Yeah, I'm usually a 2,500 mile changes in my GTI... Last oil used was Castrol Syntec 5w40- oil was BLACK and smelled BURNED, after 2,500 miles!

Turbo motors are hard on oil.

I've taken a lot of my oil advice from Kevin (UMW). He has a lot of thoughts on oils as he rebuilds a lot of turbos- and the oil used is very apparent when tearing down a turbo...

Hey- we just started another oil thread!

 

Wow...Changing synthetic oil and filter at 3,000 miles???Why,,if the engine is in good shape and it does not have severe conditions......AND....Oil black at 2500 miles??,,IMO,,their is some type of blow by getting into your crank case then....

 

I had a turbocharged Audi S6, same issue- oil was super dirty at 2,500 miles!

The TDT I just drained from my Turbo after 3k miles looked pretty clean. What can I say, I'm super conservative when it comes to oil changes. 0w40 shears to 0w30 after 1k miles or so- which is likely why my IMS noise started to reappear at 1,500 miles with the TDT. I'm hoping the Delvac doesn't shear as quickly...

I definitely would not go further than 5k on oil. When I bought my turbo, the PO had 0w40 in it for 7k miles- the blackstone report came back showing viscosity was lower than required.

 

interesting what does Kevin at UMW recommend? Castrol Syntec 5w40? I was thinking about useing that, or Motul 8100 X. I've heard Redline is great also on these cars... then again Val used Rotella Syn with good results so I just don't know ... I think I would look at something like 5K change intervals for oil and filter and driveline lubricant changes every 10 - 15K miles...

 

Kevin recommends Mobil 1 5w50 if you need a Porsche approved oil, Motul 300v if you need a boutique oil, and M1 TDT or Delvac 1 ESP if you have IMS noise.

In his experience, Castrol Syntec and Royal Purple have a tendency to smell burned when he's rebuilding turbos.

I'm no expert- but I try to listen to Kevin. Give him a ring for even more knowledge!

 

One thing that is rarely mentioned when it comes to oil change intervals is the engine type. A turbocharged engine inherently breaks oil down quicker than a NA engine in mnost scenarios. This is due to the excessive heat that occurs in the turbos. This in turn makes our engines small refineries. I would never exceed 3k miles on a turbocharged engine regardless of manufacturers suggestions. 5k oil change interval is crazy IMHO. Especially on a race car oriented engine like ours.

 

Hey Guys,,Everyone has a right to treat their cars to an oil change as they want to.....But IMO,,,Our engines are designed for high output and normal maintenance was figured into the design,,as the cooling system,oil system,,Turbo bearing journals....Porsche would not skimp on their engineering and as always over engineer stuff for safety ,reliablity and warranty claims....To say that todays 'modern synthetic oil' would not with stand our engines requirements,,if in good/proper mechanical condition and the right viscosity used,,,after 3,000 to 5,000 miles in IMO is false.....I have friends in the industry and love when old school guys still have that notion about old oil change intervals>>>>>more product sold in which they make more money....Have you ever had your oil analyzed after 3,000 to 5,000 miles??.....Everyone shares here,,,Its all good.....

 

You keep telling yourself that and i'll stick to my 3k mile oil changes

A few key points in reference to oil engines verses new engines and old ones. First off find an OEM turbocharged production ford or chevy engine pre fuel injection? They don't exist. A modern NA engine can easily endure 5k+ oil change intervals. The older engines needed more frequent oil change intervals due to contamination not the temperature induced break down of the oil. The older engines were dirty with oil partly because they mostly ran rich and had a bit more blow by. The high performance turbocharged engines of today should not be treated like and NA japanese engine from your Honda.

Oil change intervals are based on normal driving. If you drive your car hard even on the street than you need to adjust oil change intervals accordingly. If the majority of the trips in your car are short and under 15 minutes your car is running rich most of the time. That means the oil change interval will need to be adjusted accordingly. If you are not letting your turbos cool down properly your oil is breaking down early and you will need to change it earlier. I would venture to guess that most people here are abusing their cars because it makes no sense to own a car like this if you are gonna drive like a grandma. Which means we need to change the oil accordingly.

I will be the first to admit that I have a few issues with Kevin from UMW and what he chooses to share on these engines on the internet. He tends to share a few facts here without sharing all the details. This is mostly due to their owners I think, but it is his choice. Talk to him on the phone when he is not really busy and you will get a bunch good info about these engines and how and where they wear. I have yet to be steered in a dangerous direction by him either. He does know these engines well from a mechanical perspective. If you want to know about oil change intervals and your engine talk to Kevin. He tears them apart all the time. He can tell you hours worth of oil stories to do with oil contamination in these engines due to intervals between oil changes.

Look at it this way. If you drive 15k a year in your car and normally change the oil every 5k miles, you are only adding 2 oil changes to your yearly maintenance. So at ~$100 an oil change if you change your own oil(which is soo easy on this car it is funny) it is ~$200 a year added insurance. I would venture to guess many here are not driving this many miles a year so the difference is even less. I am not saying your car will blow up if you change the oil every 5K miles, but I can guarantee you that changing the oil every 3K will not increase the chances of oil related engine issues. It is too cheap to take the chance IMHO.

 

why risk a 30k+ engine on such a small thing as an oil change. I do mine every 3k, and sleep w/out worries at night.

 

Brothers - consider it cheap insurance! i do my oil every 3k as does my buddy who has instilled the rigerous oil change regime! - Enrique!

i actually enjoy changing my oil! if i can loosen the drain plug easily that time around..

 

My oil analysis for 3k miles was great, 7k miles was too many!

Porsche and most other modern manufacturers that recommend 10-15k (even 20k) intervals are trying to do a couple of things-

1. reduce environmental impact of changing oil more frequently

2. lowering maintenance costs while the car is UNDER WARRANTY, especially with someone like BMW's no charge maintenance programs. Once anyone would start to see premature wear, these cars are out of warranty- and it's not the manufacturers problem anymore.

It's up to you guys how often to change your oil. Some people live by exactly what Porsche recommends. My problem with that is, if I need a motor, I'm out $30k, not Porsche. It's worth a few extra hundred bucks to me, if nothing else- helps me sleep better at night.

 

I'll drive her 3k miles and then do a OA w/blackstone, if they say that I have 2k more miles left on the oil then i'll stick to 5k for the OCI for good.

 

amen brother!

 

Your spot on with your statement.

Some of us here need to understand long term vehicle sustainability is not in the manufacturers best interest. They too need to sell an occasional replacement engine or more new vehicles.

Manufacturer Maintenance Intervals = The Holy Bible for some of us. LOL!

 

3000 miles. It's the cheapest thing you can do. 10w 30 .. It spools quicker.