What grade oil to use
 

I have a 2001 A8L with 93,000 miles on it and I had an oil change done at a Foreign car repair shop. They put 20W 50 in it because it is what they put in for the summer. The manual says to use 0W-30 or 5W-30. Will the 20W-50 harm the engine??

RE: What grade oil to use
 

I would stick with what Audi says.

RE: What grade oil to use
 

had them put in synthetic 5W-30 an hour ago in my '99 A8. Of course, I know nothing about motor oils....

Ooowwww, I HATE oil change places! Once again had to spend 10 minutes after I got home cleaning the grease stains off the interior and exterior. Why do they bother putting those paper mats on top of the floor mats if they're gonna put huge oily score marks with their black boots on the fabric lining of the driver's door when they get in and out? Had to get the oil stains off the steering wheel, shifter, door handles, window buttons, etc.

Its the same everywhere I go! Took my mom's C230 Kompressor to the same place two days prior, and the amount of greasy stains applied to the interior was slightly less. Still, a trip to an oil change place is a depressing event for me.

RE: What grade oil to use
 

Hi there
I'm no huge mechanic, but I ran into issues with my 2000 A8 ... big learning curve. These engines run best with 0W-5W, regardless of outside temp. You might not notice much right off the bat, but it'll get sluggish after a bit, methinks. If you can, get them to dump it and put the lower spec in. And use full synth, not a blend. I did some research, and it seems Pentosynth is still the best buy, but really hard to get hold of outside of the dealers. Hope this helps
Q

RE: What grade oil to use
 

I was walking around my dealler the other day and saw there big thing of new oil in the back and it was quaker state. I almost lost my lunch right there on the spot.

RE: What grade oil to use
 

Stick with a good synthetic oil. Any brand will do. Preferably 5W-30. I Use 0W-40 Mobil One In Mine. Thats what the dealer recomends. If there are any waranty issues the dealer will want to see ur service records. Anything thats not supposed to be in there, will probably set off alarms to the dealer. I had a new customer come in last month with an oil light on in his 01 A4 Turbo. He dug up all his service records & called audi of america. They warrantied the motor & the turbo.(proper fluids were always installed!!!) Take a Guess how many miles were on the car. 98,000!!!!!!!!! I could not believe they warrantied it either.But they did. Three weeks later he was back on the road with a new motor & turbo. He came back & threw me a handsome tip.

RE: What grade oil to use
 

SAE Viscosity Grade

The center of the Donut shows the oil's SAE viscosity grade. Viscosity is a measure of an oil's flow characteristics, or thickness, at certain temperatures.

The low-temperature viscosity (the first number, 5W in a 5W-30 oil) indicates how quickly an engine will crank in winter and how well the oil will flow to lubricate critical engine parts at low temperatures. The lower the number the more easily the engine will start in cold weather.

The high-temperature viscosity (the second number, 30 in a 5W-30 oil) provides thickness, or body, for good lubrication at operating temperatures.

A multigrade oil (for example, SAE 5W-30) provides good flow capability for cold weather but still retains thickness for high-temperature lubrication.

A single grade oil (a single number in the center of the donut) is recommended for use under a much narrower set of temperature conditions than multigrade oils.

Operators should refer to their owner's manuals to select the proper viscosity oil for the ambient temperature and operating conditions at which the equipment will be used.

More information can be found at www.sae.org as well.