# Elf Difference



## rajvosa71000 (Jun 9, 2004)

What's the difference between ELF EXCELLIUM DID 5W40 and ELF EXCELLIUM NF 5W40, which one would be better for my Supercharged 24V, DID is on the approved list but no NF.


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## GermaniuM (Mar 29, 2001)

*Re: Elf Difference (rajvosa71000)*

Use approved oil.


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## rajvosa71000 (Jun 9, 2004)

*Re: Elf Difference (GermaniuM)*

Eff it, we're all concerned what kinda oil to use, it's getting ridiculous... best thing is to stick with Castrol Syntec http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## RD_3 (Apr 24, 2002)

*Re: Elf Difference (rajvosa71000)*


_Quote, originally posted by *rajvosa71000* »_What's the difference between ELF EXCELLIUM DID 5W40 and ELF EXCELLIUM NF 5W40, which one would be better for my Supercharged 24V, DID is on the approved list but no NF.

I have been using Elf Excellium LDX/NF for about a year and half now; the NF formulation is the new version, it is 502.00 approved. I have 2 bottles of the NF and it states the APPROVED 502.00 right on the bottle. LDX = NF. The DID formutlation is used by the diesel guys I know but would probably be fine for the VR since it too is 502.00 approved. I am sticking with the NF which should be on the latest list though since it does carry the 502.00 approval. Hope this helps Rajvosa!


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## rajvosa71000 (Jun 9, 2004)

*Re: Elf Difference (Akira)*

Cool, yeah I was thinking that DID is more for the diesel guys....anyway, I just thought I'd use something better than Castrol Syntec since my car is Supercharged...I've been happy with Amsoil so far but thought I'd try something else since it's not approved by VW, even though it says 502.00


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## shipo (Jan 3, 2006)

*Re: Elf Difference (rajvosa71000)*


_Quote, originally posted by *rajvosa71000* »_Cool, yeah I was thinking that DID is more for the diesel guys....anyway, I just thought I'd use something better than Castrol Syntec since my car is Supercharged...I've been happy with Amsoil so far but thought I'd try something else since it's not approved by VW, even though it says 502.00

Yeah, it says something like "designed to meet..." not "certified to meet...", two very different things.


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## rajvosa71000 (Jun 9, 2004)

*Re: Elf Difference (shipo)*

I just placed an order for NF, it better be better than Amsoil


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## GermaniuM (Mar 29, 2001)

*Re: Elf Difference (rajvosa71000)*


_Quote, originally posted by *rajvosa71000* »_Cool, yeah I was thinking that DID is more for the diesel guys....anyway, I just thought I'd use something better than Castrol Syntec since my car is Supercharged...I've been happy with Amsoil so far but thought I'd try something else since it's not approved by VW, even though it says 502.00

Who says that Elf is better then Syntec? I run Syntec in my BT 1.8t and it's just fine. I've used Motul as well, and there's really no difference. Car runs the same with either oil.


_Modified by GermaniuM at 1:30 PM 6-30-2008_


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## RD_3 (Apr 24, 2002)

*Re: Elf Difference (rajvosa71000)*


_Quote, originally posted by *rajvosa71000* »_I just placed an order for NF, it better be better than Amsoil









Where are you purchasing from might I ask? I buy from GermanAutoParts.com, great guys always awesome prices and fast shipping! http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 
Once the dealers run out of the NF they will more than likely switch to selling Total Quartz 9000 which is essentially the same lube, different bottle, just as an FYI.


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## RD_3 (Apr 24, 2002)

*Re: Elf Difference (GermaniuM)*


_Quote, originally posted by *GermaniuM* »_Who says that Elf is better then Syntec?

Dude, dont even go there...seriously. He was just making a comment. This is NOT going to be an Amsoil vs Elf thread.


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## GermaniuM (Mar 29, 2001)

*Re: Elf Difference (Akira)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Akira* »_
Dude, dont even go there...seriously. He was just making a comment. This is NOT going to be an Amsoil vs Elf thread. 

I'm making a comment too. Some of you guys get so bent out of shape over oil, it's not even funny. It's just oil. Use approved oil and don't be a cheap ass when it comes to doing oil changes on time and you'll be fine. End of discussion.


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## RD_3 (Apr 24, 2002)

*Re: Elf Difference (GermaniuM)*

Who's getting bent out of shape? I was just trying to "put out the fire" before it even started.








Amsoil = http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 
Elf = http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 
...pick your poison








*edit*: and judging by your 1st post..."Use approved oil," it seemed that you weren't going to be much help to the OP regardless. Both DID and NF are both "approved." I was giving him insight by answering his question about which one would be better for his application. It was a simple discussion about Elf oil that you _potentially_ could have diverted, that is why I "commented" about it. If you use Amsoil then thats great, its a great lubricant. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 


_Modified by Akira at 2:27 PM 6-30-2008_


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## rajvosa71000 (Jun 9, 2004)

*Re: Elf Difference (Akira)*

Well Im not saying that Elf is better than Castrol Syntec, I thought that Syntec is not 100% Synthetic, so I thought after being Supercharged and my engine is gonna see more stress I just thought I could get something with 100% synthetic for better lubrication.
Anyway, I've used Castrol Syntec all the way up to 60K when I got Supercharged.
I got Elf from Pole position, from the guy above.


