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I was under the impression that only the German Castrol and a company called Motul produced the 505.01 spec oil.
While this might be off topic for the USA, the above "EURO" version/s is also VW 505.00 AND 505.01 compliant. Why it is not sold here in the USA is another discussion
When it comes to the VW TDI owner's manual/s (pre 2004 or PD PUMP Duse), shop data, web sites, the verbiage indicates that given CF-4, ACEA's (for diesel) etc ,(CI-4 is the higher standard over Cf-4) points to the fact is many viscosities CAN be used. So the key point being if it meets the CI-4 CF-4 and ACEA's: what viscosities doe they come in?? Some examples: 0-40, 15w40, 5w30, 5w40.
It does also point out that 5w40 is preferred, BUT 5w30 can be used if it is NOT available. So for example, my 2003 VW Jetta TDI owner's manual specifically states the TDI engine comes factory filled with an "ALL SEASON" 5w40 fill. (quotes and all caps my <sic> ) So indeed if one checks the 5w40 specs for the low temperature numbers, indeed it will work just fine in the winter temps. 0w40 can be used for those Maine "y acs" or Alaska types, but 5w40 will indeed work under the majority of circumstances and VW also indicates it is the prefered viscosity range.
The correct Amsoil products are indeed excellent products! I would not fault anyone in the least for using any one of the (3?) that is formulated for our diesels.
I personally use Delvac One 5w40 aka Mobil One 5w40 Truck & Suv. Mobil One T&S 5w40 is available OTC in many more places and costs between 4-5 dollars per quart.
..." was under the impression that only the German Castrol and a company called Motul produced the 505.01 spec oil."...
You are correct when it comes to availability in the USA. There are some other brands such as ELF, PC Duron, but be prepared for a more "needle in a haystack hunt"
This most recent oil changed, I dumped in a gallon of Rotella synthetic since I buy it in bulk for my Cummins trucks. I'll run a test in 10k miles and see how it compares.
The required weight of oil is 5w40. There is a TSB for the TDI's that specially says 5w40 synthetic. This TSB supercedes the 5w30 synthetic requirement.
PD's require VW505.01, and to date, it's only available on 5w40.
at 0°C, 5w40 behaves like a 5 weight oil, just like 5w30. More than sufficient for winter usage.
Mobil 1 and Castrol Syntec 5w30 do not meet the requirements -- having any or a combination of: VW505.00, ACEA B3/B4, API CF-4/CG-4 (CI-4 is oil for EGR systems). A caveat of this is, while Syntec 5w40 (and Mobil 1 0w40) meets VW505.00, it is CF rated.
Stay away from truck oils like mobil1 5w-40 truck/suv formula, rotella 5w-40 thes oils are designed for trucks not for cars.
Amsoil Series 3000 5w30 was originally developed for the heavy duty truck engines...in fact the full name is Series 3000 Synthetic 5W-30 Heavy Duty Diesel Oil It does not specify it meeting VW505.00. (Though it meets ACEA B3/B4. ACEC E-standards are heavy duty truck standard).
No offense, you are contradicting yourself:
1. Recommending Series 3000 5w30
2. Recommending oils that meet CI-4. API C-ratings are intended for heavy-duty truck engines, since there are very few light duty diesels available, it did not justify a separate specification rating.
If you want to stay away from truck oils...you could be inferring the other Amsoil 5w30 -- while it meets API CF, but not CI-4. However, it meets VW505.00
Mobil 1 Truck & SUV, Mobil Delvac 1, and Shell Rotella T-synthetic are all excellent oils that you can use, as long as it is not a PD-engine (2004+, requires VW505.01).
And what do I use? Amsoil 5w40 European Car formula.
I think he is refering to the break even between VW's 2.0(cost less) and TDI (cost more). You can run the math, but it takes app 60,000 miles to BE. So the BE year question is affected effected by your yearly mileage.
If you look at the VW 1.8 T, the 1.8 T is only slightly more(100-200 @1.98)) , so in effect, break even is very minimal (3,232 miles.
So for example my wife used the Jetta TDI manual for a year on a 50 mile R/T commute, (total yearly mileage is app 26,000). In heavy stop and go traffic averaged with normal flow she got between 47-51 mpg. One day she announced that she was tired of shifting. I asked her if she had any objection to another diesel and the only thing she cared about was AUTOMATIC. The Jetta TDI automatic gets app 38 mpg. So I started to look for both new and used TDI's . Of course, the good news and the bad news is the phenon of the 2003 used ones costing more than what I paid new. Upshot, VW Jetta TDI 18,000 vs 12,500, a brand new Honda Civic 4 door VP automatic that gets between 34-40 mpg (she gets app 35 mpg on the exact same commute.)$5,500 dollars @1.98 per gal) buys a LOT of unleaded gas! (97,222 miles of it) This is not even to mention less monthly payments. Less taxation etc. (lease or buy)
Is the Civic as much fun to drive as the Jetta? Was the automatic all she was interested in?
