using 0w 20 synth oil

[buckod]

I as wondering if anyone has used full synthetic 0w-20 motor oil in the 2.5l?

and if so what are the weather climates like in your region?

[DZLBUG]

Living in the climate you do, I would not recommend it. Is there even a 0w-20 that meets the proper VW spec?

For the 2.5 engine, I would recommend Mobil 1 0w-40. It meets the proper VW spec, and it is an excellent and readily available oil. It is also much better suited to your climate than a lightweight and very thin 0w-20.

[Smileybug]

Why 0w-20? That stuff is way too thin. I second the 0w-40.

[buckod]

I did a little research while at lunch and i found out as well, that 0w-40 is the way to go. Thanks for the info as well. Whats the difference between 0w-20 and 40?

[buckod]

is there any special tools involved with the oil change? This is the first VW i have owned and i'm more than capable of doing it rather than $85 at the stealership.

Also i bought a K&N oil filter, anyone ever try them? I have obviously had great luck with their air filters... but this is a first for me.

[cep]

Originally Posted by buckod

is there any special tools involved with the oil change? This is the first VW i have owned and i'm more than capable of doing it rather than $85 at the stealership.

Also i bought a K&N oil filter, anyone ever try them? I have obviously had great luck with their air filters... but this is a first for me.

What an excellent choice of words,"Luck" and "K&N".

I personally wouldn't use a K&N air filter on a street vehicle. Race, yes. Street, no.

AFAIK, their oil filters are good but I've never used one. OEM, Wix, Baldwin, and NAPA are what I usually buy.

[AlienBug2000]

Originally Posted by buckod

I did a little research while at lunch and i found out as well, that 0w-40 is the way to go. Thanks for the info as well. Whats the difference between 0w-20 and 40?

A 0w-40 is thicker at operating temps than a 0w-20.

[buckod]

good to know about the 20 vs 40.

@Cep; out of curiousity, what is the reason you wouldn't use it on the steet?


-also is anyone else having an issue with not being able to use the "quick reply" feature on the forum?

[DZLBUG]

K&N air filters are bad news on VW engines. VW uses a "hot film" MAF which is more easily degraded by the oil and dirt that comes off/through the K&N filter. To further complicate the situation, the MAF is immediately downstream of the airbox. If it were further away there may not be such an issue.

MAF's are not cheap, neither are K&N filters. Stock VW filters are cheap...and they flat out work. They will outperform a K&N hands down in filtration capability/capacity and in airflow. The stock filter and airbox provides no significant decrease in airflow. The engine always has more air than it needs. There are modded TDI's that I know of which are putting out more than twice the stock power output on nearly 30 psi of boost. That's with the stock airbox and filter in place.

For their intended purpose (off-road vehicles, particularly in racing situations) K&N works great. On a modern daily driver, no need whatsoever. The stock filter lasts for 40k miles and filters very well. The K&N filter lets a lot of dirt by, which kind of defeats the whole purpose of an air filter, doesn't it?

As for their oil filters...I'm sure they are fine. OEM (Mann, Mahle), Bosch, Wix, Napa (usually made by Wix) and Baldwin are all excellent oil filters and they are quite a bit cheaper than the overhyped K&N. K&N probably doesnt even make their filters, they just put a fancy sticker on it and drop it in a pretty box. Just stay away from Fram, their filters are made very cheaply and usually have cardboard end caps on the filter element which is a good way to let dirt and other contaminants through.

[cep]

Originally Posted by buckod

good to know about the 20 vs 40.

@Cep; out of curiousity, what is the reason you wouldn't use it on the steet?


-also is anyone else having an issue with not being able to use the "quick reply" feature on the forum?

DZLBug beat me to it and did an excellent job of explaining why a K&N is good for the track but not for the street.

[The Cheat]

me personally, i prefer oem oil filters. they're rated to last the full interval (in my case 10k miles) and i've never had an oiling issue using them.

as for oil, 0w40 or 5w40 synthetic are the only two grades that are approved for use at the moment (5w30 is to be substituted in colder climes).

i have excellent luck with 15w50 in my 2.0. i have one of the infamous "oil burners"--this slows my consumption down a LOT, and it's thicker at operating temps. sure, it's a big pain in the balls to pour it when it's 0* out in the middle of winter, but if need be, i stick the 5qt jug into a stockpot of hot water for a couple minutes (this works AWESOME if you leave oil in the car overnight by accident and need it in the am).

0w40 is technically the only mobil1 grade approved for the 502/505 spec, but i've run most of their grades in my vw's over the years and not had an issue. i just think 0w40 gets the stamp because it's closest to 5w40--what vw recommends.

as long as it's a QUALITY oil, then you'll be fine. the 2.5 is not picky about what she gets on dialysis every 5k miles, just as long as it's clean and has 40w oil..

as for filters, oem is the way to go, there's not much that's out just yet.

[boogety boogety]

So your car is under a factory warranty... (2008)... hmmmmm...

Is there any intelligent reason why you would use anything other than factory-recommended fluids or components?

For that matter... why would anyone?

Even beyond the warranty period... I don't understand second-guessing the results and experience of hundreds of engineers, thousands of testing hours, decades of experience with their manufacturing tolerances and requirements, etc., and going off on my own, with none of the above insights, in guessing what alternate, non-factory-recommended, aftermarket items would "improve" my cars' performance envelope. But hey.. that's just me, and I could be wrong...

