factory fill oil for '03 ti

tag3636

New member
Joined
Dec 5, 2002
Location
yardley,pa
factory fill oil for \'03 ti

i know this may be old stuff, but i am new to the tdi club. does anyone know what vw uses for the factory fill for the engine oil in the tdi? thanks anybody
 

TooSlick

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Dec 2, 1999
Location
Dixie
TDI
Audi 100S
Re: factory fill oil for \'03 ti

I believe they are now using "Castrol SLX", which is a very high quality (PAO/Ester based), 0w-30 synthetic available in other markets, including Europe and New Zealand. This is a VW 503/506 spec oil, with a viscosity in the range of 10.0 centistokes @ 100C and a HT/HS viscosity of approx 3.0-3.2 Cp @ 150C. It is significantly thinner than the oils most TDI listers are using, including the Series 3000, 5w-30.

Castrol SLX, 0w-30 is also the factory fill for my 2002 Audi TT Quattro Roadster, with the 225 hp turbo ....

TooSlick
Dixie Synthetics
 

chopchop

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 24, 2000
Location
Here (Calgary) & There (Blighty)
Re: factory fill oil for \'03 ti

Interesting... So they're not using a diesel-specific oil any more, then...? Either that, or they're using an oil geared towards diesels in a petrol engine...?

- Richard
 

tsterkel

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 5, 2002
Re: factory fill oil for \'03 ti

Sorry,
all of you are wrong in one or more aspect.

I contacted Castrol, and got the response
I posted last month, and got trashed for
posting. Never one to be dissuaded by
people with bad attitudes, here is the
continuation...

This month I got my "free" first oil change
at VW. I asked to see the oil, and here is
what I wrote down.

1. Castrol "special" black plastic bottle,
with "hex" cap.
2. 5w-30 (not 0w-30, or xw-40)
3. SL/CD rated, no CF-4, CG-4, etc. diesel ratings
4. "VW 505" rating dominant on the front
5. NO EVIDENCE that this is other than a Group III
6. price, without taxes, $7.25 per quart

Sorry to provide the bad news. But maybe the
having the facts will clear up the multiple
misleading posting.

Before you trash me, go to your VW dealer,
and WRITE the label down, and compare to
what I have above.
 

TooSlick

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Dec 2, 1999
Location
Dixie
TDI
Audi 100S
Re: factory fill oil for \'03 ti

Richard,

The VW 503/506 oils are low viscosity versions of the ACEA, A3/B3/B4 oils, so they ARE tailored towards high performance, gas/diesel engine passenger cars. This is no different than using the 5w-40 Syntec as the factory fill, except it's about 20% thinner at operating temps.

BTW, I believe the Castrol SLX is about $15/liter in Europe, so it's a very good oil ....Of course a lot of that is tax from our somewhat socialist friends "across the pond"
Maybe that's why you defected to the Great White North?


Tooslick
 

TEXAS_TDI

BANNED
Joined
Dec 20, 2001
Re: factory fill oil for \'03 ti

Originally posted by sea:
Sorry,
all of you are wrong in one or more aspect.

I contacted Castrol, and got the response
I posted last month, and got trashed for
posting. Never one to be dissuaded by
people with bad attitudes, here is the
continuation...

This month I got my "free" first oil change
at VW. I asked to see the oil, and here is
what I wrote down.

1. Castrol "special" black plastic bottle,
with "hex" cap.
2. 5w-30 (not 0w-30, or xw-40)
3. SL/CD rated, no CF-4, CG-4, etc. diesel ratings
4. "VW 505" rating dominant on the front
5. NO EVIDENCE that this is other than a Group III
6. price, without taxes, $7.25 per quart

Sorry to provide the bad news. But maybe the
having the facts will clear up the multiple
misleading posting.

Before you trash me, go to your VW dealer,
and WRITE the label down, and compare to
what I have above.
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">1.) I am never wrong.

2.) According to MICKEY's oil analysis, HIS factory fill was a 5w-30 full synthetic.

3.) I have a bottle of CASTROL SYNTEC 5w-40 right here in front of me. I bought it AT MY DEALERSHIP. It is the oil they use for TDI oil changes. It cost me $5.95 for the one quart. It is a GROUP 3 oil, API SJ/CF, ACEA A3/B4, and is WAY OVERPRICED.

[ January 11, 2003, 15:58: Message edited by: ProjektZwoTDI ]
 

car54

theGAME
Joined
Dec 5, 2000
Location
Woodbridge VA
TDI
2002 Jetta
Re: factory fill oil for \'03 ti

Originally posted by sea:
Sorry,
all of you are wrong in one or more aspect.

I contacted Castrol, and got the response
I posted last month, and got trashed for
posting. Never one to be dissuaded by
people with bad attitudes, here is the
continuation...

This month I got my "free" first oil change
at VW. I asked to see the oil, and here is
what I wrote down.