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## shipo (Jan 3, 2006)

*Re: Elf Difference (rajvosa71000)*

Castrol Syntec 5W-40 = Group III Hydrocracked Crude Oil (502.00)
Castrol Syntec 0W-30 = Group IV PAO Synthetic Oil (502.00 & 503.01)


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## RD_3 (Apr 24, 2002)

*Re: Elf Difference (rajvosa71000)*


_Quote, originally posted by *rajvosa71000* »_Well Im not saying that Elf is better than Castrol Syntec, I thought that Syntec is not 100% Synthetic, so I thought after being Supercharged and my engine is gonna see more stress I just thought I could get something with 100% synthetic for better lubrication.
Anyway, I've used Castrol Syntec all the way up to 60K when I got Supercharged.
I got Elf from Pole position, from the guy above.

Rajvosa, I hope the NF works well for ya; it did great when I had the VR. I will be running it in the 2.0T now since I have traded in the old GLI about 3 months ago. When you get a chance at your next OCI run an oil analysis and post up the results. I would be curious to see how it fares with FI.


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## rajvosa71000 (Jun 9, 2004)

*Re: Elf Difference (shipo)*


_Quote, originally posted by *shipo* »_Castrol Syntec 5W-40 = Group III Hydrocracked Crude Oil (502.00)
Castrol Syntec 0W-30 = Group IV PAO Synthetic Oil (502.00 & 503.01)

So 5w40 is not full synthetic right?
Anyway, I was changing my plugs about a moth ago, my buddy just happened to take a flashlight and look down the hole while the plugs were out....he was surprised how clean it looked, there was no sign of sludge or any dirt, it looked so clean, that ws with Amsoil 5w40


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## shipo (Jan 3, 2006)

*Re: Elf Difference (rajvosa71000)*

He looked for sludge inside the combustion chamber? Uhhh, why would he look there?















FWIW, sludge typically forms on engine surfaces where oil flows freely after it's finished its job of lubrication (on that pass through the engine) and is simply traveling back to the oil sump. The easiest and most common place to find sludge (assuming any given engine is sludging) is between the cam covers and the top of the head. Pull those covers on an engine that's making sludge and it ain't gonna be pretty.
So, how many miles are on your engine and why would you even think of looking for sludge? Assuming that you're using a 502.00 compliant oil, you shouldn't find any sludge, even after 100,000+ miles.
Edit: I see that you're running VR6 motors, yes, no? As I understand it, the VR6 is not a known sludge producing engine. I know that my 1995 VR6, which I sold after driving it ~120,000 hard miles in NYC metro traffic, had no sludge in it. I used Mobil 1 5W-30 for the duration.


_Modified by shipo at 8:51 AM 7-1-2008_


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## rajvosa71000 (Jun 9, 2004)

*Re: Elf Difference (shipo)*

Well he didn't look for sludge, he just looked inside to see how it looks, and it looked clean.
It was on my 24V that has 80K miles



_Modified by rajvosa71000 at 3:48 PM 7-1-2008_


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## Mile High Assassin (Aug 28, 2002)

*Re: Elf Difference (rajvosa71000)*


_Quote, originally posted by *rajvosa71000* »_Eff it, we're all concerned what kinda oil to use, it's getting ridiculous... best thing is to stick with Castrol Syntec http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 

The Casstrol is junk, or at least inferior to what is available.


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## shipo (Jan 3, 2006)

*Re: Elf Difference (Mile High Assassin)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Mile High Assassin* »_
The Casstrol is junk, or at least inferior to what is available.


Not that I'm a huge fan of Castrol myself, however, I'm having a difficult time understanding your rhetoric. How is it that German made Castrol Syntec 0W-30 is "inferior to what is available"? After all, their 0W-30 offering is both 502.00 and 503.01 certified, and I have yet to hear a bad word spoken about it over on BITOG.
So, do you have any scientific or empirical data that suggests that Syntec 0W-30 is inferior relative to the competition?


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## Mile High Assassin (Aug 28, 2002)

*Re: Elf Difference (shipo)*

I am speaking more on their 505.01
I don't care if is is German made or not. Casrol has ranked near the bottom of all of my UOA's (9). I guess junk is not the best word for them but you can buy better for the money. Just assuming "this is what VAG uses, so it must be the best" is the wrong way to look at it.
Vigrin oil Analysis have shown that they have less in their additive packages than other manufactures (mainly ELF/Total). At least that is the case with the 507 oil.


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## shipo (Jan 3, 2006)

*Re: Elf Difference (Mile High Assassin)*

While I agree that "just because VW uses Castrol, everyone else should too" ia a bad reason for buying Castrol products, I have a problem indicting an entire product line based upon the performance of one oil.


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## Mile High Assassin (Aug 28, 2002)

*Re: Elf Difference (shipo)*

Alright, their 507 is lacking when compared to Elf/Total and Mobil 1 as well.


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## shipo (Jan 3, 2006)

*Re: Elf Difference (Mile High Assassin)*

Where are you finding 506.00/507.00 Mobil 1 oil? As far as I know, that stuff isn't being imported yet.


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## robb. (Feb 28, 2007)

*Re: Elf Difference (Akira)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Akira* »_LDX = NF. The DID formutlation is used by the diesel guys I know but would probably be fine for the VR since it too is 502.00 approved. I am sticking with the NF which should be on the latest list though since it does carry the 502.00 approval. 

just for everyone to be aware, the difference between LDX and NF is moot, since it won't be sold anymore. it will be total quartz 9000 energy. the place where i buy oil only has the DID left. i bought 2 5l jugs, and i just changed it today.
robb.


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## GT17V (Aug 7, 2001)

*Re: Elf Difference (shipo)*


_Quote, originally posted by *shipo* »_Where are you finding 506.00/507.00 Mobil 1 oil? As far as I know, that stuff isn't being imported yet.









http://store.avlube.com/mo1espfo5wvw1.html


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## shipo (Jan 3, 2006)

*Re: Elf Difference (GT17V)*

Thanks! http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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