I am picking up my Mother in Laws Polo Coupe (1985, 35000 miles) from Newcastle-upon-Tyne in a couple of weeks, FOC to us. It has never done the miles it needs to to keep the engine in really good nick but we can get £250 for the Panda so can afford to spend money on the engine on the Polo. With other VWs we have had, I have used various engine flushing oils such as Forte or STP to clean the engine before I changed the oil, but only for the 10 minutes before the oil was changed. I had thought that a good idea would be to put a flushing oil in the engine before I brought it down to Huddersfield (125 miles) and then do a full oil and filter change as part of a major service, which would consist of:-
all filters
points
condenser
plug leads
battery
etc.
My main question is, what oil should I use? Can I use the STP treatment and still expect the oil to lubricate the engine for 120 odd miles? Or should I have an oil change done at one of the quick fit places and then change again when I get home? What oil should I use as the normal charge of oil. Mobil 1 is going to be over kill but then I have alway been a believer in using the best you can for an engine. The problem with this one is its so old I don't have a clue.
Help
Thanks in advance
Bill
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Before the journey change the oil and filter with Ford 10/30 or similar which you should get for about £6/gallon.
Then change the oil/filter again when still hot after this run. Refill with a value 10/40 semi-syn (perhaps Comma or Vauxhall for about £10/gallon).
You will be amazed how much crud will be flushed out with the first lot of oil and then 6K/6mth changes will keep it nice and clean.
This will be plenty good enough for the old Polo.
Good luck with it.
MM
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Semi-synth? in a 17-year-old car?
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No reason why not Andrew...I mean I was trying to move Bill away from the Mobil 1 he mentioned!
At £10/gallon for a reasonable s-syn it's not unreasonable.
Having said that I think the spec'd oil for his Polo may well be a straight 10/30 so the Ford oil I mentioned (at £6/gall) for "flushing" could be ideal for normal running as well.
MM
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I'd do the same as MM, but would put in a can of Wynns Oil Flush for the journey as well. I always use this at each change and leave it in for a couple of days (usually about 60 miles or so). The previous owner always did the same and at 120k she still drives like new and the inside of the engine is spotless (had the cam covers off recently). I'd suspect that this Polo has done many short journeys and so could probably do with the extra cleaning power.
Do a couple of Italian tune ups on the way too.
I'd also change all the other lubricants and fluids asap. Can't hurt.
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I strongly recommend that you do not put flusher in before the journey, if you are driving 125 miles you could damage the engine. On Wynns flush can it recommends that you put it in and only run the engine at IDLE then drop the old oil out. I think an oil change before and after the journey would be a very good idea as this will certainly get rid of all the crud. But DON'T drive the car with flush in it.
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This brings to mind a story I heard a good few years ago about an ex-work colleague. He had obtained a mk1 or mk2 Escort and decided to bung in a diesel spec oil(more detergent),the idea being to to clean out the engine. Apparently, as it turned out, this was a bad move as once 'cleaned out', it started rattling like a good'un. It was reckoned that the years of carbon build-up etc had helped mask the wear of the internal components. Although I'm sure this would never happen with VW engineering!
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