Just wondering. The VW 505.01 (etc) marks.... Are these ones assigned / designated by VW themselves alone? If this is the case, is this just something that VW and other oil companies do to mean they can charge a lot more per litre for their oil? :confused:

As an aside, what does all the ACEA,(etc) figures mean on the bottles of oil? I was comparing my "approved VW 505.01" Millers XFE-PD oil with a recently bought bottle of Q8 T630 (i think) 5w-40. It has EXACTLY the same standard settings down the bottom, and is also 5w/40....

The difference in "my" mind is the price -

I have a bottle of

Well, I've taken it to the point with my frankenstein car of running it on that kind of stuff only.

I just wondered really... Like a pair of jeans? If its got Levi stamped on it, its £50+, whereas something in Tesco which is still "jeans" is a tenner. Tesco one's may be worse quality, but generally I see I'm getting the same oil.... (probably comes out the same damned refinery tank as Dealership oil... )

A spec VW 505 01 oil meets the lubrication requirements for PD engines whereas a 505 00 one doesn't. To quote Skodakid: The difference between 505.00/506.00 and 505.01/506.01 appears to be a higher extreme pressure shear ability. This is required in PD engines as the cam lobes that operate the unit injectors are subject to very high peak loads. This is akin to the need for EP oil in final drives, use normal oil and the oil film will break down giving metal to metal contact and premature wear. Millers XF-PDE is a semi-synthetic oil so would, I guess, be cheaper than a fully synthetic one to the same spec. The recommended VW spec oils are for standard engines, Jason. You are pushing your engine harder so you should arguably be using the best oil you can get and opting for shorter oil change intervals. For more light reading about engine oils, see The Engine Oil Bible below:

http://www.chris-longhurst.com/carbibles/index.html?menu.html&engineoil_bible.html

I nearly forgot to mention the use of specification ACEA B3-96 multigrade oil. This oil must only be used once for topping up within the specified exchange cycle if no approved oil is available. I see that as meaning if the oil warning light comes on mid journey and a check of the dipstick shows that the level needs topping up, and if no other approved oil is available at the nearest filling station, then that oil is better than nothing. But why anyone would keep such an oil handy for topping up rather than an approved oil beats me.

Your theory is correct Jason, other oils just havn't been put forward for the test bed runs, ( 30k miles etc) just to be branded. I do know that VW branded has a NAS filter rating, just means it's been filtered through a low micron filter, about half a normal grade oil. But its still only 5 microns against 10. After 1000 miles in a diesel I don't think it makes a difference.

We need an Oilman comment.

But why anyone would keep such an oil handy for topping up rather than an approved oil beats me.

When it was running-in and needed topping up every few thousand miles, I used a bottle of Seat-branded PD oil from the dealers (didn't make sense to me either, coming from a Skoda dealer!) That lived in the shed, 'cos once I took a bit out it slopped around rather noisily inside the bottle while I was driving. These days, the dealership is closed, so I get it serviced at an independent place round the corner from where I work, and when it needs topping-up, I just go there and they top it up at cost from their big barrel of XFE-PD.

I doubt very much that I'll ever use the stuff I keep in the boot before the end of its shelf life, as it really is just for emergencies. It's full and unopened, which stops the slopping about, and as I'm usually pretty good at keeping tabs on oil levels, tyre wear, etc. it seems a waste of money to spend fifteen quid 'just in case', when three quid will give me the same peace of mind...

Well, put it this way, the yokel oilman in charge of the place this stuff came from knew exactly what was needed when asked for PD oil. I bet once/if VW give it the stamp of 505.01 it'll suddenly double in price.