Hi

I have bought a 2019 Fabia 1.0 MPI 75PS.  The handbook has no information on the correct viscocity oil.  This is the first time I have owned a vehicle (motorcycle of car) where the handbook didn't tell you the correct viscocity.  I have phoned 3 Skoda main dealers who have each advised me a different viscocity of oil being correct, these were  0-30, 5-30 and 5-40!  There is also nothing in the owners handbook if the car has a GPF fitted.  I believe this also affects which oil should be fitted.  I am looking at changing the oil at 10,000 miles, again I am guessing this is the oil change period because the handbook  doesn't advise.

 

I want to keep the car long term, the last car I kept for 185,000 miles so having the correct oil is important to me.  I was told by one main dealer we fit 0-30 because it fits most models in the range, that was not the answer I wanted to hear. 

 

Any advice would be appreciated.

 

Many thanks Richard

 

Hello Richard, welcome to the forum. Oil required is VW  502 / 505, you can use either 5w-30 or 5W-40 grade, I suggest 5W-30. 

Actually the oil for fixed or variabl since before the WLTP's is VW508 00 / 509 00, so 0w 20 FS IV.    I would ignore that.

 

So the previous recommended oil was VW 504 00 / 507 00 which is 5w 30 FS III as recommended by VW for these Euro 6 engines pre GPF  (You have no GPF)

 

I would use the VW502 00. that is 5w 40 FS.   'For fixed service intervals'. 

 

 (Not long life oil like the VW 504 00   or the VW 508 00 they went to.)

Edited 14 November, 20223 yr by toot

Many thanks Warrior193 and Toot for your replies.  What mileage intervals would you suggest changing the oil.  The car is many used for short runs of 10 miles with approximately 2 long runs a month.  

 

Additionally is there a workshop manual available?

 

Thanks again.  It is very much apppreciated.  Richard

 

Please note - I am not a mechanic or expert in anything.

 

Richard,

are you doing the engine oil & filter changes yourself?  Are you doing the servicing yourself?

 

 

Edited 16 November, 20223 yr by nta16

Hi NIgel

I've previously done my own maintenance but have no information in the Owners Handbook for the Skoda regarding oil types,capacities and service intervals. 

Cheers Richard

@9,400 miles / 12 months or sooner if you want will be fine for Oil & Filter changes. 

 

You will be resetting the Service indicator if the car is already set on Fixed Servicing. If on Variable / flexible then maybe you need A N Other to do that.

 

http://volkswagen.co.uk/en/owners-and-drivers/servicing/service-plans/service-schedules.html

 

 

Edited 16 November, 20223 yr by toot

Please note - I am not a mechanic or expert in anything.

 

Hi Richard,

yeap I know, don't list bulbs either or how to change the door mirrors indicator bulbs.

 

Until a number of weeks ago I ran a 1973 MG Midget as my only car for 15 years and other "classics" (over-priced and over-valued old cars) for about 15 years prior to that, so I'm used to the Driver's Handbook being comprehensive and helpful.

 

IMO for engine oil & filter changes once a year or 10k-miles, whichever is sooner (soonest?) is the minimum - but it depends on a number of factors.  If a garage is doing the job they may just do a cold quick change.

 

If you do it yourself you can have the existing engine oil as warm as possible before draining to be able to get as much existing oil and muck out as possible and leave the oil to drain as long as possible to get as much existing oil and muck out as possible.  This will mean you get more fresh new oil in and it is less diluted by the smaller amount of residue existing oil and muck left in.

 

Towards the end of the drain I also pour some warm(ed) fresh oil in and allow that to fully drain to act as a final flush.

 

As well as the thoroughness you may decide to consider the timeliness and frequency as well as the regularity and if your approximately 2 long runs a month aren't that long or regular you might consider changing the engine oil and filter every 6 months or 5k-miles instead if you want the car long term.

 

Many will say as long as the oil is to spec get the cheapest you can, I'm not in that camp, I see meeting the spec as just the minimum standard I prefer to use good quality oils in the engine, gearbox (and rear axle) as the better oils offer better protection and for longer giving greater margins in the vehicles use and for if somethings go wrong.  I went from twice a year engine oil and filter changes to once a year and using better quality oil (and filter) as I  I used to 20 and 30(?) years ago.

 

Of course there's much more to maintaining the car for a long life than just the engine especially with these modern and more modern cars.

 

Take a general tip from me, don't let your car battery get low in charge even if the car still starts and the lights seem bright enough.  And you can't drive these more modern cars always on economy mindset they need blow-out (Italian tune-up) runs than even more than with the usual draggy-arsed driver "classics" and that's not steady motorway stuff (check your online Owner's Manual).

 

Here endth the sermon.  🙂

 

Edited 16 November, 20223 yr by nta16
ETA: Please note - I am not a mechanic or expert in anything.

The price of Engine Oil in the UK means nothing concerning Quality.

 

If you buy VW 502 00 spec from ASDA, TESCO, Home Bargains, B&M for half the price of Castrol from someplace else you are not getting something like 'Super market' own brand beans.

 

Proper Oil manufacturers produce the oil and it is put in containers.

 

Castrol costing more than Quantum or Fuchs,  or maybe even Mobile, Shell might be no better than from COMMA or the Supermarket shelves. 

 

Fuchs the producers of the Quantum oil range are in partnership are the supplier of Oil to VW Group Dealerships in the UK. 

