A few newbie questions

[dogdome]

I've read and read, read some more and then come back and read yet more. Yet since most of this stuff goes over my head, I just want to make sure that I'm correct on most of my findings before I go off potentially messing things up.

A few days ago I bought a;

2006 VW Beetle GLS TDI (automatic) 47k miles

Which was apparently "excellently" maintained according to the service dept (a dealer whom honestly I don't want to 'deal' with, they were a headache just to get the car from) - brought in every 5k miles for service since the day it was 'born'. Considering that it runs and looks brand new, I don't doubt it.

The sticker on the window says "Castrol" 5W - (?), I'm assuming this would be 5w40 or 5w30 since the 2006 is a Pumpe-duse engine, and is usable (by looking at manufacturer websites) in both winter and summer. I just want to make sure that I'm assuming correctly - please correct me if I'm wrong!

There have also been threads as to how far to go between oil changes - the manufacturer states up to 10k miles, however there have been those that say that oil can also stand up to less because of miles(hours).

I put close to 20k miles a year on my vehicles - near 60 a day, sometimes 100 (sometimes 7 days a week). I wasn't planning on going the full 10k because of such, was thinking perhaps 7-8k before having an oil change. Any suggestions on this from those more experienced would be appreciated.

Sorry for the small novel! Thank you in advance for any help you might have!

 

[velociT]

Your Beetle has a BEW engine in it.

You're going to want 505.01 spec oil. There are some 5w40 and 5w30 oils that meet this specification.

You're probably going to want to do 5k intervals on the oil.

If you choose a 507 oil, you can go 10k intervals.

 

[dogdome]

Thank you - I have no clue what a BEW engine is, but I'll have to look it up.

Any suggestions on a 507 oil that would meet the specifications I'd need for my engine type? I'm sure there are threads on this as well somewhere, so I'll look around.

Thank you again!

 

[velociT]

Thank you - I have no clue what a BEW engine is, but I'll have to look it up.

Any suggestions on a 507 oil that would meet the specifications I'd need for my engine type? I'm sure there are threads on this as well somewhere, so I'll look around.

Thank you again!

Board vendors like tdiparts.com sell it, along with your local VW dealer parts department.

The spec is 507.00.

 

[burpod]

pn# GVW 052 195 M2

i can't comment on the other fail, but that's the oil you want. comes in cases 12 1L bottles

505.01 is good for 10k miles too

 

[Fahrfuwerfuelen]

Which was apparently "excellently" maintained according to the service dept.

Oxymoron? VW service depts. know how to maintain a TDI? Heck, I get letters all the time from the dealer reminding me it's time for my 3k oil change. Not only that, most have no clue about the 505.01 or 507.00 spec required for BEW (code designation for PD engine) engines. IMHO, 5k OCI is flushing $$ down the drain. The manual and Bentley all specify an OCI at 10k after the initial 10k period.

 

[dogdome]

Oxymoron? VW service depts. know how to maintain a TDI? Heck, I get letters all the time from the dealer reminding me it's time for my 3k oil change. Not only that, most have no clue about the 505.01 or 507.00 spec required for BEW (code designation for PD engine) engines. IMHO, 5k OCI is flushing $$ down the drain. The manual and Bentley all specify an OCI at 10k after the initial 10k period.

I guess I should have stated in there for that particular sentence that there was a bit of sarcasm. The guy I talked to didn't even know it was a diesel by looking up the VIN even -after- I told him it was a TDI.

When I asked him why the guy brought it in every 5k he told me. "To get his synthetic oil changed." I said "But that's awful short for a TDI...it should go till 10k with the type of oil you have in it." He about flipped on me about how engines never last that long...hell, the sticker even says 10k on it.

Then I quietly said. "Hon..it's a diesel." You could have heard a pin drop.

I guess I'm just some silly woman with a car.

 

[KALaBenne]

Welcome to the club!

You'll want to find someplace or someone on the trusted mechanics list that you can take it to when you have problems (unless you want to get handy under your hood).

10K miles is ok for either 505.01 or 507.00 oil. 505.01 is what you require 507.00 is ok. Both of those are VW specs, you wont find them on the back of any bottle at wallyworld. The only oil I know of that you may find (other than the Castrol at the dealer) is Valvoline Synpower MST at napa which is (edit--oops) 501.01. I personally do 10K oil changes and have done them myself except for the first one that got done with the timing belt (I too have a PD engine although it's a BHW instead of a BEW)

Don't worry about 5W- whatever, it's the 505.01 that makes it ok (for all seasons and Canada too)

I suggest getting a Pela 6000 or similar oil extractor and doing the oil changes yourself. It's beyond easy, all done from the top of the engine and could just about do it with your sunday-go-to-meeting clothes on.

