On 05/04/2026 at 12:27, Evolution13 said:

Please remember this is a Global Forum. Bulgari might be similar to the UK but not the Middle or Far East or Australia / Newzealand etc. So location location location as far as 0W oils. Climate / Temperatures.

Certainly, each speaks from its experience, and having the location listed in the profile is what helps assess from where comes said experience. However, since I have become "suspicious" since a few years now on the subject, I keep a wary approach and tend to inquiry over the subject considering other aspects not only location-climate wise. For example, for the wifemobile (CT200h) a 0W-20 given (car is European-spec), but my mechanic (ex-Toyota, now indi, and a very serious person I know since years) showed me the maintenance tables for the same car in Russia, for which a 5W-30 is given.... and there would be a general "colder" climate, so should not be the opposite? Our guess is this is because friction and thus emissions, and nobody gives a thought about mechanical longevity, since this is not but the owner's problem ....

And we have held extensive discussions on the subject, and after a few engines dismantled for the most various reasons, every 1.8 engine has the same internals, except for a camshaft redesign. Yet Toyota has shifted over the years from 5W-30 to 0W-30 to 0W-20 to 0W-16 .... the change cannot obey technical reasons if the mechanicals are unchanged, no?

A mate of mine has a Wrangler JK, with the 3.6 Pentastar. Car is GCC-spec, came from Saudi. Given lubricant spec is 0W-20, while here in Bulgaria is given 5W-30. Obviously he refuses to utilize 0W-20 and is instead using 5W-30, but again, you would have though only based on climate/location, the other way around?

Sorry about the long post, I consider the matter fascinating, if not worrisome because it is out money at stake when something goes wrong, not the manufacturer's ....

17 hours ago, OccyVRS said:

Let me see if I can find the information on the oil pumps.

I will read your links, and I am also looking, but clear evidence is not easy to find....

17 hours ago, OccyVRS said:

The general idea is that the newer EA888.3/4 has tighter tolerances than previous iterations, so while running a heavier oil won't cause anything as drastic as starvation, there was concern that it might not reach everywhere it needed to.

While this might make sense, I am not sure how it translates into reality ... if there is sufficient oil pressure circulating through the engine, then the oil will get everywhere it needs to, it is not that it becomes jelly that blocks the oilways 😄

Also, I am looking for charts confirming how viscosity differs between a '30' and a '40' grade oil at 100deg C and it seems to be less than what would worry... but perhaps would be better to have it on a separate discussion.

17 hours ago, OccyVRS said:

Will I jump to 0W-30? Probably not. Could it be better for the engine? Maybe, but I can't see me having the car much past 100k miles, and any impact of such a change won't be visible until past then. Don't forget, 90% of engine wear happens during a cold start - and that is where an 0W oil will perform better than a 5W.

These are also very interesting considerations ... is it better mechanically? perhaps yes, but as you say, you will send the car away so "who cares". I am not picking on you, but this is another subject, that I cannot easily explain ... most cars in my geographical location are well-lived, therefore any shortcomings in earlier maintenance, or follies such as 20-30k km intervals, come to fruition "here", where everything starts to fall apart ... 😄😁

And while the old adage of the increased wear on start-up is valid, it is also true we are no longer talking about 1 5W or 20W dino oil ... we are talking modern lubricants on modern vehicles.

Most of the damage, maybe more "carnage" is the adequate word, that I get to see or heard around here comes from cooked oil, stuck/damaged pistons rings, destroyed oil pumps, stretched chains and/or broken/defective tensioners, scored camshafts, bearings, and so on ... in all cases, no matter the reason, old/overworked lubricant is always present as a main culprit ...

1 hour ago, leolito said:

I will read your links, and I am also looking, but clear evidence is not easy to find....

While this might make sense, I am not sure how it translates into reality ... if there is sufficient oil pressure circulating through the engine, then the oil will get everywhere it needs to, it is not that it becomes jelly that blocks the oilways 😄

Also, I am looking for charts confirming how viscosity differs between a '30' and a '40' grade oil at 100deg C and it seems to be less than what would worry... but perhaps would be better to have it on a separate discussion.