[cep]

Originally Posted by boogety boogety

So your car is under a factory warranty... (2008)... hmmmmm...

Is there any intelligent reason why you would use anything other than factory-recommended fluids or components?

For that matter... why would anyone?

Even beyond the warranty period... I don't understand second-guessing the results and experience of hundreds of engineers, thousands of testing hours, decades of experience with their manufacturing tolerances and requirements, etc., and going off on my own, with none of the above insights, in guessing what alternate, non-factory-recommended, aftermarket items would "improve" my cars' performance envelope. But hey.. that's just me, and I could be wrong...

Yes, you could be...but I don't think so.

[buckod]

As for the Oil filter i got it just last night and as you suspect, its not made by K&N, or at least here in the USA. It is made in Germany (probably by BOSCH or the likes) $10. I only bought the K&N air filter for the reusability factor. I never heard of a oil-filter having issues with the MAF (which i am assuming is the Mass Air-Flow sensor?) but then again, i have never owned a New Beetle. Years ago I bought a used '93 Mustange GT which didn't perform right. After i looked into the whole car i found oil and grime on the Mass air-flow sensor. I cleaned it then it was competely fine but i never figured out what caused that until you mentioned it now.

So if there is no air flow difference in a K&N, at least in this application, then i am a $50 sucker!

As for Warranty i am sitting at 25,000 on the ODO. I don't think that getting a high quality replacement part is detremental to the car. That logic would assume that your vehicle will never have a failure if you use OEM.

I dont think that there is anything i have done or will do that will ruin or damage the car. but i guess we'll have to see right?

[boogety boogety]

That logic would assume that your vehicle will never have a failure if you use OEM.

I think you miss the point I was trying to make. Why would you give the dealer even a hint of a reason to deny warranty coverage, by using anything other than items recommended by the manufacturer... during the warranty period?

And even beyond all that, remember, any and all parts have two, and only two, states of existence:

Failing.

Or...

Failed.

You have a much better chance of extending the "failing" period by using only what the manufacturer knows is required by your vehicle, not some "I-think-I-know-better-than-them" guess on your part... Just saying...

[salsa-man]

Originally Posted by buckod

is there any special tools involved with the oil change? .....

See the DIY I wrote up this past summer here.

[DZLBUG]

Originally Posted by buckod

So if there is no air flow difference in a K&N, at least in this application, then i am a $50 sucker!

Yes you are a sucker for spending $50 on an air filter. For that price, I can buy 4 stock filters that last 40k miles each for a total of 160k miles, that perform just as well, that wont wreck my MAF, and that won't let dirt pass through.

[buckod]

Originally Posted by boogety boogety

I think you miss the point I was trying to make. Why would you give the dealer even a hint of a reason to deny warranty coverage, by using anything other than items recommended by the manufacturer... during the warranty period?

And even beyond all that, remember, any and all parts have two, and only two, states of existence:

Failing.

Or...

Failed.

You have a much better chance of extending the "failing" period by using only what the manufacturer knows is required by your vehicle, not some "I-think-I-know-better-than-them" guess on your part... Just saying...

I don't like using craptastic stuff so when it comes to parts and what not i only use what i know is quality. For most aftermarket stuff i use Bosch... A lot of the factory parts on my Grand Cherokee are made by Bosch in the first place.

I did the oil change the "old fashion way" and it took only 20 minutes (2008 beetle). Super amazingly easy. Before i actually bought the oil (Mobile 1) i made sure it was approved to be used by the manufacture---> 0w 40.

As for warranty, the manufacture would have to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that any modification caused the failure...

As for the K&N, i have no concerns regarding its legitimacy or ability to work right. I have never had any problems before. As for the passing of dirt, i'd like to look into that cause i use one on my Jeep that i use off road.


I guess my point about the parts failing is that any part OEM or not could fail at any time.... nw or old.

[buckod]

Originally Posted by salsa-man

See the DIY I wrote up this past summer here.

the coupe has just a 4-bolt plastic piece underneath. it took a minute to take off... The oil pan bolt is at the rear of the pan so when on ramps, the oil drains to plug (general FYI). I dont know how to remove the filter without removing the plastic piece anyway so to do the change the old fashioned way is really easy.

Is the drain for the oil filter can anything special? just taking it off obviously makes a stupid mess.

[The Cheat]

car in question: my 2.5 wagon
type of driving: 50/50 mix, 90% of the time fully loaded
oil i use: castrol txt 5w40 505.01

i use the txt (which is semi-synth) right now as the motor only has 28,000 miles. i fully believe a motor does not "break-in" until 40-50,000 miles, some japanese cars go 100k miles before hitting peaks in power and economy.

i dyno'ed the car with 24k on the motor, it made 152whp. 4k later, it made 154whp. all i did was change the oil at 27k miles and drive it normally.

i am NOT saying you will gain power by using the oil made for 2004-2008 diesels, rather, i feel for lower-mileage cars (those under 50k), this will allow the motor to wear ideally.

besides, 505.01 exceeds specs for 502/505.00 cars. in fact, i know some dealers who have switched to it as their "base" synthetic blend oil for gassers and diesels.

when my car hits 50,000 miles, i will be switching to mobil 1 0w40 until 100k, then i will run m1 15w50. at 50k miles, any wear that needs to be done should have happened by then, and the car will be at its peaks for economy and power.