I would also learn how to change the other filters (air, fuel, and cabin air) yourself. There are some videos avaliable to help you learn all this stuff and it's really not hard.

I drive a lot, I've put almost 30K since I bought mine Feb. 28 of this year, and doing the changes myself has been great. You'll pay ~$100 at the stealership for a proper oil change or you can buy the supplies online for about $45. (link to oil)

You've found the best resource for your car right here. There's so much you can learn, I would suggest the ventectomy as your first project. (it increases fuel tank capacity)

Hope that helps,

 

[Fahrfuwerfuelen]

Dogdome:

Welcome and take time to read the enumerable posts of how to properly maintain your TDI. While some techs at dealerships know how to work on TDIs, generally most have no clue. 1,000 miles into recently changed oil, a tech told me I needed an oil change because the oil was black. The oil turned black about 10 seconds after I started the engine with new oil.

 

[dogdome]

Thank you, and believe me I've been reading - most of it goes over my head (mostly the technical stuff) however I've learned a ton and plan to keep on learning.

Thanks for having this resource and being so helpful!

 

[icecap]

Thank you, and believe me I've been reading - most of it goes over my head (mostly the technical stuff) however I've learned a ton and plan to keep on learning.

Thanks for having this resource and being so helpful!

I recently received my service due reminder for my next 5,000 mile service in the mail 4 months since it was last serviced and 1,500 miles shy of the 5,000 mile service it doesn't need since the VWoA recommended oil change interval is 10,000 miles or 1 year whichever comes first. I sent an email to the service manager thanking him for the reminder and at the same time asking him if VW had changed their service interval recommendations. In the weasel reply I received I was informed that VW had not changed their policy however the dealer felt that the interval was too long and that they recommended doing it every 5,000. Since I'm still under warranty for 3 more years and we don't have the protection that Americans have regarding warranty I'm bound to go to the dealer until the warranty runs out but at $165 for an oil change and more than double that for the 20,000 mile services I will adhere to VW's recommendations. I recently purchased an ebahn registration and was amazed to find the service form which advises the dealer techs to not only reset the service indicator at the 10,000 mile service but to also reset the service interval in the MFD to 10,000 mile intervals. If VW could put together a dealer/service network like Toyota, BMW or Lexus they would be unbeatable. I could say a lot more but will let it rest for now. If

 

[dogdome]

If I never saw the hind end of my dealership again I'd be happy - they've given me nothing but poor service from the beginning of our relationship when I attempted to get one of the new '09 Jetta's to then double charging my account for my down payment on this car. I could go on and on...

In any case - I hear you on the warranty side. The car has a 2 year 24k warranty on it since its 'pre-loved', so I'll adhere to whatever I need to until its gone (which will likely be less then a year for me), and quite honestly...I'll drive out to the next dealership to get anything warranty done before going back there.

Everyone has been so very helpful here - I can't even begin to say how appreciative I am, I have lots of reading material to help take care of my baby!

 

[TornadoRed]

Your Beetle has a BEW engine in it.

You're going to want 505.01 spec oil. There are some 5w40 and 5w30 oils that meet this specification.

You're probably going to want to do 5k intervals on the oil.

If you choose a 507 oil, you can go 10k intervals.

Dogdone says he drives 60-100 miles a day. His NB TDI can almost certainly go a full 10k miles between oil changes on either a VW 505.01 or VW 507.00 spec oil. Some oils are better than others, but even the weakest ones are usually good for 10k miles. A used-oil test will show whether his engine is one of the exceptions.

Changing oil sooner than required accomplishes nothing except enrich the motor oil producers.

 

[velociT]

Dogdone says he drives 60-100 miles a day. His NB TDI can almost certainly go a full 10k miles between oil changes on either a VW 505.01 or VW 507.00 spec oil. Some oils are better than others, but even the weakest ones are usually good for 10k miles. A used-oil test will show whether his engine is one of the exceptions.

Changing oil sooner than required accomplishes nothing except enrich the motor oil producers.

Driving 10k miles also doesn't take long if you're doing 100 miles a day.

Time is a critical factor in oil quality, not only mileage.

