Winter Cabriolet

I was at a meeting the other day and met a guy that said he owned a VW/Audi repair shop. I told him that I had an 11 Q5 with the 2.0 turbo and he told me to just change the oil frequently to eliminate problems down the road. I told him that I follow the book - 10K mi between changes. He said to change it to 5k mi as 10K was not often enough. He said that the 10 k change period is to satisfy the epa, but in reality the engine gets way too dirty if you run it that long without a change.

Comments from the experts please............

Thanks
Myron

Q5 Bob

I use Audi's 1 yr/10k miles as a guideline. Depending on driving conditions, I'll change oil sooner, in the 7500-8000 mile range.

timlocke

The three VAG turbo engines I have had, Audi 1.8T, GTI 2.0T and now Q5 2.0T have had oil changes at 8000KM ( 5000 miles).

Even Southern Ontario where I live is below freezing for 3-4 months
I do many short trips of 5-20 km from cold ( I park outside)

Seems cheap insurance to change the oil often.

ex-quattro PETE

It really depends on your driving conditions. Some are more severe than others and may in fact necessitate more frequent oil changes.

The direct injected 2.0T engine is pretty hard on oil, in general.

Steppenaudi

I'm relying on used oil analyses from Blackstone so far. After the 5K service with Castrol 5W-40, I did a UOA at 10K. Given that the oil viscosity had dropped below expected values, and the lubricant package had deteriorated such that it might not make it to the 15K, I changed the oil & used Mobil 1 0W-40. I was also experiencing oil usage on the 5W-40 oil though I hadn't lost enough to add more.

I just had the dealership do the 15K service, and I had them use Mobil 1 0W-40 instead of the Castrol 5W-40. The 15K oil UOA before the service showed that the viscosity hadn't fallen as far in 5K miles as had the Castrol oil, plus the lube package still had plenty of life left based on other samples of new Mobil 1 I've had analyzed. I also hadn't lost any oil in the 5K miles on Mobil 1.

I'll pull a sample at 20K miles and decide at that point whether I'll go to the 25K service or change oil myself at 20K.

uberwgn

^^^ This is my perspective, too. I've set my maintenance reminder for 6500 miles and get to the job of changing the oil soon after the reminders pop up.

I think if the commute is all highway, and you're doing that 10k miles quickly, a longer drain interval is OK.

rendart

Why, does that imply hotter weather would require sooner oil changes?

ex-quattro PETE

No. But the opposite may be true: very cold weather might require more frequent oil changes.

Basically, the worst thing you can do to the engine is to start it up but not let it get up to operating temp and not let it stay at operating temp long enough to burn off things like moisture and fuel. And at very cold ambient temp, it takes longer to reach operating temp.

ex-quattro PETE

Agreed. I've done it in my 530i when my commute was mostly hwy and I was accumulating miles quickly, and even after 10K miles, the oil was still in good shape (based on UOA). Alas, the 530i doesn't have a turbo and it has a larger oil sump, so it all helps.

On the other hand, when I changed jobs and started driving very little, mostly short trips, even after 6K miles (which took 1.5 years to accumulate), the oil was shot. I now just change it once a year.

Festoolbob

I have a 2014 q5 2.0 and do a mix of city/highway driving. My thoughts are since I am keeping, not leasing, is to do an oil change very 5k. That 2.0 is hauling 4k + in weight, that's a lot to ask of a 2.0 engine. It's a small price to pay for - at at the very least, peace of mind.


Bob