[Needs inputs BAD] How often do you guys...

[Clown4]

1. get your first engine oil change??
(This question only applies to those who own a brand new manual quattro 2.0T from the start. Since the factory one is synthetic 5W40, upgrading to 5W50 would be even better for the summer time?)

2. swap for a better gear lubricant??
(This is for brand new car owners as well)
Because from what I've been seeing up here, I am not the only one that has problem with the slight grinding issue @ 3rd gear. The 3rd gear seems to be the only gear that you have to match more carefully to avoid the slight grinding that lasts for less than a second.


much appreciated!
THANK Y'ALL!

[AWDTURBO]

I bought my brand new A4 in Feb and honestly its harder for me to get my 2nd gear in then anything else :( ..

i did my first oil change at 1 k miles and now my car has 3 k

[Clown4]

I bought my brand new A4 in Feb and honestly its harder for me to get my 2nd gear in then anything else :( ..

i did my first oil change at 1 k miles and now my car has 3 k

wow?? only 3k miles since this feb??
you're pampering it so much!

wow... that's bad mate... it must be a pain in the ass...
having difficulty @ 2nd... you must hate parkades/traffic jams so much!
make a trip back to the dealership quick!

mine's around 1,500 miles now... still using the factory oil...
should get it changed soon!

[AWDTURBO]

I will be calling the dealer tomorrow, I have a couple of things for them to fix.

There is also a bit of a moan when i am stopped at a light or stop sign and i put it in for first and am driving about 5mph theres this moan so idk what that is :(

[GramCracker]

I would have changed the oil within the first 500 miles from brand new. There must be soo much shit in your oil.

[AWDTURBO]

Good thing i changed it early

[Clown4]

I will be calling the dealer tomorrow, I have a couple of things for them to fix.

There is also a bit of a moan when i am stopped at a light or stop sign and i put it in for first and am driving about 5mph theres this moan so idk what that is :(

from a normal drive,
you should bring your 1st gear to only around 2.5k, then slip it in 2nd.
It's normal to hear that "moan" if you keep driving in 1st~it's just the rev's in the low midrange.


grAh4m,
thanks man... that's what my friend told me as well...
but since i'm kinda busy.. and thinking it's not so big of a deal...
but apparently..it is... haha

[Alkemix]

wow... is it really necessary to change your oil that early? I changed at 4k. Getting worried, but not really.

[AWDTURBO]

from a normal drive,
you should bring your 1st gear to only around 2.5k, then slip it in 2nd.
It's normal to hear that "moan" if you keep driving in 1st~it's just the rev's in the low midrange.


grAh4m,
thanks man... that's what my friend told me as well...
but since i'm kinda busy.. and thinking it's not so big of a deal...
but apparently..it is... haha

i never go higher then 2.5 k in first gear. What im saying is once i let off the clutch and the car grabs first it starts to moan i think i read on here that its a rack and pinion problem

[Alkemix]

I likes to go above 2.5k in first. I'll take her up to 4k for average aggressive city driving and 2.5-3 for normal use. It all depends on how she sounds while she's doing it.

[Mr.Audi]

i go by engine sound, never pay attention to rpm's.

oil changes every 5k

[agorich]

yeah, 5k. as for shifts, no issues. just 1st and 2nd are not as smooth as i would like them to be...like my civic was. but my bitch is a blast to drive. can't wait for my ecu. =T not sure when ... but i cna't wait!

[Subaru71]

Don't change your oil too early, as the break in oil is formulated differently, allowing your engine to run in smoothly. Factory oil is designed not only to break in the moving parts in your engine but also to break in the seals and other parts, so swapping oil too early MIGHT cause issues.

That being said, don't change your oil too late either. I recommend at 3000 miles. To be safe, I got an oil analysis on my factory oil.. Changed at 3299 miles exactly, break in nice and slow, no WOT and not passing 5k rpm. The test showed high levels of metals in the engine which is normal. It showed about 15% of active additive left in the oil which is pretty low, so I think 3000 miles sounds about right for a change.

Also, now at 15000 miles, I also had an analysis done at 10000 miles, showed normal levels of all metals, active additive after 3000 miles is around 50%, so going for a regular 5000 mile oil change after break in. So far, no oil consumption issues, no tranny issues, no CEL's, chipped 91 octane :D (knock on wood)

So my recommendations for oil change on a new 2.0T motor would be

1st @ 3000

2nd @ 6500

3rd @ 10000

and 5000 intervals after that.. hope my time and money spent into doing this research helps some of you :D

[Clown4]

Don't change your oil too early, as the break in oil is formulated differently, allowing your engine to run in smoothly. Factory oil is designed not only to break in the moving parts in your engine but also to break in the seals and other parts, so swapping oil too early MIGHT cause issues.

That being said, don't change your oil too late either. I recommend at 3000 miles. To be safe, I got an oil analysis on my factory oil.. Changed at 3299 miles exactly, break in nice and slow, no WOT and not passing 5k rpm. The test showed high levels of metals in the engine which is normal. It showed about 15% of active additive left in the oil which is pretty low, so I think 3000 miles sounds about right for a change.

Also, now at 15000 miles, I also had an analysis done at 10000 miles, showed normal levels of all metals, active additive after 3000 miles is around 50%, so going for a regular 5000 mile oil change after break in. So far, no oil consumption issues, no tranny issues, no CEL's, chipped 91 octane :D (knock on wood)

So my recommendations for oil change on a new 2.0T motor would be

1st @ 3000

2nd @ 6500

3rd @ 10000

and 5000 intervals after that.. hope my time and money spent into doing this research helps some of you :D

this by far's the most detailed answers i've seen on this forum regarding to the oil change issue(if all info presented are rock solid)!!

