S3 Oil, still unsure what I should use!

metricspaces

metricspaces

Registered User
Joined
Jun 4, 2007
Messages
674
Reaction score
3
Points
18
Location
NULL
I've read through lots of posts about which engine oil to use but I'm still unsure as to what I should be using in my 1999 S3.

Here is the history of oil changes...
1) 12,236 Mobil 1 0w40 (done by Scotts Audi)
2) 17,788 (type not listed) (done by Finchley Road Audi)
3) 21,010 Mobil 1 0w40 (done by Finchley Road Audi)
4) 23,233 (type not listed) (done by Finchley Road Audi)

Change of owner

5) 36,825 (engine flush, type not listed) (done by Auto Technic is Oxford)

Change of owner

6) 47,750 10w40 (done by Audi Portsmouth)
7) 57,754 10w40 (done by Audi Portsmouth)
8.) 65,287 SYTGOLD5L (done by Audi Portsmouth)

Change of owner (me!)

9) 69,500 Castrol Magnatec 10w40
​
Now I understand that
  • Mobil 1 0w40 is fully synthetic
  • 10w40 is semi synthetic
  • SYTGOLD5L is fully synthetic
The reason I put 10w40 is was because I thought that SYTGOLD5L was semi-synthetic. I thought this because the previous owner changed the oil three times, and the other two were semi-synthetic.

But from reading the forum I see that SYTGOLD is fully synthetic.

The car is due another oil change so I'm wondering now what I should do.

A few things I'm unsure of
  1. Is it OK to use semi synthetic? I'll be changing the oil\filter every 5K miles.
  2. I've read that the S3's need fully synthetic as the turbo lines will get clogged up with anything less.
  3. Am I correct in understanding that SYTGOLD is fully synthetic?
  4. If SYTGOLD is fully synthetic...will I have caused any problems by just sticking in a semi-synthetic for oil change (9)?
 
you need a fully syn originally a 0w 30 but Vw/audi now use a 5w30. I found I used a little oil with the 0w but dont with the 5w. So id say a 5w 30 or 40 fully syn.
 
I am assuming right in the fact that no matter what oil my car is currently running (think its 10/40, semi-synthetic), I can go to 5/30 fully synthetic on the next oil change and it won't do any harm?
 
audi upgrades
ive just had longlife service done and they put in 5w-30 in mine....although it was near minimum after 10000miles and 2 extra litres added during those miles....hint: carry some spare
 
i wasnt meaning for you, its for me.
 
Dani_B19 said:
i wasnt meaning for you, its for me.
Click to expand...

Yep, I just noticed that 5w30 is long life oil? So I'm wondering why it would be suggested to use long life oil if I'm going to change it every 5K miles.

Does anyone know if Castrol Edge 5w30 is a longlife oil?
 
antonio87 said:
castrol 5w-30 is a long life oil
Click to expand...

So what would people be putting long life oil into their S3's if they are going to change it every 5000 miles? Seems pointless and a waste of money considering that it's more expensive.

What is the most important thing about the Castrol Edge 5w-30?
  1. That it is fully synthetic?
  2. That it has a weighting of 5?
  3. That it is Castrol Edge? What so important about this?
If (1) and (2) above are the important bits then why not use Castrol Magnatec 5w-30. Because
a) It is fully synthetic
b) It has a weighting of 5
c) Castrol Edge is 50% more expensive than Magnatec.
​
I guess what I don't understand is...what is it about Castrol Edge that makes it the recommended oil for S3's?
 
to be honest i have no idea why people use longlife oil and then change it after 5000 miles. longlife oil normaly lasts about 18-20k miles (2years). castrol magnatec hense the name is made to bond to areas where the engine needs oil the most giveing good protection. castrol edge is meant to do more, it apparently has 7 main factors to it : long lasting oil, performes under extreme conditions, cleaner engine, power protection, fuel economy and thermal control. the main thing is the the magnatec is designed to bong with the engine for extra protection while edge does it all.
you can check the differences here:
http://www.castrol.com/castrol/productdetailmin.do?categoryId=9014097&contentId=7027374

http://www.castrol.com/castrol/productdetailmin.do?categoryId=9014072&contentId=7027058
 
Metric.