Maybe I was being a bit cheeky or naive a few years ago, but anyway I emailed Fuchs's UK sales department concerning a certain version of their engine oil that was suitable for my VW Group cars, and another brand that I was lead to believe on motoring forums, was just "same as" that Fuchs version of oil!

I was put right immediately by being advised that the "treatment package" in engine and other oils is what contributes to the bulk of the price differences, Fuchs add to their branded oils what they considered correct, what they added to "other" brands they supplied was really up to how much or what point in the market these other brands were aiming at - take from that what you want.

Sounds to me a lot like the baked beans situation.

I moved to Mobil One so no longer a Fuchs user, each to their own really,

 

Edit:- there was really a bit more to that email than just asking about what exactly is the difference between Fuch in Fuchs tins and their supplied oils in another brands tins, I also wanted to know where I could source their oils locally, and that turned out to be a waste of time as the small motor factors only held a very limited range of Fuchs engine oils - and really did not want to buy in of what I was looking for at the time, so back to online buying, so much for helping the local economy!

Edited 17 November, 20223 yr by rum4mo

Please note - I am not a mechanic or expert in anything.

 

I am NOT an expert in oils sales and marketing but I do have years of experience in sales, retail and B2B (as some jargonists might have said, business to business to the rest of us) and it's as rum4mo has put in my understanding.

 

Taking another motoring example  oil filters, many different brand names go on to oil filters made on the same production line but this doesn't necessarily mean they will all be made exactly the same.  Have a look on YouTube Americans, and some others cutting open oil filters.

 

I understand what toot has put about price not always relating to quality and as a former hi-fi nut probably know more than most about diminishing returns on further costs and expenditure.

 

I'm used to different people having different beliefs about oil from my dealings with "classic" car owners where surprisingly to me those with the older cars were more likely to want and accept better oils.  The more conservative owners with newer old cars often just went go for old brand names and weight ranges not accepting or knowing that sometimes whilst the brand name is the same the actual oil will be different from its original formulation anyway because of developments and the passing of time and might even be made by a different company anyway.  IIRC Halfords Classic 20w50, Wilco and Duckhams Q are (were) all Comma (a Brazilian company).

 

toot, just think of the oil like the petrol but bear in mind you have base stocks that can be varied and additive packages that can be varied.

 

I try to buy the better oils when I see them on offer rather than strictly when I need them, though I did get lucky with the Fabia's transmission oil as I didn't look ahead but got a good oil for the same price as a cheap oil, so why would I bother with the cheap oil then - and I couldn't find where VW would let me know the quantity I needed.

 

17 hours ago, RHust said:

Additionally is there a workshop manual available?

Yes, it's called erWin Skoda.

 

You can create an account and pay for 1hr access, you can download as much as you like in that hour.

 

Tip: Make sure you can get a whole 1hr done without any interruption as the timer is strict.  Have your VIN typed out in a text file ready to copy/paste into website.  Grab all the PDF documents, don't slow down to read them, then you can use your VIN to peruse "ElsaPro" to view/print to PDF any recalls or known faults.

Just to clear on my part. There are times and places and reason for using premium products, components, and the best of stuff.    Here we are talking VW small engines in road cars.  Not racing, rallying or used in extreme conditions.    It is nice to run vehicles for a long time and I keep ones for many years when i like them.  Ok want them to last.  Sometimes well over a decade.   But that does not mean paying more than needs must for consumables.    When I need performance oils, parts, fuels, or short service intervals I spend spend spend. 

Edited 17 November, 20223 yr by toot

Please note - I am not a mechanic or expert in anything.

 

Oh toot, that's not motorsport snobbery and elitism is it.  😄 

 

I see your point but might it be applying the opposite extreme.  I used to change my car on average every 12 months, usually within three years, but the last one I had for 15 years (not intentionally) and I've seen where some have had a car 30, 40, 50 years, some with regular use still.

 

As with much in life how something is looked after at the start of life and early years can contribute to how well things go and for how long.  Most people consider looking after a new car well but less so as with the car's age and accumulated use yet as many of us older people know more attention and care is needed at these later stages not less, things wear and wear out and don't operate as well as previously.

 

Paying more than is needed is relative, I'm sure racers don't want to pay more than is needed but I bet they do because they are often well into diminishing returns and using much greater volumes of the expensive consumables.  They would have to be at the extreme levels of finance in their motorsport to be able to check the benefit and need of the expensive consumables but then that would probably be controlled by politics, sponsorship and other considerations.  Perhaps how much they can bend the rules and get away with it, without being caught cheating, as a matter of sportsmanship of course. 🤣

 

But I believe we all have our oil beliefs and it's each to their own. 

 

I do wonder why VW need to have such tight specification needs for their engines, it not (just?) corporate mutual deals and I'm sure it wouldn't be to make up for any engineering compromises or changes for whatever reasons or unexpected consequences of real world use, perhaps they're just control freaks.  🤣

 

VW say and do many things but one they do not is have enough faith in their products to put a proper lenghth of warranty other than in the likes of Australia. Maybe a few other world regions.  That is because they messed up there in the past and are called out for it.   There are some cracking cars and drive trains they build and some lemons.    Snagging faults go uncorrected for a full production generation and that can get passed on to the next.  Even with new models.      Eg. Look at the Karoq as an example of cars leaking as bad as mk1 Fabias have from launch decades back. 

Thank you to everyone who has responded.  You have given me more information than I have been able to obtain from a Skoda dealer. 

 

There is a lot of knowledge on this forum and I appreciate all the time and effort you have given me.

 

Cheers Richard