Some manufacturers do require syn oils. Comply or not at the danger that warranty claims will be denied.

As for syn vice conv oils, syn will outlast conv oils. In high temp or high stress situations syns become a near necessity.

The extreme temps seen in turbos will kill a conv oil quickly. You can get away with it, just change it often. It'll be cheaper to just use the proper syn oil.

And finally, never fall for the *iffy *ube recommended 3,00 mile oil change. Follow owners manual for warranty, use syns and double that afterward. 1.5 times if you're shy.

Finally, the real key to longevity. Filters.

Use a good oil. Name brand, etc. Use a GREAT filter.

Wix Gold, Purolator pure one, even the Frams with the black ends, they provide effiiciency ratings. Stay away from any oil filter that says they are good, but won't provide data.

Your engine will love you for it.

Conventional oil use what's known as Group 2 base stock while Synthetic oil uses either Group 3, Group 4 or a combo of both. The higher the Group number is, the more refined the Base Stock is. Since Group 2 is not as refined, the oil molecules are all different sizes while Group 3 and Group 4 have molecules that are roughly the same size.

Also, Synthetic oils use better detergents to help extend the life of the oil.

I wish I could find the article but this website wanted to test out how far they could go on synthetic oil before they had to change it. The car was a Camaro. I don't know the model year but it was one of those Camaros that look like a cockroach. The car had pretty low miles on it. They did a fresh oil change with Mobil 1 and drove the car normally. They would take a sample every 1000 miles and send it into Blackstone labs to have the oil analyzed. The analysis consists of looking for metal shavings, viscosity, mineral depletion and some other things I'm forgetting. Its a pretty thorough test that anyone could do for I believe $25 bucks. That Camaro went for 18,000 miles before Blackstone recommend they have the oil change.

I'd imagine that in the not too distant future that synthetics will replace conventional oil. In the Mini Cooper, the oil change interval is 15,000 miles and that car uses synthetic.

I own a 98 Acura Integra with 183,000 miles on it which has only used synthetics and I've never changed the oil under 7,000 miles on it and the engine feels as strong as the day I bought the car.

One last thing. EVERY car burns oil. My car burns about 1 quart every 7500 miles. I've read about some cars that burn a full quart of oil every 1,000 miles. So check your oil often. Its the blood of an engine.

Oh, one last last thing. Someone had mentioned that oil cools a turbocharged car's intercooler. That couldn't be further from the truth. An intercooler's job is to cool the super hot compressed air coming out of a turbo before its fed into the engine. Cooler air is more condensed containing more oxygen which in turn creates more power. NO OIL goes into the intercooler.

@anAdmetus: It is a 1.8T, guaranteed.

I need to get my oil changed. 88 toyota with a leak or 1 quart every 1-2 fillups. So I think 10k miles since last change means it should be changed now.
But I have a problem that everytime I get the oil changed something breaks. Like last time I lost 5th gear. Right now all I got is 1st 2nd and 4th. I don't want to lose another gear

What's with all the VW hate? My '97 Jetta GLS, with a 2.0L California Gas engine, 5-speed (Hecho in Mexico) has 229,000 miles on the original engine. Oil changes were sporadic, between every 7500 and every 15,000 miles, always synthetic (Castrol Syntec). The only reason I had the factory clutch replaced at 185,000, was because they had the tranny out. (I lost 4th and 5th on I-35E south of Dallas.)

If you follow the reccomendations in the owner's manual you have nothing to worry about.

jayster68- what worries me about these flushes are the ones that are pressurized . Will the pressure jam something into an opening or blow a seal that would have ok under normal operationg conditions . I don't care if it's the engine ,radiator or transmission alot of these mechanics who should know better just want commission or pay for their equipment .

I agree just change the oil more frequently or give it a couple of changes with in short/shorter time period .

I also wonder besides reving the engine would driving the car/working the engine with no warm-up cause oil to burn/scorch and or degrade faster with rapid changes in temperature ?

I always heard starting your car is actually one of the worse things you can do to it . Also heard the first 15-30s after start up is where most of the wear can occur.

[www.blackstone-labs.com]

The recommendation for my Nissan with regular oil was a change every 3,000 miles.

With synthetic oil, every 7,000 miles.

For my wife's Honda CR-V (2008) and my Honda Civic (2008), the manual clearly states to use the "Oil Life Gauge" or 12 months - which ever comes first. I rthought as a new car it should be sooner, but three independent mechanics confirmed it...

we'll be getting hers done soon as her oil life meter is down to 30%, but still, none the less...I go by what the manual says...

