2002 CPO Jetta TDI Oil Recommendations Requested

A few weeks ago I traded my 1984 diesel Rabbit for a Certified Pre-Owned

2002 Jetta powered by the 1.9L turbocharged diesel. With only 30,000 miles, this machine still has some time to go under the new-car warranty, before the CPO warranty takes effect.

The salesman's parting shot was, "You can get oil changes for half price from us, for as long as you own the vehicle."

After a week or so of fun during my 80-mile commute, I called the dealership's service manager and enquired about oil changes. He corroborated salesman's last remark.

I also asked how much oil would cost if I purchased it from the dealership -- that 5W-40, CF-4 or CG-4 as specified in the owners' manual.

I was somewhat surprised when he said, "Oh, we put Rotella 15W-40 in those engines."

"And doing so doesn't void the warranty?" I asked. He insisted it would not.

Not entirely satisfied, I called my independent mechanic, who kept my

1984 Rabbit alive through two engine rebuilds, chronic timing belt slippage, and various other crises. He said, "The service manager is right; 15W-40 will work just fine in your 2002 Jetta."

I don't know enough about either the newer engines or oils to decide if I should be suspicious or not.

It does strike me as false economy to put petroleum-based oil of incompatible viscosity into an engine like the 1.9L TDI if it will shorten the service life ... even if the newer oils (or synthetics) cost nine to twelve dollars a quart.

Any thoughts?

Reply to
sddso
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You need to put in synthetic oil in your TDI... 5W40. The Castrol Syntec from the dealer is around 5.30 per litre here (the oil for the Pumpe Duese engines is a little more... but not 9-12 per litre - your Jetta won't have a PD motor), they (my dealer) will not warranty a car unless it is using this oil - with proof of correct oil change intervals, or an equivilant that matches VW's specs.

Your car has a turbo - turbo's cook regular oil and break it down, plus it's a diesel... which tend to have different oil standards.... With synthetic you can drive 15000kms - twice as long as most normal cars, so the price difference tends to work out anyways.

Synthetic is the oil of choice for any car, so why not use it?

I change my Syntec every 10000kms - I tend to add 1/2 a litre in at around

Reply to
Rob Guenther

All of the above is 100% correct. The dealer is full of bologna! 99.5 and newer tdi's before the pump diesel require synthetic and it specifies a rating that's hard to find in the US. Shell does make a Rotella 5-40 synthetic oil in the blue bottle. Over on the tdi club

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Delvac 1 by Mobil is the preferred choice.NOT MOBIL ONE IT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH!! Part of the reason is the highter vapor point of the synthetics cause less crud build up in the intake system that uses a EGR to lower emmissions. Vapor and soot from our fuel make a black cement in your intake manifold.

JoBo

Reply to
Jo Bo

I don't know about the 15W-40 Rotella, but the 5W40 in my garage and my

2002 NB TDI is synthetic. I also have used the Mobile product. You NEED the synthetic because the turbo heat will cook conventional oils.
Reply to
Joseph Meehan

Don't go to that dealer, who obviously has not read the TSB issued in

1999 telling them to use 5W-40 synthetic (VW part number ZVW352540S = Castrol Syntec 5W-40) in TDI engines (the engine in your 2002 is the same as some of those in 1999).

Stay away from that mechanic also, at least until he reads the service manual for your "new" car.

More like $5 or so. Wal Mart offers Mobil 1 Truck and SUV 5W-40 (with the API CI-4/CH-4/CG-4/CF-4 ratings) for about $5 per quart; even cheaper is Shell Rotella T SYNTHETIC 5W-40 at $13 per gallon. The Castrol Syntec

5W-40 at the VW dealer will cost more, but shouldn't be $9-12 per quart.
Reply to
Timothy J. Lee

My dealer puts 0W40 in my Skoda Fabia PD-TDI (101bhp). The Fabia is a car built on the same platform as the Audi A2, VW Polo and the Ibiza and Cordoba from Seat. This Skoda dealer used 5W40 from the date the Fabia TDI was introduced with the PD TDI in 1999 and since a couple of years he only uses 0W40. BP Visco 7000 Turbo Diesel is a great oil for PD-TDI's.

The PD-TDI's with the variable service intervals use 0W30... For notmal TDI's (90 or 110 bhp) 5W40 is the best choice.

Remco

Reply to
Remco Meeder

Thanks to all for their comments.

The dealership people have told me they will put in any oil that I specify, or simply what supply myself. The half-price offer holds, for the labor & shop charges.

Us> Rob Guenther wrote:

Reply to
sddso

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