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Comments
I probably will wind up back in the VW/Audi realm sometime in the future. Right now though, I've decided that I will no longer own a car that is out of it's factory warranty period. In addition, I'll be keeping DETAILED logs of every maintenance item that pops up.
One reason that I'm going the FX35 route is that the local (not sure if it's an Infiniti thing or not) Infiniti dealer provides Infiniti loaners for all maintenance calls, including oil changes. The Audi dealer has a deal with Enterprise and I always wind up driving a Focus. With the A8 being an $80k car and them also selling Porshe's, how can they justify putting their customers in a $15k Focus?
"I probably will wind up back in the VW/Audi realm sometime in the future. Right now though, I've decided that I will no longer own a car that is out of it's factory warranty period. In addition, I'll be keeping DETAILED logs of every maintenance item that pops up."
Agreed!
And you said:
"The Audi dealer has a deal with Enterprise and I always wind up driving a Focus. With the A8 being an $80k car and them also selling Porshe's, how can they justify putting their customers in a $15k Focus?"
Ha ha, that's almost as crazy as the owner doing their own oil changes! (and not keeping the receipts!)
Have fun, I think Toyota Lexus products are superb!
I'm young and I made a mistake. This is my second car - the first was a beater when I bought it and it was only supposed to get me through college anyway. The first car was essentially a disposable car. The bad habits that I acquired from that car carried over into this one.
But now you and I both know, and synthetic will be going in my humble 2.0 non-turbo...just to be safe....
The fluid level should be checked when the transaxle is near room temperature or at 104°F (40°C). To acquire this, left the car idle for 3-5 minutes with all of the accessories off.
Apply the brake, then move the gear shift selector through all gear ranges, pausing three seconds in each range. Shift the lever into P.
Raise and safely support the vehicle.
Place a suitable drain pan under the check plug to catch any fluid that may drip out.
Remove the oil check plug near the right halfshaft. The oil level should be at the bottom of the oil check hole. Because the transaxle operates correctly over a range of fluid levels, fluid may or may not drain out of the screw hole when the screw is removed.
If fluid drains through the screw hole, the transaxle may have been overfilled. When fluid stops draining, then fluid level is correct and the check plug may be installed. If fluid does not drain through the screw hole, the transaxle fluid may have been low. Add Dexron III fluid at the vent cap location in 1 pint increments until the oil level is at the bottom of the oil check hole.
Install the oil check plug/fluid level screw and tighten to 10 ft. lbs. (14 Nm).
Carefully lower the vehicle.
With the engine running, shift through all ranges then back to Park, raise the vehicle, and use a 3/16" allen wrench to remove the fluid indicator plug in the middle of the drain plug in the side of the trans pan. Use a larger wrench to hold the drain plug while removing the indicator plug. Fluid level's correct when fluid just drips out of the hole. If low level, there's a special fill tool which screws into the indicator plug hole. It's basically a tube with a threaded end. Draw clean ATF into a hand suction pump in 1 pint increments, then place the rubber hose of the pump onto the fill tool and add ATF until it just drips out of the indicator hole. Remove the fill tool, re-install the indicator plug, then the engine can be shut off.
My dealer uses Amsoil but not the same weight shown in the manual. They use 5W-30W. I asked them about it and the tech said he thought the new manual had been changed to these weights already. After both changes I noticed the oil level was above the recommended level on the dip stick. I will keep the receipts of all the work done on the car just in case.
I teach at a major technology institute where we have contracts with GM and DCM to provide their dealer tech training and upgrading, and even with their resources available it's a full time job trying to stay current. Can you imagine how tough a row to hoe it is for small independents to stay current with technology? Then there's their capital outlay for equipment. That's why I sometimes get PO'd with people who cry about having to pay 50 bucks to get their car diagnosed with a $4,000.00 scan tool which some garage operator had to pay for and has to buy update cartridges every year for about $1,000.00 per.
Got it drained but the car smoked so badly the entire muffler/cat system will probably have to come off and be replaced, if it can't be flushed out somehow.
Porsche uses a dry-sump system and it will take 11 quarts but you have to read the manual on how to add it and check it properly or you'll get fooled.
It is my understanding that for the pre-2004, 90 hp diesels, this spec is not required, and any 5-40 full synthetic diesel rated oil, for example, Rotella 5-40, is fine. Correct me if I'm wrong, becaus a friend owns one of each, and her husband took the pre-2004 to a Jiffy Lube that did NOT even use synthetic....
It's not a concern if you just follow the manual's specs - the oil is available to ANY VW dealer in the country. Rumor has it that some MORONIC dealers don't read the spec sheets or order the oil in, not realizing the tremendous upgrade the PD system represents.
If I could get a PD diesel in California, I'd buy one. They are an amazing piece of techology - both the turbo and the injection system. Essentially they give gas engine performance with diesel economy. The SINGLE downside is you've got to service them the way VW states in the manual. It's not excessive service, or expensive service, but the usual American attitude of "my favorite oil is good enough for the diesel in my truck, so I'll be damned if I'll let VW rip me off by using their oil" will get us into trouble.
Anyway, my question, what is the effect on emissions testing when you have a vehicle that uses excess oil?
Thank you, C-
Should you receive any information about the above and also the filter replacement data, please drop me a line.
I am happy with the car having driven 300 miles the other day on I-80 and got an average of 27 miles per gallon.
I have an 04 Passat GL automatic 1.8L turbo engine. Was a quart low the other day and had the oil changed, but I worry that I may harm the engine.
Thanks a lot from the state that doesn't have much of a football team this year-Nebraska
Check your owner's manual to be sure, this is from memory:
The 505.01 requirement is for the 1.9 and 2.0 liter TDI engines, not the 1.8T engine in your Passat. I believe that the oil requirement for the 1.8T is currently 502.00. VW is also using a larger filter on the 1.8T model. There should be several commonly available synthetic oils which meet this requirement. During the warranty period, it is not necessary to have the car serviced at the dealer. You should use the VW filter and an approved oil and have it serviced at your place of choice every 6 months or 5,000 miles. Keep receipts and records for the filters, oil, and service!
The potential oil problems in your engine have to do with the thermal breakdown of the oil, not special requirements for an injector pump. The thermal stability is the reason synthetic is required. Check your oil at every fuel fill-up, after it has had a chance to drain back into the oil pan. I don't think you have anything to worry about.
Garland: for 505.01 oil that doesn't cost an arm and a leg... http://www.motul.us/autoresellers/
I really appreciate your promt reply.