These are also very interesting considerations ... is it better mechanically? perhaps yes, but as you say, you will send the car away so "who cares". I am not picking on you, but this is another subject, that I cannot easily explain ... most cars in my geographical location are well-lived, therefore any shortcomings in earlier maintenance, or follies such as 20-30k km intervals, come to fruition "here", where everything starts to fall apart ... 😄😁

And while the old adage of the increased wear on start-up is valid, it is also true we are no longer talking about 1 5W or 20W dino oil ... we are talking modern lubricants on modern vehicles.

Most of the damage, maybe more "carnage" is the adequate word, that I get to see or heard around here comes from cooked oil, stuck/damaged pistons rings, destroyed oil pumps, stretched chains and/or broken/defective tensioners, scored camshafts, bearings, and so on ... in all cases, no matter the reason, old/overworked lubricant is always present as a main culprit ...

I 100% agree. Any of the differences between 0W-20, 0W-30 and 5W-30 really don’t make much of a difference in the real world - certainly nothing compared to working a cold engine hard, or not doing the correct service intervals. Most of the engine issues we see over here with these engines are due to misuse, poor servicing, chain failure (due to servicing) and the water pump housing.

That being said, I do disagree with you on one point - the cold start damage. Even with fancy modern oils, the majority of engine wear does still occur when the engine is cold and the cold oil is sitting at the bottom. Sure, it’s not as bad as it once was on older engines, but the point remains.

Bottom line for this thread is that I would just stick with whatever VW suggest, unless the car is heavily tuned (or on 200,000 miles). There are so many other variables on engine longevity that running a a slightly heavier weight oil (as you said) doesn’t make much difference. I think regular servicing, being kind to a cold engine and sticking to the intervals (engine oil, gearbox, diff, etc) are more important.

The only reason I would put 0W-30 in my car is for a track day. Otherwise I’ll stick to what VW suggests and if it blows up, it blows up.

Fully agree on all points!

I did not meant to minimize cold-start wear, but to consider in the perspective of a small range difference in weight.

I missed when 0W-20 became required, mine being a DNF engine and having listed 0W-30 ... I thought the Mk3 Superb 280 'died' with 0W-30 when production stopped.

I have Mk3 280s which was delivered 12/2023 (so I presume one of the last manufactured batches) and it requires 0W30. I am not sure where the 0W20 information comes from. Mine was for Slovak market. My guess is that this type of oil would be shared between Western/Central Europe and the Balkans too (climate is more or less the same in these regions).

15 minutes ago, leolito said:

Fully agree on all points!

I did not meant to minimize cold-start wear, but to consider in the perspective of a small range difference in weight.

I missed when 0W-20 became required, mine being a DNF engine and having listed 0W-30 ... I thought the Mk3 Superb 280 'died' with 0W-30 when production stopped.

My car doesn’t even have a sticker to tell you what oil is required - it’s a bit rubbish. Correct me if I’m wrong, but the 280ps Superb is the EA888.4, whereas mine is one of the last EA888.3 Skoda ever put in a car. The Evo wants 0W-30, whereas mine wants 0W-20. The PFL car with the same EA888.3 wanted 5W-30, although it is the same for the GTI engines.

The only slightly weird thing is that the higher output EA888.3 of my generation (S3, R, etc) wanted 5W-30. Then, for this current generation, the higher output engines want 0W-30 while the lower ones want 0W-20. With the previous generation of cars (7.5, 3.5, 3.5, 8V), the higher and lower output engines were mechanically different - barely, but they were. With the current generation(ish), IIRC there is literally no difference in internals, bar bolt on stuff.

It doesn’t make much sense. The only explanation I have read is that the lower output engines use the newer variable oil pump, but as above, I’m not sure if this is accurate.

14 minutes ago, Setesh said:

I have Mk3 280s which was delivered 12/2023 (so I presume one of the last manufactured batches) and it requires 0W30. I am not sure where the 0W20 information comes from. Mine was for Slovak market. My guess is that this type of oil would be shared between Western/Central Europe and the Balkans too (climate is more or less the same in these regions).

