Oil change intervals
03-13-2003, 04:09 PM
#1
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Oil change intervals
I know this topic has been covered, but bear with me. I have an 'O2 1.8t with 5,600 miles. I hope to keep this car in the family for many years, but that doesn't mean I don't enjoy a spirited commute. How often should I REALLY change my oil. I talked to my service advisor: He said, "Definately follow Audi recommended intervals. The car ships with synthetic oil and you should wait until 10k before changing. Then, audi-paid maintenance will provide non-synthetic oil, but you should still wait 10k between changes." Then he told me how much for a dealer change: minimum $80 for dino oil, plus filter. So, how often should I REALLY change the oil? He suggested that it would be bad to change the oil too soon on the first service. This is totally contradictory to everything i've ever heard about maintaining engine life. Any oil engineers or armchair experts out there?
03-13-2003, 04:26 PM
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Armchair expert's opinion...
The only reason to develop more friction during the early life of your engine is to run your seals, rings, etc. in properly. This would be the only reason why you should leave the factory fill oil in for the full 10k miles. After break-in, more frequent changes shouldn't pose any risk.
Synthetics tend to perform better than petroleum based oils- most if not all are more stable than conventional oils. If you decide to go with the 10k intervals, I would think that a long-life synthetic like Amsoil would be the way to go. If you change more frequently, like every 3k, it probably wouldn't matter too much if you went with synthetic or conventional.
I plan to keep my car for a while as well. I'm leaving the factory fill oil in until 10K. After that, I plan to change only the oil myself every 5k with something like Mobil 1, and leave the filter on for the dealer to change every 10k. (that way I can use a topside oil changer, http://www.boatus-store.com/
...search for item # 162027). That, plus cooling down the turbo after "spirited driving" would give me peace of mind.
my 2 cents
Synthetics tend to perform better than petroleum based oils- most if not all are more stable than conventional oils. If you decide to go with the 10k intervals, I would think that a long-life synthetic like Amsoil would be the way to go. If you change more frequently, like every 3k, it probably wouldn't matter too much if you went with synthetic or conventional.
I plan to keep my car for a while as well. I'm leaving the factory fill oil in until 10K. After that, I plan to change only the oil myself every 5k with something like Mobil 1, and leave the filter on for the dealer to change every 10k. (that way I can use a topside oil changer, http://www.boatus-store.com/
...search for item # 162027). That, plus cooling down the turbo after "spirited driving" would give me peace of mind.
my 2 cents
03-13-2003, 06:03 PM
#4
AudiWorld Expert
seeing a recent used oil analysis report (Mobil1 5w-30) after 10K mile interval...
I can say it is quite alright to do 10K mile oil changes (assuming it's synthetic) IF:
1. you don't track the car.
2. you don't drive the car hard.
3. you're not chipped.
In my case, I'm pretty rough on it - I like to push it and make that turbo sing, even though I'm not chipped. After 5K miles in my engine, M1 was pretty much done protecting it (another oil analysis). I change oil every 5K miles in my car. The changes in-between are done by a local shop that specializes in European cars, so I have a little more confidence in them than in a place like Jiffy Lube. It costs me $60. That includes an Audi OEM filter and 4 quarts of Mobil1 oil.
1. you don't track the car.
2. you don't drive the car hard.
3. you're not chipped.
In my case, I'm pretty rough on it - I like to push it and make that turbo sing, even though I'm not chipped. After 5K miles in my engine, M1 was pretty much done protecting it (another oil analysis). I change oil every 5K miles in my car. The changes in-between are done by a local shop that specializes in European cars, so I have a little more confidence in them than in a place like Jiffy Lube. It costs me $60. That includes an Audi OEM filter and 4 quarts of Mobil1 oil.
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03-14-2003, 11:24 AM
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Re: just curious, are you in the US or Europe?
I'm in the US. Located in Oregon, but the car has made two trips to California. At ~2,500 miles, the dipstick level dropped to just below 1/2 range. Seems like normal break-in consumption. Dealer topped it off while I was picking up my all weather mats and front end mask.