Oil, oil additives, and fuel additives.

[sidaust]

I did not find another place to post this, so I posted it here.
can anyone recommend oil or synsthic oil...Mobile one, Amsoil etc.
or any gas additives they may use or should ... I want my new VW beetle to be with me for a while...It needs to look good and also run good...Any advice greatly appreciated...
thanks
Sid

[who_me285]

What engine ya gots?

[sidaust]

Just the 2.5 ....engine..
thanks
Sid

[mulderbean]

I know this sound lazy, but i take mines to a local VW dealer where they use Mobile one with an original 10,000 miles vw/audi oil filter all for $45. I could do it myself but at that price and all its a good deal. Mobile One is synthetic and one of the best engine oils out there.

[SMG]

I always throw STP injector cleaner in my car for the last full tank of gas before an oil change. My dyno before I modded my car read 2hp higher than stock, so I must have been doing something right.

[noR]

*moved tot he technical modifications forum. It's not quite a mod, but it *is* technical.


Sidust, update your profile so we won't have to ask about your car info next time. [found in the User CP]

Sorry, I dunno what weight oil to recommend for a 2.5L. But I'd stick w/a nice synthetic. I run injector cleaner (techron for me) every few oil changes. And at 100K I used some Seafoam through every acceptable means, but maybe using it sooner would be better and less drastic. I would recommend swapping the transmission fluid at 60K.

I'm w/ya, it's important to keep it clean. Inside and out.

[Too Cold NB1.8T]

I recommend Redline or Royal Purple full synthetic oil in a 5W-30 or 10W-30, for a fuel additive, Redline S1 injector cleaner, follow the use instructions on the bottle.

Marvel Mystery oil can be used as directed with every other or every third oil change to help keep crankcase build-up from forming.

Whatever you do, don't let those oil change goones touch you car, do it yourself or take it to the dealer.

[boogety boogety]

I'll try not to open up a big ol' can of worms here, you'll get as many opinions as there are drivers, but... my sincere observations and recommendations follow:

Thirty years plus using Mobil 1, not just in personal transports, but in a past life as fleet manager with 45+ vehicles of all weights... some running 250,000+ miles in heavy service, and never, I mean never, an engine problem. We rebuilt one on a light truck with 320,000 miles on it, and I swear the pistons and rings looked new. I know people will argue about other brands, and I just bet they have great experiences too. But as far as I'm concerned, for my money, and my employer's money, Mobil 1 it is, period.

No additives, ever. Today's gas blends don't need 'em, it's just a huge waste of money (attention, additive manufacturers: I'm broke if you sue me ) per our head fleet mechanic with over 42 years experience when he passed on. He always kept up with automotive performance research (no seat-of-the-pants or unfounded opinions for that good ol' boy, if he said it, it was gospel, with respected, replicable, independent studies backing him up) and would not say something just to win an argument. He wouldn't "use any of that crap." Some people swear by them, though, so what can I say... placebos work on people, too

And only big-brand-name gas for my engines... we had two contracts at one point, one with a brand-name provider, and one with a "discount" provider for many years (due to different areas serviced), and we nearly always got better mileage, fewer running problems, and fewer tune-ups with the brand-name gas. Perhaps there is something to that Tier 2 gas thing, yes, it costs a bit more, but not enough to make me switch from filets to PB&Js for dinner... YMMV, just my opinion and experience, but my honest response, with best wishes, to your thoughtful question.

[Too Cold NB1.8T]

I could tell you positive stories about Redline synthetic oil that would blow your mind, but I won't, I could tell you about my extensive experience and the length of time I've been in the Automotive Industry, the people/companies I've worked for and with, but I won't, I've listed my suggestions regarding this subject in my previous post, ultimately sidaust, the choice is up to you.

I know at least two service managers at very large import dealerships that I have had interesting discussions with regarding pump gas, fuel additives and carbon build-up, one was at a Toyota dealership and the other was at Honda.

Both of these facilities regularly service as many as 40 plus cars per day, both of these dealerships have the equipment and ability to go inside of an engine with a live video feed and inspect various internal parts such as valves so as to determine the engines health.

These two service mangers both said that the periodic use of a good fuel system additive is highly recommended due to the fact that regardless of which gas brand station you frequent or octane level you opt. for, carbon build-up will visit you if you don't take preventative measures, just like plaque will visit un-brushed teeth.

These guys both told me that during inspections prompted by customer drivability complaints, they have often found major carbon build-up on the valves of even brand new cars with less than 10,000 mile on them and instructed the owners to run a fuel system/injector cleaner for the next three fill-ups, when each customer returned to have their car inspected again, each time they found that the carbon build-up condition had been drastically reduced or eliminated.

You know what I recommend but like oil brands, whether or not you choose to use a fuel system cleaning additive, is entirely up to you.

Cheers.

[Oh Randi]

I personally always use Lucas oils upper cylinder lubricant every time I fill up.

[nyum96]

I usually buy synthetic buy one get one free around here. It's usually Valvoline or Pennzoil Platinum.

I do use an oil additive, but not a lot. Valvoline Synthetic oil additive.

Filters... VW brand and I change it every oil change.

[dgoldbe2]

Mobil 1 only.

I have the 2.0 liter, and use 0W40

My research on the additive issue tends to support the claim that they are a waste of money.

That said, on a higher mileage engine, I would use Marvel Mystery Oil every other oil change or so. I do agree with the brand name gasoline thing, however, these days, even that can be crap.

I have had marginal results with adding Techron in the past, but there are only like two oil companies left, so I wouldn't be surprised if your Exxon station has Chevron gas, and your Chevron station has Exxon gas, and your local generic gas station probably has a mix of both.

[Deserion]

Castrol Syntec (full synth) 5w40.

/thread

[turr520]

I plan to just take my 2008 NB to the dealer for oil change until the warranty expires.

But for my cars in the past, I used a variety of different oils: synthetic, blend, conventional. These different oils, whether of name-brands or not (e.g. SuperTech-Walmart) didn't make much difference to my cars it seemed.

I also from time to time use fuel additives, namebrands or not. I look at them as humans taking vitamins. You may not feel much difference after taking vitamins but it'a good habit to do so.

So far I haven't had any serious engine trouble for any of my cars. Somehow I feel these oils /fuel additives are given too much credit but they are relatively cheap so I don't mind doing it once in a while.

[dbcox]

If you run a good quality oil you dont have to spend extra money on oil dditives to make the oil better.Just get a UOA on your oil and you can tell whats workin for you. I can get Amsoil to you at dealer cost if your interested. There are alot of choices to pick from out there

[AlienBug2000]

I run RedLine 5w-40, but that's in the TDI engine. For a gasser, I would try Castrol Syntec 0w-30, so-called German Castrol (GC). If you ever have LOTS of time on your hands, Search GC on http://bobistheoilguy.com and be prepared to read about Castrol 0-30 for the next four or five days.