Sorry - I should have been clearer. My engine is a 245ps DKTB. I was just jumping on the engine oil train, as I find it quite interesting/confusing.

It’s quite interesting that the same engine can run on stuff ranging from 0W-20 up to 5W-40 - regardless of engine code, none of the EA888.3s or EA888.4s are significantly different from another.

Do 280 owners feel the need for any advanced security measures such as Ghost, Disklok or anything else ?

On 06/04/2026 at 20:54, OccyVRS said:

Correct me if I’m wrong, but the 280ps Superb is the EA888.4

To Correct:

First 280: 280bhp CJXA EA888.3 non-GPF pre-facelift

Second 280: 272bhp DNUA EA888.3 GPF pre-facelift

Third 280: 280bhp DNFE EA888.4 GPF facelift.

The first and second is literally the addition of GPF. No structural changes, change in ECU/map etc.

The 3rd was a whole different engine. Short block probs very similar, but ancillaries, turbo, as well. Biggest thing I've noticed is where the diverter valve feeds in to the inlet pipe from the airbox on the Gen4, but didn't look into what happens on the Gen3. There's no spur on the pipe from the airbox though...found that the hard way when buying a second-hand part...

1 hour ago, gav_is_con said:

Do 280 owners feel the need for any advanced security measures such as Ghost, Disklok or anything else ?

Not as far as I've seen and not for me. There's so little knowledge about them that the chances of it being nicked because its a 280 is low because:

1. there are so many other models with the same engine that have a more desirable badge

2. joe public doesn't even realise the 280 exists as a model which "has the Golf R engine in"

3. the only obvious external identifiers (aside from the badges) are brake size and real exhausts. both pretty niche. Other one I can think of are the DSG oil cooler and for that you have to notice the front nearside portion of the lower grill is open and notice the cooler behind there. Even more niche.

In other words, the value you place on it is entirely your own. I've de-badged mine so unless someone observes cars other than reading badges, it might as well be a 1.4. I'm not going as far as putting a TDi badge on though.

1 hour ago, travs said:

Not as far as I've seen and not for me. There's so little knowledge about them that the chances of it being nicked because its a 280 is low because:

1. there are so many other models with the same engine that have a more desirable badge

2. joe public doesn't even realise the 280 exists as a model which "has the Golf R engine in"

3. the only obvious external identifiers (aside from the badges) are brake size and real exhausts. both pretty niche. Other one I can think of are the DSG oil cooler and for that you have to notice the front nearside portion of the lower grill is open and notice the cooler behind there. Even more niche.

In other words, the value you place on it is entirely your own. I've de-badged mine so unless someone observes cars other than reading badges, it might as well be a 1.4. I'm not going as far as putting a TDi badge on though.

Considering most Octavias and Superbs are minicabs, I think you'll be alright. The vRS is a much more attractive offering, as they can be parted out for GTi/R/S3/Cupras a bit more easily. I also knew someone that has his nicked, debadged and used for crime while wearing fake taxi plates (not that fake taxi). As above, pretty niche though.

It also depends where you live. Mine lives in a secure garage, but both the 2024 1 Series and 2022 Ibiza on the drive have steering wheel locks. Around us, people put bollards and steering locks to protect a 2004 Ford KA. It's London!

I wouldn't say any of these cars are particularly desirable. If someone knew what they were, then they'd likely be more interested in the 'flashier' performance siblings from Audi or VW.

1 hour ago, OccyVRS said:

Considering most Octavias and Superbs are minicabs, I think you'll be alright. The vRS is a much more attractive offering, as they can be parted out for GTi/R/S3/Cupras a bit more easily. I also knew someone that has his nicked, debadged and used for crime while wearing fake taxi plates (not that fake taxi). As above, pretty niche though.

It also depends where you live. Mine lives in a secure garage, but both the 2024 1 Series and 2022 Ibiza on the drive have steering wheel locks. Around us, people put bollards and steering locks to protect a 2004 Ford KA. It's London!

I wouldn't say any of these cars are particularly desirable. If someone knew what they were, then they'd likely be more interested in the 'flashier' performance siblings from Audi or VW.