I have an 09 VW turbo diesel and it has the same 10K oil change window. Also keep in mind that it takes specific synthetic oil...

And as for the brand, PEAK gets their oil from Warren, who in turn gets it from Exxon/Shell/etc depending on geographic location.

On an unrelated note, I was checking out Warren's site, and they make a microbial oil spill cleaner. Definitely a cool idea, and at $6/gallon ([www.agrisupply.com]) I'm going to try some - the street and driveway at my house have some fierce oil spots, I change a LOT of fluids.

The VW 1.8T had a requirement for synthetic only, in fact they made it a requirement after two years in. The reason for this was that the system only had something like half a quart extra oil. Due to the heat the oil would look like burned chocolate frosting. They sent letters to owners about the change. In fact you had to bring in your car and they would check. Those first cars originally had a guideline that the oil needed to be changed at 5K miles and only oils that had marks that they met certain VW specs or two others. A lot of people lost their warranty over sludge if they could not document that they changed the oil at the proper interval with good quality oil.

@Schwartz: Don't forget that when you change your own oil, you know what oil has gone in and you know the filter has been changed. No paying for top grade synthetic and getting low grade or not even synthetic at all.

NEVER ever try to flush the sludge from your engine as another commenter suggested. If there is any sludge and it's broken loose it may not be flushed completely and could clog an oil channel and destroy your motor. If you suspect you have sludge build up then run a high quality synthetic oil with a detergent and change it often. This may or may not work depending on how bad the sludge is.

good article at popular mechanics on services you don't need (like engine flushes) [www.popularmechanics.com]

FYI if you do have a VW or Audi with a 1.8t I use Mobil 1 0W-40 it adheres to the VW 502.00 spec required for these cars.

Yeah, by the time the low oil light comes on it's too late. That's actually a low oil pressure light, not a low oil level. You've got a few seconds to get the car turned off when that light comes on.

@Inglix_the_Mad: The 2.0T is improved over the 1.8- one of the main problems with the 1.8 was an undersized oil pan, which accelerated the buildup of heat in the oil used to cool the turbo. I believe the 2.0T also has a turbo timer to keep the oil flowing after you shut off the engine, keeping the oil in the turbo from "cooking" if you turn off the engine too soon after driving.

Full synthetic = much higher costs.

Heh.

Given the low number of miles, I doubt the engine ever was completely warmed up enough. When that happens, moisture and unburned fuel can contaminate the oil.

Quote:
"The bottom line. Modern motor oils needn't be changed as often as oils did years ago. More frequent oil changes won't hurt your car, but you could be spending money unnecessarily and adding to the nation's energy and oil-disposal problems.

Even in the severe driving conditions that a New York City taxi endures, we noted no benefit from changing the oil every 3,000 miles rather than every 6,000. If your driving falls into the "normal" service category, changing the oil every 7,500 miles (or at the automaker's suggested intervals) should certainly provide adequate protection. (We recommend changing the oil filter with each oil change.)"

I have that exact same 1.8t engine in my Audi TT, they are know for being excessively hard on engine oil. Turbocharged cars are the most susceptible engine types to experience oil breakdown and sludge buildup due to the heat generated at the turbo. Turbos are oil lubricated and often oil cooled. As the turbocharger heats up past 1,000 degrees f, (They actually glow red if ran hard) it breaks down the oil very quickly.

To make matters worse, many people run their cars hard just moments after starting. Engines must be brought to proper operating temperature prior to hard driving, as the lubricant's viscosity is much lower when cold. Until the engine and oil heat up, the engine is not properly lubricated causing excessive wear. Once at temperature, everything should run fine.. So with a Turbo Car, you get both extremes, the damage from Cold Running and Damage from excessive heat.

Further danger can occur from seals either internal to the engine or the turbocharger allowing cross-contamination between the coolant and oil system. When you check your oil, look for small "bubbles" in the oil, that typically indicates coolant in the oil. Also check your coolant, if it goes from clear/yellow/green to Brown/Black, then you have a leak as well.

Finally, when checking engine oil, it should appear as maple syrup, light to mid brown. Engine oil is worn if it is coal black.

She probably pushes the car really hard and never changes the oil in it. My car was fine for about 4 years. But it is a VW and it died. Not from oil, but from being a 2004 Jetta.

Furthermore, in the 2002-2003 timeframe, VWoA retroactively changed the oil requirement, making synthetic oil the only oil now approved for use in the 1.8T.

