2001 golf 1.6lt petrol, oil help

[lozzi]

Hi we got 2000 golf rally 1.6lt and not sure about the oil side of things,which oil to use and when to change it. what is the differance between standand oil service interval and longlife variable service interval, can you leave it that long?
cheers lorri

[Lucas_R]

check the owners manual to see what viscosity of oil it recommends (like 5w-30 or 10w-40 etc etc) and if the engine requires an oil with certain quality classifications (ertain grade or rating), then off to your local auto parts store to choose the oil.

I would have thought that something relatively basic like Castrol GTX / Castrol Magnatec / Shell Helix would be fine for a 1.6 litre Golf. These oils will cost your $30-40 for a 5 litre container.

[Diesel_vert]

Summary:

Any 10W-40 semi-synthetic @ 7.5k/6 month intervals



- OR -


Any 5W-40 synthetic @ 15k/1 year intervals



The "Time and Distance" regime has fixed service intervals, usually 15 000 km / 1 year.

"VW 501.01" - typically 10W-40 and usually semi-synthetic. I recommend up to 7 500 km, or a maximum of 6 months when using this oil.

"VW 502.00" - typically 5W-40 or 5W-30 and usually synthetic. I recommend up to 15 000 km, or a maximum of 1 year when using this oil.

VW don't make a distinction between service intervals and the type of oil used (blanket 15k/1 year intervals for both 501.01 & 502) but I'm personally not too sure that any semi-synthetic oil is capable of 15k.

Some change 502 oils at 7.5k, though I don't think a naturally-aspirated 1.6 16v MPI petrol engine would challenge a synthetic oil that much.

As for viscosity grade (30 vs. 40), on an engine that's 10 years old, I'd go with whatever it has used most of its life (probably 40).

Obviously, you don't have to use VW approved oils (warranty expired ages ago) but ensure that any oil you use at least meets "ACEA A3/B3".



The "LongLife" regime has variable service intervals, which is calculated by the computer depending on how the car is driven via various sensors. Ranges from 15 000 km / 1 year, up to a maximum of 30 000 km / 2 years, and anywhere in between.

The use of "Longlife" oils is necessary if running on this regime, such as "VW 503.00/506.00" or "VW 503.00/506.00/506.01" (0W-30, Longlife II) or "VW 504.00/507.00" (5W-30, Longlife III).

You are free to use such oils even if the car is not on the Longlife regime, but I don't think it's worth it for your particular application.

[Paul_R]

I'd use the cheaper standard (10W - 40) oil with a shorter service interval, and check the level regularly. We've had two of those engines and they drank up to a litre of oil a week through the valve stem seals! Maybe they fixed them since.