Allroad Model LineAudi's take on the modern "Crossover" of a sport utility vehicle and a station wagon
Welcome to Audi Forums!
Welcome to Audi Forums,
You are currently viewing our forum as a guest, which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our community, at no cost, you will have access to post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. Registration is free, fast and simple, so please join our community today!
awww thanks for the reminder, ive been meaning to ask someone some questions. So here goes. the manual says to run 0w30 as the primary oil, with 5w30 and 5w40 as secondary if 0w30 is not available. so the first time i changed the oil in the car (4-ish months ago) i went to auto zone and got Castrol full synthetic 0w30 european blend. not too long before 3000 miles was up and i was going to change the oil again, i was on the freeway and my oil min warning came on the consol display, so i pulled over, checked the dipstick and it was dry, dipped it again, dry, stuff was probably so thin i jsut burnt thru it? luckily i had some with me in the car so i was able to add to it and cont. on till i found the nearest store. I havent seen any leaks from under the vehicle at all, i think the oil was just to thin. plus, where i live it never really gets cold enough to require something thinner. i ran 10w30 in my jeep all the time year round and it never had any trouble even when i went up in the mountains, now i know that is a completely different engine, but just the fact that its never that cold.
A few days later i got to thinkin about it, and how thin 0w30 really is, so i called the dealership closest to me (2 hrs away) and asked them for recommendations. they told me that it would be safe just to use castrol syntec 5w30, as that is what they put in all their vehicles. So whats what i did (that is what is currently in the car now) Now my questions lie here. Is castrol syntec, or mobil one 5w30 or any of those oils ok to be running in the car as they are not ACEA A2/A3. I briefly remember reading on the mobil one website that their 5w30 is API Service SJ certified. although it only shows SM on the bottle itself.
I noticed that mobil one 5w40 is approved but 5w30 is not.
then there is also Valvoline synpower 5w30
I am looking at the mobil one, castrol syntec and valvloine stuff as they are the easiest for me to find, but what is your opinion on this.
thanks for the time btw. much appreciated.
Ok well here's the thing, you should never use a 0w-30 oil on a turbo charged engine because the temps are much higher than a N/A engine so 5w-30 would be the best choice. Now what the dealer told you about the Castrol synthetic is true, but what the dealer didn't tell you is they have a special formulated FULL synthetic version of it that only the dealer can get. The same Castrol full synthetic off the shelf at the store is actually a semi synthetic, as well as Mobil 1 and valvoline full synthetic. They used to be, until Mobil 1 and Castrol got in a big law suit about whats actually a full synthetic oil so they are all now a semi synthetic by scientific means. Now these oils are still high quality but the best oils on the market would be brands like Amsoil, Redline etc. Royal purple is also a very good oil but that too is a semi synthetic, i run royal purple in my 2.7T S4 and my 1.8T A4.
The type of oil you want to use depends on what the exterior temps are, if you live in the desert then you want to run a 10w-30, if you live just about anywhere else then run the 5w-30. As far as your question about using 5w-40 thats fine, between the other 5w-30's like the valvoline, castrol, and mobil 1, i would rate them all about the same after that law suit.
This ad is not displayed to registered and logged-in members. Register your free account today and become a member on Audi Forums!
Ok well here's the thing, you should never use a 0w-30 oil on a turbo charged engine because the temps are much higher than a N/A engine so 5w-30 would be the best choice. Now what the dealer told you about the Castrol synthetic is true, but what the dealer didn't tell you is they have a special formulated FULL synthetic version of it that only the dealer can get. The same Castrol full synthetic off the shelf at the store is actually a semi synthetic, as well as Mobil 1 and valvoline full synthetic. They used to be, until Mobil 1 and Castrol got in a big law suit about whats actually a full synthetic oil so they are all now a semi synthetic by scientific means. Now these oils are still high quality but the best oils on the market would be brands like Amsoil, Redline etc. Royal purple is also a very good oil but that too is a semi synthetic, i run royal purple in my 2.7T S4 and my 1.8T A4.
The type of oil you want to use depends on what the exterior temps are, if you live in the desert then you want to run a 10w-30, if you live just about anywhere else then run the 5w-30. As far as your question about using 5w-40 thats fine, between the other 5w-30's like the valvoline, castrol, and mobil 1, i would rate them all about the same after that law suit.
After i thought about it, i figured the 0w30 was way to thin for the car, but its wierd that the owners manual says to run that as a primary choice then. i live on the coast of oregon where the temps at most in the summer get 80, and winters go down to about 30. i would say 5w30 would suit me just fine then huh
I didnt know about that lawsuit, i knew that for example Castful syntec-blend was, well, what it is, but i didnt know that castrol syntec was not a fully synthetic product?
I will look into royal purple then. do you just run their SAE 5w30 high performance stuff or the XPR stuff?
After owning a 2.7t Allroad for 3 years, and now owning a 4.2 Allroad, I must admit there is a significant difference in how the engine performs. I get the same exact gas mileage, and have had no issue with leaks of an kind. It's too bad audi didn't go with this engine from the start. Best of all... it sounds really bad-ass.
After owning both an 01 2.7t AR and now an 05' 4.2 AR, can't begin to tell you how much better the 4.2 is. I've had no engine issues, leaks etc. what-so-ever, get the exact same gas mileage. Best of all... its sounds really bad-ass! thanks for the info.
I didnt know about that lawsuit, i knew that for example Castful syntec-blend was, well, what it is, but i didnt know that castrol syntec was not a fully synthetic product?
I will look into royal purple then. do you just run their SAE 5w30 high performance stuff or the XPR stuff?[/QUOTE]
Nope, castrol synthetic is only a semi synethetic, you can only get the real castrol synthetic from the dealer, which costs around $9 a quart.
I run the high performance 5w-30 royal purple, very good oil and it stays amazingly clean all the way through 5 thousand miles. I would go on the limb and say it would last up to 7k between oil changes. Amsoil could go 8-10k between changes.
Nope, castrol synthetic is only a semi synethetic, you can only get the real castrol synthetic from the dealer, which costs around $9 a quart.
I run the high performance 5w-30 royal purple, very good oil and it stays amazingly clean all the way through 5 thousand miles. I would go on the limb and say it would last up to 7k between oil changes. Amsoil could go 8-10k between changes.
Sweet man thanks for the time and your responses, appreciated. BTW.. one last question, for now atleast what do you do for oil filters? Get them from the dealer or...???
last time i changed my oil i just picked up a bosch filter, was the only one i could find that was fitted for the car after checking at Schucks, Auto Zone, and Napa.
But german oil filters because they have built in bypass valves which will bypass the filter in the event sludge or blockage developes in the filter. Filters like FRAM can blow up your motor.
If you have to buy anything quickly buy the NAPA GOLD filters, they are pretty high quality.
Other than that buy them in bulk from either Mann or Mahle from www.ecstuning.com to save money.
But german oil filters because they have built in bypass valves which will bypass the filter in the event sludge or blockage developes in the filter. Filters like FRAM can blow up your motor.
If you have to buy anything quickly buy the NAPA GOLD filters, they are pretty high quality.
Other than that buy them in bulk from either Mann or Mahle from www.ecstuning.com to save money.
Cool man thanks. I have a couple other more technical questions if you dont mind me asking, but i guess i could just p.m. you if thats easier?