As for the newer gas engine, the VW 2.0T, the oil requirement is synthetic only - 502.00 or 507.00.

ZZ-FE really is tops, after all! :)

I am surprised Consumerist is pushing over-changing of oil-- The Jiffy Lube's of the world, who recommend 3K, are close cousin to the "shampoo rinse repeat" crowd--

You do need to do a 3K oil change on a new car/engine. Otherwise, 6K as described by some posters works just fine.

@Josh_G: Why wouldn't you blame the op? She's the dumbass that didn't change her oil...

It had been quite some time since she'd bought the car and she hadn't had the oil changed once. Fortunately, the car survived (how I do not know) and now she gets it changed regularly.

At home cost for me about $15
Get someplace to do it about $25

My wife has a '02 Chevy Cavalier, so I will never change that car's oil at home. My wrist simply doesn't bend that way. I've yet to actually take it somewhere that didn't bitch about the location of the oil filter. It's almost impossible to get a grip on that POS with any leverage at all. So to me the $10 I spend not doing it myself it well worth it.

I've done my Outback at home, but again the $10 I would save just isn't worth it since I only change the oil twice a year.

In the VW 1.8T motor, thanks to the turbo and placement, the engine endures much more heat than a normal naturally aspirated motor. Also, there's a lot of variation in results based on how she drove the car. If she drove it hard, I can see the results being this way.

Oh, and change your own oil! It's simple, but won't save you much money. More importantly, you'll know your oil was changed properly and with the correct oil.

@RamV10:

I agree about the Mobil 1. It may cost twice as much as conventional oil but you can leave it in twice as long. I also run it in my motorcycle because of the hight RPMs.

That's a VAG 1.8T for sure. They're prone to oil seepage, which leads me to believe this car was not well-taken care of considering the wealth of information available on 1.8T sludge-ups.

The OP's sister must have been using olive oil, too.

That's VW 'quality' right there...

Umm, you might want to rethink that idea. You wouldn't believe the amount of metal shavings in old oil from a new vehicle! Those will tear your engine up pretty badly. Its definitely not a good idea to skimp on car maintenance! Just buy inexpensive conventional oil and use that. It doesn't cost that much.

Its the same thing with automatic transmission fluid; my 1992 Pontiac Bonneville STILL has a quantity of metal shavings clinging to the magnet in the pan after 109K.

I just had my oil changed like last month or two ago but now I wonder if the Nissan dealership would even bother to tell me if the engine was looking bad.

Maybe I should take a look under the hood.

Sigh.

I've got a MKV GTI. Full synthetic (Mobil 1 0W-40) every 5K miles. Also end up having to put in around a half-3/4 of a quart due to oil consumption between changes.

Also, change your oil at home, people. It takes no mechanical knowledge, very little in the way of tools, and saves you a ton of money. Not to mention that it doesn't give Jiffy Lube or Walmart or wherever a chance to destroy your car.

Ramps are like $35, get whatever wrench your filter takes (another $10) and a drain pan for 10$. That's it for initial costs.

For my oil change I spend around $40 on oil (6 quarts) and $14 on a filter. It takes me about 25 minutes to do. The dealership charges nearly $100 for the same service.

If I was to see this kind of sludge - I would think contamination and sabatoge. Someone might have introduced something into the oil - such as sugar or something else that would carbonize with the heat of the engine - but what is there is NOT oil...

+1 for non-synthetic oil on a turbo car. You don't have to flog the car for this to happen (although city driving is certainly tough on a turbo vehicle). Engine oil runs through [most] turbos to lubricate them. Turbos get insanely hot (hot enough to glow if run really hard). Standard oil suffers from thermal breakdown, therefore it doesn't last very long in a turbo car. So city driving for 10k on dino oil could definitely do this...

I'm also not a mechanic, but I have been under the impression that sludge does happen, and has to either be scraped off, or run with something like pure varsol or similar to dissolve it. I do see a sheen on the parts, so it doesn't look like this car/engine was run dry.

My new VW CC's recommended service window for oil changes is actually 10,000 miles. In my Nissan Frontier I had previously, with Mobil 1 synthetic oil, I routinely went 7500 miles between oil changes.

Looks nasty though, glad it's his problem and not mine.

I personally spend the extra money on Mobil1 and change oil every 6 months or 7500 miles, whichever comes first.

Still gotta pull the dipstick occasionally and make sure there's some in there though o_O

I'm not trying to blame the OP, I'm just curious