# Opinion based topic



## Schwarz_Jetta (Jul 31, 2011)

Hey guys i'm getting close to my next scheduled oil change and was wondering which brand you think i should go with, mind you these are all VW approved oils, which means they should all be ok to run in my car, just wondering what the consensus is on which brand people on here have had positive experiences with. I used to use Castrol Syntec 5w40, then switched to Mobil1 0w40 and now i'm considering trying out Pennzoil Ultra Synthetic 5w40. So far between the two i've used, i'm liking mobil1, but hey who knows i can always change my opinion. BTW i'm driving an 07 jetta with a 2.5l engine. :beer:


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## Apexxx (Nov 10, 2011)

Well, Syntec 5w-40 is a pretty old formula. For the same money, M1 0w-40 is a lot more advanced and capable oil. Pennzoil 5w-40 is a world-class product, but it's sort of thick in winter, hurting mpg and poor for short trips. 

Reality is that VW spec oil in the tame 2.5 makes little sense, unless you are doing extended oil changes, a year or 10k. What I'm saying is that if you want the best for your car, shorter changes of plain dino oil works better, for the same or less money. 


Let's compare a good VW spec oil, properly used out to 10k miles, compared to a dept store dino oil at 5k miles. Usually that dealer oil is twice the price, running it twice as long amounts to the same cost/mi. (ignore the filter change, it's not needed at 5k anyway) 

Which gives a better result, the premium oil at 10k or the cheap oil at 5k? imo, it's pretty obvious there is no substitute for physically draining out the contaminates, fuel and water in the old oil. Other additives wear out or become ineffective over time, particularly friction modifiers....that's what gives the "just changed the oil feeling". 

Bottom line is there is NOTHING TO GAIN with synth oils in non-turbos; 2.Slo, 2.5, V6. Find a nice thin 5w-30 dino for winter, and you'll never look back. Try a 10w-30 in summer for extra smoothness. 

PQIA has a lot of good independent test info on different oils. 

http://www.pqiamerica.com/


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## BsickPassat (May 10, 2010)

Schwarz_Jetta said:


> Hey guys i'm getting close to my next scheduled oil change and was wondering which brand you think i should go with, mind you these are all VW approved oils, which means they should all be ok to run in my car, just wondering what the consensus is on which brand people on here have had positive experiences with. I used to use Castrol Syntec 5w40, then switched to Mobil1 0w40 and now i'm considering trying out Pennzoil Ultra Synthetic 5w40. So far between the two i've used, i'm liking mobil1, but hey who knows i can always change my opinion. BTW i'm driving an 07 jetta with a 2.5l engine. :beer:


 Personally, I use heavy duty diesel oil..... Shell Rotella T6 5w40. 

unless you've been tracking the oils by oil analysis.... it's sort of anecdotal. If you're fine with Mobil 1 0w40...no real reason to change. It's readily available for a decent price.


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