Did you keep your TDI?
It is funny but to replace the suspension components on a Honda Civic is actually more costly and more maintenance intense.
Yup, for her daily commute, she is as happy as a clam.
10k period gigs include: a checklist of inspection items, oil and filter change, tire rotation,etc. 40k air filter change, diesel related items: fuel filter every 20k. With fuel filter, H2O release every 10k. So really there is even LESS maintenance.
The real quick and dirty is for the VW Jetta TDI to match the Honda Civic's numbers, you are pretty much locked into 300,000-500,000 miles. My goal is to keep this thing going past 500,000 miles to 1,000,000 miles if possible.
Welcome to the forum. That price sounds real good to me. What city did you buy your Jetta TDI in?
I wonder if this "EGR cooler" was redesigned with the new "poumpe duse" engine that came out in the 2004s?
In 2004, the Volkswagen Group delivered 5.079 million vehicles to customers worldwide. “This is a good sales result given the weak situation on the world’s key automotive markets,” said Dr. Bernd Pischetsrieder, Chairman of the Volkswagen Group Board of Management, on Sunday in Detroit/USA.
http://www.germancarfans.com/news.cfm/newsid/2050111.008/volkswag- en/1.html
As far as the oil light coming on when the car is cold, that is not normal either. Is your oil level correct? I'm not sure if you have the same style filter that I have; but I know that with the A4 TDIs there are 2 ways the oil filter can mess up on a cold engine. One is there were some filters that were being sold that did not have the propper oil dam in the center (prevents the filter from draining back when the car is off). When you look down the center of the filter, it should not be an open hole from one end to the other, there should be a piece of plastic about 2/3 from the bottom. Reason 2 is the filter has an up side and a down side when you install it. Low oil pressure when starting the engine is something you really don't want either.
It took a bit longer than planned, but when I took it home...it felt great. The next morning, however, it was a ragged beast! I didn't want to turn over, then when I gassed it, it shot out tons of white smoke. Anyway, I took it back...and later that day, I get a call... Its my Fuel Injection Pump. They don't want to charge me labor...but the part is $1200. I wait months (since I don't have the money), then I go in. I get it replaced...and then...I still have this problem where its a rougher start and when the engine is still not hot and I press the accelerator fully, smoke shoots out of my tail pipes. SO...I go back in.
They say...the timing belt ($650) was required to know it was the Pump ($1200)...and replacing the pump was required to know it was the whole electrical glow-plud assemply ($650). Obviously, I didn't go back to them. Another dealer looked at it, said there isn't anything wrong...but there is a little oil coming from the top of the engine. Minor...but should be changed eventually. BUT...now I have a check engine lite one (relating to the emissions I'm told)...and a intermident blinking glow plug light.
Was I screwed regarding the $1200 Pump? Was it the electical assembly the whole time? Did they just start replacing parts cause they didn't have a clue? I'm way pissed! Also...has anyone noticed that Jettas seem to put extra braking on the rear disks? I was also told that I need a new master cylinder because my front disks are original, but my rears going thru pads a bit to quick.
HELP!
The glowplug harness is KNOWN for the connections to start to corrode and cause hard starting. (But replacing the TB did not cause it to suddenly go bad.)
The smoking after the TB change can be explained by the IQ (Injection Quality) being incorrectly adjusted.
They replaced the Injection Pump because they had no clue and it seemed the logical cause of the problem. (But replacing the TB did not cause it to suddenly go bad.)
There are very few TDI technitions that KNOW what they are doing. Most dealerships have somone with a "certificate" that they took some course and can recognize a TDI 2 out of 3 times... but that does not make them an expert at setting up the IQ or troubleshooting problems. (obviously caused by changing the TB)
Lets not forget that most mechanics are REWARDED by selling additional parts to customers. They often dont give a Cr@p if the part is bad or not.
I have always wonderd what would happen if their paycheck was REDUCED every time they diagnose incorrectly and dont fix a problem. I would bet problems would be diagnosed and repaired with much less error.
It is very hard to find a repair shop that is reliable. The turnover of techs is often high and there is greater chance to get a bonehead working on your car.
So now I'm in a quandary. I have a 2000 TDI (122,000 miles) and there are a few problems going on. The car (last I checked) was still worth 9 or 10K. I've put in 1900 because of the TB and the Injection Pump...about a year ago. BUT...there is the Glow plug assembly (harness) that needs to be fixed (est. $650), oil very slowly appearing from the top of the engine (est. $275), new tires (est. $300-$400), and finally that master cylinder problem (est. $450, IF the break place I went to was honest). The car tends to rattle quite a bit now, but I own it totally and I'm its only owner. Total, to get all those problems fixed (not including the front bumper skirt), I have about 1800 more to put into the car. And there is no guarantee that something else will not be "found" or go bad.
