# VW Jetta 2.0L Oil Question?



## todd20000 (Jul 20, 2004)

Im not very good with cars, but I have a question, Does my VW dealer use a special oil to allow 5000 miles between oil changes, or is it the car that helps get the extra 2000 miles? If it is a special kind of oil what kind is it? I would like to be able to go to another place to get it serviced if I need to, and would like to know if I should request a special oil, or what? Thanks a lot


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## hyphytrain203 (Jun 9, 2003)

IIRC they use regular oil for the first 5000 miles and then you can change to synthetic oil soon after that


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## bearing01 (May 27, 2004)

*Re: (performancevdub)*

At BMW they use full synthetic oil and their advertised oil change interval is like 15k miles.
I believe this high-milage oil change thing is partly a marketing pitch for you to buy a low maintenance car.
If you want to do high-interval oil changes I suggest going synthetic. I'd still change every 6-7k miles or so.
On the BMW's they used to have a problem with the filters holding out for the 15k miles. Don't forget to change your filter when you do the oil change.
I just run the cheap 10-w30 in my VW. Change every 3-4k miles. If you're doing mostly highway driving then you could push 5k miles with regular oil.


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## tjl (Mar 24, 2001)

*Re: (lpcmidst128)*

You're not likely to find 5W-40 in group I/II conventional oil.
In the US, 5W-40 oils can be found:
Shell Rotella T Synthetic (Wal Mart, $13 per gallon)
Mobil 1 Truck and SUV (Kragen)
Valvoline Synpower (Kragen)
Castrol Syntec (VW dealer)
And the 2.0L oil change interval is 10,000 miles after the first two changes at 5,000 and 10,000 miles.


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## cjoseph82 (Jun 28, 2004)

*Re: (tjl)*

I have a 2.0 also. Here's my two cents. 
From what I've seen and heard, VW dealers use Castrol Syntec 5W-40. At Gilboy VW in Whitehall, you can buy it by the quart @ 4.95. Manual says go for 5W-40 and 5W-30 if the previous is not available. Synthetic is much better for your engine, so def. go that route. As far as brands/grades, I've read that any of the following should do for your engine:
Mobil 1 5W-30 / 0W-40
Castrol Syntec 5W-40
Amsoil 5W-40 (will run you around $6.00/qt tho!)
Royal Purple 5W-30 (heard they use some weird addidtive tho!)
If you have the time, change the oil yourself. It takes about 30 minutes (including clean up, etc.) and you can save yourself some cash in the long run. Up front, you need to shell out for ramps, the tools, etc but the money you save by nixing having someone else do it for you will more than pay for this stuff. Once you are set up, you'll just need a few quarts of oil and a filter each time. As far as filters go, get one from the dealer (~$9.00) or a K&N. F*CK FRAM! Enough said...
Lastly, change your oil no later than every 5,000 mi. Extended drain intervals = more unnecessary engine wear. Would you rather pay for more oil or a new block?


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## Almaced (Jul 20, 2004)

*Re: VW Jetta 2.0L Oil Question? (todd20000)*

To the people who quote *Castrol Syntec 5W-40*
- where can I buy it from and for how much?
In my experience, I have had my '96 Jetta running on Castrol Syntec 5W-50 for 8 years at 6mo/7500 KMi change interval from day one. Oil seals have started to smear, but have not seen real problems with the block itself yet (91 K)...


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## tjl (Mar 24, 2001)

*Re: VW Jetta 2.0L Oil Question? (Almaced)*

Castrol Syntec 5W-40 is sold in the US "only" at VW dealers. A few mail order parts retailers may have it also (if you have the VW part number for it, you can put it into http://www.impexfap.com 's search).


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## tjl (Mar 24, 2001)

*Re: (lpcmidst128)*

A TSB from 1999 advising VW dealers to use 5W-40 synthetic oil in TDI engines lists a VW part number for quart bottles of the oil. That oil happens to be Castrol Syntec 5W-40, with VW 500.00, 502.00, and 505.00 ratings, suitable for VW gasoline and diesel engines sold in the US (except some 2004 TDI engines that require VW 505.01 rated oil).


