2013 VW Passat. New to the TDI

Hey guys I’m sure there are a lot of threads created by newbies like me asking this and that but I wanted to get peoples recent opinions. I’m curious on what every one is using in the states for engine oil and filters? I called and talked to a VW dealer and they said to use a low ash 5w-40 and that they use a Castrol oil that you can’t really get any where else but the dealer. I’d hate to have to go to the dealer that is an hour away to get oil every time I service it. But looking up oil that meets VW 507 00 it seems like everything is 5w-30 and the guy at the dealer told me that it is too thin of an oil?

Which brings me to another question do you guys actually go all the way to 10,000 miles on an oil change? I’m a little old school and think that’s a little out there.

What I bought is a 2013 VW Passat tdi sel premium. Had 38,500 miles on it when I bought it. I almost got 500 on it so far. At 40,000 I’m planning to take it to the dealer to do a transmission service and I plan on changing the fuel filter after that. I also bought the ASC 4 year , 48,000 mile warranty and if I understand this correctly the emissions is covered 4 year, 48,000 miles from the date and mileage of the emissions rework so I should be cover for a little while if I have problems.

I also didn’t know if there are any good Mods that would be worth doing to the car? I came across the inline fuel filter mod but I really don’t see a huge benefit on doing that. Unless some one can tell me otherwise. Any good info or tips on these cars would be greatly appreciated. I love driving this thing and I don’t have a problem doing mechanic work especially since my career is in it.

Welcome!

First, I'm not sure I'd use the dealer you talked to for anything if that's the advice they're giving you. The correct oil is one that meets VW's 507.00 specification, and that by design is a 5w30. And Castrol no longer supplies oil to VW: they have oil that's VW branded now: it's a 0w30 and we believe it's refined by Mobil. If they don't know these things I would wonder what else they don't know.

If I were where you are and owned this car I'd drive the 100 miles or so to Car Doc Automotive in St. Louis for the 40K service. https://cardocautomotive.com/ Brian there is a true VW TDI guru, will do right by you, and you'll get expert care at similar or less cost than the dealer will provide. Often the difference between a good and bad TDI ownership experience is the quality of care and service the car gets. It's worth the trip. And 10K oil change intervals are totally fine. If anything they're on the low side. Many folks (including me) have driven these cars hundreds of thousands of miles using 10K intervals.

Enjoy the Passat.

Learn how to do the service yourself next time if you are able. It isn't hard and it will save you some big bucks! Our vendors here have kits for this. The dealers charge $400 to $800 from my reading of others that have paid. Just for the DSG service alone. The rest of the 40k service is more. Read up on the emissions warranty as well as it goes out much farther than you have specified. They should have given you a pamphlet with this info in it. Do a lot of reading here and get up to speed on everything you can. It will save you a ton of questions as most has been discussed and the answers are already here for you. Welcome to tdiclub!

Lightflyer1 said:

Learn how to do the service yourself next time if you are able. It isn't hard and it will save you some big bucks! Our vendors here have kits for this. The dealers charge $400 to $800 from my reading of others that have paid. Just for the DSG service alone. The rest of the 40k service is more. Read up on the emissions warranty as well as it goes out much farther than you have specified. They should have given you a pamphlet with this info in it. Do a lot of reading here and get up to speed on everything you can. It will save you a ton of questions as most has been discussed and the answers are already here for you. Welcome to tdiclub!

Click to expand...

Well that transmission service hasn’t been done yet. I got another 1000miles or so before I was worried about getting it done. Is it not very difficult? I mean I’m mechanically inclined just not in the automotive perspective. I work on big red tractors. It’s odd that I think working on cars is more intimidating. You say there are service kits available for the transmission? And ya there is a pamphlet in with the owners manual. If I remember correctly I think it reads 10 years or 120,000 miles total OR 4 years or 48,000 miles from the date and miles the repair was done. Not a 100% sure. I just skipped through. [emoji2369]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

IndigoBlueWagon said:

Welcome!

First, I'm not sure I'd use the dealer you talked to for anything if that's the advice they're giving you. The correct oil is one that meets VW's 507.00 specification, and that by design is a 5w30. And Castrol no longer supplies oil to VW: they have oil that's VW branded now: it's a 0w30 and we believe it's refined by Mobil. If they don't know these things I would wonder what else they don't know.

