I’ve got an oil question that I’d like to get some opinions on. I have a 2003 A4 3.0 Quattro that the owners manual calls for 0w-30 oil. It must also meet ACEA A2 or A3 requirements. (It is my understanding that the A2 designation is no longer used). According to the bottle, Mobil 1 0W-30 will meet A1/B1 and A5/B5 requirements, but it doesn’t say anything about A2 or A3. If it meets A5 does that mean that it will meet A1 and A3 in addition to A5? M1 0W-40 meets A3, B3, & B4. According to the owners manual, if 0w-30 isn’t available, I could use 5W-30 or 5W-40. There is no mention of 0W-40 at all. It seems like many owners are using 0W-40 though. I’d like to stick with what Audi recommends if possible. Another option is to switch to Amsoil series 2000 0W-30 which meets ACEA A1/B1, A2/B2, A3/B3. Are there any other oils out there that I should consider? Castrol? Thanks.

 

On the b5, audi recommends castrol syntec 5w40...
amzoil is amazing oil though, you can't go wrong with that stuff -- so if you have a dealer close by, go amzoil. I personally use royal purple... but will probably switch to the castrol syntec once my case of this stuff is empty.

 

ACEA A3 is for high power engines with long oil change intervals.

ACEA A5 meets above standards. It's an energy saving low friction low viscosity engine oil.

 

As long as the A5 rating is as good or better than the A3 requirement, then I'm good. Thanks.

 

A5 is as good as A3. A5 should give better gas mileage. A5 is thinner so you might have to add oil more frequently.

 

I wanted to follow up on my original question, and here is what I discovered. I e-mailed Mobil 1 tech help and they recommended M1 0W 40. I telephoned them a couple of days after that and they again recommended 0W 40. I asked about the A5 rating being usable for a A2/A3 requirement, and he told me no, if the Audi spec calls for A2/A3 then I can’t use a A5 rated oil. My choices in the 0W 30 then narrowed down to Amsoil Series 2000 or Castrol Syntec (imported from Germany). I ended up going with the Castrol because it is cheaper and more readily available than Amsoil. I was able to find Castrol at Autozone, 5 miles from my house. If anyone else decides to use Castrol, make sure you use the German type not the American version. Both were on the same shelf so check the back of the bottles to see the “made in Germany” label. The American version doesn’t meet the ACEA A3 requirement.

 

M1 0w30 does not meet spec. Many many people use it though. The M1 0w40 DOES meet spec as far as I know.

 

I'm about to do an oil change this weekend, bought Valvoline full synthetic 5w30. Though from the looks of this thread I should exchange before I put it in?

 

look on the back of the bottle and compare the specs to what is required in your manual. If the oil has the spec rating required you are good to go.

 

Mobil doesn't want us to use an oil that doesn't meet Audi's specifications.

Mobil 1 0W-40 meets ACEA A3.