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GTi OIL CHANGE QUESTIONS

Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2005 1:12 am
by theclient
hello, i want to change the oil in my gti as its looking a bit too dark for my liking! the serive isnt due till october so i was thinking if i get the oil BUT not the filter changed, run that till ocober then change the oil and filter in october, will this give the engine a nice 'flush' god idea?

shall i use Vauxhall semi synthetic 10w-40?

whats the best oil for my gti???

thanks

gareth

Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2005 8:55 am
by JWC
I would use GTX fully synthetic. The VW quantum stuff is ok, but GTX is better. I use magnatec, but it can be quite expensive - which is part synthetic. But its a very good idea to change the oil twice as often as recommeded even if you don't change the filter, because the old oil becomes acidic very quickly, especially in short journeys in cold weather. Leaving it in for 12 months is far too long in my opinion.

I have a friend who maitains the Rolls Royce Engines at our flying club, he's about 90 and flew spitfires and worked on them engines, so he's a bit of an expert in making engines last. He always says the best thing you can do is change the oil frequently.

My grandad had a beetle from 1971, and after quarter of a million miles we did an engine rebuild, and couldn't find any measurable wear in the rings or cams. He used GTX every four months!!! So it goes to show, it does make a difference, but VW don't want your engine to last for 250,000 miles, they want you to buy a new car every 10 years!

Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2005 10:05 am
by theclient
ok, thanks for the advice!

i dont care how much it costs ... i want the best oil for my car!

what about this vauxhall oil everyone is raving about?

and should i change the filter now even though im only gonna run this new oil for about 3 months? or wait till oct to change the filter?

thanks,
gareth

Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2005 11:19 am
by theclient
right ... im changing my oil and filter tomorrow!
should i go for castrol GTX magnetec (part-synthetic)
or
castrol RS (fully synthetic)

?

... (sounds stupid) but how much oil do i need for an oil change?

thanks

gareth

Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2005 11:41 am
by forbezGti
just buy the 5l tub and you will be fine, think its about 4l or not far off that.

use engine flush as wall i find it takes a heap of sh*t out of your engine.

Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2005 12:19 pm
by theclient
ok mate! nice one

gareth

Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2005 7:31 pm
by andyg
If you do the oil do the filter too!

the filter traps all the dirt and crap as best it can, putting new oil through it will contanimate the new oil faster.

Its pointless changing the oil and not the filter too.

Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2005 8:34 pm
by mikegti
yep change the filter too, they're cheap!

I try and change my oil every 5 or 6k, I use magnatec because its usually on special offer!

I don't think the gti takes a lot of oil, and you dont want to over-fill it. I think I normally put in just over 3 litres or so, give it a quick run to check for leaks, let it settle then top up.

Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2005 9:33 pm
by JWC
andyg wrote:If you do the oil do the filter too!

the filter traps all the dirt and crap as best it can, putting new oil through it will contanimate the new oil faster.

Its pointless changing the oil and not the filter too.
Not entirely true, since the filter is capable of lasting 12 months without too much trouble, but the benifit of removing old oil with acidic combustion contaminants will benifit the engine greatly.

However, you will have quite a bit of old oil trapped in it on changing.

Best to change it, but if your car is like mine, the AC system makes access quite difficult.

Posted: Sat Jul 16, 2005 1:11 am
by theclient
its ok im changing both the oil and the filter ... i went for castrol gtx, then when i change the oil and filter again in october, i will put magnatec in!

i know a mechanic who works at my local vw stealership who does private work on my car and ther gonna do the change for me!

cheers for all your help!

gareth :D