2012 Passat TDI First Oil Change at 8000km's (5000 miles)?

1alfie

Well-known member
Joined
May 30, 2012
Location
Ontario
TDI
2015 Passat Highline
On taking delivery of my Passat TDI, I was told by the Service Department that owing to living in northern climes, the initial oil change should be at 8000 km's with the second at the 15k mark and 15k thereafter. Has anyone else been told to do this by the dealer? Wondering if this is really necessary owing to the use of synthetic oil?
 

tdiatlast

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jan 21, 2009
Location
Fort Worth, Texas
TDI
2009 Sportwagen (boughtback); 2014 Passat TDI SEL (boughtback)
What does your owner's manual say? 10k mile changes...period...
Although there have been no UOAs posted for the 2012 Passat TDI, previous generation CR TDIs have done very well keeping it at 10k miles.
 

40X40

Experienced
Joined
Feb 12, 2006
Location
Kansas City area, MO
TDI
2013 Passat SEL Premium
Read your owners manual and go by what it says. There are charts/schedules for gasser engines in there, so pay close attention to which one you are looking at.

I am pretty sure the first OC is 10,000 miles as are all the rest. (Use Kilometer equivalent)

Somewhere a service dork is recommending the same strategy due to SOUTHERN CLIMES. (also wet, dry, windy, rural, metropolitan, high speed and congested 'climes'.)

Bill
 

tdiatlast

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jan 21, 2009
Location
Fort Worth, Texas
TDI
2009 Sportwagen (boughtback); 2014 Passat TDI SEL (boughtback)
Sadly, Bill, it's not a service dork. It's his boss...and his boss' boss...ie dealer owner.

Since the "free maintenance" warranty lists 10, 20, 30k miles, I wonder if the OP would have to pay for the 5k, 15, 25, 35k miles? THAT would be an interesting twist, eh?
 

jgeorge

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 11, 2011
Location
aurora, ontario, canada
TDI
2010 audi a3 tdi
In our 2010 A3 manual (canada), the 1st change is specified at 8000km which was free, then the second was sheduled at 23,000km.- 15,000km later. Every one after the 1st is at 15,000km intervals. That's pretty much 10,000mi intervals.
 

tdi90hp

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 5, 2002
Location
Canuckland
TDI
2011 Golf TDI 6 speed(gone but NEVER forgotten)
VAG has LOTS of engineers....they are the biggest builder of diesels in the world...they write the owners manual...they say 10K...why disagree? I belive it's been fairly clearly established that there is an oil change at the factory somewhere in the threads (I think) and that there is in break in oil that should be kept in there for 10K..(Ithink)...so go with the book IMHO.
 

big_ole_truck

Veteran Member
Joined
May 23, 2010
Location
NW FL
TDI
2015 VW Passat TDI SEL
Changing oil frequently is the best way to ensure engine longevity.
Change the oil at 500 miles, then 1000, then 2000, then 3500 then 5000, then 10000. Do analysis on all oil. After 10k miles, you would have realized you wasted money and gotten nothing for it. Or you can skip all these changes and only change it at 10k mile intervals.
 

t1n0m3n

Active member
Joined
Sep 7, 2011
Location
Chicago
TDI
2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee EcoDiesel
Changing oil frequently is the best way to ensure engine longevity.
Change the oil at 500 miles, then 1000, then 2000, then 3500 then 5000, then 10000. Do analysis on all oil. After 10k miles, you would have realized you wasted money and gotten nothing for it. Or you can skip all these changes and only change it at 10k mile intervals.
~8k miles worth of 0-3000 mile interval wear in 10k miles! Yikes!
That would be like artificially aging your car by ~30k miles!
 

RNDDUDE

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 29, 2011
Location
Valencia Ca.
TDI
2011 Jetta Sportwagen TDI
Recommended oil change intervals are usually qualified by 'severe use situations will require more frequent OCI's" or words to that effect. You have to decide if you think your situation qualifies. It's very doubtful that sticking with the standard intervals could/would be used to deny warranty coverage. Oil analysis is the only valid way to know what is really happening.....
 

flyboy320

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 6, 2010
Location
GTA, Canada
TDI
2018 e-Golf
When I picked up our 2012 Golf TDi in March, the dealer said first time to bring it in is 1yr, or 15,000km whichever comes first (and he even showed me when it states this in the owner's manual).

Sounds like your service department is trying to make some extra cash off you, best find another more honest dealership.
 

t1n0m3n

Active member
Joined
Sep 7, 2011
Location
Chicago
TDI
2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee EcoDiesel
When I picked up our 2012 Golf TDi in March, the dealer said first time to bring it in is 1yr, or 15,000km whichever comes first (and he even showed me when it states this in the owner's manual).

Sounds like your service department is trying to make some extra cash off you, best find another more honest dealership.
My 2011 was 10k mi (16k km) or a year, whichever comes first.

From what I have read on this site so far, the 10k mi OCI *is* the severe service interval. If you change the oil any sooner than that, you are creating extra wear over time due to the extra wear in the first 3k after an oil change.
 

detroitmike

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 12, 2011
Location
Take a guess.
TDI
2013 Passat DSG
My salesman tried the same 5k BS with me too. Telling you that your oil should be changed early is only an attempt to get more cash out of your pocket. I think its pretty shady to try and pull fast ones on less informed buyers.

If you have the option you should take your service business somewhere else and of course, let the service secretary know why.
 
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tdi90hp

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 5, 2002
Location
Canuckland
TDI
2011 Golf TDI 6 speed(gone but NEVER forgotten)
follow the book. just had mine changed for the third time 2 weeks ago at 45,000kms , no oil consumption and all good. waste of money to change oil too soon.
 
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