Hi all,

 

I have a 2021 1.5 TSI skoda octavia 4 petrol.

First of all it's my own mistake for not checking oil regularly. I never knew newer cars burnt oil as much as they do (apparently). With my previous cars I never had to check oil levels intermittently, I just went for a yearly oil change and that was that.

 

So today when I was on my way on a several hour trip (30 minutes into the trip). The "please add oil max 1l. You can keep driving" light came on. I didn't have an oil flask in my car nor a location where I could buy one, so I turned around and drove 30 minutes back home. Probably shouldn't have done that and just stopped immediately?

 

Anyway when I came back home the oil dipstick level was this (measured about an hour after stopping):

 

As specified in the manual, the level should be in the green area on the following picture:

 

 

My least maintenance was 6 months ago in march. So I have no idea how we burnt that quickly through the oil. We did drive around 9000km in that time.

 

Anyway, the garage I used during the last maintenance, used MPM 0w20 synthetic oil. So I went ahead and bought a flask of 1L Castrol 0w20 oil:

https://www.opieoils.co.uk/p-162116-castrol-edge-professional-ll-iv-fe-0w-20-vag-fully-synthetic-engine-oil.aspx

Would that be fine to refill the engine until I get my oil change?

In the manual they specify I can only put in 0.5L of VW 508 00 oil IF there is no oil with the right specifications. But they don't say which are the right specifications, so I'm confused.

 

My last question is, if I perhaps did any damage to the car by driving around with low oil levels? 

Can you add a photo of that bit of the manual about only adding 0.5L?

Are you sure it doesn't say 504 00 there?

I would expect the right spec for your car to be 508 00, I think.

28 minutes ago, PilsnerUrquel said:

last question is, if I perhaps did any damage to the car by driving around with low oil levels? 

Relax, it doesn't look even below the green area to me?

8 minutes ago, Breezy_Pete said:

Can you add a photo of that bit of the manual about only adding 0.5L?

Are you sure it doesn't say 504 00 there?

I would expect the right spec for your car to be 508 00, I think.

Relax, it doesn't look even below the green area to me?

 

 

There's nowhere else in the manual that specifies which oil you should oil. Of course they're gonna be vague about it so you have to buy their overpriced stuff?

 

I may be able to look up which oil your car is supposed to have via the VIN if you'd like me to try (Private message it if you like).

 

33 minutes ago, Breezy_Pete said:

Relax, it doesn't look even below the green area to me?

 

It might be well above it with 1 litre added!

So how do I go about adding the oil tomorrow (it's dark now and the car is outside)?

In increments of 0.2 liter, and then do the dipstick test each time until it's at the top of the area of the dipstick with the dimples in it?

If you had opened the Bonnet, done nothing, not topped the oil up. the warning would go out and for up to 100 km / 62 ,miles which is crap.

 

Once you know there is enough oil in when cold, then after the engine oil is up to normal operating temp then stop.  90*oC or so indicated 

park on the flat and check the level after a few minutes and if it needs a bit more oil top it up. Not above the flat bit, but as far up as above the cross hatch area.

 

@PilsnerUrquelIf you never checked the Oil level after getting the car back from the service you have no idea if the tech / fitter had enough oil in.

Often they do not because they did them cold. Well a little warm because they have them idling not out for a road test then checking.

Edited 11 November, 20232 yr by Rooted

2 minutes ago, Rooted said:

If you had opened the Bonnet, done nothing, not topped the oil up. the warning would go out and for up to 100 km / 62 ,miles which is crap.

 

Once you know there is enough oil in when cold, then after the engine oil is up to normal operating temp then stop.  90*oC or so indicated 

park on the flat and check the level after a few minutes and if it needs a bit more oil top it up. Not above the flat bit, but as far up as above the cross hatch area.

 

Sorry to ask, but I just spent some time searching whether one should check the engine oil hot or cold. The consensus was cold all the time.

Why check again when the engine is warm? Isn't the oil still "up there" then for a large part, which gives a wrong reading?

Well just read the 2 Owners Manual links i posted.

 

Only the 1.2 44 kW euro 5 engine is checked cold.

It has 2.8 litres oil capacity i seem to remember. 

 

Yes oi  an still be up there, there are engines with oil filters on top and ones down below, but VW / Skoda have never changed the procedure.

Skoda said WARM,   VW, Audi, SEAT said hot, then it became 'Normal Operating Temperature.

 

But dip oil cold, before trips, know where it is, then know where it is later when hot.

 

I wont link the British one, because she never mentions stopping the engine, or it being running first.

This is not just for diesels.

 

Yanks, risk averse.  & a US Quart is not an Imperial quart.

 

**Red oil can is usually Oil Pressure,  Yellow Oil can for Oil level.**

 

 

 

Edited 11 November, 20232 yr by Rooted

3 minutes ago, Rooted said:

Well just read the 2 Owners Manual links i posted.

 

Only the 1.2 44 kW euro 5 engine is checked cold.

It has 2.8 litres oil capacity i seem to remember. 

So my reading (the picture I posted) was actually wrong? Because I had waited an hour after I got home. The engine was still lukewarm to the touch though. 

Now I'm getting worried again I damaged my engine by driving with an oil level that's too low.