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## bajan01 (Nov 26, 2001)

*Re: (tjl)*

I do an oil and filter change every 3000 miles regardless. Right now I am running Mobil1 10W30 and Mahl filter but I am going to try Mobil1 0W40 on my next change


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## shftat6 (Oct 9, 2000)

*Re: (bajan01)*


_Quote, originally posted by *bajan01* »_I do an oil and filter change every 3000 miles regardless. Right now I am running Mobil1 10W30 and Mahl filter but I am going to try Mobil1 0W40 on my next change










You're wasting your money (especially with synthetic), plain and simple. Simple fact is that even conventional oil is good for more than 3k miles, it is the oil industry that has beat that into our heads to make money. GM has the oil sensors in the trucks, you don't change the oil until it tells you too, many going up to 7k between changes with regular oil. I personally run Amsoil 5w-40 European formula with a Mobil 1 filter....and I change the oil every 10k miles as per VW's recommendation. FYI, Amsoil also suggests to follow the factory change intervals with this oil. Amsoil also has oil that you only change every 25k miles (you put a new filter at 12.5k, top off the oil level and run the second 12.5k before a full oil change.)


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## vasillalov (Nov 5, 2003)

*Re: (shftat6)*

Alright alright,
Lets get sth streight here!
I have 1999.5 Jetta GL which is absolutely the same engine code AEG as the one in question. If you open the owners manual you will see the recommended oil grade. BUT as we all know different manifacturers have different lables for the same viscosity oil!
Sooo, to avoid any confusion, simply look in the manual for the oil specifications that the engine requires. 
For the 2.0 AEG the oil MUST meet one of the following specifications:
VW/AUDI 501.00, 502.00 or 501.01
There are several oils out there that meet those specifications:
1. Mobil 1 SuperSyn 0W-40
2. Castrol Syntec 0W-30
3. Amsoil (not sure of the actual grade)
So simply look for those specifications on the back of the bottle of oil and you can never go wrong that way!
Personally, I am running Mobil 1 SuperSyn 0W-40. 
As for the drain interval: 5K miles for the regular dinosaur joice and 8K+ for synthetics (not blends). Not to mention that the OEM oil filter is designed for 15K kilometers or 10K miles!
So I must concur with the fellas above, changing the oil @ 3K miles is a waste of money! Switch to synthetic oil and change it every 8K miles!


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## Hagphish (Jul 8, 2004)

*Re: (vasillalov)*

if you run your car harder than an old lady then it is a good idea to change oil more often than every 10K miles. I generally change my oil around 7K. but it's all relative...


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## bajan01 (Nov 26, 2001)

*Re: (Hagphish)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Hagphish* »_if you run your car harder than an old lady then it is a good idea to change oil more often than every 10K miles. I generally change my oil around 7K. but it's all relative...

Exactly...I run my car hard every time I get in it. Why wouldn't I with all that I have put into the motor


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## shftat6 (Oct 9, 2000)

*Re: (Hagphish)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Hagphish* »_if you run your car harder than an old lady then it is a good idea to change oil more often than every 10K miles. I generally change my oil around 7K. but it's all relative...


I run my car hard, it is a 2003 and I have 39k + on it already, with a mix of city and hwy miles in the FL heat. And changing my oil every 10k is just fine when you are using a good oil. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## tjl (Mar 24, 2001)

*Re: (vasillalov)*


_Quote, originally posted by *vasillalov* »_
I have 1999.5 Jetta GL which is absolutely the same engine code AEG as the one in question. If you open the owners manual you will see the recommended oil grade. BUT as we all know different manifacturers have different lables for the same viscosity oil!
Sooo, to avoid any confusion, simply look in the manual for the oil specifications that the engine requires. 
For the 2.0 AEG the oil MUST meet one of the following specifications:
VW/AUDI 501.00, 502.00 or 501.01


The Bentley service manual for a4 Golf and Jetta says that oil with the API SJ rating can be used in the gasoline engines. Most currently sold engine oils in the US have the API SL rating, which fulfills the API SJ rating. The harder part may be finding it in the preferred 5W-40 grade.