Thank you. Thats why I didn’t want a Golf R for the size and nic-ability. I also am still a Skoda fan since my first one and like the fact its a sleeper and fully loaded L&K with amazing rear leg room as I also have a Mk2.

26 minutes ago, gav_is_con said:

Thank you. Thats why I didn’t want a Golf R for the size and nic-ability. I also am still a Skoda fan since my first one and like the fact its a sleeper and fully loaded L&K with amazing rear leg room as I also have a Mk2.

I wanted a Cupra ST or Golf R Estate for the AWD goodness, but insurance wasn't very cooperative. A Superb was too big.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying any of these cars are undesirable - but they are far less likely to get stolen than their siblings with a nicer badge. Frankly, unless it's an Evoque or some sort of hot SUV, I'd just stick a steering lock on it and call it a day.

I love my Octavia. It's not quite my thing, but I do rather like @travs too. The car, that is, not him.

Edited 10 April10 Apr by OccyVRS

The old Skoda joke is that one parked on the drive is a deterrent to burglars as they assume nothing worth stealing in the property. Old Skoda more likely to get pinched, Mk1,s or 2,s. Fabia / Octavia.

Edited 10 April10 Apr by Evolution13

4 hours ago, gav_is_con said:

…like the fact its a sleeper and fully loaded L&K with amazing rear leg room…

…and faster than an Octavia vRS 🤭

Hmmm. Perhaps reading all this, I should move to a lower 0-20 oil, given the low mileage and low distances I cover on my daily commute. and perhaps especially even at -5 in the winter, the engine will get to 90c, the oil doesn’t even register its temperature.

Opinions?

16 minutes ago, travs said:

…and faster than an Octavia vRS 🤭

Even faster if it's been chipped!!

But in reality they’re off the radar - it’s not a criticism, just the reality. And I expect most owners appreciate Skoda is still not a flashy brand; even the vRS with its respectable image is still “in its place” below S, R and Cupra (although the god-awful Cupra logo makes it a close run thing).

1 hour ago, numskull said:

Hmmm. Perhaps reading all this, I should move to a lower 0-20 oil, given the low mileage and low distances I cover on my daily commute. and perhaps especially even at -5 in the winter, the engine will get to 90c, the oil doesn’t even register its temperature.

Opinions?

I don’t think you need it given how carefully you drive the car Rob.

Aaaand you had that oil in the spark plug well potentially from the cam cover gasket; if so, thinner oil may leak more…?

1 hour ago, travs said:

But in reality they’re off the radar - it’s not a criticism, just the reality. And I expect most owners appreciate Skoda is still not a flashy brand; even the vRS with its respectable image is still “in its place” below S, R and Cupra (although the god-awful Cupra logo makes it a close run thing).

Exactly why I bought a 280 L&K Estate & it still scares the bejesus out of first time passengers. 😇

5 hours ago, travs said:

…and faster than an Octavia vRS 🤭

Ah... it's not all about 0-60 times.

4 hours ago, travs said:

But in reality they’re off the radar - it’s not a criticism, just the reality. And I expect most owners appreciate Skoda is still not a flashy brand; even the vRS with its respectable image is still “in its place” below S, R and Cupra (although the god-awful Cupra logo makes it a close run thing).

I wonder why SEAT/Cupra got the ABT treatment when nobody else did... imagine a vRS-R or Superb R

Edited 11 April11 Apr by OccyVRS

4 hours ago, OccyVRS said:

Ah... it's not all about 0-60 times.

I wonder why SEAT/Cupra got the ABT treatment when nobody else did... imagine a vRS-R or Superb R

Picture: hilarious.

ABT - just a corporate deal surely?

I always thought previously the Leon was the slightly experimental one. Reported as setup a little more lively than the Golf and Audi.

The ABT ones just seemed to exacerbate that.

Wiki says, power to 345bhp, bodykit, quad tailpipes, uprated shocks, 2 degrees negative camber, brakes.

So that’s most EA888.3 Stage1 remaps, a few grand at Maxton/reiger, BBK upgrade, Bilstein B6, topmounts.

