# Topping off



## hugoaswho (Sep 24, 2006)

I change the oil for my 02 vw passat 1.8t every 5k miles, i check the oil level but i never top off recently im thinking i should top off the oil occasionally between changes. My dealer chages the oil with the standard vw factory fill synthetic i think 5w30, when i top off can i add the castrol 5w40 synthetic is it ok to add higher grade oil? 
I know my valve cover gasket is leaking some oil since i can smell vapor in the car occasionally but my mechanic said its not that bad yet, im at 78k miles now i changed the oil at 75k should i top off? The dipstick shows oil levl just below mid level


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## hugoaswho (Sep 24, 2006)

*Re: Topping off (hugoaswho)*

Ok im gonna wait until the oil change in another 1200 miles the oil seems to be ok and its exactly in the middle right now on the dip stick


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## rickjaguar (Apr 23, 2009)

*Re: Topping off (hugoaswho)*

i don't understand why you would be so leery about topping it up?


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## hugoaswho (Sep 24, 2006)

*Re: Topping off (rickjaguar)*

cuz i cant get the same oil as the dealer uses I guess the 5W40 is fine for topping off but I have never done it and don't want to start spending more money when its going to get flushed in another 1k miles


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## rickjaguar (Apr 23, 2009)

*Re: Topping off (hugoaswho)*

There is no problem adding 5W-40 to 5W-30.. just so you know, you can mix different brands and weights but NEVER add a mineral based oil while running synthetic.


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## hugoaswho (Sep 24, 2006)

*Re: Topping off (rickjaguar)*

K tnx
iv noticed big diff between cold and warm levels tho, when checking cold level its over the mid mark but when checking warm its way under mid level and this ia after a few minutes letting oil return to the pan


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## pturner67 (Dec 27, 2002)

*Re: Topping off (rickjaguar)*


_Quote, originally posted by *rickjaguar* »_but NEVER add a mineral based oil while running synthetic.

why?


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## rickjaguar (Apr 23, 2009)

*Re: Topping off (pturner67)*


_Quote, originally posted by *pturner67* »_
why? 

Well....
as i was told (and this was back in around 94 when i got my first car) it's because the mineral oil will break down the synthetic.
I googled this question and read a handful of answers that suggest this ISN'T an issue.. but still, consider it this way- 
When mixing oils, the higher quality one will be diluted. Lots of modern engines (with turbos) demand a synthetic. IMO topping off with a mineral oil isn't such a great idea. 
If you want to be an oil chemist you should really KNOW what you're doing and why it works.
(On an older model car previously running mineral, perhaps this' a moot point.)
I am not a chemist and i'm only going on what i've heard more than a few mechanics say. 
I prefer to err on the side of caution. It might be "fine" to mix.. but SHOULD you?
PS: mixing weights, as we enter fall/winter, if your area's prone to extreme weather then you should know that you're diluting the cold start/running temp somewhat (tho topping 500ml of 5W-40 into 5W-30 won't make much of a diff)


_Modified by rickjaguar at 8:36 AM 10-5-2009_


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## pturner67 (Dec 27, 2002)

*Re: Topping off (rickjaguar)*


_Quote, originally posted by *rickjaguar* »_
Well....
as i was told (and this was back in around 94 when i got my first car) it's because the mineral oil will break down the synthetic.
I googled this question and read a handful of answers that suggest this ISN'T an issue.. but still, consider it this way- 
When mixing oils, the higher quality one will be diluted. Lots of modern engines (with turbos) demand a synthetic. IMO topping off with a mineral oil isn't such a great idea. 
If you want to be an oil chemist you should really KNOW what you're doing and why it works.
(On an older model car previously running mineral, perhaps this' a moot point.)
I am not a chemist and i'm only going on what i've heard more than a few mechanics say. 
I prefer to err on the side of caution. It might be "fine" to mix.. but SHOULD you?
PS: mixing weights, as we enter fall/winter, if your area's prone to extreme weather then you should know that you're diluting the cold start/running temp somewhat (tho topping 500ml of 5W-40 into 5W-30 won't make much of a diff)
_Modified by rickjaguar at 8:36 AM 10-5-2009_

well, mixing conventional with synthetic causes no issues...actually, semi-synthetics (I think 30% synthetic from what I read) are quite popular...but...you are right that it's worth the investment in synthetics in an automobile you care about and especially if they are higher performance and/or turbo


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## hugoaswho (Sep 24, 2006)

*Re: Topping off (rickjaguar)*

so....now I topped off in the morning half a qt and then after work checked it and it was still in the "You can add oil" mark, so I added another half qt...now it's in the "Do must not add any oil"....I'm affraid I overfilled now...grrr...








is this bad???


















_Modified by hugoaswho at 4:23 PM 10-5-2009_


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## Diesel Smugness (Nov 14, 2007)

*Re: Topping off (hugoaswho)*

If you're worried about it then siphon some off.

__
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Honestly, it's a vw, give it some time and it will leak out just like all vw's do.


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## rhouse181 (Apr 13, 2008)

slightly overfilled is no biggy, but grossly overfilled it not ok...
the key to checking oil is to check it at the same time and under the same conditions every time. i use the technique of checking my oil in the morning, while the car has sat overnight, and before it has been started again. this way, i know that i will get consistent readings that are compariable. sure this will give me a slightly higher reading than if the motor was running and the heads/oil passages were all filled, but i know that... so when/if you have to add oil, you have a feel for exactly how much oil is in the pan and how much you need to add to bring you to the top...


_Modified by rhouse181 at 10:30 AM 10-6-2009_


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