Extra oil services

[cheezemonkhai]

I know you're supposed to reset the service counter between services but say I did the following to a car on variable servicing:

- Pull oil out via dipstick hole using an extractor.

- Take out oil filter, remove oil from here and put in a new filter

- Put in new long life oil

- Don't touch the car with VAG COM.

Assuming the car had done say 10-12k miles, would the car just carry on as usual or in the worse case let the maximum miles/days between service counter take over so the next change would be at 20k as opposed to 18 and a bit.

[ap0gee1978]

AFAIK, it wouldn't make any difference. I have heard rumours of some special gizmo that monitors oil condition, but AIUI all that happens is the ECU logs how often / hard / far the car is driven and counts down on that basis...

[rotodiesel]

I bought my Superb with 20k miles on the clock "serviced" (joke) by the dealer with long life oil as specified by me so that I wouldn't have to pay any more money to VAG whilst the vehicle was in warranty.

In fact, I did as the OP suggests - I put in new long life oil when the car was 3 years old and just out of warranty (the dealer-fit oil had by then done 10k miles) and left the service indicator alone.

It eventually flagged up the need for an oil change after 18k miles - so changing the oil mid-term made no difference at all. I ignore all the dashboard indicators and change my oil annually which for me is about every 10k miles. I don't need a VAG "computer" to tell me when to change the oil - I do it in the Summer! I always use 507.00 oil as my car gets a hard life as a tow car.

There is no oil condition monitor - doing this on a consumer product would be just too expensive. The dashboard indicator works using an algorithm based on the total distance, time, mumber of cold starts, time oil is above a certain temperature, etc. If you visit the Hella website, the oil probe in the sump is fairly well described - it's a simple device with a few thermistors and some electronics to measure oil level and oil temperature.

rotodiesel.

[simonsheil]

To quote VW

"These engines use built-in sensors that continually monitor the oil quality, making it possible to enjoy reliable and confident motoring for up to a maximum of 20,000* miles or 24 months (whichever occurs first)"

Oilman from opie oils has made some intresting post on the forum expalining why new oils can last longer periods and continue to perform throughout. They also offer very reasonably priced oil.

[cheezemonkhai]

Bearing in mind that the cars I used to service were 5 or 6k between services, switching to 10-12k is extending it a lot. For the sake of £40 once a year, I'd rather remove and change the oil and do it too often, than rely on something that has been designed to reduce cost of ownership.

Eg stick to the variable service but add an extra oil/filter change in. What with the stories of oil pick ups getting blocked and turbos going lots £40 seems goof for some piece of mind.

EDIT:

Is this PDF about the oil sensor the right one?

http://www.hella.com/produktion/HellaUK/WebSite/MiscContent/Download/AutoIndustry/Electronics/TI_Oelsensorik_GB_TT_05.pdf

Edited 14 August, 2008 by cheezemonkhai

[simonsheil]

Bearing in mind that the cars I used to service were 5 or 6k between services, switching to 10-12k is extending it a lot. For the sake of £40 once a year, I'd rather remove and change the oil and do it too often, than rely on something that has been designed to reduce cost of ownership.

Eg stick to the variable service but add an extra oil/filter change in. What with the stories of oil pick ups getting blocked and turbos going lots £40 seems goof for some piece of mind.

They dont actually claim it reduces ownership cost just it might if you do mostly long journeys and over 25miles a day.

Its entirely up to people how they service their car, I was purely stating that the oil is monitored not guess work.

To your original question draining the oil and changing it will mean the oil sensor remains on clean oil, however will not reset the year counter so will ask for a service at the 2 year or max mileage. No need for vagcom.

[cheezemonkhai]

To your original question draining the oil and changing it will mean the oil sensor remains on clean oil, however will not reset the year counter so will ask for a service at the 2 year or max mileage. No need for vagcom.

Point of the thread was that I wanted to check if the worse case was that the thing called for service at or and wasn't going to go playing silly buggers on me.

[VRStu]

It's fitted in the bottom of your sump, the taller one does look a bit like it, I've only ever seen them from the outside.

[cheezemonkhai]

Ta Stu,

Don't suppose anyone knows for sure what the capacity is on the 2.0 TDI do they?

I know the older 1.9 engines were 4.5L but seem to remember the newer ones being less? Just means I can order the correct amount for a change

[rotodiesel]

The Hella PDF is the right one. They're working on a condition sensor, but to my knowledge it's not been adopted by an auto maker yet. Certainly "our" vehicles use the old algorithm method referred to in the Hella text.

I'd be rather concerned about the 160 deg limit on the operating temperature. The Superb virtually has a lagged sump (if the dealers don't destroy the undertray whilst servicing it) and I can see soak-back temperatures approaching this.

rotodiesel.

[tezza72uk]

I know you're supposed to reset the service counter between services but say I did the following to a car on variable servicing:

- Pull oil out via dipstick hole using an extractor.

- Take out oil filter, remove oil from here and put in a new filter

- Put in new long life oil

- Don't touch the car with VAG COM.

Assuming the car had done say 10-12k miles, would the car just carry on as usual or in the worse case let the maximum miles/days between service counter take over so the next change would be at 20k as opposed to 18 and a bit.

The service indicator is not that clever, it does not monitor oil quality. I have changed my oil in between services and made a note of the before and after servce readings and seen no change. The service interval is based on your style of driving, short / long runs etc.

[Tech1e]

It does monitor oil quality, changing the oil will just extend the required service time if the oil was poor to start with. The fact that the service light didnt change means the oil was perfectly ok in there anyhow.

All that can possibly happen is that the car will run to its maximum distance (18600 miles)

Regardless of oil quaility the light always come on then given its been set up correctly. We get a lot of Polos in that the service light comes up early. We have after a bit of research found the lease company were providing no variable oil to their drivers for top ups. The dilution of the variable oil with regular semi synth was enough for the oil quality sensor to bring the service light down to its minimum value.

[tezza72uk]

Ta Stu,

Don't suppose anyone knows for sure what the capacity is on the 2.0 TDI do they?

I know the older 1.9 engines were 4.5L but seem to remember the newer ones being less? Just means I can order the correct amount for a change

This is from the Octavia manual

EngineApproximative oil capacity with oil filter change1.4 ltr./55 kW3.2 ltr.1.6 ltr./75 kW4.5 ltr.1.6 ltr./85 kW3.2 ltr.1.9 ltr./77 kW4.3 ltr.2.0 ltr./100 kW3.8 ltr.2.0 ltr./103 kW3.8 ltr.2.0 ltr./103 kW TDI DPF4.3 ltr.2.0 ltr./110 kW4.6 ltr.2.0 ltr./147 kW4.7 ltr.

[Tech1e]

Stick in four litres and dip it.

[Zut]

Dunno if this is too offtiopic, but i wanted to ask about oil changes to a new motor. I have a 15k km fixed service breaks. But thinking of doing an early oil change @ 6500-7000km just in case. Some people have said this should _definitately_ be done. Others just saying I am wasting money.

Any suggestions?