Does this sound right?

I am re-posting with a different subject...as the first one looked like something I would have ignored...

I am sure I would be quite mad if they changed a variable in the testing process. If you are curious and it is above and beyond what you should do, maybe you could draw an oil sample to see if a testing lab can tell what oil is in the engine. If they had run the test using your brand and weight of oil and found a problem first, that would be ok. Their next test with a different weight or brand of acceptable oil and the problem went away would be ok. It might suggest that the car works better with a different wieght of oil.

My 84 GTI really lit up the oil light and buzzer with the light oil but was quiet and dark with the thicker oil. That would be rather cool if all it took to fix the problem was a thicker oil. Most unlikely though.

"T>

Jim B.

I am a bit angry, as they are really changing the test so it looks better for them. As I posted in earlier threads, the car was using almost or just over a quart every 1000miles of late, now, with whatever they put in, it used 6 ounces in 1100miles...something is amiss. What really bugs me is that if they feel the solution is to switch to a heavier oil, just say so, why jerk me around running a test that their monkeying with the variables makes a waste of everyone's time. If the car was off warranty, I'd just switch to a heavier oil, but there is still some time left, so I was doing as recommended in manual, using a thinner oil.

I wonder if that is the issue itself...my 95 Golf had a 2.0, but I never used 5W30 or 40 in that, and it never burned a drop. Maybe the probelm all along was the oil!

Who knows...well...thanks for your thoughts. Yet again a trip to VW service makes me feel like I have been treated like an ass. Maybe after 25 years and almost that many different VW's it is time to move on.

I have to put a new clutch in my 2003 TDI. The first time I have ever wasted a clutch in 25 years of driving mostly VWs. Wah. Well if the new heavier duty clutch lasts as expected then maybe I will be less aggravated.

You know this would be really >

Jim B.

It has been unusually cold the past week or two, but even last winter when we had one of the coldest winters in a while, the oil use remained constant. While whatever oil they used for the "test" has slowed the rate of oil use, it still used almost a 1/4 of a quart per 1000 miles. This is still more than any other VW I have owned.

I would be real curious as to what this mystery oil is. Did it come from a drum or from quart containers? Did you watch the whole oil change? Did you read the dipstick at the dealer after they ran the engine for a few minutes? I was just wondering if your baseline and subsequent oil level reads are being done the same way. I have never suffered this so it is quite interesting to see a test prove someone "wrong". Especially someone like you who know his way around cars.

It will be >

Jim B.

I don't know the answers to any of your questions...my dealer doesn't have anyplace to watch the work being done. The whole question arose when the guy came out to check the oil after the first 1000 miles of the test, and then poured oil out of a Castrol 10W40 (non-synthetic) bottle. I asked him about whether they had used that or the recommended weight when they did pre-test change, and he kind of didn't really answer. The fact that oil use dropped by at least 50% after this change kind of answers the question...the oil they put in is NOT the same oil I have been using and burning for the past 2 years. I KNOW I used the recommended viscosity...not sure what they used.

So how many more miles before the test is done so you can perform your own test again using the recommended oil?

Jim B.

I am guessing that they'll keep it up till my warranty runs out (;^P)...

Seriously, if the next 1000 miles (about 700 left...which is another 2 weeks) shows lower oil use than I was experiencing, I'll end it and switch back to the oil the manual recommends...we'll see what happens.

For years and years, the recommended oil for water cooled VWs was 20W-50. These motors burnt little oil and when they did, it was usually valve stem oil seals.

Jump forward to around year 2000. Now apparently some rings got mounted incorrectly and there was a recall , so 'excessive oil burning' in these models should be fixed by the factory.

Now the trend in USA is for thiner oils. We are told that clearances are tighter on new motors.

This is NOT true on current VW motors. I have carefully checked the new motor clearances in VWs for the last 20 years. In the vital areas of piston ring clearances, that affect oil consumption , the current spec is looser. Ring side clearance has been increased. This is due to the ring pack sitting higher on the piston and thus has more chance for ring gumming. Extra clearance here will help ( ?? )

I am on my 9th VW. I have a 2.0 , 2003 and my wife a 2002. Both burn more oil than my 92, or 86.

However I am using different oil ( Mobil 1, 0W-40 ) not 20W-50.

Unless you have one of the bad motors, use thicker oil. And never expect these engines to NOT burn some oil. They are not Hondas and ALL European motors are designed to burn a little oil. Good luck

I've only had three VWs -- a diesel and two gas Jettas -- and only the current one, an '01, ever burned any oil. The diesel and the '97 never used a drop. I've got Mobil 1 0W-40 in it now, and when I drive at freeway speeds, it'll take a half-pint every 500 miles or so. In the summer, I put 20W-50 in it, and consumption drops significantly. Note: For affecting oil consumption, it's the first (Winter) viscosity number that matters. 5W-50 will burn as much as 5W-20.

Well said, the oil issue was mainly on "some" AEG engine codes which were pre 2001 cars.