsewhere on this site, so good stuff.
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my a6 takes 10w 40w according to manual. can you do any harm by putting the halfords stuff in (5w 40w) that Dalglish was on about? halfords stuff is esso ive heard elsewhere on this site, so good stuff.
as i said i am no expert but the 5w instead of 10w means the 5w oil pours easier at very cold temperatures compared to 10w at the same cold temperature.
in my personal opinion formed from reading technical literature it should be perfectly ok to use.
but i hope a real expert professional engineer like "john s" will come along here and tell you the the facts rather than my opinion.
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my a6 takes 10w 40w according to manual.
correct me if i am wrong but you said your audi book says use castrol slx which i when i saw in halfords i thought it said it was 5w30 fully synth??
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I am no expert, but I believe that fully synthetic oil is not suitable for older engines or those that have already done many tens of thousands of miles on mineral oil. So, I'd be disinclined to start using it on any vehicle more than, say, five years old unless the mileage on the clock is very low (say 40k or lower). If I'm wrong about this, I'd like to be corrected.
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just for info, 1.8T 1998 engine with 124k on clock. previous owner used standard castrol 10w 40w
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just for info, 1.8T 1998 engine with 124k on clock. previous owner used standard castrol 10w 40w
i have just looked at audi web site
www.audi.co.uk/customer/servicingoption.jsp
audi say this:
Thanks to the Audi Variable Servicing Intervals programme, Audi owners need not be inconvenienced by traditional fixed service intervals. There is no predetermined mileage for a service. Depending on how you drive, the interval will be up to 19,000 miles /24 months for petrol engines, up to 22,000 miles/24 months for the V6 TDI diesel and up to 30,000 miles/24 months for 3 and 4 cylinder TDI diesel engines.
Traditional Service Schedule
Prior to Model Year 2000, almost all Audis followed a similar service schedule to that of most other major motor manufacturers: a lubrication service every 10,000 miles and an inspection service every 12 months, or 20,000 miles whichever came first.
Variable Service Interval Schedule
With Variable Interval Servicing, there is no fixed schedule.
9,000 miles to 19,000* miles/24 months
From Model Year 2000, the majority of Audi models* can use Variable Servicing.
*with the exception of the Audi Cabriolet, a small number of Model Year 2000 A6s & A8s and 2001 Model Year diesel engines.
Important ? Special Oil Requirements
To benefit from the new technology and Audi Variable Service Intervals, newly developed Long Life oils such as Castrol SLX OW30 Long Life 2 must be used (please refer to owners handbook). They have been specially formulated for Audi and are a new generation of ultra high-grade synthetic oils designed to withstand ageing and high loads without deterioration. Using ordinary high quality multigrade oil will not cause any engine damage but it will defeat the object of the new technology and cause a service to be needed at 10,000 miles. In addition, compared with conventional oils, Long Life oils gives exceptional levels of engine protection, are kinder to the environment and deliver fuel savings. In recent tests carried out on vehicles in Germany SLX Long Life 2 resulted in a fuel saving of 2.72%.
For full details please refer to owners handbook or contact your local Audi Centre.
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castrol slx is good but at £10 per litre or think halfords do it at £38 for 5 litres id prefer to stick to castrol magnetec and change it every 5k miles.
thanks for the info tho Dalglish
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castrol slx is good but at £10 per litre or think halfords do it at £38 for 5 litres id prefer to stick to castrol magnetec and change it every 5k miles.
i think its £38 for 4 litres not 5 litres.
anyhow your reasoning is sound.
as audi say "Using ordinary high quality multigrade oil will not cause any engine damage but it will defeat the object of the new technology and cause a service to be needed at 10,000 miles."
the costs works out like this -
spend about £50 for 5 litres slx and change at 20,000 miles
or use ordinary gtx oil and change every 5k miles and the cost of 4 changes of oil is £48 assuming castrol gtx costs £12 per 5 litres.
so if you dont want extended intervals why waste money on expensive slx?
the additional benefit of slx according to audi is that
"In addition, compared with conventional oils, Long Life oils gives exceptional levels of engine protection, are kinder to the environment and deliver fuel savings. "
the choice seems to be
half a dozen of one
or six of the other.
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Check your handbook. VAG are quite specific about the type of oil you should use in their engines. Recent manuals state:
Long Life Service (AVS) VW 503 01 only (they even have it in bold)
Fixed Maintenance intervals VW 500 00, 502 00 or VW 501 01.
You'll find the reference numbers on the side of the oil container.
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castrol magnetec has the vw 500 00 stuff on the back.
just phoned up audi and they have Quantum 5 litre for £17.
isnt this their 'own' brand?
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Quantum is the generic VAG brand oil & is available in 3 types if I recall correctly, with Synta Gold being the top of the range.
Don't know who makes it for them.
Matthew Kelly
No, not that one.
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I hear from a learned friend that Castrol blend the VW quantum brand of oils
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jbj,
had car 6yrs, never used "mobil 1" because of sticker,always used "magnatec" which i *thought* was fully synth.
however whilst in town yesterday, i decided (to escape,whilst missus was shopping)and asked at 3 garages about the sticker, the general concensus of opinion from the mechanics seemed to be that "mobil 1" if mixed with other oils, in some situations can cause emulsification. the car had probably been filled with some other brand of oil just prior to me purchasing it, and the mechanic had heard of this,and put on the warning sticker.
apparently if i do a flush, next time i change the oil, i can use mobil 1 without any problems, but then i suppose i will have to change the sticker to read "use only mobil 1".
funny how these threads can "motivate people!".
billy.
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What is the origin of this sticker prohibiting the use of Mobil 1?. Is it from the producer of another brand of oil?. Only cautions I have heard about Mobil 1, which would apply to other synthetics, was not to use it on older engines and leaks could occur and not to mix it with non-synthetic oil. From what I understand it is ok to mix like with like, syn with syn etc.
If the purpose of the sticker is to prevent you adding synthetic to non-synthetic oil then why single out Mobil 1?, surely the warning would apply to other synthetics. If you are currently running non-synthetic and want to switch to synthetic an engine flush really isn't necessary. There isn't enough oil left in the engine after a change to cause any mixing problems.
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well i don't know what to believe now, so i think i will throw the sticker away,(looks like it was produced using a label printer anyway) and just carry-on using magnatec, car seems to like it, and doesn't appear to have suffered from not using fully synth,there again,(for peace of mind, now that i know different) i may go for the proper stuff at the next change in 1575mls!.
thanks
billy.
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Even VAG admit that "Using ordinary high quality multigrade oil will not cause any engine damage", and all the "new technology" boils down to is the availability of oils that can withstand longer service intervals.
I stick to my belief that a reasonable quality oil (and filter) changed frequently is better for an engine than a very expensive oil left in for a long time.
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