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## DaFabolous2.0 (May 1, 2003)

*Re: (tjl)*

yeah, on my 2.0, i use mobil 1
10w-30 fall/winter/spring
15w-50 summertime
with mann or k&n filters


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## zx6-guy29 (Mar 10, 2004)

*Re: VW Jetta 2.0L Oil Question? (todd20000)*

Castrol Syntec 10w-30 http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 108,000 miles and doesnt burn or leak a drop


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## Almaced (Jul 20, 2004)

*Re: (vasillalov)*


_Quote, originally posted by *vasillalov* »_
Switch to synthetic oil... 

I gather that it is a commonly accepted _*FACT*_ that *SWITCHING* to Syntec MAY DO MORE HARM than good - seals/gaskets swell in conventional oil and shink in syntec.
Therefore, expect more oil leaks...


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## CANNIBALOFDOOM (Feb 5, 2004)

i'm chaning my oil tomorrow.. i was running 5w-30 mobil noraml oil but i heard for this hot summer time to run like 10w-30 or even 10w-40... i don;t wanna go synt ...yet so
i will prob buy the 10w-40 because 4k miles isn;t too far for me hahaha
also... i haven;t changed my oil in 5k miles with normal oil and it still runs decent and the oil is very clean..
rhwerhed


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## CANNIBALOFDOOM (Feb 5, 2004)

i put good ole 10w-30 in mine this time around to see.. i change my oil often since i drive a million miles(like 2-3k a month)


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## FL 2.0L (Aug 1, 2002)

Here's a question. Why does it matter what the atmospheric conditions are if the cooling system is designed to keep the engine operating at a steady temperature? No matter what the temperature is outside (30's to near 100 degrees), my car runs near 190 degrees. In other words, how is the oil going to break down any faster if it's 30 or 100 degrees outside? Splain that!








Having said that, I do agree that having the right viscosity for engine startup is important.

_Modified by surferfletch at 5:27 PM 8-8-2004_


_Modified by surferfletch at 5:29 PM 8-8-2004_


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## CANNIBALOFDOOM (Feb 5, 2004)

start up , *****


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## bajan01 (Nov 26, 2001)

*Re: (surferfletch)*


_Quote, originally posted by *surferfletch* »_Here's a question. Why does it matter what the atmospheric conditions are if the cooling system is designed to keep the engine operating at a steady temperature? No matter what the temperature is outside (30's to near 100 degrees), my car runs near 190 degrees. In other words, how is the oil going to break down any faster if it's 30 or 100 degrees outside? Splain that!








Having said that, I do agree that having the right viscosity for engine startup is important.

The same goes for operating temps. The second number (ie the 30 in 10W30) refers to the oil viscosity at operating temperature. So if you want to run a thick oil for both startup and at operating temp then run 20W50. If you want to run a thick oil at operating temp but very thin at startup then run 0W40...and so on. It's not a matter of how fast the oil will break down










_Modified by bajan01 at 10:37 PM 8-11-2004_


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## FL 2.0L (Aug 1, 2002)

Just preference... Got it!


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## jskho (Nov 5, 2001)

*Re: (surferfletch)*

I have been running Valvoline Synpower 5W40.
I am less than thrilled about its gas mileage and is thinking
about switching to Castrol Syntec 0W30. Both carry 502.00 approval.
Has anybody compared their gas mileage when using these 2 oils?
Do you see an improvement switching to the 30?
BTW, check out the thread about VW extending warranty on Passat 
1.8Ts. There is an official list of 502.00 oils available in the US.
It includes Valvoline Synpower, Quaker State Synthetic and Penzoil Stnthetic in 5W30 grade.


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## jskho (Nov 5, 2001)

*Re: (lpcmidst128)*

Yes, I am surprised that the 0W30 does not have the energy conserving mark.
Is it true that Mobil1 0W40 has it?
Add to that the fact that Synpower 5W30 gets 502.00 approval.
Now I have to really think about which one to use...



_Modified by jskho at 11:41 AM 8-12-2004_


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