Hello all

 

I would appreciate some more knowledgeable opinion on this:

 

I have two VAG cars - the older one is a 53 plate Audi A4 1.9 TDI PD with 115k on the clock on fixed interval servicing which I have taken to a localVAG independent specialist (Bosch service garage) for the last 2 years. I've been very pleased with the service there and am happy that this car never goes any where near an Audi dealer.

 

Our 2.0 TDI PD 08-plate Scout had recently finished a 2 year pre-paid service plan so I booked it in for its first non franchised dealer service with the same independent place, which is always full of VWs, Audis, Skodas and Seats and has lots of regular customers.

 

The car is on a fixed interval service plan and it has a DPF. I thought that the DPF meant you had to use the longlife 5W30 507.00 oil, irrespective of whether you were on long-life or fixed interval servicing? I know that my A4, which obviously doesn't have a DPF, gets the 505.01 5W40 stuff.

 

At this service, I noticed on the invoice that the 5W40 stuff (Quantum 505.01) had been used and I phoned them back to query it. I was told that this was a low-ash oil and was suitable for my car as it was not on a long-life service plan. I thought about this some more and re-read my manual plus looked stuff up on the internet and phoned back again the next day but was reassured again that the oil was fine.

 

In fact the bottle of Quantum 5W40 does states on the front "specially formulated and approved for use in high performance petrol and diesel engines including PD diesel also vehicles fitted with Diesel Particulate Filters*".

 

But when you look on the back, the asterisk refers to a point that states that VAG cars fitted with DPFs should use Quantum Long-Life 5W30 oil and this is backed up by the manual.

 

So I took the car back and explained my concern and they offered to change the oil for the 507.00 stuff that they used (Fuchs Titan) - which they did then and there.

 

They aren't some branch of Halfords or Nationwide - they are a Bosch service centre and they specialise in VAG cars so I felt a bit odd questioning them about this but everything I have read tells me that I'm right.

 

Was I? Or is the 'low ash' 505.01 now OK with DPF cars? Did they change it for me because they wanted to keep a happy custome or because it wasn't the right oil?

 

I'm a liitle confused so wonder what the knowledgeable folk on here think...

 

Sorry for the long post...

I thought low ash 505.01 was 507.00 so unless it says 507 on it it won't be good enough even if it says low ash.

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Well the oil they used first time said low ash and 505.01 but definitely said an alternative (which has 507.00 on it) was to be used for VAG DPF cars.

So sounds like it was right to change it then?

I wouldn't put anything below 507 into a DPF equipped car. You did the right thing getting it replaced.

I had the same discussion in a branch of TPS recently where I was told that the Quantum 5w40 505 spec was now low ash and suitable for DPF equipped cars. He said all of the taxis use it to limit oil use on high milers, however I am thinking that not many taxis have a DPF.

In the end for the £9 saving I just couldn't bring myself to do it and got the 507 spec as planned.

It's very confusing. If you look on the TPS site and put the reg number in to select an oil, you get shown Quantum Longlife 507.00 for variable servicing and Quantum Platinum 5W40 505.01 for fixed interval servicing.

It seems that the registration plate 'look up' function picks my car up as a PD diesel and advises accordingly.

However, it doesn't recognise whether the car has a DPF or not and simply gives a small print disclaimer, as shown in the data sheet linked to below, to say that VAG DPF cars need Longlife oil despite the fact that the Quantum Platinum stuff is now deemed to be low ash and suitable for DPFs. Just not VAG ones!

http://quantum.thetradepartsspecialists.co.uk/uploads/77/ZGB115QLB00520_PDS.pdf

, to say that VAG DPF cars need Longlife oil despite the fact that the Quantum Platinum stuff is now deemed to be low ash and suitable for DPFs. Just not VAG ones! http://quantum.thetradepartsspecialists.co.uk/uploads/77/ZGB115QLB00520_PDS.pdf

Strange, as Quantum is OEM oil for VAG