Should I trade it in and start making payments for a new/used TDI? I really don't have the money to keep forking out cash for something that is a "diminishing return". Any advice? I'd like to stick with a TDI, but...
http://www.worldimpex.com/item_detail.html?sku=122585
That's $28 for the harness and a monkey could swap it out in 1/2 hour. In addition, many times just the contacts are corroded a bit and do not require replacement. Take some sandpaper or scotchbright to the glowplug and harness connectors and see what happens. I've cleaned mine twice and that fixed the "problem". I've seen numerous problems with TDI's after dealers get their hands on them for a timing belt change. They just don't seem to understand the proper way to time these engines. It's not rocket science, but there is an exact method that must be used, otherwise many times the car will not cold-start properly. Then they start throwing parts at it left and right.
I know a guy that actually bought a TDI from a dealer because they couldn't get it to run. It was on their used lot but wouldn't start after having the timing belt changed. He got it dirt-cheap and then had it fixed in a matter of minutes just by setting the timing properly.
Hmmm...it sounds like I really need to become the tech myself or the timing will be wrong and I'll get sold on parts I don't need (for prices that are total BS!...Thanks for the headsup Sebring95! I can't belive they quoted me $650 for the glow-plug assembly when it costs $30!). Any other comments are much apprciated.
There must be other people that love these cars that have found somone they can trust. Or atleast some that knows the engine...any pointers?
Speaking of loving these cars...does anyone like the look of the new 2006 Jetta?? It looks like every other car on the street...heck...not even as good.
A) Incompetent at repairing TDI's,
Crooks,
C) Both A & B,
D) Outside the statistical norm
If you'd like to email me (in my profile above) I can turn you on to some links of better mechanics at better prices. Or how-to links if you'd like to trying becoming your own mechanic. I've yet to encounter a repair/maintenance item I was unable to tackle on my own. I'm probably above-average in terms of mechanical abilities and tool inventory, but there's still a lot of things that can be done with just a couple tools.
Not big on the '06 Jetta myself either. Not big on the new Audi's either, my '02 A6 may be my last.
It's not just VW dealers. My wife's Lexus LS400's gas gauge quit. The Lexus dealer quoted $1200 to repair it. After a year of searching I found a very competent independent Lexus shop. They charged us $246 including the parts. Lexus dealer repair may be the biggest rip-off around.
You may wish to verify that all of the O-rings you installed are seated properly. (It does not hurt to coat O-rings with silicone before installing)
Also, make sure that the thermostat "tee" is installed properly. It is supposed to recirculate the fuel thru the filter until things warm up... then the warmed fuel is divirted back to the fuel tank to warm it up.
The brake light on the dash will come on accompinied with audable beep when the EMERGANCY BRAKE LEVER is lifted and the vehicle is in motion. (Try it for yourself if you do not beleive me)
http://www.worldimpex.com/
http://www.1stvwparts.com/
http://www.vw-auto-parts.com/
http://www.volksparts.com/index.htm
thanks
mike Smith
Moab, Ut
Three bicycles (and the rack itself) are very unaerodynamic. Heck, just driving with a window down will reduce the MPG. If you SLOW DOWN, then the aerodynamic drag will be much reduced. (it is logrithmic in nature)
I hope this drop in MPG does not surprise you in any way.
Whiggy
Does anyone else see this as a problem or does my car have the problem? :confuse:
-PR-
03 Ford F350 SuperCrew KingRanch 6.0L Powerstroke
04 VW Jetta GLS TDI
05 VW Passat GLS TDI
Thanks for your input.
Any ideas?
This is my second TDI and I never seen black particles left behind,I hope this helps
There are several things I would check
*) Snowscreen plugged up (easy to clean)
*) intake plenum plugged up (somwhat harder to clean)
*) bad MAF (about $100 - $200 part)
*) VNT vanes carboned up (may be able to free them up by wiggling the lever)
VNT = Varible Nozzle Trubocharger
Your engine obviously had some kind of unusual failure. I wonder if the timing belt was not replaced at the proper intervals? If the timing belt skipps a tooth, the valves can contact the pistons making for an instatnt boat-anchor.
Another possibility is that the proper synthetic oil was not used in the engine.
Do you have any other details about what the problem is? "Lack of compression" does not automaticly mean you need a new engine. A good mechanic can use a remote-camera and snake it into the engine to 'look around" and make a more detailed diagnosis.
He mentioned having the fuel pressure checked but wasn't sure quite how to do this on the vehicles.
I'll let you know how I make out.
cheers,
Todd