I would guess 507.00 reacts better to truely 'long life' intervals due to its better reaction to time and mileage.

 

[Bob_Fout]

Long drain intervals are those from 10K miles to the maximum of 30K miles.

The 10K mile interval is the conservative fixed interval we've been bludgeoned with for years because of our fuel. Now with ULSD, it's much easier for folks to go past 10K miles with supporting data (UOA).

 

[velociT]

Long drain intervals are those from 10K miles to the maximum of 30K miles.

The 10K mile interval is the conservative fixed interval we've been bludgeoned with for years because of our fuel. Now with ULSD, it's much easier for folks to go past 10K miles with supporting data (UOA).

Well keep us updated on what people are able to do on 507 with ULSD.

I'm definitely going to 507.00 at 25k.

 

[TornadoRed]

I would guess 507.00 reacts better to truely 'long life' intervals due to its better reaction to time and mileage.

Without the onboard monitors like they have in Europe, the only safe practice is to continue changing the 507.00 at 10k miles (or do used-oil testing). But with the monitors it is possible to travel up to 50k kilometers or 30k miles between oil changes.

If you're going to change at 10k miles, then it doesn't make sense to me to use the very expensive long-life stuff unless your engine absolutely requires it. So far that's only the CR engine in the '09 Jetta TDI.

 

[dogdome]

Dogdone says he drives 60-100 miles a day. His NB TDI can almost certainly go a full 10k miles between oil changes on either a VW 505.01 or VW 507.00 spec oil.

Oh my goodness! Don't tell my husband he might have married another man - he might be a wee bit upset , though I'm fairly sure I'm a woman through and through.

It seems from all the various things that I've read though, that the 5k may be best for me as I do place high mileage on my vehicle in a very short amount of time.

Perhaps over time I'll figure out whether its a waste of money or not - however I can see the logic in putting 10k miles over x hours vs 5k over x hours making it harder on the vehicle/oil.

 

[Bob_Fout]

Just the opposite Mrs. Dome! Lots of miles in a short amount of time means highway driving. Highway driving is FAR easier on the engine than city or suburban driving. Once the oil and engine are warm, there is virtually no wear. Additionally, steady-state is asking less of the engine than acceleration.

100 miles a day is peanuts for a TDI

 

[dogdome]

Okay, so then I'm basically confusing myself - . I drive mostly city, start/stop driving (with some highway) and its about 60-100 a day 100 being a rare very busy clientele day, which I know is probably murder on my MPG (but its better then what I was getting, believe me, and I'll start working on that soon enough).

Gotcha.

Thank you gentlemen!

 

[Bob_Fout]

Ooooh, 60 or 100 miles of city driving (yikes!), yeah, I'd say 5K mile interval.

 

[TornadoRed]

Okay, so then I'm basically confusing myself - . I drive mostly city, start/stop driving (with some highway) and its about 60-100 a day 100 being a rare very busy clientele day, which I know is probably murder on my MPG (but its better then what I was getting, believe me, and I'll start working on that soon enough).

Gotcha.

Thank you gentlemen!

Sorry Ms Dogdome about my earlier assumptions.

I used to drive 200+ miles a day as a courier -- a combination of city, suburban, and freeway driving, with frequent stops to pick up or drop off packages/documents. I always stuck to a 10k-mile OCI, and performed used-oil testing which showed this was fine even under those conditions. This included several months each year when 90°+ days were common.

I know that the experts and the owner's manual suggest a shorter OCI if driving conditions are severe. But then they list the severe conditions -- extreme high or low temperatures, driving on dusty gravel roads, etc. -- it seems like those who stick with the normal 10k-mile OCI do just fine in those conditions.

Yes, dusty conditions might require more frequent air filter changes, but the oil stays clean. TDI engines run pretty cool even in 100°-120°F temps. And in the extreme cold, as long as you get the engine hot enough occasionally to boil off any moisture which may condense inside the engine, then the oil will be okay for a normal OCI.

 

[Jandu]

Another newbie question.

For 2009 Jetta TDI, what is the frequency for oil change? I don't think I can find that in the manual. When to do the first oil change? Is it the same as the normal frequency?

 

[boogieman]

Im old school and Ill Still change my oil at 3-4k even with the sythetic.

Oil, even syn Oil, still breaks down and starts to sludge well before the recommened oil change ratio listed by the manufacutrer or car dealer. No one will tell you the truth because they want your car to break down, thats how mechanics make there money. This breakdown occures even more rapidly in a diesel motor because of the carbon blowby that is a result of a diesel's design. Thats why the oil is "black 10 seconds after changing your oil".

