Coming up on the 1st oil change since purchasing the vehicle and I am asking the experts here on high mileage oil and regular (dino) vs. synthetic. And which weight and filter to use…

The A4 is a 1998, 2.8L, 30 valve Quattro. It has 206,###k miles now and runs strong. Just replaced the VC gaskets, tensioner/valley seals and cam caps/seals to eliminate the leak that was dripping on the exhaust. Overall the car does not burn any oil and the oil level has not fallen since I purchased the vehicle a couple months back.

The previous owner was having the oil changed regularly at 3,000 mile intervals and he recently switched to high mileage oil (not synthetic) at around the 185k mark. The question is with over 200k, should I continue with high mileage oil changed every 3k or should I switch back to non-high-mileage oil (as it is not needed) or move to synthetic oil and up the intervals to 5k?

The manual lists a whole set of recommended oil weights based the outside temp. Living in New England we get hot summers and can have freezing winters. Does it make sense to swap weights for extreme seasonal times? So something like 15W-40 in the summer and 5W-30 in the winter? Or just keep 5W-50 in all the time since the manual lists that as an all temperature alternative? Does it even matter?

I realize the added benefits of synthetic over liquid dinosaurs, but with a high mileage engine, does it make sense to change more often using regular (3k) or extend a bit longer with synthetic (5k). Is one better or worse for high mileage?

Last question is the oil filter. Any experiences good or bad with regards to OEM or replacement non-OEM filters? I will be doing changes myself so I will be getting the filter and oil and just looking for experiences from others who have been here doing this for a while. I will never set foot in a Jiffy Lube.

 

I just bought my 2.8 30v b4 a4 in May so I'm kind of in the same boat. The first thing I did was oil change.

I would think switching to thinner weights in winter and thicker in summer would be something to consider where you are. I'm in CA so that's not too much of a concern. My motor is at 177k miles and I use 5w-30 penzoil synthetic, no issues. Engine runs smooth. I've read our motor is pretty reliable and some are using dinosaur liquid with no issues.

High mileage oil, IMHO, are a way for the oil co's to squeeze more money out of the people who keep their cars longer. Especially in this economy many people buy and keep used cars longer so why not market to "those guys" and get more $ out of them.

If you plan to replace oil every 3 to 5 thousand miles, I don't believe it really matters that much although I believe synthetics are better. But high mileage vs regular, stick to regular and save a bit that way. I used to have a 540i with 180k and used regular dinosaur oil and Fram filter (or was it Purolator, I forget) with zero problems. My old civic had 160k miles before I sold it and always used dinosaur oil and changed every 10k miles or so. Oil drains were clean and almost as clean as fresh oil. Search the internet and see what others are doing as I'm sure it's been commented on. It probably doesn't matter as much which oil and which filter for you unless you're modded with a supercharger and push your engine to the redline a lot.

With that said, I'd replace the PCV hoses, PCV valve, and suction pump. Kit available at Blauparts. Clogged PCV systems cause more oil leaks on these cars than anything else because it cause air pressure to build up in the engine and blow out gaskets and seals. Took me about 1.5 to 2 hours when I did mine.

Make sure you know how many miles are on your current timing belt. I have read that the recommended replacement interval is at 80k or 90k miles. I got my kit from FCP Groton (continental belts and metal impellar in the water pump.

Welcome to b5 ownership!

 

Yeah its been fun so far. The PO changed out the "mini" vac lines that are under the VC gaskets and a number of other hard to reach ones. All in good shape. I changed all of the easily accessible ones on top as they were original and cracked. I did that early on when I got it. When the VAG indie did the upper seals, they checked the entire vac system and everything was perfect, including the PCV. Plus the SAI system is still in tact.

Timing belt, water pump, tensioner, etc, was last done at 168k so I have a little bit before needing again. Previous was done at about 84k so looks to be right in between the interval. With that, I will target ~253k - if I have it that long.

I am keeping an eye on the oil color. Still looks like new oil, so I think keeping the dino oil at 3-5k interval might be OK. I'm using it as my daily driver and mostly highway miles.

