vutekho

After my 25k miles oil change, I decided to used the Castrol Edge 0W/40 European Formula that is made in Germany, at my 35k miles oil change interval. This is the one that can be found at Walmart, not the green oil at Autozone. From previous research on the web, I think it's safe to say that in Europe, they have a higher criteria for calling anything synthetic oil. I'm not going to go into details about this, but it is stated that they used a higher base grade oil to make synthetic oil, than in the US.

Everything in the car remains the same, including my driving style. My job requires me to do a lot of highway travels, so I put 20k miles on my car in almost exactly a year from the last analysis, which just happens to be about same time last year. I probably won't be doing another one till maybe 75k miles.

Note: in the comment section, they stated that I used this same oil in my previous sample. That is not correct. It was Mobil 1 0W40, as you can see from my first UOA. Also, here is a link to explain what the elements found in the oil means: Blackstone Labs


I hope this helps the less informed, cause I see a lot of people throwing away time and money, on shorter oil change intervals. Just because you drive a turbocharged car, doesn't make you special.

ex-quattro PETE

Thanks for posting this. Looks like metals are trending down, which is a good thing. The high metals you saw earlier were probably a result of the engine still breaking in. Both M1 0w-40 and Castrol 0w-40 are great oils.


It really depends on your driving patterns. You mentioned you accumulate miles fast and it's mainly hwy miles, which is very easy on the engine and oil, hence 10K OCI is perfectly doable. But if you were to accumulate that 10K miles with mainly stop-and-go driving and/or short tripping and it would take you 2 years to reach it, that report would look a whole lot different. That is why Audi also specifies a time limit on oil changes, and based on my own personal experience (and UOAs), they are correct to do so.

Redd

Moly (which is in Mobil1) and boron are way down, while titanium is way up.

I could see moly and boron being down because M1 uses them as addiditives and the Catorl doesn't, but titanium? Does Castrol use that as an additive?

Curious that Blackstone didn't comment on any of that.

The calcium change...also curious. Environmental or additive perhaps?

ex-quattro PETE

Yes, Castrol uses titanium as an additive.

vutekho

There were no additives added. Most of my driving is between Houston and New Orleans. So there are plenty of humidity.

Steppenaudi

I've attached my up-to-date UOA records. I started out with Castrol 5W40 for the first three oil changes, but discovered that the engine oil level was decreasing over 5K miles. I switched to Mobil 1 0W-40 at the 10K oil change, and the oil level has not dropped. This vehicle gets mostly short-distance driving and less freeway driving (my wife's car).

I've noted that the oil viscosity drops below the limit range in 5K of driving on either Castrol or Mobil 1, which concerns me. I've not seen that happen in other vehicles using Mobil 1. I just changed the oil today, and I'll have the dealership change the oil at 25K with Mobil 1. If it weren't for the viscosity drop, I'd run Mobil 1 the full 10K between changes.

vutekho

If I remember correctly, the owner's manual did state that the engine will consume more oil then usual due to the piston rings not fully seating. I don't have it in front of me, but that goes true for pretty much all new engines.

Redd

"There were no additives added." They are ALWAYS added during the manufacturing by the manufacturer. It has got nothing to do with whether you add anything. Anything beyond the "base stock" that they have processed with heat and pressure, is an additive. And they're a critical trade secret in many cases.

Pete-
HTF does titanium, an incredibly hard (and presumably abrasive, because of that) metal become something good in motor oil?? If they use micro-fine flakes, can it pressure plate onto softer metals, the way a moly lubricant does??

Curious because I've heard of all sorts of plasma-sprayed coatings, laser treatments...just hadn't heard of using titanium in a lubricant, or a protective surfacing, anywhere else.

ex-quattro PETE

These are some fairly old links on the subject. I'm sure you can find something more recent by googling...


Creating a Greener Antiwear Additive for Engine Oils

ConocoPhillips reports on liquid titanium-enhanced oil | Equipment content from Fleet Owner

Redd

Thanks, Pete. The first link at least made some sense, indicating that the titanium is somehow bonding into the iron of the block, almost like electroplating without the electricity. The second link...that's that damn Conoco nonsense about "liquid titanium" again, and no matter how you slice it, titanium ain't liquid under any conditions you'd want to see in your engine. In a volcano, maybe, but...I think they've taken "trade secret" to a new state of confusion. Weird.