i go over the top on servicing oil change every 6 months and a major every year yeah i know it costs a lot of money but the car costs even more

But over the top *is* over the top, by definition not worth doing...just stick to the schedule and it'll be fine and halve your bills!

Unless you do 20k miles a year anyway...

Rob.

Well, considering I'm getting the furby vrs, i wonder how much oil that drinks. Quite a lot I think. My old man has the Alhambra MPV with 115PD engine and it's scary how much oil it drinks. I think he needs to add over a litre in between each service.

But, then again, I have just burnt up my entire life savings buying the furby, so I don't think I'll skimp over on oil. If it comes with the long life castrol from factory, I'd need a damn good reason to change.

I think the PD engine is 'fussy' about the oil which should be used in it. I believe thyat spec VW 506 01 is the correct Longlife oil to use and, conveniently, it comes in the same bottle as VW 503 00 and 506 00 - and goes by the name of Castrol Longlife SLX2.

So the spec for viscosity for long life oil is different to another oil conforming to the same SAE spec, is it? Methinks not!

The long life oil is designed to last longer between changes. Apart from that, its properties are not different to another oil with the same SAE ratings, AFAIK. If your oil is to be changed at regular intervals (in my case roughly every 3 months), why waste

the pd engine uses a different oil i think. not the castrol longlife but then again knowing vw they would bottle in a vw bottle and sell it for dear i need to check the specs. does any1 have then to compare? i know it will probley cost you about

Nick, one of the reasons for developing the new oil was to cut down on the amount of oil discarded! I am not an oil expert but are you trying to tell me that every SAE 0W-30 oil is identical in formulation, ie that Bloggs SAE 0W-30 oil is a Longlife oil? I think not, especially given that the Castrol oil is a synthetic one.

adaadams, the Castrol SLX Longlife II I use in my 1.8T petrol engine also meets specs VW 506 00 and 506 01 and as such is suitable for non-ATD and ATD (ie PD) engines as well. To quote off the container: Special Edition for the latest Audi and VW engines*. Suitable for petrol, diesel and turbo diesel engines. Meets or exceeds the performance requirements of the following Volkswagen specifications: VW 503 00 / 506 00 & 506 01 (5/99).

dgw if you where me would you rather put the castrol or vw own in a furby vrs

Any oil meeting the right VW spec will be OK. I bought my first litre of Castrol from the dealer when I bought the car and have bought some from Halfords since. Shell Helix Ultra is another brand I know meets the spec. However, I have heard that VW (I think) now supply their own oil which meets the right specs so that would be absolutely fine. I don't have any preference between Castrol, Shell or the VW oil where each meet the same spec(s).

Denis, my point was that Hugh, the original poster, pointed out that his car was on fixed, not variable servicing. Hence there is little point in him putting expensive oil in his engine.

You make a good point in your last post where you say "any oil meeting the VW spec will be OK", but in other posts you are purveying a kind of oil brand snobbery by suggesting a cheaper brand of oil is not as good as the VW branded stuff. You can bet your bottom dollar that the VW oil is purchased from an oil company at the cheapest possible price to meet the spec, and re-branded as "specially formulated for VW engines". If you read my post you'll see I mentioned SAE specs, the industry standard for oils. I didn't suggest that cheap oil not manufactured to any particular spec was adequate, just that any oil meeting the standard should be OK. VW don't have a monopoly on oil standards ...

Many budget oils meet specs as good as, or better than that required by your engine. Note to all oil buyers - read the specs, not the brand name.

:cheers:

Nick, all Octavias and Superbs come from the factory filled with Longlife oil regardless of whether the owner opts for fixed or variable servicing. To say that there is little point in later putting expensive oil in an engine on fixed servicing is to miss out on the advantages of that oil, including better fuel consumption and less engine wear; but that is each owner's choice. Moreover, Skoda's recommendations for oil apply to standard engines, not those which owners tuned for more power, and in the latter case I would hope that owners opt for the more spohisticated oils now available - ie Longlife. But again that is their choice.

To the best of my knowledge I have never claimed that a VW branded oil is inferior to a branded one where both meet spec VW 503 00 - not least because I wasn't aware until very recently that VW were supplying their own version. When the first variable service engines were introduced into the UK a few years ago - in the Audi TT I believe - Longlife was almost impossible to obtain, even through VAG dealers. (Read the Audi forums to see the problems owners were having in obtaining the right oil). I seem to recall that Shell Helix Ultra was the first to become available, followed or accompanied by Castrol Longlife. Longlife oils are now much more widely available, and in my case Forward Motors sold me Castrol Longlife when I bought my car off them. I would have been equally happy with Shell Helix, a VW branded VW 503 00 oil, or indeed any other label.

If you check your vehicle handbook you will see that Skoda don't quote SAE specs for the oils they specify - they quote VW specs. VW 503 00 oil happens to be rated as a 0W-30 oil, but if you were to use a 0W-30 oil not meeting that VW spec you would not be giving your engine the protection it needs, nor complying with the requirements for variable servicing. Indeed, it is possible that you could do harm by providing inadequate lubrication. You are absolutely right that VW does not have a monopoly on oil standards, but these days it is the job of oil companies to develop products which to meet the requirements of modern engines and the emission requirements they must meet - and not vice versa.

Each to his own on this. I used to drive cars back in the days of single SAE oils where oil change intervals could be as low as 2500 miles, and where it was normal to change the oil type for summer then winter driving. Multigrade oils overcame those problems, and then came semi and fully synthetic oils designed for modern engines. But the cars that I owned until now, eg Peugeot 505, were happy with basic multigrade oils, although I always used mainstream rather than budget names. I have no axe to grind about any particular oil manufacturer supplying VW 503 00 oil, nor do I have any commercial interest in any oil supplier. I intend to keep my car until it is no longer economic to do so and to that end I will continue to use the best oil available.

One final note. Castrol SLX Longlife II and similar Longlife oils are only recommended for use if the vehicle handbook specifies VW 503 00/506 00 or 506 01. That oil should not be used if the vehicle handbook specifies either 503 01 or 505 01.