Owners manual Oil Specs? 03 1.8T

[218army]

Hey Guys-

I know that this topic has been covered extensivley, but I can't find any information regarding M1 0W-30 oil for our whips. Everyone seems to use 0w-40 or 5w-40. The manual says 0w-30, so that is what I got from Wallyworld. SHould I go ahead and use it? I have an 03 1.8T will APR +1 BI file. Your knowledge is greatly appreciated.

THX
B

[Mike02A4]

0W40 Mobil 1 European formula.

[Ver]

You're in SoCal, 5w-40 is good until winter then go down to 0w-40...Mobil1 is not cheap. Advance Auto Parts has it on sale for $4.98/quart, well at least here in FL. I use Castrol Syntec 5w-40 year round in FL.

[gdawg'05a4]

$4.98 a qt? It is at least $5.99 a qt here in Boston.

German Castrol 0w-30 FTW.

[Ver]

$4.98 a qt? It is at least $5.99 a qt here in Boston.

German Castrol 0w-30 FTW.

It's usually around that price here, but they're doing a month long sale on it, plus my military discount...

[gdawg'05a4]

Ohh, gotcha. Nice!

[218army]

So 0W 30 is no Bueno? Curious as to why it is listed as Spec in the 03 owners manual.

[3ohAvant]

it also states 502.00 or 505.00 ( i think thats what your car says, I kno wmine does).

Does the 0-30 M1 have those certs listed? If so go for it.

From what I know, the 0-40 M1 is a very thin "40". So based on that, I would have to assume that the 0-30 is even thinner, which you don't want.

FWIW, the 0-30 GC was a thick "30" I would venture to say that it was thicker than the M1 0-40.

0-30 and 0-40, 5-40 is just fine for your car, just make sure its got the certs.

If you mash on your car a lot, I'd go with a 40 over the 30.

[gdawg'05a4]

From what I've read, the GC 0w-30 is on the thicker side compared to other 30 weights but not thicker than M1 0w-40. It's pretty close. But GC doesn't thin out like M1 does.

[EBG 18T]

Go with a true sythetic oil like Elf, Pentosyn, Motul, Castrol (German) from the dealer. All of those are on the Audi Approved oil list. The Mobil 1 is no longer and hasn't been a true synthetic for years. I stopped using it back in 2002-2003 when they changed formula's. The old formula was much better. Mobil went to a Group III base stock instead of Group IV. This allowed them to produce a slightly cheaper product and keep the street price the same for us.

For those that want more info please read about it on: Bob Is the oil guys website. There is a ton of info. Here is a quick excerpt:

"Mobil 1 used to be made primarily with a group IV base stock which is mandatory for any product to be called synthetic in any country except the US. In the US Group III base stock which is made from purified Pertoleum is all that is required to be called a Sythetic, which is what most Castrol Syntec oil is made from (German Made Syntec is the exception as it is made from GIV stock).

Group III base stocks are very good oils. Castrol GTX from 20 years ago used to be made with Group III base stock and it was the best performing "regular" oil available, but that changed when Syntec was introduced (same product and GTX used to be but different bottle)"

Here is the explaination of base stocks (quoted):

All oils are comprised of basestocks and additives. Basestocks make up the majority of the finished product and represent between 75-95%.

Not all basestocks are derived from petroleum, in fact the better quality ones are synthetics made in laboratories by chemists specifically designed for the application for which they are intended.

Basestocks are classified in 5 Groups as follows:
Group I
These are derived from petroleum and are the least refined. These are used in a small amount of automotive oils where the applications are not demanding.

Group II
These are derived from petroleum and are mainly used in mineral automotive oils. Their performance is acceptable with regards to wear, thermal stability and oxidation stability but not so good at lower temperatures.

Group III
These are derived from petroleum but are the most refined of the mineral oil basestocks. They are not chemically engineered like synthetics but offer the highest level of performance of all the petroleum basestocks. They are also known as “hydrocracked” or “molecularly modified” basestocks.
They are usually labelled/marketed as synthetic or semi-synthetic oils and make up a very high percentage of the oils retailed today.

Group IV
These are polyalphaolefins known as PAO and are chemically manufactured rather than being dug out of the ground. These basestocks have excellent stability in both hot and cold temperatures and give superior protection due to their uniform molecules.

Group V
These special basestocks are also chemically engineered but are not PAO.
The main types used in automotive oils are diesters and polyolesters. Like the group IV basestocks they have uniform molecules and give superior performance and protection over petroleum basestocks. These special stocks are used in all aviation engines due to their stability and durability. Esters are also polar (electro statically attracted to metal surfaces) which has great benefits. They are usually blended with Group IV stocks rather than being used exclusively.

It is common practice for oil companies to blend different basestocks to achieve a certain specification, performance or cost. The blending of group IV and V produces lubricants with the best overall performance which cannot be matched by any of the petroleum basestock groups."