I understand the importance of great oil in a car, especially a sports orientated one with more than average Hp.

However i think that you are over analysing this whole oil thing a little. Why can't you just ring your local dealer and take advice from them. If GSF or the like then have the oil cheaper purchase it from them and change the oil yourself at your stated 5k intervals.

Mine has Quantum oil, not sure which one as it's left to my VAG specialist to sort out. He is very very thorough and has been trained in all VAG apspects, i'd have nobody else work on my car. I too have mine changed around every 4/5k. Just had it done around 3 weeks ago. Clean oil is always nice.

G
 
Castrol Edge is only a brand. What I'm trying to understand here is what are the specific things that make this suitable for an S3...then I can look around at which oils I can use.

On the face of it, it seems like Castrol Edge is recommended for it's long life qualities. Long life oil seems a bit pointless if you are changing it every 5K miles. So it would seem like a waste of money.

If I'm changing my oil every 5K I don't really want to be wasting money on oil that is expensive solely because of it's properties to last a long time - because I don't need it to last a long time.
 
Yea i get what you are saying. If Quantum is a good oil though and is VAG Groups own brand with good properties why bother yourself with much more expensive oils which state they are better, which i might add isn't necessarily true.

I don't know much about Castrol oil - Edge or the Magnatec. I think that Audi use Quantum oils to use in all their vehicles. Don't quote me on that though, i'll find out as a friend is a service manager in my local stealers.

Just get a "good" oil that you think will be suffice, as long as you stick to the recommended viscosity and grading then i can't see any issues.

G
 
I'm continuing my Googling! I'll probably buy 20 or so litres to get a good deal. So I want to make sure I'm getting the right stuff :)

Just looking at the TT forums and they seem to suggest any 503.01 (or the new 504.00) should suffice.

Some of them are using this oil here Motul 8100 X- lite 0W-30 . It comes in a 5 litre bottle which is good.
 
fingermouse said:
you need a fully syn originally a 0w 30 but Vw/audi now use a 5w30. I found I used a little oil with the 0w but dont with the 5w. So id say a 5w 30 or 40 fully syn.
Click to expand...

I decided to go with the 5w30 Fully Synthetic Castrol Edge oil in the end.

OpieOils seem pretty cheap when you buy 16 Liters and when you include the forum discount of 10% http://www.opieoils.co.uk/showprodu...&SEName=castrol-edge-5w-30-for-modern-engines . It works out at £121.29. So that's £ 7.58 a litre.

I'm in Ireland so it's a bit more expensive to get it delivered to Ireland (and I wanted it quick).

I checked Halford in Northern Ireland and they were charging £179.96 for 16 Liters. So that's £11.25 a liter.

I asked the guy in the Halfords if he'd give me a discount if I bought a few 4 Liter bottles. He said he could give me a trade discount and the price suddenly dropped down to £143.96 for 16 Litres. So that's £8.99 a liter.

In the end I bought 20 Litres at £179.95 (enough for 4 oil changes and some top up left over).

I'd have saved less than £10 by buying from Opieoils instead of Halford trade prices. But you guys in the UK should save more by buying from them.

I didn't think Halfords would give such discounts to normal customers and I didn't realise there'd be such a discount (25% cheaper). I must try and get hold of a Halfords trade card, apparently they aren't that hard to get.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

M
help: what oil do i use?
Replies
17
Views
1K
matt5594
M
C
What oil to use in S3
Replies
2
Views
816
scib4
scib4
dj_rzn
What turbo should I use for 350 - 400hp target?
Replies
16
Views
3K
StaceyS3
StaceyS3
S
What oil to use?
Replies
4
Views
707
s3oaks
S
Wicked666
What oil to use??
Replies
30
Views
4K
HTC
HTC
Top
Back