1. Castrol "special" black plastic bottle,
with "hex" cap.
2. 5w-30 (not 0w-30, or xw-40)
3. SL/CD rated, no CF-4, CG-4, etc. diesel ratings
4. "VW 505" rating dominant on the front
5. NO EVIDENCE that this is other than a Group III
6. price, without taxes, $7.25 per quart

Sorry to provide the bad news. But maybe the
having the facts will clear up the multiple
misleading posting.

Before you trash me, go to your VW dealer,
and WRITE the label down, and compare to
what I have above.
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">We trashed you because your too stupid to understand the question. The dealer is not the FACTORY!

What they are asking is what does the FACTORY put in the car! not the dealer! and anyway, your dealer is using the wrong oil!

I have read several of your posts, one where you repeated what castrol emailed you, one where you say nobody knows what their taling about because you wrote down what the dealer put in your car, and one where you told everybody to put up or shut up. Get a friggen life!
 

car54

theGAME
Joined
Dec 5, 2000
Location
Woodbridge VA
TDI
2002 Jetta
Re: factory fill oil for \'03 ti

Also, sea, I used to work for the dealer, so I better know what they are supposed to put in the cars... here, I'll show you, since you obviously dont know.



Of course this means nothing, because this is not what they use in the factory! Which you never figured out was the point of the whole thread!

 

Rick P.

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 20, 2002
Location
Barrie, Ontario
TDI
'97 Passat, Tornado Red, RIP Feb 17, 2006
Re: factory fill oil for \'03 ti

I think you missed the point of the original post. The question was not about the Castrol oil available only from North American VW dealers for oil changes, but about the original factory fill oil.
Since we do not have the same selection of diesel engine specific oils here as are available in Europe I believe the Castrol oil sold through the dealer is a special production run for VW of America.

Rick

Originally posted by sea:
Sorry,
all of you are wrong in one or more aspect.
...

Sorry to provide the bad news. But maybe the
having the facts will clear up the multiple
misleading posting.

Before you trash me, go to your VW dealer,
and WRITE the label down, and compare to
what I have above.
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">
 

PWM

Veteran Member
Joined
May 10, 2000
Location
Western Siberia (Finland)
Re: factory fill oil for \'03 ti

The euro factory fill is indeed 503/506 (I.e. NOT 505 !!).
All new TDIs are long service interval - >30tkm.
(And it's only possible with 506 oils in case of TDIs.)

And ALL 506 oils are 0W-30 !!

These simple facts are somehow very difficult to understand in the US - And I don't understand why
 

tsterkel

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 5, 2002
Re: factory fill oil for \'03 ti

Car54,
other than having another one of your
your bad hair days...do you ever have
a good day???

exactly what does the picture you
posted contradict what I said???
 

tsterkel

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 5, 2002
Re: factory fill oil for \'03 ti

oh,
did find an error,
the dealer Castrol is 5w-40 not 5w-30,
slip in the write-up. sorry about
the slip.

(flame-suit put on, go ahead,
amuse yourselves instead of helping)
 

MOGolf

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jun 27, 2001
Location
underneath something
TDI
2001 Golf GLS TDI Reflex silver, rough road suspension and steel skid plate, 2004 Passat Variant, Candy White, rough road suspension and geared balanced shaft module, and much, much more. 2016 LR RR HSE TD6, 2019 Jaguar I-PACE
Re: factory fill oil for \'03 ti

PWM, it isn't so on this side of the pond. VW does not give us the "long-life service" equipped engines. This is the simple fact.
 

car54

theGAME
Joined
Dec 5, 2000
Location
Woodbridge VA
TDI
2002 Jetta
Re: factory fill oil for \'03 ti

Originally posted by sea:
oh,
did find an error,
the dealer Castrol is 5w-40 not 5w-30,
slip in the write-up. sorry about
the slip.

(flame-suit put on, go ahead,
amuse yourselves instead of helping)
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">If they are using 5w-40, then fine. Thats great, but that still most likely isnt the oil that is installed in the factory.

They use one oil for all TDI engines. The way I understand it from a mechanic I worked with who used to work in a VW assembly plant, was that all the engines are filled with oil and test fired at the factory before they are crated up and shipped to the assembly line to be put into the car. This would lead me to believe that all us- or euro-bound tdi's would get the same oil, HOWEVER, we already know the rotary injection pump engines are for the USA market only, with all euro markets getting PD motors, so I wonder if they are just using some off the shelf 5w-30 synthetic they have sitting around for the regular (non-PD) motors.

Who knows... I doubt it really matters, after all, you DO want the engine to break in during this period, and since there is little to break in, no major filing down will occur, so a slightly thin oil is probably gonna work to your advantage.
 

TooSlick

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Dec 2, 1999
Location
Dixie
TDI
Audi 100S
Re: factory fill oil for \'03 ti

MOGolf,

The factory fill oil tests out @ approx 10.0 centistokes, so it is clearly a xw-30 oil and not an xw-40. VW dealers in the US are still using the 5w-40 for dealer service, partially due to the lack of 0w-30/5w-30 diesel oils in the US. BTW, the factory fill is most likely too thin to meet the VW 505 or ACEA B4 specifications for high temp/high shear viscosity, which is sort of ironic I think ....

