I know its not VPower but there kinda the same I always fill up with BP Ulitmate Diesel, I can arnestyly say it makes a huge diffrence, runs alot smoother, revs better, smokes less, I get better MPG and the torque band seems longer. I Have run 3 diffrent cars on this stuff and I wouldnt look back, I once recently had to put normal diesel in and it ran terrible. Fifth gear have done alot of coverage on these super fuels and for petrols it seems to be that the car has to have some performance related ecu to understand what its getting. For example a standard 1.2 petrol clio had no affect on at all however MK5 Golf GTI saw 9bhp extra with a smoother torque curve. They have done diesel super fuels as well and the results were very impressive even a C5 HDi Estate getting an extra 11bhp!

Edited 16 April, 201115 yr by TorqueXIsXCheap

I used to own a MK 2 passat estate with a 1.6 ltr Td engine, was a real slug with standard diesel but with V power or Ultimate it felt like a extra 500cc under the bonnet.

When I had a petrol non turbo car i used to use super unleaded (shell, total, bp) and didn't notice any gains in economy or performance.

I've now had my vRS since 2008 and was religiously filling up with BP Ultimate but over the last few months i've been using regular diesel from shell and have noticed slightly better economy and it seems to accelerate better on it. It will no doubt run cleaner using a higher cetane based fuel but to be honest given the fact i change my engine oil every 3 months and give it a shot of forte twice a year(which i find gives excellent results), i can't see the point of using a higher cetane rated fuel.

I used to think it was a good thing using v power and the like but think you can better value for money with regular maintenance.

Edited 19 April, 201115 yr by newskoda

When I had a petrol non turbo car i used to use super unleaded (shell, total, bp) and didn't notice any gains in economy or performance.

I've now had my vRS since 2008 and was religiously filling up with BP Ultimate but over the last few months i've been using regular diesel from shell and have noticed slightly better economy and it seems to accelerate better on it. It will no doubt run cleaner using a higher cetane based fuel but to be honest given the fact i change my engine oil every 3 months and give it a shot of forte twice a year(which i find gives excellent results), i can't see the point of using a higher cetane rated fuel.

I used to think it was a good thing using v power and the like but think you can better value for money with regular maintenance.

I can't see the point of changing the oil every 3 months :wonder:

Mine smokes on anything. It's all a myth I personally think unless your running big power

I can't see the point of changing the oil every 3 months :wonder:

I used to work within a technical capacity for fuel and lubricants(this included oil analysis after x amount of miles) and have learnt from experience there is plenty of reason to change oil every 3 months despite what the claims suggest. I also still can get branded quality oil at very low prices..cost.

I could get into a whole debate on the subject and talk about base oils,esters and PAO's, additive packages,VI, flashpoints and viscosity change at specific temperatures and of course approvals (this one isn't as cut as dry as the labelling suggests) but will leave that alone.

Edited 20 April, 201115 yr by newskoda

EVO Magazine ran a pretty scientific test a few years ago.

They ran "Super Fuels"; Shell then-Optimax, BP Ultimate against standard pump and supermarket fuels. The valves, injectors and bores of the engines were then inspected visually and the key factor was cleanliness. The "Super" fuels tended to keep the components free of deposits and muck and thus allowing the engine to run more efficiently. Power did increase with the upped octane and cetane but it was only around 1 - 3%.

I can't see the point of changing the oil every 3 months :wonder:

The newer the oil the better the turbo is looked after, for the sake of a few quid i think its worth it. Since i`v had my new turbo been changing around every 5,000 miles.

Matt

The newer the oil the better the turbo is looked after, for the sake of a few quid i think its worth it. Since i`v had my new turbo been changing around every 5,000 miles.

Matt

I agree with that but Oil companies haven't spent millions in R&D and created oil that doesn't degrade just for you to change it. If they make oil that lasts that long then it should not do any harm to the engine. Vag have tested it and endorsed it. I honestly think that you would not get much more life out of a turbo changing every 5k or 20k.

My Dad's T5 is on 180k on the original Turbo and oil change approx every 15k - all stop start delivery and town driving. My mates Polo GT PD130 is currently sitting on 110k on the original turbo with an oil change every 20-24k - all motorway.

How much longer do you think a turbo should last every 5k to say every 20k?

I think warming the engine up correctly and letting the turbo cool is more important to the engine and the turbo than religiously changing the oil....especially in this day an age with advanced synthetic oils etc.

If you run an uprated/hybrid turbo then it's a condition of the warranty from the turbo supplier that more frequent oil changes take place. That's how important they are.

Yes, of course this should be combined with mechanical sympathy as well.

Vag have tested it and endorsed it. .

I do agree with you on starting and stopping your car and having a cool off period, especially important for turbos petrol or diesel. A lot of factors can affect how long an engine and turbo lasts but i believe that regular oil changes, using good quality fuel are high on the list. New fresh oil is also less susceptible to VI change which is important.

