I am getting a used 2024 S5 Sportback in a few days. Read a number of oil threads discussing specs and viscosity. The owners manual I find online refers to the sticker to find the recommended oil viscosity. But I assume it is 0W-20 which I am not a fan of. I would prefer 0W-30, 0W-40 or 5W-30. Will using anything but the recommended oil void the warranty? I live in Arizona, was 111F today T, 0W-20 won’t work

 

The sticker under the hood says 0W-20/VW508.00 oil.

 

Thanks,

 

Of course if someone has no idea about the topic, following the manual is the obvious default condition. In this case, you had the awareness to ask the question.

Most people's experience begins after the EPA began to dictate how auto mfg must "recommend" or specify the same oil used in their official MPG test in the manual to the consumer. Prior to that, people in the US would select their own oil grade, based on a number of factors. You probably read my rants. Free countries around the world like Russia, same thing, you refer to the visc/temp chart for guidance, along with driving style, and select your own. Note the red highlight....


It's not even complicated, but lack of understanding, misunderstanding and dumb statements, like we read on AudiWorld, make a chore out of what should be an intellectual exercise based on rationality, not fear or ignorance.
Always worth checking what is recommended in other parts of the world. Far-flung places like UK in exotic vehicles like RAV4, a crappy little lube company like Castrol might recommend 5w-30 C3, 15w-40 HD, MB 229.5 I think even VW 504 spec oil in the same engine guys in the USA think will explode on one drop of anything other than 0w-20. Wow, now I'm confused!!!!




So when people say to "follow the manual", they are just saying that's how they personally deal with the subject. See it's not really about the tech and hair-splitting data, it's about conformity and conflict avoidance. These are NOT the guys saying they did dozens of UOAs on every grade of oil and the OE 0w-20 had best wear rates, lol no...they don't even know what that means. Also this approach involves huge amounts of naivety and noobieness thinking that Audi never made a mistake with oil recommendations. lol, sure....trust Audi accountants and EPA to craft the service manual like it's the Holy Bible....just without any soul.




No, my SA is more likely to ask me an oil question rather than dictate doctrine from service manuals. When I raised the subject in 2023, they said go ahead and run whatever I want. So Imma cut it short now. You already know that any oil thicker than 0w-20 will produce lower wear, an produce less deposits from the extra organo-metallic additives needed for the thin oil formulas. 504 will serve you super well, without concern about going full length changes. I would even go with a thin API SP 5w-30 like Mobil 1 with it's state of the art formulation that addresses both LSPI and timing chain wear. You can always test for wear yourself with a UOA lab report, I use Caterpillar since I can drop it off locally. As you see, 508 trades wear and deposits for MPG, and 502 is obsolete. You're looking for MB 229.5 in 40 weight spec oils, which is every jug on the shelf. These are Fully additized oils, 504 and the Mobil 1 5w-30 are reduced ash, ymmv. In certain ways, 504 vs 229.5 is a toss up, but in your climate.... thicker fully additized 40 weight is better imo.




frankly, your choices are; thin 5w-30 (API) thick 5w-30 (504) 0w/5w-40 Euro spec (MB 229.5) or 5w-40 (HD) like extra thick Delo 5w-40 with higher HT/HS High Temp / High Shear of a whopping 4.2cP


So wait, is it 0w-16 or 20w-50 for Toyota??? Dudes loose their minds over this in the US


Same for Benz...


yeah, we'll just use "Standard Oil" in the Benz and reset the OLM a little shorter. Guys heads explode when I show them their own dash display, lol. They have no clue what "by the book" even means.



Porsche. Read what is says about running on 20 weight in hot temps....

 

4.2

 

I'm sending my first oil testing batch to Blackstone this week. I'm ready to nerd out about what they find. This is all new to me, these message boards have been really helpful since I purchased my '23 S5 in early 2023. The dealer at each 10K service puts in the 0-20 and my independent mechanic on 5K service puts in something different and I want to compare the two.

 

With what I was saying about the same "best" oil for an old lady driving to church in Minnesota winter is not the same "best" oil for an AMG on a track in Texas summer, it is not.

This begs us to go with seasonal changes, every 6 months for summer and winter. I do it on May Day and Halloween. The peak hot and cold weather is a month after the solstice, for reference.

Even 5w-40 can be pretty thick in cold, so that's my summer oil, with 5w-30 for winter.



It's different for every driver, climate and engine combo. nfw I would run 0w-20 in AZ summer, nor would I run 20w-50 in winter! See, 20 weight is on the razors edge of how thin you can formulate, why do people want to run it with higher wear and deposits? You're supposed to have a buffer, just like spec oil has a buffer for running flat out on the Autobahn....you don't need 3.5cP or 14cSt to drive to the mosque in Sweden.

Safe to say that 5w-40 overreaches visc needs, and 0w-20 undershoots it. I guess the best place to start is learning the cSt CentiStroke units that oil is measured in at +100C "operating temp:.SAE 20 is 9cSt, 30 is either 10 or 12 for the Euro 504 C3 types, Euro spec 0w./5w-40 is more like 13-14 and HD 5w-40 is still a bit thicker at 15+cSt. These oils get 1000x thicker in extreme cold, so your engine sees every visc in the range DOWN to 10cSt. yes, 10,000cSt, 1,000cSt, 100cSt and 10cSt your engine see this range of visc all the time, so why do people say "too thick"? On cold start, the best oil would remain thin in cold, then start working perfectly thin up to OP temp. Well, you can only flatten the visc curve so far down to Newtonian fluids that stay one visc, like water. So you select an oil that matches your starting climate and your operating climate too. Are you out checking your oil wells in Saudi Arabia with A/C and no speed limits? You might want 15w-40 or heavier, cold starts be damned!!! So no....not 0w-20, lol.

Again, I ran to VW 504 in my new 2023 Q5, I would not hesitate if I were there in AZ. It's just a matter of how thick you want to go. In extremes, of course I'd go for the Delo, I have it in now! But you can go with a "502" spec oil (229.5) 5w-40 even good old Mobil 1 0w-40 or my pref, Castrol Edge 0w-40. But if you just want a little edge (excuse the pun) the newest and best 5w-30 jug oil, the "extended" versions, are all state of the art and will do exactly what you want. Thicker oil runs smoother too. M1 Extended, Valvoline, PZ Platinum Ultra are state of the art, 1000Ca and 600Mg formulas just like 504 and Delo HD.

I know your question is ultimately about warranty and dealership issues. I would maybe go to them for winter service, and get an extractor for a switch to thicker oil for summer. Extractors work great. Dont' worry about changing the filter after a few 1000 miles.

 

10k is a little bit long. The 6 month changes like I described will serve you well, if you adjust the timing for winter/summer and go for a solid summer oil.

 

A lot of good info here. I have had SAAB 9-3 2.0T and 2.8L V6 turbos since 2004 (2008 for the V6). I have been a big believer in Mobil 1 Euro spec 0W-40 and sometimes 5W-30. I realize oil specs and quality change over time. My opinion, opinion not necessarily fact, is like some others. The auto industry does this to gain a small MPG amount. At the expense of engine reliability, they don’t care much after the warranty period is over is my sarcastic opinion. And make excuses when their high tech motors burn oil. So, I now have a pretty good idea of what oil to use, but still would like to understand the warranty implications.

 

Good discussion recently by Engineering Explained on engine oil and the importance of optimizing oil choice based on the Stribeck Curve:


Stribeck Curve:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stribeck_curve

Because, you know... science.