[Vwdiesel] 0w30 Mobil 1

[Lee Hillsgrove]

>On the side of the 0w30 Mobil 1 container it says, "Exceeds warranty
>requirements for gasoline and diesel engines and performance requirements
of
>BMW, MB, VW and Porsche"
>
>This is a clean running new TDI engine that maintains consistent high speed
>daily driving. The extra 5 mpg is good enough reason for me to use it. The
0
>weight gets lubrication to it very quickly at start up.
>
>Is the viscosity all that important on the newer TDI's or isn't it better
to
>have superior lubrication?
>
>For the record, all my previous 6 diesel VWs (except TDI's) and current '82
>Vanagon diesel use Castrol 20W50 in summer and 10W40 in the winter. I have
>exceeded 200,000 on all of them but the Vanagon with zero engine problems.
I
>change oil regularly at 3,000 with them.
>



  OK, I venture into this subject with some trepidation. I've gotten mired
in some oil wars before. I'm not interested in doing that again, so here is
my $.02 on the matter, and take it for all it's worth.  :-))


 I checked Mobil's Mobil 1 website. It says this:

"The Mobil 1 Tri-Synthetic Series synthetic, detergent-dispersant oils are
designed for passenger car and light truck gasoline or diesel engines
requiring API Service SJ, SH or CF."

 Now, that may very well be within the specifications listed in the owner's
manual, but there are much better oils available. At a minimum, you should
be using a synthetic oil rated CH-4 or better in a TDI, because of the
higher soot loading and acid buildup in the oil resulting from the use of
water-cooled EGR for emission reduction purposes.

 There is a big difference between CH and CH-4 ratings.

 If you change it every 3K miles, it may not make as much of a difference,
but one of the advantages to using a good synthetic oil is the longer drain
intervals. I wouldn't go to a conventional oil either, because of the
ability of synthetic oil to withstand coking in the turbo.

 I checked out Mobil's Commercial products website. It had this to say:

"Mobil Delvac 1 carries an SAE 5W-40 viscosity rating. It has all the
advantages of an SAE 40 weight oil without the higher oil consumption
inherent in multigrade oils that use very light mineral oil base stocks.
Because synthetics have higher boiling points than conventional oils, Mobil
Delvac 1 does not evaporate as readily in the high-temperature piston ring
area of turbocharged diesel engines.
Mobil Delvac 1 can provide satisfactory lubrication at temperatures up to
100 degrees above the upper limit for conventional mineral oils. It is fully
compatible with conventional heavy-duty diesel and gasoline fleet engines.
It also provides unsurpassed protection against soot related viscosity
increases in low emission diesel engines.

Mobil Delvac 1 exceeds the requirements of:

API CH-4, CG-4, CF-4, CF, SJ, SH
Mack EO-M Plus, EO-M, EO-L Plus
Cummins CES 20076, CES 20071
Detroit Diesel 7SE270
Caterpillar deposit performance
2.0% distillation at 700°F"


 Bottom line, my advice would be to begin using Mobil Delvac 1 in your A4
TDI in 5W40 weight and drain every 10K, unless you plan on doing oil
analysis, in which case you may be able to extend it further. I have a
distributor within about an hour's drive from my house that carries Delvac 1
in 4, 1 gallon containers to a case. It costs about $80 for the 4 gallon
case. Delvac 1 is not as easy to find but well worth the effort, IMHO. If
you would like a dealer locator that will tell you where to find it near
you, take a look here:

http://www.exxonmobil.com/channelpartners/

 Also, check out this thread on the subject of using Mobil 1 in a TDI:

http://forums.tdiclub.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=5&t=003868&
p=

 I'm skeptical that changing from 5W40 to 0W30 will increase your fuel
economy by 5 mpg. Have you actually documented that much of an increase?

 I also looked at Castrol's website. It has this to say:

"SAE 10W-40: is a premium, super multigrade that provides maximum protection
in all seasons and can help extend engine life. SAE 10W-40 exceeds API
service SL, SJ and SH as well as exceeding the engine protection
requirements for API Certified Gasoline Engine Oils.
SAE 20W-50: is a premium, super multigrade that guards against wear by
providing a superior oil film strength and extreme high temperature
strength. 20W-50 exceeds API service SL, SJ and SH. Also exceeds the engine
protection requirements of ILSAC GF-3 for API Certified Gasoline Engine
Oils."

 This is for the Castrol GTX grade of oil. Not diesel rated.

 You can get away with running oil not designed for or at least not optimal
for your particular application, but why, when a better product is
available?

 For the NA IDI diesels, a good petroleum based oil is Shell Rotella 15W40
or Mobil Delvac 1300. Shell has also introduced a synthetic Rotella 5W40 but
it is almost as much money as the Mobil Delvac 1 and not as good. It is
easier to find, however, and a better choice than Mobil 1.