Castrol Syntec 5w40 in my tdi?

97passattdi17

Member
Joined
May 14, 2009
Location
Hershey, PA
TDI
97 Passat TDI 1.9L 300,000+ Miles
Just wondering if it is ok to use Castrol Syntec 5w40 in my passat? I have heard different things as far as what is best to put in it. thanks for the clarification.
 

dieseldorf

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Oct 11, 2000
Location
MA
TDI
ex- 1996 wagon, ex-2000 Jetta
It certainly meets the spec required by your car!

You can use just about any 5W40 sold in Namerica.

Some folks seem to favor (price and performance) the gallon jugs of Shell Rotella 5W40 sold at Wallzmart for $20.

Welcome aboard, Passsattt!!
 

PeterV

TDIClub Enthusiast, HO5G Doyen & Zen Master
Joined
Aug 17, 2000
Location
So, NH.
TDI
2000 Jetta 5 sp.
Just assure it is DIESEL oil.

Gasser stuff is for gassers.
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
My '91 made it to 437,000 miles on it, and that poor engine spins WAY faster than any TDI, LOL....

I also used it in my '98 Jetta and my '97 Passat. I'd still be using it now except Castrol dropped the ball on the newer oil specs so we use Pentosin now.
 

loganbmx4gt

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 14, 2011
Location
Jackson, TN
TDI
97' Passat (1Z), 02' Golf
Just go to napa and get lubro/liqui Molly. Best stuff ever. If it's not in stock they can get it and they stock/can get Mann filters.
 

pleopard

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 19, 2006
Location
Calgary, Alberta
TDI
2010 Jetta TDI
Castrol Syntec 5W40 has the VW 505.00 diesel specification. It also has an API C rating, meaning it's suitable for older diesels. There are other 5W40 oils with either the later VW 505.01 specification or API CJ-4 that may perform better.

I know Beaver Falls PA.. I'm in Darlington quite often and spend the night either in Beaver Falls, Monaca, or Boardman/Youngstown. Welcome.
 

pleopard

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 19, 2006
Location
Calgary, Alberta
TDI
2010 Jetta TDI
My '91 made it to 437,000 miles on it, and that poor engine spins WAY faster than any TDI, LOL....

I also used it in my '98 Jetta and my '97 Passat. I'd still be using it now except Castrol dropped the ball on the newer oil specs so we use Pentosin now.

:( I miss my '92 1.6 TD... What do you mean Castrol dropped the ball on newer oil specs?
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
:( I miss my '92 1.6 TD... What do you mean Castrol dropped the ball on newer oil specs?
Can't buy a 5w40 505.01 spec oil in this country any more from Castrol. Dealers switched from TXT to SLX, which is a 5w30....and the cam failures followed. :mad:

And you never could buy it from anyone other than a VW/Audi dealer, same as with the new LL03 SLX 507.00... I was even a Castrol retailer, bought 5w40 505.00/502.00 in 55gal drums from them.
 

pleopard

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 19, 2006
Location
Calgary, Alberta
TDI
2010 Jetta TDI
Gotcha. I had forgotten about that switch. It's interesting that VW still uses the Syntec 5W40 (502.00/505.00) for all of the gas engines in North America, considering how old the specs are on that oil. This is what they gave my sister for her Tiguan. I've never been exactly sure why VW hasn't switched to the 504.00 for gas engines when Europe supposedly has.
 

n1das

TDIClub Enthusiast, Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 11, 2002
Location
Nashua, NH, USA
TDI
2014 BMW 535xd ///M-Sport, 2012 BMW X5 Xdrive35d, former 3x TDI owner
It certainly meets the spec required by your car!

You can use just about any 5W40 sold in Namerica.

Some folks seem to favor (price and performance) the gallon jugs of Shell Rotella 5W40 sold at Wallzmart for $20.

Welcome aboard, Passsattt!!
Shell Rotella T6 (5W-40) oil sold at WAL<star>MART or Walmart<asterisk> is excellent stuff and great for your Passat. :cool:

Welcome to TDIclub! :cool:
 

kato96

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 5, 2009
Location
WA USA
TDI
05 BEW wagon
Can't buy a 5w40 505.01 spec oil in this country any more from Castrol. Dealers switched from TXT to SLX, which is a 5w30....and the cam failures followed. :mad:

And you never could buy it from anyone other than a VW/Audi dealer, same as with the new LL03 SLX 507.00... I was even a Castrol retailer, bought 5w40 505.00/502.00 in 55gal drums from them.
To be accurate, Part# G052167M2, Castrol "Edge" Turbo Diesel Motor Oil - (5w-40) - 1 Liter, is available and in stock at University VW in Seattle, 38 in stock, and is what they will use if they change the oil on your PD. It's also available from 1st VW, min 12 liter, as well as ECS

http://www.ecstuning.com/ES1884246/ES1293501/

There are people who feel more comfortable with dealer service and not all dealers are using 5/30

I use CJ4 delvac 1 in my PD
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
kato, thanks, that is news to me. And as recently as 6 months ago I sent an email to BP/Castrol USA asking them about the Edge product in 5w40, and never got a response. :rolleyes:
 

kato96

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 5, 2009
Location
WA USA
TDI
05 BEW wagon
oilhammer, your welcome,
thank you very much for all the information you've given over the years
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
Just got a case of this is, any dealer can get it. VAG 502.00 (gassers), 500.00 (old, old diesels, like pre-TDI?), and 505.01 (PDs). Also meets the coveted MB 229.51 spec.

The US part number on the back is 12438 and it is in a 1 quart bottle, which leads me to think you could get this at some place other than through a VW/Audi dealership channel.
 

Adrenolize

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 20, 2011
Location
Greensboro, NC
TDI
2013 Jetta MkVI TDI Premium
Just got a case of this is, any dealer can get it. VAG 502.00 (gassers), 500.00 (old, old diesels, like pre-TDI?), and 505.01 (PDs). Also meets the coveted MB 229.51 spec.

The US part number on the back is 12438 and it is in a 1 quart bottle, which leads me to think you could get this at some place other than through a VW/Audi dealership channel.
Hello!

Any update yet on what the best 'tried-and-true' is for the 2006.5 PD? I'm about 3 k out for the next change, and sadly, I'm 50+ miles from anyone capable of dealing with my TDI. So, I'm going to do some experimentation and get-r done! There are so many suggestions out there, it is making my head swim!

Any suggestion as to what tools I will need that are out of the norm? I'm hoping that between what I have for my BMW bike and other tid-bits I can make it happen.

Any pointers are greatly appreciated!
 

Lee_Taylor

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 26, 2004
Location
Kent, England
TDI
Audi A3 1.4 COD
i have a vw passat 1.9 TDI PD 116 HP 1999 year , can i put castrol syntec 5w-40 in it ?
The last lot of syntec I bought for my gasser was 502/504 not 505.01 So I wouldn't recommend using it in a PD. There should be Mobil 1 equivalents or Castrol Edge that are rated for the PD engine available in Romania.
 

dieseldorf

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Oct 11, 2000
Location
MA
TDI
ex- 1996 wagon, ex-2000 Jetta
i have a vw passat 1.9 TDI PD 116 HP 1999 year , can i put castrol syntec 5w-40 in it ?
The PD engine is supposed to use 505.01 oils. You'll have to check if your local Syntec product meets that standard.
 

norbysr

Member
Joined
Nov 14, 2011
Location
Romania
TDI
1.9 TDI PD
aha thanx a lot , I want it to use that oil bechause it has some cleaning lube in it for my engine.
 

kato96

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 5, 2009
Location
WA USA
TDI
05 BEW wagon
aha thanx a lot , I want it to use that oil bechause it has some cleaning lube in it for my engine.
Be careful asking North Americans about oil in your home country
It looks like you have many choices if you want a Castrol 505.01


http://www.castrol.com/castrol/castrolhomepage.do?categoryId=4820&contentId=7063590

http://www.castrol.com/castrol/productdetailmin.do?categoryId=9034037&contentId=7063500

http://www.castrol.com/castrol/extendedsectiongenericarticle.do?categoryId=9034051&contentId=7063546
 
Last edited:

Clayslayer

Veteran Member
Joined
May 16, 2009
Location
Rapid City
TDI
2002 Jetta and a 1977 Ford F-150 with a 4BT Cummins
You can't really buy a bad 5w-40 oil anymore. I've used and liked the following:

Rotells T6
Mobil 1 TDT
Amsoil AFL and DEO

All in synthetic 5W-40, and always a "diesel" oil.

I haven't used Castrol or Lubri-Moly or any other (exotic) type of oil but can't see why they wouldn't be just peachy fine. I stick to rather commonly found stuff.

I'll probably go back to Amsoil DEO for the simple reason that I got the best MPG from it. I don't know why but my log book tells me that there's a 2-4 mpg advantage for the 10,000+miles it was in my car.

FWIW ratings on diesel oils are cumulative, meaning that they meet or exceed any ratings from past oils. The 5w-40 Rotella T6 or Mobil 1 TDT on the shelf at Wally world are just fine for ANY current diesel engine.
 
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