If I were where you are and owned this car I'd drive the 100 miles or so to Car Doc Automotive in St. Louis for the 40K service. https://cardocautomotive.com/ Brian there is a true VW TDI guru, will do right by you, and you'll get expert care at similar or less cost than the dealer will provide. Often the difference between a good and bad TDI ownership experience is the quality of care and service the car gets. It's worth the trip. And 10K oil change intervals are totally fine. If anything they're on the low side. Many folks (including me) have driven these cars hundreds of thousands of miles using 10K intervals.

Enjoy the Passat.

Click to expand...

Well and that’s what I was wondering too about the dealer. Especially when I mention that the maintenance book called for a VW 507.00 spec oil and the guy said he wasn’t sure about that. I got the feeling he was just trying to sell me oil. Do you have a specific brand you’d recommend? That’s some what easy to get a hold of around here?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

There are instructions here on how to do it. Just takes some time and a few tools. I have done it on two cars so far and my 2015 Beetle is coming up soon too. Any 507 oil will do. The dealer or NAPA can get it as well as a few other places. Walmart may have some. Easier to just order some in from one of our vendors with filters. NAPA just had a huge sale on some and I bought 4 or 5 changes worth at about $4 or $5 a bottle. Filters from IDParts one of our online vendors. I will generally have several changes on hand as I watch and buy stuff when it is on sale.

Shameless plugs:

https://www.idparts.com/dsg-service-starter-kit-p-5098.html

https://www.idparts.com/passat-oil-change-kit-nms-ckra-p-2472.html

https://www.idparts.com/32mm-oil-filter-wrench-idparts-p-4330.html

You could use an extractor and pull the oil from the top, but you'll have to remove the belly pan to get to the filter and the transmission anyway.

Regarding oil, most oils that meet the 507.00 spec are very similar. I like the Rowe and Total oils myself.

Here's a video how to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GncqCbO25U&t=2sf It's on an older Sportwagen but the DSG portion is the same.

IndigoBlueWagon said:

Shameless plugs:

https://www.idparts.com/dsg-service-starter-kit-p-5098.html

https://www.idparts.com/passat-oil-change-kit-nms-ckra-p-2472.html

https://www.idparts.com/32mm-oil-filter-wrench-idparts-p-4330.html

You could use an extractor and pull the oil from the top, but you'll have to remove the belly pan to get to the filter and the transmission anyway.

Regarding oil, most oils that meet the 507.00 spec are very similar. I like the Rowe and Total oils myself.

Here's a video how to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GncqCbO25U&t=2sf It's on an older Sportwagen but the DSG portion is the same.

Click to expand...

That shows using vcds to check the temperature of the transmission. Is vcds very expensive to get? Or is there another way to do it?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

VCDS for 3 VINS is $199. Worth it if you're going to keep the car any length of time, as it has many uses. Only other way (and it's a bit of a crapshoot) is to measure the amount of fluid you drain and put the same amount back in.

IndigoBlueWagon said:

VCDS for 3 VINS is $199. Worth it if you're going to keep the car any length of time, as it has many uses. Only other way (and it's a bit of a crapshoot) is to measure the amount of fluid you drain and put the same amount back in.

Click to expand...

Ya I seen that. I got to looking after I posted that. Looked like an adapter and a cable. I’m assuming it comes with the software then to put on a laptop. A lot of the things I’ve seen show people using them a lot. I may have to invest in that.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

VCDS is the way to go. Others have also used a IR thermometer gun to do it. Not by the manual but some have said it works. You live away from everything so it might be best to get VCDS as it will do more for you.

https://smile.amazon.com/s?k=ir+the...wm-5&tag=amz-mkt-chr-us-20&ref=aa_scomp_srdg2

Lightflyer1 said:

VCDS is the way to go. Others have also used a IR thermometer gun to do it. Not by the manual but some have said it works. You live away from everything so it might be best to get VCDS as it will do more for you.

https://smile.amazon.com/s?k=ir+the...wm-5&tag=amz-mkt-chr-us-20&ref=aa_scomp_srdg2

Click to expand...

Well I think I’ll probably try to shoot for he vcds and go that route. It’ll be handy to had I supposed.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I’m debating between a couple oils since the local part house can get a hold of both. Mobil 1 ESP 5w30 or Castrol Edge 5w30 (European Diesel). Anybody have opinions on those?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I prefer the Mobil 1 ESP myself. You also need good OEM filters.

Castrol has a lot of products branded with the Edge name. If you decide to go that route make sure it has the VW 507 approval on the bottle.

IndigoBlueWagon said:

Castrol has a lot of products branded with the Edge name. If you decide to go that route make sure it has the VW 507 approval on the bottle.

Click to expand...

