Has anyone used the 5w30 Valvoline Max Life in their 2.8l V6? I used this in my Subaru and it was great, sent a couple samples to Blackstone Labs and it held up really well I was getting 9000 miles between oil changes with minimal breakdown. I have read the specs and such just curious about real world use.
Valvoline MaxLife Oil
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I had topped off with some when I picked up my ride a few months ago, we use it in our Toyotas where it works fine. I did change it out within 400 miles or so after realizing it didn't meet the VW 502.00 standard to be safe. Other than the potential sludge thing, which I know isn't as much of an issue with a v6, the fact that it does not burn as clean as the 502.00 stuff could be harmful to things downstream in the exhaust system? Better safe than sorry, just my thought.
5W-30 is arguably too light for the 30-valve 2.8L, but the same thing in 10W-30 might be robust enough. Not all 30-weight oils are created equal, with some at the higher end and some at the lower end of SAE's prescribed viscosity range. You want either a 40-weight oil or a thick 30 which holds its viscosity decently over time.
The original owner and I have always used a high-quality 10W-30 dino in my 12-valve 2.8L (1996 A4), which is even less fussy about oil.
For the record, we use Mobil1 0W-40 in my wife's and elder son's 1.8Ts and my younger son's 2.7T (2000 S4).
The original owner and I have always used a high-quality 10W-30 dino in my 12-valve 2.8L (1996 A4), which is even less fussy about oil.
For the record, we use Mobil1 0W-40 in my wife's and elder son's 1.8Ts and my younger son's 2.7T (2000 S4).
Yeah the Maxlife is a synthetic blend, so not straight dino oil. I am thinking the previous owner didn't use a full synthetic in it. But don't know for sure. I may run the Maxlife in it for a couple thousand to flush it then switch to a full synthetic, just to be on the safe side.
I may be an Oil snob, but I don't use valvoline at all due to their refining method. I read forever ago on BITOG that valvoline uses an "ash" method while castrol uses a "resin" method. Apparently the ash method is "dirtier". Just my opinion, but I've heard that repeated from folks in person as well.
The owners manual calls for 5w40, but looking at the specs 5w30 is an approved substitute. I could not find 5w40 anywhere local to me unless it was something like Rotella which is heavy duty product more for trucks or heavy equipment. I didn't feel comfortable using in it my car, I understand some use i in the 1.8 but that is a different beast all together. So are 2.8l owners more comfortable running the 10w30 or 40 vs the 5w40 or 30?
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If you have Pepboys, NAPA, Advance Auto or Autozone close by all carry 5w40. Just wait and look for their specials or you will pay around $9-$10 a quart for 5w40. However, take a trip to Walmart and you can buy 0w40 in both Castrol and MobilOne for about $24 for a 5qt jug. Both of which are VW 502 approved. Downside, the 2.8 takes 6.5 quarts of oil, so on your first purchase you will need to buy 2 5qt jugs.
Being in New England with several months of cold weather it would be better to run 0w40 rather than 10wanything.
The most critical time for engine wear is at startup (cold). Do a bit of reading on this and i think you will find that a 0w or 5w rating will be better.
All this said you can run what you feel comfortable with. The Most important thing is to change your oil on a regular schedule within the manufactures recommendations.
Go here and you can learn more than you ever wanted to know about oil. Used Oil Analysis - Bob is the Oil Guy - Bob is the Oil Guy
Look for the link to "Motor Oil University".
Being in New England with several months of cold weather it would be better to run 0w40 rather than 10wanything.
The most critical time for engine wear is at startup (cold). Do a bit of reading on this and i think you will find that a 0w or 5w rating will be better.
All this said you can run what you feel comfortable with. The Most important thing is to change your oil on a regular schedule within the manufactures recommendations.
Go here and you can learn more than you ever wanted to know about oil. Used Oil Analysis - Bob is the Oil Guy - Bob is the Oil Guy
Look for the link to "Motor Oil University".
Nothing gets people going like a good oil thread (until it's locked) but until then, I can say that for the last few years I've been using Mobil-1 0W-40 "European blend", changing at 10,000 mile intervals. Three additional quarts are typically needed during this interval until the next oil change.
I don't know anyone who would recommend against Mobil1 0W-40. I use a 1-year change interval on the Passat because we drive a lot less than most folks.
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