Chris,

Please explain to me how you can tell from testing the oil @ 100C, whether it is a 0w-30 or a 5w-30? (I won't hold my breath waiting for a response)
The information I have comes from somebody who works for Royal Dutch Shell and is familar with the European oil market.

TooSlick
 

PWM

Veteran Member
Joined
May 10, 2000
Location
Western Siberia (Finland)
Re: factory fill oil for \'03 ti

"They use one oil for all TDI engines. The way I understand it from a mechanic I worked with who used to work in a VW assembly plant, was that all the engines are filled with oil and test fired at the factory before they are crated up and shipped to the assembly line to be put into the car. This would lead me to believe that all us- or euro-bound tdi's would get the same oil"

Correct


"HOWEVER, we already know the rotary injection pump engines are for the USA market only, with all euro markets getting PD motors, so I wonder if they are just using some off the shelf 5w-30 synthetic they have sitting around for the regular (non-PD) motors."

Incorrect


Those older type of engines are still manufactured and installed on some euro cars.
(For example some Skodas and Seats etc. - Also these are long service interval.
All of the industrial and marine engines are non-PD.
.. and some of them are also long service interval.
It seems that the reliability of PD is not on par with ditributor pumps
)

Believe me - TDI engines are designed and made in germany (VWAG).
So VWAG must know what they want when they require vw506 oil (which all are 0W-30 !!)
 

dparnell

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 14, 1999
Location
Herron Island, WA
TDI
2003 Jetta Wagon
Re: factory fill oil for \'03 ti

Would someone please correct me if I am wrong? What I am reading here is that the factory break in oil is $hit & should be changed ASAP but no one is suggesting that
.
 

SoTxBill

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Dec 14, 2000
Location
its not the base, its the additives!!
TDI
13 passatdsg 10 jetdsg, 09 jetdsg, 2006 jetdsg, 2001Jet, 96passat, 86jet, 81 jet, 78pickup all vw diesel.
Re: factory fill oil for \'03 ti

Would someone please correct me if I am wrong? What I am reading here is that the factory break in oil is $hit & should be changed ASAP but no one is suggesting that .

yes.. "corp ave fuel economy" (cafe) is more important.. and the engines only need to go 100k.. and they are already doing more than that.. so sacrafice the longevity in favor of cafe... thats the name of the game.. and that sells more cars.. which is the whole point... selling more cars.. you are suppose to replace your car every 3.5 years according to the dealer..
 

TEXAS_TDI

BANNED
Joined
Dec 20, 2001
Re: factory fill oil for \'03 ti

Originally posted by TooSlick:
Chris,

Please explain to me how you can tell from testing the oil @ 100C, whether it is a 0w-30 or a 5w-30? (I won't hold my breath waiting for a response)
The information I have comes from somebody who works for Royal Dutch Shell and is familar with the European oil market.

TooSlick
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">As I already stated, according to Mickey and his oil analysis, his factory fill oil was a full synthetic 5w-30 oil.
 

TEXAS_TDI

BANNED
Joined
Dec 20, 2001
Re: factory fill oil for \'03 ti

Originally posted by dparnell:
Would someone please correct me if I am wrong? What I am reading here is that the factory break in oil is $hit & should be changed ASAP but no one is suggesting that
.
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">The factory fill oil should be changed at 5000 miles. No sooner, no later.
 

TooSlick

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Dec 2, 1999
Location
Dixie
TDI
Audi 100S
Re: factory fill oil for \'03 ti

Doyle,

The factory fill is a very high quality 0w-30, VW 505/ACEA B4 or VW 506 synthetic that would sell for about $6.00-$8.00/quart if you could buy it in the US. I'd have no quams about running it in the TDI for the life of the car.

My friend TexasBill will have to eat some crow (Buzzard?) when all the commercial diesel engines are running 5w-30 and/or 5w-40 synthetics in about 10 years
Until then, we can respectfully agree to disagree on this issue ....The last time I did a survey, almost all the major oil companies were making a synthetic diesel oil in one of these two grades. You do see more 5w-40's than 5w-30's, since the 5w-40 grades can be made using the cheaper Group III basestocks. A 5w-30, Group III diesel oil would not hold up very well in a HD commercial engine ....

TooSlick
www.lubedealer.com/Dixie_Synthetics

[ January 17, 2003, 04:55: Message edited by: TooSlick ]
 

dparnell

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 14, 1999
Location
Herron Island, WA
TDI
2003 Jetta Wagon
Re: factory fill oil for \'03 ti

Ted, THANK YOU for making the waters clear AGAIN!!!! I had the wagon up on ramps to chg the oil but a BIG surge in the biz nailed me~~~no time to change. Will obviously take YOUR advice~~~THANKS AGAIN!!!
 
Top