Unlikely that you have, but it is very black from working so hard and you likely have wasted fuel because to cool the low oil level wasted it.

 

EDIT, not so Black i looked again, the tissue shows more how the oil is.

 

Do not go for a Variable / Flexible Service regime, get it on Fixed Servicing Oil & Filter changes.

Edited 11 November, 20232 yr by Rooted

4 minutes ago, Rooted said:

Unlikely that you have, but it is very black from working so hard and you likely have wasted fuel because to cool the low oil level wasted it.

 

Do not go for a Variable / Flexible Service regime, get it on Fixed Servicing Oil & Filter changes.

I will top up the oil tomorrow, and then do the trip we were supposed to do today (~600km in total).

Then next week ill book an apointment to have the oil and oil filters changed. Last time I had that done was march, but since then we drove about 9k-10k km so I think it's time.

 

But I'll for sure be checking the oil every month or so from now on, and before and after long trips. We do the 600km trip every 1.5 months orso.

Edited 11 November, 20232 yr by PilsnerUrquel

You may well find that the oil level is higher when oil is at operating temperature. 

 

The thermal expansion of the oil more than compensates for the 'wetness' of some of the surfaces higher up the engine just after it has been running.

Oil at operating temperature flows very easily and drain holes from head to sump are large. 

 

See what you find, but be careful to always extract and wipe clean dipstick before re-inserting to get the reading. You will get a false result  otherwise.

 

2 dip sticks from VW, are they better than one? 

 

 

Is it actually a good idea to drive 600km tomorrow if I haven't changed out the oil completely?

Yes. 

Top up a little and relax.

 

2 minutes ago, Breezy_Pete said:

Yes. 

Top up a little and relax.

 

I guess I'm kind of panicking. I've always said to my wife we will drive this car for 10 years. Now I've possibly botched it up by not paying attention to such a simple thing. It only has 38k km too.

No, there has never been a significant problem here.

 

Red oil pressure warning lights are a different story

It's a great idea to get into the habit of doing regular checks - maybe once a week for a start, then perhaps monthly when you've noted a pattern for your vehicle - Oil and coolant levels, tyre pressures, washer fluid.

Get yourself a bit of kit, not much really required - good tyre pressure gauge and 1/2 litre bottle of correct grade oil. 

Edited 11 November, 20232 yr by Warrior193
correction

I had the same problem with my mkII 1.8.  The general consensus was that the difference between all the various 5/30 oils (which it needed) was minuscule amounts of additives.  Seeing as all you are doing is adding a small amount of oil to what is already in the sump, the differences in the additives becomes even more insignificant.  So between services just bung in any old 0/20 that you can lay your hands on.  As has already been said, the oil level is not critical, the oil pressure is a different matter.

 

With my 1.8 I eventually established a routine of adding 1/2 litre of oil every so many miles/kilometers and the warning light never came on.

Edited 12 November, 20232 yr by avi4tor

The Oil level is critical, within certain quantities, and getting low has the oil worked harder.

 

The Oil spec is important but the Additives are part of the Spec.   The 1.8 TSI,s that had the issues could be fine on VW502 00 so 5w 40 FS & Fixed Services.

Many might have been better using that rather the Long Life oil VW504 00 / 509 00  5w 30 FS III

 

The Fabia and other Euro 5 engine cars had issues and there were Dealership techs that did know of the Oil Capacity change of 1.2 TSI in 2012 from 3.6 to 3.9, 

and even fitted the wrong filters.

The 1.4 TSI Twinchargers were running too low oil at 3.6 litres, and then lower as oil was used, 3.9 litres was correct at an oil and filter change.

3..6 litres in and they could be 1.3 litres low before you got a LOW OIL warning, sometime you got a LOW OIL PRESSURE warning first.

1/3 low on oil in engines already not with much of a capacity and 178 BHP from 1,390cc, Turbo & Supercharger.  Hence a contribution to the failure rate of over 20%. 

Edited 12 November, 20232 yr by Rooted

I find the 1.5 TSI to consume a lot of oil and I've needed to top it up multiple times before an oil change is due.

 

Mine is on a long life service schedule and I've been topping it up with "TRIPLE QX SynPlus Engine Oil 0W-20 VAG 508/509 - 1Ltr".

 

I did this twice (adding about 1ltr in total) over the last 12 months and the oil service has now just been done.

 

I suspect I'll be topping it back up again in May/June next year.

 

Mark

Oil consumption will vary according to the duty cycle, and the luck of the draw. So far I've only needed 250ml between services on the 1.5 tsi - I'm on variable but I change the oil at the mid point. It does get quite dark by the 8000 mile point. Modern oils are pretty thin compared to the old days.

 

As for trusting the garage -  a decade ago I was checking my wife's Skoda 2 weeks after the service. Bit high, I thought, let's suck the excess out. Was I being fussy? Not when I took a litre out. I told the service manager I'd be claiming for a new cat if it failed the MoT on emissions.

 

But I think you can relax. Just find a schedule to check these things that works for you and try to stick to it. Maybe as part of your long trip preparation every 1.5 months. You'll be fine.

An important point, as @Rooted has touched on, to keep in mind is that engine oil is not simply for lubrication of moving parts - it also plays a critical role in the cooling system of the engine. Keeping the level within the correct range is important.