Thanks for the great share subaru!!!!

'cause I always think factory oil always sucks... and if i can get high quality engine oil on the market(which there are a lotta choices out there), I'd swap them quick. But after reading your input, I'm quite indecisive right now.

[Subaru71]

this by far's the most detailed answers i've seen on this forum regarding to the oil change issue(if all info presented are rock solid)!!

Thanks for the great share subaru!!!!

'cause I always think factory oil always sucks... and if i can get high quality engine oil on the market(which there are a lotta choices out there), I'd swap them quick. But after reading your input, I'm quite indecisive right now.

factory oil is thinner than the 5w-40 that the car takes, so drive the car nicely the first fill.. then swap at 3000 you should be fine.. I usually dont drive too hard until i get 10k

and thanks :D glad it helped

[Clown4]

factory oil is thinner than the 5w-40 that the car takes, so drive the car nicely the first fill.. then swap at 3000 you should be fine.. I usually dont drive too hard until i get 10k

and thanks :D glad it helped

yup,
but a friend of mine recommended me to use 5w50 when it's not that cold out, and mix a bit LUCAS Synthetic Oil Stabilizer "New Car Formula" in it.

Shitty thing is if I decided to swap the oil early, when it's time to go back for the first service/oil change, those oil'd be drained.

I donno, I'll just keep it stock with 5w40 for now then.

[Subaru71]

DO NOT USE 5w50 !!

Older engines (I'm talking 80's) have oil recommendations for all weather. When it is always hot and never drops below 0 degrees, using higher weight oil is supposed to lubricate your engine better.

Nowadays, especially with european cars, the engine is designed to use the oil that is recommended, regardless of condition. Using a heavier oil will cause bad things to happen!! especially in the long run. Also Lucas oil stabilizer is crap, I have consulted this with many buddies in the business (factory techs, engine builders, even japanese car tuners) Think about it, you see those demonstrations at the automotive parts stores, with the gears with oil all over them. The Lucas stuff just messes with the viscosity and other properties of the oil. If oil needed to be stabilized, engine oil manufacturers, if not auto manufacturers, would do it.

The only use I can think of for that lucas stuff is for REALLY REALLY REALLY old engines beyond repair, that are leaking through who knows how many gaskets and seals, that need oil to be thicker... same reason why people put thicker oil than recommended in the older engines.. As far as cars nowadays, especially your new 2.0 motor, stay away from the lucas.

[rudtf]

[Clown4]

DO NOT USE 5w50 !!

Older engines (I'm talking 80's) have oil recommendations for all weather. When it is always hot and never drops below 0 degrees, using higher weight oil is supposed to lubricate your engine better.

Nowadays, especially with european cars, the engine is designed to use the oil that is recommended, regardless of condition. Using a heavier oil will cause bad things to happen!! especially in the long run. Also Lucas oil stabilizer is crap, I have consulted this with many buddies in the business (factory techs, engine builders, even japanese car tuners) Think about it, you see those demonstrations at the automotive parts stores, with the gears with oil all over them. The Lucas stuff just messes with the viscosity and other properties of the oil. If oil needed to be stabilized, engine oil manufacturers, if not auto manufacturers, would do it.

The only use I can think of for that lucas stuff is for REALLY REALLY REALLY old engines beyond repair, that are leaking through who knows how many gaskets and seals, that need oil to be thicker... same reason why people put thicker oil than recommended in the older engines.. As far as cars nowadays, especially your new 2.0 motor, stay away from the lucas.

THANKS FOR THE INPUT!!! SUBARU!
unlike that Johnnie boy up there,
all he knows is making constipated faces~
must have been having hard time on the throne.

the friend who mentioned lucas to me... he owns a 07STi US Spec.
The reason why he recommeneded me to use 5w50 in the summer time is the
engine noise will be reduced, it'd run smoother, but loses a bit on the torque.

But i'd listen to you opinion, 'cause as you've stated, you've been putting time and $$$ into this.

ps. I've just checked my engine oil, and I'd say the castrol synthetic 5w40's still got that amber clear color, and I couldn't see any residues just yet :)

[davis449]

I changed my factory oil at 5K when I first got the car.

[gpultro]

I change every 2000 BT not good on the oil lol and i have a lift takes like 15 min to do

[Subaru71]

sweet.. my bendpak 2 post is coming next week :D

(to the OP):

I had a 2005 Subaru STi and a lot of my research has actually gone into that car as well.. and I definitely do not recommend thicker oil for that car.. engine noise is normal, and most people like it :D "boxer rumble" Although for that particular engine.. recommended is 5w-30 but you can use 10w-30 when its hot.

[Clown4]

sweet.. my bendpak 2 post is coming next week :D

(to the OP):

I had a 2005 Subaru STi and a lot of my research has actually gone into that car as well.. and I definitely do not recommend thicker oil for that car.. engine noise is normal, and most people like it :D "boxer rumble" Although for that particular engine.. recommended is 5w-30 but you can use 10w-30 when its hot.

duly noted.
I'll relay this to my buddy~
just one more info that he can take consideration on :)
thanks for sharing!

and bendpak...you trying to play around under the chassis yourself huh? haha~i'd be fantastic if i can fit a bendpak in my garage... which is... not likely to happen.