This will be my first winter with my 08 A4 Quattro.

I will be driving this throughout the winter - no garage - living in Wisconsin, USA.

Just curious what everyone does to get ready for the winter months (looking to the guys from the North). My former vehicle was a truck and I would change from 10W30 to 5W30 and add sand bags to the bed. I doubt I'd have to change the oil or add any ballast, but am curious what everyone else does.

Do you recommend winter tires?

Do you recommend any special additives?

Open to any information you'd like to share....

Thanks!

 

i use mobil 1 0W-40 for both of my cars during the winter. i used to use the OEM pirelli P6 four seasons tires for the audi and they worked great all year round...even in snow and ice. when the tread wore down i got continental winterextremecontact and they are fantastic. the car is like a tank in the snow. i live in canada where i start up the car in -40 weather and drive through deep snow and ice.

i don't use any additives. it's all snake oil. fuel and oil already contains all the additives required.

 

What weight oil are you using? Audi really recommends 5w40 year around in the USA. Definately want tires with good tread. My P6 Fourseasons are close to the wear bars, and I hydrplaned really bad this last weekend. I was going to replace them before winter, but it looks like it's going to be even sooner.

 

I'm not 100% sure what kind of oil is used in my car. It's a CPO and the previous owner paid for Audi Care up to 75K miles so I haven't personally had to do anything to it yet...

 

be sure to use VW approved oil. look on the back of the oil container for the specs. use OEM (MANN) oil filters.

 

If Audi replaced the oil then it was the Audi/VW approved 5w40. You better demand the Audi/VW approved 5w40. If Audi finds out you used anything else, they could void your CPO if you have a repair that they could trace back or blame on wrong oil. Non Audi places will say that 5w30 should work, but a turbo runs much hotter. 30 weight breaks down at a lower temperature than the 40 weight oil, that's why Audi wants the 40. It can tolerate a higher temperature before breaking down and loosing lube performance.

 

You should have no problem in the snow with good tires. Quattro's are legendary for their snow control!

 

I guess I should've been a littler clearer in my earlier explanation...

My car has 36k miles on it with Audi care through 75k miles. The oil has ONLY been changed at the Audi dealer I purchased it from. I do not know exactly what's in it, although I should find out so I can keep a spare quart in my trunk.

Sorry for the confusion.

 

Definitly ask, but most likely they use the VW approved full synthetic Gastrol 5w40 oil. Hard to find unless you go to an autoparts store.

 

Any chemists out there that could tell me what would happen if I mix different oil weights?

HYPOTHETICALLY SPEAKING:

Dealership uses Gastrol 5W40.
I keep a spare bottle of Mobile 1 0W40 in my trunk for emergencies (whenever the low oil light comes on and I'm out on the road)

Would mixing the two result in potential damage or undesirable effects?