Yahmon,
All BHW engines sold in North America require 505.01 certified oil, and that comes in two flavors, a 5W30 and 5W40 version. As has been proven in a semi-scientific manner here on the boards by veteran members, 505.01 compliant/certified 5W40 helps protect camshafts better than 505.01 compliant/certified 5W30. I have 206k miles on my car, and have ALWAYS used 505.01 5W40 oil and I know this because I change it myself. I recently had to change the valve cover gasket, and my cam is in excellent condition with no galling present.
I think we all agree that viscosity breaks down over time and that 5W40 oils are not all created equal as they have different film strengths among other properties. 505.01 oils have to pass a certain threshold to be certified by VW, and certain 5W30 and 5W40 oils may pass it, but I think from real world experience, the latter is a better choice.
You may think that viscosity plays a greater factor than the classification of 505.01, but given that you toasted a cam because of your own negligence, coming here to ask for advice and then rebuking it won't win many friends. Heed the sage advice given here by some of the veteran members who have owned these cars since the day they were new, lived through the problems and figured out how to fix them.
Newbies to this forum, please read, understand and heed advice. These issues are not new to this forum, just new to you. It would appear that many B5.5 TDI's are changing owners these days, and the problems unique to these cars are being inherited by unsuspecting new owners.
Enough said.
I am now using liqui moly top tech 4200 long life III.
It covers 505.01, 506.01 and 507.00
The only thing i was asking if there is a 507.00 5w40
The cam issue i was well aware of and i think that vw even has upgraded these parts.
Alchemy, I was saying the old viscosity numbers don't mean much, but 505.01 does, and so does 506.01 which is a long life version of 505.01 and then 507.00 just ads particulate filter equipped vehicles.
Then look at viscosity index, @175 for this oil it stands out.
At for example 110 degrees Celsius oil temp it is therefore possible for a high quality 5w30 oil to have a higher viscosity then a lower quality 5w40
I am not sure what i am rebuking, people keep saying that 5w30 kills a cam and i don't buy that, it has nothing to do with making friends but just separating facts from fiction.
I might be new to this forum but i am not a newbie to engines for that matter and most certainly not to oil. I am well aware what contributed to the cam problems, and it was not 5w30, because i never had it in there before. It had 505.01 5w40 the entire time since i owned it but got 505.00 5w40 in it once.
Just because some people say 5w40 is the only way, doesn't make it necessarily true.