 

[TornadoRed]

Another newbie question.

For 2009 Jetta TDI, what is the frequency for oil change? I don't think I can find that in the manual. When to do the first oil change? Is it the same as the normal frequency?

It should be in the manual. Others have reported that the first oil change is at 10k miles and then every 10k after that. Earlier generations of TDIs had the first oil change at 5k miles, the next one at 10k, then every 10k after that.

Your engine was test-run for 20+ minutes in the factory, then drained before shipping to the assembly factory. Not sure when the initial fill was added, but it is an exceptionally high-quality oil that's rated for up to 30k miles in an engine with the correct monitoring equipment. The TDIs we get in North America don't have that oil monitor system, so we are stuck with a fixed drain interval of 10k miles. But if you're ever in a situation where you're going on a trip and don't know whether to change before you go or after you return, it will be okay to wait even if you end up going 12k miles or longer between oil changes.

There is absolutely no reason to change the oil at 3k miles or 5k miles. Unless your oil is contaminated by coolant, it will go 10k+ miles.

 

[Bob_Fout]

Im old school and Ill Still change my oil at 3-4k even with the sythetic.

Oil, even syn Oil, still breaks down and starts to sludge well before the recommened oil change ratio listed by the manufacutrer or car dealer. No one will tell you the truth because they want your car to break down, thats how mechanics make there money. This breakdown occures even more rapidly in a diesel motor because of the carbon blowby that is a result of a diesel's design. Thats why the oil is "black 10 seconds after changing your oil".

I'm not even sure where to begin with so much mis-information.

 

[oilhammer]

Im old school and Ill Still change my oil at 3-4k even with the sythetic.

Oil, even syn Oil, still breaks down and starts to sludge well before the recommened oil change ratio listed by the manufacutrer or car dealer. No one will tell you the truth because they want your car to break down, thats how mechanics make there money. This breakdown occures even more rapidly in a diesel motor because of the carbon blowby that is a result of a diesel's design. Thats why the oil is "black 10 seconds after changing your oil".

So, I guess the 421k miles I have put on my Jetta is a freak of nature? What about the 404k miles I put on my B2000? Or the 319k I have on my Toyota pickup? Wow, I guess my 10k mile intervals are just killing my engines, huh? Maybe if I used your Crown Royal Purple Helmet oil I could get more use out of my cars' engines, eh?

You sir have WAY too much MISinformation and the people on this forum that clearly know more than you ever will about oil are going to LOL at you and I pity your poor Volkswagen...

 

[Jandu]

No, I did look at the manual and could not found it. I was given a piece of xerox paper with unclear image that says 8000 km and 16000 km on different lines. However, there is nothing I can see on that piece of paper that tells whether it was for a Jetta gas or diesel. Knowing about dealership's info, I figure I better find out. Trusting the knowledge on this forum is why I posted the question.

 

[TornadoRed]

Jandu, I think the 5k-mile OCI is for the 2.0T engine. I do not know the OCI for the 2.5-liter 5-cylinder gas engine. But 10k miles or 16k kilometers is the OCI for the TDI engines.

Call up your dealer and tell him you want an owners manual. You paid for one as part of the purchase price.

 

[KALaBenne]

Im old school and Ill Still change my oil at 3-4k even with the sythetic.

Oil, even syn Oil, still breaks down and starts to sludge well before the recommened oil change ratio listed by the manufacutrer or car dealer. No one will tell you the truth because they want your car to break down, thats how mechanics make there money. This breakdown occures even more rapidly in a diesel motor because of the carbon blowby that is a result of a diesel's design. Thats why the oil is "black 10 seconds after changing your oil".

The oil is black after 10 seconds because it's doing one of it's jobs which is suspending soot.

Your oil should (if you use the proper 505.01 or 507.00 oil) have a very specific shear additive in it that actually wears less once it's been brought up to temp (after 1-2K miles)

There's a really excellent post by user Drivbiwire you need to read because you are actually doing more damage by changing your oil at 3-5K intervals than if you left it for 10K miles LIKE VW SAYS!!!

edit: please read this post from this thread, it really has been cussed and discussed ad nauseum

VW also may just know more that you do about the engines they put in their cars, this is not a diesel truck engine and the oil requirements ARE NOT THE SAME!!!!

good luck,