# ELF Excellium - Is it REALLY that good?



## FusionGuy (Mar 1, 2008)

I recently purchased a new 2008 MKV Jetta. I've only put about 700 miles on it so far and I'm a guy who always changes my own oil. I was happy to know that VW uses synthetic oil in their engines. I'm also an F1 fan and know that Elf lubricants are big in that area.
How much better can ELF Excellium 5W-40 be than say, Castrol Syntec 5W-40 or Mobil1 0W-40 in terms of protection and extended drain intervals? All of these meet the VW 502.00 spec. ELF is the most expensive and the hardest to find, since no U.S. retails appear to carry it.
I was surprised that VW uses such an extended drain interval after 10K miles. Anything over a 5K drain interval seems to go against all logic in my opinion. No matter how good the oil is, you're still limited by how well the filter performs and how dirty the oil gets..


----------



## raceware (Sep 28, 1999)

*Re: ELF Excellium - Is it REALLY that good? (FusionGuy)*


_Quote, originally posted by *FusionGuy* »_I recently purchased a new 2008 MKV Jetta. I've only put about 700 miles on it so far and I'm a guy who always changes my own oil. I was happy to know that VW uses synthetic oil in their engines. I'm also an F1 fan and know that Elf lubricants are big in that area.
How much better can ELF Excellium 5W-40 be than say, Castrol Syntec 5W-40 or Mobil1 0W-40 in terms of protection and extended drain intervals? All of these meet the VW 502.00 spec. ELF is the most expensive and the hardest to find, since no U.S. retails appear to carry it.
I was surprised that VW uses such an extended drain interval after 10K miles. Anything over a 5K drain interval seems to go against all logic in my opinion. No matter how good the oil is, you're still limited by how well the filter performs and how dirty the oil gets.. 


This should be a lightening rod thread...








As far as the 10K drain intervals, they are based on actually testing done by VW and are completely safe for "normal service". The oil filter has more than enough capacity to go well beyond 10K. For reference in Europe the oil drain can be as high as 18K using the same filter and VW 507.00 spec Long Life oils. If you open up the filter and check it, you will see it is about a 6' long piece of filter material that filters out particulate down to as small as 5 micron which is damn good filtration in a full flow oil filter system. So there is no concern what so ever in regards to the oil filter or particulate going through the engine by using a 10K oil change interval.
As far as Elf oils are concerned they appear to be good but there is virtually no way to tell much about any oil without objective scientific test data, which is difficult to come by. You will get every person to tell you why a certain brand of oil is great, but those are usually opinions without hard scientific facts to back up the opinions. So then the pissing contests begin.








http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=3601651


_Modified by raceware at 9:47 AM 3-7-2008_


----------



## FusionGuy (Mar 1, 2008)

*Re: ELF Excellium - Is it REALLY that good? (raceware)*

Sure, but what is "normal" service? The only normal I'd consider would be driving on the interstate at 65MPH using cruise control.


----------



## raceware (Sep 28, 1999)

*Re: ELF Excellium - Is it REALLY that good? (FusionGuy)*


_Quote, originally posted by *FusionGuy* »_Sure, but what is "normal" service? The only normal I'd consider would be driving on the interstate at 65MPH using cruise control.









Cruising the highway isn't all that constitutes "normal service". Perhaps it's easier to list what does not constitute "normal service" *per the Owner's Manual which states short drives in cold weather, long idle periods, driving in unusually dusty conditions and towing as "severe service". *Driving other than the conditions stated above constitutes "normal service". So most people drive under "normal service" conditions and the VW recommended service intervals apply. That's why people should actually read their Owner's Manual.


----------



## FusionGuy (Mar 1, 2008)

*Re: ELF Excellium - Is it REALLY that good? (raceware)*

If all else fails, read the manual. Or as they say in my line of work, RTFM! 
Cheers.


----------



## water&air (Aug 1, 2002)

*Re: ELF Excellium - Is it REALLY that good? (FusionGuy)*

elf is not the most expensive. 
i'm an elf dealer ( they are changing thier name to TOTAL btw)
i'm sure my pricing with shipping will shock you.
pm me for details.


----------



## raceware (Sep 28, 1999)

*Re: ELF Excellium - Is it REALLY that good? (FusionGuy)*


_Quote, originally posted by *FusionGuy* »_If all else fails, read the manual. Or as they say in my line of work, RTFM! 
Cheers.

*I believe it is perceived to be un-American to RTFOM. *


----------



## FusionGuy (Mar 1, 2008)

*Re: ELF Excellium - Is it REALLY that good? (water&air)*

Well, it's my understanding that the Excellium DID 5W-40 is the most appropriate to use for the 2.5 inline, aspirated engine in my Jetta. I'd need 6 liters.


----------



## Froster (Apr 13, 2006)

*Re: ELF Excellium - Is it REALLY that good? (FusionGuy)*

I use Elf in my car for two reasons 1) That my mechanic, who I trust, recommended it to me (actually, he pretty much told me 'Use this'), and 2) The retail cost of Elf Excellium in Southern Ontario is still far less than the dealer charges for the Castrol stuff bulk. Therefore, I can use oil that has been recommended to me by a trusted source, and I can save money using at as well.


----------

