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Volkswagen Passat Sludge Issues

292 messages,  Last post on Jan 08, 2011 at 7:11 AM

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What is this discussion about? Volkswagen Passat, Sedan, Wagon

Messages Page 16 of 30

#144 of 292 Can someone please help me? by sandysea

Jan 08, 2008 (10:23 am)

I purchased my 2004 VW Passat 1.8T on 11/14/2004 in FL and dealership titled the vehicle prior to my purchase of it and placed it in service as a rental car. My paperwork indicates I purchased a NEW never titled vehicle and I am having severe warranty issues. Drivers door switch defective that is making my car act very crazy; also had the brake light switch problem that has been fixed. STOP ENGINE light came on in 3/07 and had it towed to dealership. They told me bad battery. Now again STOP ENGINE is on and they say "sludge" and since not under warranty, it is my problem. I see the letter indicating a warranty extension for this vehicle but the letter I never received since I bought it after the August letter was sent. They never told me about a sludge problem but are denying any warranty on my vehicle. Anything I can do? 30K miles only and they are telling me that the car is going to just blow up and that there is NOTHING I can do....

#145 of 292 Re: Can someone please help me? [sandysea] by shipo

Jan 08, 2008 (10:30 am)

Replying to: sandysea (Jan 08, 2008 10:23 am)
Have you had your oil and filter serviced on schedule (per your Owner's Manual) every 5,000 miles? If so, have you had the proper oil (VW Spec 502.00 synthetic oil) put in the engine? If you can answer "Yes" to both, then you should be covered under the warranty extension.
 
Best Regards,
Shipo

#146 of 292 Sludge by derspeed

Jan 08, 2008 (12:54 pm)

There are a lot of posts on this topic here, so I will just talk about my experience with it. I owned a 2003 Passat GLS 1.8t. I sold it to my girlfriend on December 20, 2007. She insisted on buying it because of how meticulouly maintained it is. Anyway, After the break-in oil was drained after 5,000 miles, I gave my VW tech Mobile 1 synthetic oil to replace it. He, and the service writer said, "VW does not recommend synthetic oil for this car." I continued to use it anyway. A year later, in 2004, there was sign behind the service writer's desk that stated "All 1.8T engines require synthetic oil." I also received the update to the owner's manual. I am so glad I did not listen to the tech.
 
I am not sure if this is true, but I have heard the sludging has a little to do with the small oil pan used on longitudinally mounted 1.8Ts. That's why the Golfs, Beetles and Jettas do not have the problem (I haven't heard of it anyway). The transverse 1.8T has a bigger oil pan. I used synthetic because I was told by a local VW tuner shop, it extends the life of the turbo. I am glad I listened.
 
Be warned...if you use synthetic oil after 20,000 miles of petrol based oil, you may experience oil leaks. I have seen this happen to a lot of Audi and VW vehicles with the 1.8T and a few V6s.

#147 of 292 Re: Sludge [derspeed] by shipo

Jan 08, 2008 (1:28 pm)

Replying to: derspeed (Jan 08, 2008 12:54 pm)
"I am not sure if this is true, but I have heard the sludging has a little to do with the small oil pan used on longitudinally mounted 1.8Ts. That's why the Golfs, Beetles and Jettas do not have the problem (I haven't heard of it anyway). The transverse 1.8T has a bigger oil pan."
 
Yup, the larger the oil capacity, the fewer times any given unit of oil circulates through the engine the longer it takes that oil to start breaking down.
 
"I used synthetic because I was told by a local VW tuner shop, it extends the life of the turbo. I am glad I listened."
 
Yeah, back in the 1980s when Chrysler was the largest producer of turbocharged gasoline engines in the world, I discovered that if you ran Mobil 1, the turbochargers would last indefinitely; however, the folks who didn't take my advice invariably had to have the turbocharger replaced before 70,000 miles (usually a lot before).
 
"Be warned...if you use synthetic oil after 20,000 miles of petrol based oil, you may experience oil leaks. I have seen this happen to a lot of Audi and VW vehicles with the 1.8T and a few V6s."
 
Well, that little tidbit has been repeated so often that many folks assume it is gospel, however, there is absolutely zero evidence to support that statement, VW engines or no. Many folks switch to synthetic oil for the first time with over 100,000 miles on their cars and even still they get no leaks.
 
Best Regards,
Shipo

#148 of 292 Re: Sludge [derspeed] by altair4

Jan 08, 2008 (1:59 pm)

Replying to: derspeed (Jan 08, 2008 12:54 pm)
Be warned...if you use synthetic oil after 20,000 miles of petrol based oil, you may experience oil leaks. I have seen this happen to a lot of Audi and VW vehicles with the 1.8T and a few V6s.
 
