Alright I have the 2.8, and I went to get my normal oil change stuff and the autoparts store guy asked if he could help so I thought I will utilize a little know how. So I asked the guy about synthetics (2.8 not much point going synthetic) and he said that these days you can mix synthetic and regular if you want to with no harm and i might be better off going with 4 quarts of regular 10 30 and a quart of the synthetic. I didn't buy it because I have always heard that is not true. I also asked him on the filter and the comp suggested the Fram 8994 instead of the Fram 2815 I normally get. The 8994 has about half the length and looks a little different but I have used it once before with no known damage.
So the question is:
Is it really true that once you go synthetic you cannot go back to regular or mix with regular?
And does anyone use the shorter filter (with smaller holes around the outer ring but still fits perfectly and is recommended by the computer) frequently enough to know if it is detrimental?

I know some of you use the expensive filters and the high performance oils, but for us run of the mill Audi drivers who like a reliable comfortable fast car, I want some real reason why it would be better to buy the bigger filter and if the synthetics thing is true (in other words no myth and wives tale crap.) I am mechanically inclined so I can handle the truth. Like with the filter, I didn't buy the stubby one because it has small holes and it would seem to me to put more strain on my oil pump which just might die one day. But I kind of agreed on the synthetic thing and was gonna look it up. So what does everyone else think?

 

Ok, I have never has a problem with mixing of oils. I don't like synthetics anyway. I just use a really really good quality mineral based oil.

Please.... just use an OEM filter. Go to the stealership to get one if it's close. A lot people don't realise how important this piece of equipment is.

 

please don't use fram filters. and synthetic oil is still necessary, even on the 2.8s. audi recommends using only fully synthetic oil (i use mobil 1)...you drive a high maintenance machine, skimping on oil changes is pretty much the worst possible place to skimp. as lidonnit stated, use only the OE filter. you can get a MANN filter at www.ecstuning.com .....mixing synthetic with regular oil is not necessarily bad, but putting regular oil in your audi definitely is.

 

lidonnit, may i ask why u dont like syn oil?

 

What type of store is it? I work at pep boys and just casue the guy says something doesnt mean crap. Pep boys is not for high performance cars. Guys with BMW audi, poresches and otehrs if tehy arent getting oil, brakes or something to clean or wash their car we say u shouldnt buy ur stuff hear. We say go to a specialty store or a dealership. I would never buy any real stuff from a place like that unless they are special ordering the brand and product i want.

 

There is no way I'd trust those small fram filters, especially with all the recent oil sludging problems with Audi engines.

 

yea jest is right ... u need the long filter ... especially cause the sludge problem ... i dont take that risk i change oil and filter every 5,000 miles ... and i use synthetic oil .... and it runs nice

 

It was a Kragen... not my Audi's best friend anyway and usually I just sneak in and sneak out with what I want. But I was thinking of going synthetic because my car is getting so old.

But being as old (mileage wise) as my car is (Happy 175K), there are some things I can't really buy into on this forum. The synthetic oil being one of them and the oem filter being another. I have used the fram filter since I bought the car (60K ago (20 oil changes ago)) and before that the guy was getting it changed at jiffy lube (who doesn't use the oem filter either.) It has never had a synthetic diet (except maybe dealer servicing.) So even if those are the best, why start now? That is just pesimistic me I guess.

So what are the benefits of going synthetic?

As for the filter, I have seen the OEM and I have seen the fram and comparably they are pretty much the same, the smaller new filter is not about the same so I am gonna avoid that, but to drive 200 miles north or south to the dealership for a filter aint gonna happen. I could order filters online but for now, I am gonna believe in the fram filter. don't worry, when I get a better audi I will love it a little more. Sorry I know you guys are all screaming at your computer how ignorant I am and about how bad this is going to be but consider this an experiment and your cars can be the control group with perfect to the tee dealership maintenance and mine will be the experimental group with the fram filter and the whatever I feel like using oil.

I still want to make an informed decision on the synth or not though.

 

Ok, so I looked around online a little and found this site which is older (1995) and not my filter (toyota mr2) but shows Mann filters being marginally better than fram filters with in 1 percent better or worse everytime.

http://www.mr2.com/TEXT/oil_filter_test.html

So I don't feel I am being to rough on my engine by going with the proper sized fram filter. Oh and I change my oil every 3000 instead of every 7500 like the Mann filters suggest anyway so I am gonna say that the bypass valve times being different is fine.