 

It shouldn't affect it. Synthetic just breaks down more slowly between oil changes than normal oil. But IMO synthetic 0w-40 is an exact match for any Audi/VW. Most Audi specialists will advise you to run only full synthetic (can't go wrong with 0w-40 in any weather) and to change at 5-6K miles intervals. Might actually save you $ to do so rather than the "high mileage" oil every 3K. The non synthetic stuff can build sludge up, even changing at 3K intervals. That car didn't make it to 206K mi running on normal oil keep that in mind!

But oil in non turbo cars is purely an opinionated subject, as long as you change it & the filter when needed you shouldn't encounter any huge problems.

 

Interestingly enough I just went through the previous owner's receipts for oil changes. He was **** about oil changes, which is great. Looks like 90% of them were 5W30 and alternated between synthetic and conventional.

Seems that he had oil changes from a few different places and they alternated between conventional oil and synthetic from 163k - 195k. Then last 4 oil changes at 195k, 198k, 201k and 204k, they all are 5W30 MaxLife Synthetic from Valvoline Instant Oil Change. Sort of odd that he moved to synthetic but still did 3k intervals?

Of course this is only as accurate as the guy typing up the receipt can record it.

 

Well he did take care of it at least! Changing Synthetic @ 3K.... uber waste of $! If you want to take max care of your Audi use full synthetic. Viscosity isn't really of huge importance in the 2.8. Unless you live in a polar ice zone then might matter. Just follow this guide line:

Non Synthetic or Synthetic Blends: every 3K miles

Synthetic: every 5K, 6K max. Some people even talk of M1 ow-40 every 10K! But that sounds insane.

 

the amount of oil threads on here amaze me. full synthetic with whatever weight you want every 3k with a big filter. case closed.

 

Castrol Syntec 5w40 is the factory fill stuff IIRC. Advance auto parts and Autozone usually have sales on it at one time or another, $30ish for 5 quarts, plus 25% off of extra quarts and an oil filter. The cool thing is, my stores never have the right filter in stock, so I always end up with a nice Mobil 1 large filter (ml-204 I think).

I used that stuff up until this last change where I tried out Shell Rotella T6 5w40. Walmart has it for around $21-22 for a 4 quart jug. My only complaint is the oil temp is a little higher when driving on the highway.

By the way the "W" stands for Winter, not weight. Instead of saying weight to describe the oil, "viscosity" seems to be a better term. 5w40 should be fine for your purposes. You also can't go wrong finding an oil that has the VW 502.00 certification on it's label.

My recommendation, since your car is high mileage, would be to try out Castrol Syntec 5w40 and at 5000k miles send a sample to blackstone labs. It's like $25 and they'll give you a whole write up on your oil and tell you if you can extend your intervals or if you should lower them. The report also can tell you a lot about how the engine is wearing, based on the PPM of different metals in the oil. It's good stuff. I'm going to do it when I change the Shell stuff.

 

I was thinking the same ****, Its fiddle sticking oil. like CCA4 said in another post - "were not putting o rings in rocket boosters"

 

In this brutal Texas summer heat, I've been running Mobil-1 10w-40 full synthetic "high mileage" oil. I noticed that my oil temps typically run about 225 degrees if the factory gauge is correct. My background in aircraft engines tells me that engine oils start to break down at or above 225 degrees F (and very rapidly above 240 degrees. In an air-cooled Lycoming engine, if you ever reach 250 degrees oil temp, you replace the oil immediately before your next flight). This makes the 3K miles oil change interval a very wise idea in these Audi engines since they run the oil temps a bit on the high side for an auto engine, and full synthetics definitely withstand the high operating temps better than plain mineral-based motor oils. The so-called "high mileage" oils probably don't hurt either, in older high-mileage engines. They may very well be worth the miniscule extra cost. If you're really picky about the health and longevity of your Audi engine, you could also spend the money to have oil analysis done on each oil change. We do it on our airplane engines, but then an engine overhaul for my plane might cost upwards of $30K so monitoring its health closely during maintenance intervals is very important (not to mention the prospect of having an engine-out, off-field forced landing is a strong motivator too)