Heh! I ran mine on 502.00 spec oil from the first oil change, later followed by using 503.00 spec. By 30,000 miles, I had a little seepage at the back of the valve cover. Didn't have anything to do with using synth after using dino juice...had a lot to do with the design and/or installation of the cover, since it's not an uncommon seepage site on the 1.8T.

#149 of 292 Re: Sludge [derspeed] by 600kgolfgt

Jan 09, 2008 (6:34 am)

Replying to: derspeed (Jan 08, 2008 12:54 pm)
I gave my VW tech Mobile 1 synthetic oil to replace it. He, and the service writer said, "VW does not recommend synthetic oil for this car." I continued to use it anyway. A year later, in 2004, there was sign behind the service writer's desk that stated "All 1.8T engines require synthetic oil." I also received the update to the owner's manual. I am so glad I did not listen to the tech.
 
Which is precisely why I bring my own 503.01 spec oil with me to the dealer at each oil change...
 
As a matter of fact, the only time I take my cars to the dealer is when I need an oil change or to have recall or TSB-related work done on it. I have a network of private VW mechanics that I go to for the heavier maintenance jobs that I don't have the tools/facilities for. Otherwise I do the rest of the maintenance myself...

#150 of 292 Re: Sludge [600kgolfgt] by altair4

Jan 09, 2008 (8:19 am)

Replying to: 600kgolfgt (Jan 09, 2008 6:34 am)
I had the same experience with my dealer when I brought my '03 Passat in for it's first oil change. I had read the owner's manual backward and forward, read a whole bunch of info on the web about oil and what the VW specs cited in the manual meant and came to the conclusion that I really had to use synth oil meeting 502.00. Interesttingly, without reading between the lines of the manual, you would never really understand that synthetic oil was required. The word "synthetic" is never mentioned.
 
When I called the dealer to set the appt in early 2003, I was given a price that seemed too low for a synth oil change and asked what was used. It was, of course, 5w-30 bulk oil. The dealer never made a recommendation that I consider using synth. So I ran out and found that 502.00 wasn't that easy to find. I ended up using Valvoline Synpower 5w-40 for a couple of oil changes until a couple of my FLAP stores started carrying 0w-40 M1. I've used that ever since, along with the larger OEM filter. I always bring my own oil and I save every oil purchase and oil change receipt like they are religious relics.
 
I am hoping that, along with giving the engine a few minutes of cooldown after harder driving (it all hilly here, so I pretty much do that every time I pull into the driveway), I will avoid the whole sludge issue.

#151 of 292 Re: Sludge [altair4] by 600kgolfgt

Jan 09, 2008 (11:49 am)

Replying to: altair4 (Jan 09, 2008 8:19 am)

When I called the dealer to set the appt in early 2003, I was given a price that seemed too low for a synth oil change and asked what was used. It was, of course, 5w-30 bulk oil.
 
That's exactly what happened to me. That's when I began bringing in my own motor oil - Elf Excellium LDX 5w40 from germanautoparts.com (one of a handful of Group IV (non-hydrocracked PAO based) synthetic oils on VW's approved 502.00 list). Then AutoZone started carrying Castrol Syntec 0w30 (Made in Germany) which is a Group IV motor oil on VW's new 503.01 specification (an improvement over the old 502.00 list). I've been using that ever since.
 
The only time the factory bulk oil is OK to use is during engine break-in (synthetic's lubrication properties do not make it ideal for breaking in the engine - especially making sure the piston rings wear and seat properly).
 
After 10,000 - 15,000 miles, it is safe to switch to synthetic.
 
How many miles did you have on the car at the time you discovered that the dealer used the bulk 5w30 oil? I made that discovery at about the 30,000 mile mark. After switching to 502.00 spec synthetic oil (and 503.01 after that), I haven't experienced
any signs of sludge or engine-related issues.
 
Using synthetic oil over an extended period of time should gradually clean your engine of whatever sludge residue has been built up (if any).

#152 of 292 my story is the same by krzyss

Jan 09, 2008 (12:09 pm)

2003 VW Passat and dealer told me that they use 5W30 regular oil for all changes. Starting with first change I always brought my Mobil 1 0W40. Once, when I forgot to bring oil, dealers were already using synthetics (my box of oil was sitting politely in garage instead of trunk
All receipts are in the glove box.
 
Krzys

#153 of 292 Re: Sludge [600kgolfgt] by altair4

Jan 09, 2008 (12:24 pm)

Replying to: 600kgolfgt (Jan 09, 2008 11:49 am)
How many miles did you have on the car at the time you discovered that the dealer used the bulk 5w30 oil?
 
Well, I discovered it at about 4,750 miles, but I discovered it before it went into my engine.
 
I'm staying under the 5,000 mile recommended OCI. the first 4 changes were using Valvoline's Synpower 5w-40, the rest are with M1 European Formula 0w-40.

Messages Page 16 of 30

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