3. Q: Can I use oil "X" in my 2009+ TDI?
A: It is vitally important for the health of your Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) that you use only oils meeting the VW 507.00 spec, just like your owner's manual says. Oils meeting this spec contain extremely low amounts of ash, because oil-derived ash will crap up your DPF (in which case you can kiss both your warranty and your kid's college savings goodbye). If an oil says it meets the VW 507.00 spec, yer good to go. If it doesn't, yer not. Even some VW dealerships don't understand this yet, so don't assume that the oil the parts counter sells you (or the service tech uses in your car) is 507.00 unless and until they prove it to you by showing you the label. At the time of writing 507.00 oils are difficult or impossible to find on most store shelves, but you can e-buy them at either
tdiparts.com or
avlube.com (and prolly elsewhere, for all I know). Finally, there is absolutely no truth to the rumor that the name "507.00" comes from the average price per liter for this stuff...but its close! And one more thing: the oil capacity is 4.0 liters. Not 4.5 liters. Not 5 liters. Not 4 quarts. 4.0 liters. And you measure your oil level with the engine at full operating temperature, after it has sat turned off for about 3 minutes.