Complaint Review: VOLKSWAGEN TDI - AUBURN HILLS Michigan

Having run VW diesels for many years, I have a good bit of experience with this issue. While the castrol oil is recommended, there are other oils that won't void a warranty here in the U.S. . Shell Rotella 5w40 T synthetic meets and exceeds the castrol oil in all areas, The cost is about $12 a gallon at most wal-marts and just slightly more expensive at most truck stops. While I can understand the consternation with VW about this, doing a little research usually gets good results. Oil formulation is at best very subjective. The bases are essentially the same no matter who makes it. Additives that individual companies add are about all that's different. Currently I've run 3 different Diesel VW's with this oil and all have exceeded 300k miles with no failures

Posted about how diesel was 20 to 30 cents higher then premium. d**n, over the last couple of months they've jacked the price of diesel to 80 or 90 cents OVER premium here in TX. All those poor souls who went out and bought diesels thinking they were going to save money. Think back to that car salesmen telling me how much cheaper diesel was then regular gas. Paid $1.91 for regular this morning. Diesel was $2.89. Talk about a ripoff. $2.89 for crap gas.

I would have to agree with some of the other posters, it is very clear why they require you to use the VW 505.01 type oil. When explained by my 35 year veteran diesel mechanic I could see their reasoning. If you don't use the spec'ed oil you run the risk of Cam shaft failure. I would rather pay $6.00/$8.00/12.00 per liter than risk engine failure. Cheap insurance I say. If you don't like the fact that VW service is charging you too much for oil, then buy your own and do it yourself or take it to a garage. They may charge you more on the service side but it will save you still. Besides, it's only 3-4 liters of oil trying filling a 17L V12 diesel that holds 18 liters of oil.

You just need 505.01 oil. With demand comes supply. Diesel car owners are way ahead of the curve in America, even though Europeans have known the virtues for decades. There is a lot of helpful information on the TDI forums. For example, many people suggest Motul oil. I found the following at motorsport.com: VW 505.01 5W40: $7.80 per liter VW 505.01 5W40: $32.95 per 1.3 gallons (5 liters) I also found the German Pentosynth TS 5w40 (505.01) motor oil for $6.00 a liter on another site...but I haven't heard anyone suggest using it: OE Part Number: G052167A2 Manufacturer's Part Number: G052167A2 There is a petition to get Exxon to sell a 505.01 oil in the US, but again it's all about demand. The more common diesel becomes here, the more choices we will have: http://www.petitiononline.com/vw50501/petition.html In terms of cost, keep in mind that full synth only needs to be changed every 5K miles, and some diesel mechanics say you can run 10K. Also, you can run diesel on bio-diesel (including vegetable/meat oils) that have extra lubricity and will increase the life of your engine many times compared to dino-oil. With proper care 300K - 400K miles is not unusual...

I found a few places online that would sell non-VW oil that did conform to VW 505.01. It was sold by the gallon, and I was only looking for a quart to top off the tank if necissary. This seems like a reasonable alternative for people that do their own oil changes. I don't plan on ever doing that, so purchasing a quart for $8.50 from the dealership every couple of years to top off, doesn't seem that bad. As for the cost of diesel, Its hard to compare it to gas since VERY few gasoline cars get this kind of gas milage. If you want this kind of gas mileage, you'll need to head to the hybrid. Good luck finding one of those. In my state, you also get to bypass emissions testing also.

I found a few places online that would sell non-VW oil that did conform to VW 505.01. It was sold by the gallon, and I was only looking for a quart to top off the tank if necissary. This seems like a reasonable alternative for people that do their own oil changes. I don't plan on ever doing that, so purchasing a quart for $8.50 from the dealership every couple of years to top off, doesn't seem that bad. As for the cost of diesel, Its hard to compare it to gas since VERY few gasoline cars get this kind of gas milage. If you want this kind of gas mileage, you'll need to head to the hybrid. Good luck finding one of those. In my state, you also get to bypass emissions testing also.

May of 2003 we turned in a 2001 Jetta from a 3 year lease. After so many problems with it, We were done with VW's. But I remember the salesmen trying to sell/lease us a 2003 Jetta(TDI)Turbo diesel. Telling us how much cheaper fuel costs would be. At this time, the price of gas was starting to clime. Diesel was still about 10 to 20 cents cheaper then regular. A year and a half later, diesel is 10 to 30 cents more then super. At $8.75 per Qt for oil and $2.45 per gal. for diesel, I'm glad I followed my gut feelings.