VAG 1.8 oil sludge issues

[Phil Payne]

> I wouldn't scrap all those 1.8T motors yet. This is just the
> newest incarnation of the "unintended acceleration" fiasco.
> Rememeber that, guys?  I have SEEN a couple of 1.8's with
> a oil pickup screen partially plugged with sludge.   Now,
> here's the good part.  Oil change intervals used by the
> owners?  15 to 20 thousand miles.   I'd say, considering
> that, these engines hold up pretty well.

I don't this is anything new.  I've seen this problem on all kinds of engines - sometimes it's
carelessness and sometimes it's downright dishonesty.

I really believe a major cause is garages claiming to have carried out work (such as oil
changes) when they haven't touched the car.  I inspect cars for potential buyers on a regular
basis - around one a week - and I very rarely find a car where everything pans out.  You get
documentation listing new this or that, or major work on this or that, and you can tell
instantly that whatever it is hasn't been touched for years.

Oil changes are a case in point.  How many customers actually check that there's a new filter
on, and pull the dipstick to see the nice clean oil?  Damn few.  So a garage that'e either
fundamentally dishonest or occasionally dishonest (customer wants the car back by five but we
haven't had time to do the oil change - he won't notice) can skip the work with no obvious
immediate comeback.

As regards Mobil1 - it is NOT a universal panacea.  The value of the brand name does not
override the weight recommendation in the driver's handbook.  Most Mobil1 sold in retail
outlets is the thin watery stuff intended to get high mileage in fleet cars - it is TOO THIN
for older Audis.  See the handbook.

http://www.mobil.com/USA-English/Lubes/PDS/GLXXENPVLMOMobil1_15W-50.asp

The 0-20 page used to say it wasn't suited to "high-performance imports":

http://www.mobil.com/USA-English/Lubes/PDS/NAUSENPVLMOMobil1_0W-20.asp

When I asked what "modern" meant in the context of that datasheet, they said "1995".

-- 
  Phil Payne
  http://www.isham-research.com/quattro
  +44 7785 302 803