jettacraver
Member
Changed my oil at the dealer last weekend and immediately went on a trip. Just noticed yesterday that the new window sticker lists "Castrol GTX" and "5/30." The invoice, however, lists S 5/40 (which I take to mean synthetic 5/40). I called the service manager to clarify, and he said that the only way he could tell for sure which was put in was to physically look at the oil. I think he's full of crap! I worked at a Quaker State quick lube during college, and while I don't know Castrol's product, I do know that if you poured QS synthetic into a clear container next to QS crude-based oil, you couldn't tell the difference between the two. Plus, after the 1200+ miles since the oil change, the oil is already black as coal. (by the way, is this normal?) Finally, according to the dipstick, the oil is overfilled by 1/2 quart!!! Also, the service manager said that I shouldn't run 10,000 miles on the oil change, but should come back in 5,000. (he said that synthetic gets just as dirty as regular oil). Again, I think he's full of it - if 10,000 on synthetic is good enough for VW, it's good enough for me! So, I guess I need to know the following, if anybody can help me:
1) Is it possible to tell the difference between Castrol Synthetic and Castrol GTX just by looking at it, especially after 1200+ miles of use?
2) What harm could be caused by overfilling by 1/2 quart? (I assume it is negligible)
3) Is it common to have oil be pitch black after 1200+ miles of use?
4) Should I change the oil again at 15,000 per the dealer, or wait until 20,000 as recommended by VW?
Any help would be greatly appreciated! I just hate not trusting the dealer like this - I should just do it myself.
1) Is it possible to tell the difference between Castrol Synthetic and Castrol GTX just by looking at it, especially after 1200+ miles of use?
2) What harm could be caused by overfilling by 1/2 quart? (I assume it is negligible)
3) Is it common to have oil be pitch black after 1200+ miles of use?
4) Should I change the oil again at 15,000 per the dealer, or wait until 20,000 as recommended by VW?
Any help would be greatly appreciated! I just hate not trusting the dealer like this - I should just do it myself.