I hope I don't come across rude but just want to clarify that saying "VAG have tested it endorsed it" isn't entirely accurate. There is a difference between Meeting VW504/507(adheres in this case to 5w30 petrol and diesel and PD) or VW505.01 (good old 5w40 for turbo diesel engines including PD) specification and being "Approved By VW" for those specific manufacturer standards.

Slightly Off topic sorry but just to clarify there are only very very few oil manufacturers that make the VW504/507/505.01 oil that is officially approved by VW and they are Motul,Morris lubes and Quantum although to be honest the former two are better spec'd oil. To be approved by VW you have to go through far more vigorous testing vy VW in germany, than "meeting" those specs.

For example Fuchs xfe pd 5w40 s/s and Titan GT1 f/s is not approved by VW. Nor is either Castrol Edge 5w30 or 5w40 which is surprising but a fact, but they like many off the shelf base oil and lubrizol packages do just meet the spec

Edited 21 April, 201115 yr by newskoda

I do agree with you on starting and stopping your car and having a cool off period, especially important for turbos petrol or diesel. A lot of factors can affect how long an engine and turbo lasts but i believe that regular oil changes, using good quality fuel are high on the list. New fresh oil is also less susceptible to VI change which is important.

I hope I don't come across rude but just want to clarify that saying "VAG have tested it endorsed it" isn't entirely accurate. There is a difference between Meeting VW504/507(adheres in this case to 5w30 petrol and diesel and PD) or VW505.01 (good old 5w40 for turbo diesel engines including PD) specification and being "Approved By VW" for those specific manufacturer standards.

Slightly Off topic sorry but just to clarify there are only very very few oil manufacturers that make the VW504/507/505.01 oil that is officially approved by VW and they are Motul,Morris lubes and Quantum although to be honest the former two are better spec'd oil. To be approved by VW you have to go through far more vigorous testing vy VW in germany, than "meeting" those specs.

For example Fuchs xfe pd 5w40 s/s and Titan GT1 f/s is not approved by VW. Nor is either Castrol Edge 5w30 or 5w40 which is surprising but a fact, but they like many off the shelf base oil and lubrizol packages do just meet the spec

Not rude at all - i use Quantum oil in my cars to 507.00 standard.

I am just interested if any actual tests etc have been done to prove that an engine or turbo lasts x amount of miles more having an oil change every 5k vs every 20k. Lots of people say you should but on what basis? How do they know how much the oil degrades per 1k etc to say change every 5-10k/12 months when VW and the manufacturers of the oil state differently?

Not rude at all - i use Quantum oil in my cars to 507.00 standard.

I am just interested if any actual tests etc have been done to prove that an engine or turbo lasts x amount of miles more having an oil change every 5k vs every 20k. Lots of people say you should but on what basis? How do they know how much the oil degrades per 1k etc to say change every 5-10k/12 months when VW and the manufacturers of the oil state differently?

I have seen these type of results in different situations. Sometimes on a new vehicle whether it was a car or HGV the company has asked for oil testing to be done regularly and over time even as early as 2-3 months you start seeing drops in performance (measured in centistokes).At this point oil at 40 degrees and 100 degrees falls outside of the specifications. Results of this could be the oil doesn't flow as well as it did in cold temps,compared to when it was first put in. An oil that doesn't perform as well as it originally just after a few months won't offer as much protection and they'll be shearing. I remember seeing the reports on this and there would be various metals which actually came from the engine and just after a few months use. It would be even worse after 12 months use.

What also prompted me to change my oil frequently was seeing these results and also i had analysis done on my own engine oil just a few months after it was put in and had only seen about 5k miles.

Don't get me wrong, current synthetic oil is very good and it is so much better than say 10-20 years ago. They resist sludging better for example. Car manufacturer's state things like "You should change your air filter every 20k" or your "fuel filter every 24k". I've seen the state of a fuel filter after two years...they can even go rusty.

Then i've seen posts on here showing the pictures of their air filters that have been in their car for just 12 months and its tangled up with dead leaves,insects and is no longer the color it was when it first went in. If car manuals stated things like you must change your oil+filter every 3 months and do your air filters twice yearly, i don't think the average joe who just wants to get from a to be would be impressed. They'd say sod that i want a car where i just see a visit to the average once a year or two years even better.

Edited 21 April, 201115 yr by newskoda

I change my oil every 3-4 months for peace of mind as oil starts degrading through use...i have been told by many different people that the degrading is worse on diesels as the oil is diluted with diesel as it gets past the pistons and into the oil. Through being told this i think it makes sense to spend that £ 40-50 on the oil change if it means saving you 100s on nackered turbos etc. After all the bearings in turbos are designed to run on oil and not deisel