Couple of Engineering teams plan out a series of run-out models, cost it up and get the green light from the board as continuing the theme of the wild child younger sister. Done.

Skoda doesn’t have an equivalent model as they never had an AWD version of the Octy. The singular reason I discounted it.

If I’d done what I have to a Sportline Plus rather than L&K then it would have been closer to it. Maybe with a front lip and rear diffuser section.

12 hours ago, numskull said:

Hmmm. Perhaps reading all this, I should move to a lower 0-20 oil, given the low mileage and low distances I cover on my daily commute. and perhaps especially even at -5 in the winter, the engine will get to 90c, the oil doesn’t even register its temperature.

Opinions?

I do have a couple of vehicles in my stable that do very very little mileages per year, and for those I go by "time interval", I would not keep even a good synth oil more than two years, due to acidification and age/wer processes. And especially as you are doing low distance commuting, I have my city runabout in half-distance replacements - 3 to 4k km.

Yes it is an expense, and use of oil, but it always costs less than damage to the engine ... plus I have an use for the "used oil", so it does not get waster really.

As for the viscosity, I am against a 0W-20 on a almost 300hp 2 liter turbo, but then I do gun it as it should be ... lots of opinions as you have seen, and each one has its own!

With all this talk of oil something came up on my FB feed.

0W20 oil is ****e for the engine

A short while back my 2017 S5 started misfiring ever so slightly. I took it to Audi who charged me £1k to tell me it needed a new engine costing £22k

Cylinder 3 was not holding pressure.

So instead I had the engine rebuilt turns out the 0W20 on the long life interval change did untold damage. In addition the HPFP seal was leaking fuel into the crankcase diluting the already water-like oil. £13k later and she's back on the road. One additional upgrade were the rockers which added a good degree for my peace of mind.

Word to the wise...if your beloved Audi is running on 0W20 change it to 5W30 ASAP and change it out every 7k miles. I bought an oil extraction tank so do interim changes myself with absolute ease.

Since using the more viscous oil my car is quieter and smoother with no performance changes.

I'll post the reddits here that I made following the rebuild. Since this happened I no longer trust the Audi dealership in Truro and have since found a really decent independent Audi specialist.

In the picture you can see third piston from the top just how bad it got. The con-rod ring is egg shaped.

One further piece of advice is NEVER use an oil additive. They alter the oil chemistry and in some cases trash the oil making it more harmful than helpful. Just regular oil changes is all the engine needs.

Everyone should not take oil for granted and ignore long life sales spiel. For those interested, there is a chap on You-Tube called the motor oil geek who knows his ****, do check him out.

1 hour ago, gav_is_con said:

With all this talk of oil something came up on my FB feed.

0W20 oil is ****e for the engine

A short while back my 2017 S5 started misfiring ever so slightly. I took it to Audi who charged me £1k to tell me it needed a new engine costing £22k

Cylinder 3 was not holding pressure.

So instead I had the engine rebuilt turns out the 0W20 on the long life interval change did untold damage. In addition the HPFP seal was leaking fuel into the crankcase diluting the already water-like oil. £13k later and she's back on the road. One additional upgrade were the rockers which added a good degree for my peace of mind.

Word to the wise...if your beloved Audi is running on 0W20 change it to 5W30 ASAP and change it out every 7k miles. I bought an oil extraction tank so do interim changes myself with absolute ease.

Since using the more viscous oil my car is quieter and smoother with no performance changes.

I'll post the reddits here that I made following the rebuild. Since this happened I no longer trust the Audi dealership in Truro and have since found a really decent independent Audi specialist.

In the picture you can see third piston from the top just how bad it got. The con-rod ring is egg shaped.

One further piece of advice is NEVER use an oil additive. They alter the oil chemistry and in some cases trash the oil making it more harmful than helpful. Just regular oil changes is all the engine needs.

Everyone should not take oil for granted and ignore long life sales spiel. For those interested, there is a chap on You-Tube called the motor oil geek who knows his ****, do check him out.

That came up on mine yesterday too.