1.8 TSI engine oil

[nedim]

Hi all, I recently bought a 2013 Seat Altea with a 1.8 TSI 118kw engine paired with a 7-speed DSG trans, and I am absolutely enjoying it so far.
But today I left a car with a reputable mechanic for a detailed inspection and an oil change and got it back this evening, but something is bugging me.
He did perform an oil change, but he used the Castrol EDGE Turbo Diesel 5W-40 engine (with VW 505 00 / 505 01 specifications), while the service manual suggests using 504 oil specifications on petrol engines. His words are that this oil is better suited for this engine when I asked him about it.

I'm wondering if any of you used this type of oil for this engine and do I need to change the oil immediately to fit within the spec. I've never owned a VW engine before, so this is all new to me, googling this issue didn't give me any specific answers.

Any insights is appreciated, thanks!

 

[Tell]

It's a diesel engine designed oil that was put in but the 5W-40 mean something

5W-40 oil | Mobil™

The 5W-40 viscosity is prevalent recommendation for performance engines in European vehicles with gas-powered engines, and in American diesel pickup trucks.

www.mobil.com

What do the numbers in 5W-40 mean? The numbers refer to the weight and thickness, or viscosity, of the oil. Motor oil gets thicker when it’s cold and thinner when it heats up. The first number indicates the viscosity of the oil at a cold temperature, and the second number indicates the viscosity at operating temperatures.

The oil you quote in the manual is the long service interval oil VW 504. For an annual change a different spec would have been recommended.

VW 504

What is VW 504 00 engine oil?

All engine oils with VW 504 00 approval are Longlife oils. However, they can also be used in cars without extended change intervals. For diesel engines, the VW 507 00 standard applies accordingly; both specifications are intended for viscosity classes SAE 0w30 and SAE 5w30.

The oil is stiffer BUT I reckon the spec for the annual change is VW 502.... check the manual so it's this one:

Oil question VW 502 00 or VW 504 00

www.a5oc.com

The long life oil is the VW 504 00 which is 5w 30
The regular service is the VW 502 00 which is 0w 40

You got a combination oil. 5w-40. In theory, it will be fine but I might get told it's not.

Many years ago, a garage did put in the wrong oil in mine.... stiffer when cold. Quite noticeable. All fine when changed back on the next service.

 

[Ivan Ryban]

The "Turbo Diesel" formulation in the name of this oil is rather disturbing for a petrol engine, but 5W-40 viscosity is highly advised for these (1.8 TSI and 2.0 TSI) engines, depending on the use. A few years ago I had to replace a CCZB (2.0 TSI 2011) engine in our Freetrack and I was advised to use the 5W-40 viscosity oil and a 10-15 000 km (6-9 000 miles) fixed interval by an authorised SEAT dealer who performed the engine swap. The same recommendation goes for intensively used engines (my case), modified engines (when I did a remap the tuner also recommended at least 5W-40 viscosity, 5W-50 for a more serious engine tuning, where higher engine temperatures under load are commonplace) or higher mileage engines (still talking about 2.0 TSI / 1.8 TSI). I have a modified 2.0 TSI (CCZB) in a 2011 Freetrack and use 5W-40 (MOTUL 300V) with a change interval of less than 10 000km (6k miles), and I am happy about it so far. Actually, part of my previous engine trouble resulted from a 30 000 km (20k miles) longlife interval the previous owner adhered to.... I am sorry I cannot give advice about the "Turbo Diesel" part of your issue, but I advise you to stick to some high quality oil of this viscosity (5W-40) with approximately 7 500 mile change interval to make sure your engine has nothing to accuse you of when it decides to give you trouble
Your mechanic might have his own experience with this engine, as they often do, and his advice may be indeed valuable. But he might also have used the barrel of oil he had at hand and made up a story of how suitable it is for your engine.. Perhaps do a quick research about this particular oil (or rather the VW spec) for your particular engine, but the 5W-40 is an advisable viscosity oil for the short interval change with this engine.

 

[nedim]

Thanks both of you for the insight! Gives me some peace knowing it wouldn’t present a huge issue.
That being said, did some more research and talked to few other mechanics, and they all recommended I continue using the 5w40 oil viscosity for this engine with oil change interval of 7,500km. The “turbo diesel“ branding on Castrol oil is just for branding and marketing purposes (so I have been told) and is fully suitable for use in gasoline engines. Although they recommend switching to Liqui moly (5w40 or the new 5w30 that they released) or Motul 5w40. When I asked why they are recommending to use oil that is out of spec for this engine, they answers were that for our climate this oil performs better.
Never the less, I’ve driven roughly 1,500km since the oil change, and so far I see no oil consumption