Ya this has the VW 507.00 spec on it. It’s Castrol edge 5w30 but it clearly states on it European diesel with the spec


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Lightflyer1 said:

I prefer the Mobil 1 ESP myself. You also need good OEM filters.

Click to expand...

What do you recommend filter wise? I know I’ve used wix filters on a lot of my other vehicles and never have had issues. I don’t know how it stands on this euro stuff.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Mahle is OE, lots of people use that or MANN. UFI is available, too.

IndigoBlueWagon said:

Mahle is OE, lots of people use that or MANN. UFI is available, too.

Click to expand...

Alright I’ll have to look into that. Thank you.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I have always used Castrol when I had my Jetta TDI.
Now that I have a Passat TDI I will be using the same.

Why did you purchased warranty?

In Chicago all VW dealers offer 2 years - unlimited miles free [cpo]
They also change oil, brakes, tires, and all filters.[1500-2000 value]

Maintenance schedule;
Oil change + oil filter = 10k
fuel filter = 20k
https://www.ecstuning.com/b-genuine-volkswagen-audi-parts/oil-service-kit/03l115562kt/

you will need some tools:
Engine oil change:
-Drain plug - 19mm or 3/4" socket - 22 ftlb
-Plastic wire harness guide - T30 Torx
-Coolant tubing - T30 Torx
-Oil filter cap - 32mm or 1-1/4" socket - 18.4 ftlb
Fuel filter cap:
-T20 Tore

I am also 1st time TDI owner, I own Audi many parts are similar.
Anybody knows how much dealer charge for simple 10k maintenance?

I do maintenance myself from April-Nov [Chicago] but I may pay dealer during winter [10F today]

RoadTrip said:

I have always used Castrol when I had my Jetta TDI.
Now that I have a Passat TDI I will be using the same.

Click to expand...

I’m thinking that’s what I’m going to use.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

DanielD said:

Why did you purchased warranty?

In Chicago all VW dealers offer 2 years - unlimited miles free [cpo]
They also change oil, brakes, tires, and all filters.[1500-2000 value]

Maintenance schedule;
Oil change + oil filter = 10k
fuel filter = 20k
https://www.ecstuning.com/b-genuine-volkswagen-audi-parts/oil-service-kit/03l115562kt/

you will need some tools:
Engine oil change:
-Drain plug - 19mm or 3/4" socket - 22 ftlb
-Plastic wire harness guide - T30 Torx
-Coolant tubing - T30 Torx
-Oil filter cap - 32mm or 1-1/4" socket - 18.4 ftlb
Fuel filter cap:
-T20 Tore

I am also 1st time TDI owner, I own Audi many parts are similar.
Anybody knows how much dealer charge for simple 10k maintenance?

I do maintenance myself from April-Nov [Chicago] but I may pay dealer during winter [10F today]

Click to expand...

I purchased the warranty because I didn’t get the car at a VW dealer.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

not to put everyones panting is a wad here but I have always changed my oil myself. I have a 1998 n/b tdi I have thrown about every oil there is in there the car is over 200k now and the motor runs great.

I once ran a Cadillac 450k using this principal but I never went over 5000 on o/c and filters!

Well your 1998 Beetle isn't anywhere near what a 2015 Passat tdi is. Nor is it nearly as expensive to fix the emissions system after you toast it doing it "your way". Why would you post this potentially damaging info here for someone new to the site? Not even relevant to his car.

Lightflyer1 said:

Well your 1998 Beetle isn't anywhere near what a 2015 Passat tdi is. Nor is it nearly as expensive to fix the emissions system after you toast it doing it "your way". Why would you post this potentially damaging info here for someone new to the site? Not even relevant to his car.

Click to expand...

Ya no worries. I plan on sticking with the right spec oil. This car is going to be well taken care of.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

LOL you sound like my son. He runs Ford never changes his oil always goes to the dealer, of course they put in that high dollar Ford oil.

Me I buy whatever is on sale change it and the filter myself, of course I don't get much milage out of my cars. 200k 450k everything I own is way over 100k. My Ford f150 over 200k it has never seen the shop ever for an oil change!

I have just never been an oil freak but thanks for the respect when you disagree.

bob

There was no disrespect. Not an oil freak either. The spec for these cars is 507 whether you do it yourself or pay to have it done. Not using the proper oil can and will cause damage to the car. You posting irrelevant info to newbies is a disservice to them.

Well I just ordered an DSG service kit along with VCDS. Now the only thing that would make it better is if I had a car lift. [emoji848] Oh well I’ll make it work.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk