Any Passat TDI owners required a top up before first service??

[OilBurna]

Over last couple of days the check oil warning light had come on and off intermittenly, rang Barloworld and they said come in get it checked and we will top it up.. Light had stayed off for a few days so assumed all ok, then went on a trip Friday to Barwon Heads (Melb) and the light was coming on again. Luckily I was only 25 mins from Rex Gorell VW on the outskirts of Geelong. Checked the dipstick and it was close to the min mark. Rang RG and they said come on in and we will check and top up. Went in and they topped it up straight away, only there for 10 mins or so used Castrol SLX, 5w 30? I think? Service tech said they recommend 1st service at 7500km rather than 15,000 as a pre cautionary measure. Aslo if you change oil yourself or the correct oil / viscosity isn't used then VW won;t warrant your engine?

Has anyone else required a top up before 1st service and where can you buy the Castrol oil from? Guess not unusual for an engine to use a bit of oil when running in, previous cars I have had, 1st service always at 1,000km I know with Subaru they give you a 1 litre container of oil to keep for top ups. Looks like I am living up to my forum name heheh,

[rodc]

I had to top mine up after about 2,000 km and the same happened to a friend of mine. Now up to 12,000 km and have not had to top it up since. I bought the oil from Barloworld.

[OzBoz]

Over last couple of days the check oil warning light had come on and off intermittenly,

I have the same engine in my Jetta, and have not had any oil problems. I would suggest that you keep a close eye (daily) on your oil level, and carry a can in the boot til the problem is resolved. As far as I'm aware, oil burning should not occur, even with a new engine. I assume you have checked the garage floor for leaks, which sounds more likely.

Service tech said they recommend 1st service at 7500km rather than 15,000 as a pre cautionary measure.

Good advice. I've had similar advice from service dpartments of other makes of car. 15,000km is a big selling plus for the manufacturers, but is a bad practice. Would you drive your car from Melbourne to London without an oil change and a safety check?

Aslo if you change oil yourself or the correct oil / viscosity isn't used then VW won;t warrant your engine?

Incorrect oil, fair enough, but anyone can change the oil without voiding the warranty, provided the correct oil is used.

Cheers

Brian

[OilBurna]

thanks brian, I meant not using the right oil, vs changing it yourself. No traces of oil at all on the garage floor. I thought it was not uncommon for new engines to use some oil when running in? Anyone else comment of have similiar issues and 12 months / 15,000km is too long imho. Might get some spare oil for top up as will be doing a long trip in March.

[vw50]

Hello Burna....

Yep, I had to top my tdi up also. The handbook says they use oil as a matter fo course. Check the book for the type of oil to use. In Aust, we dont have 'longlife service' so you get the recommended oil. You get it at dealers only as it is a special castrol brew for vw diesels. Comes in a 5l container. I got a 1l bottle of the imported German oil from the dealer near me. DONT OVERFILL ABOVE THE TOP MARK, AS IT CAN DAMAGE THE CATALITIC CONVERTER

That dipstick must be the worlds worst. I find it hard to find the oil level on the dark metal. Should give VW a rocket over this-not user frinedly.!!!!


regards,

VW50.

[OilBurna]

thanks vw50 for the advice, will get some from the dealer for top ups and will not over fill either. Agree with the dipstick - correct very hard to read, not much room between min / max either. I think they should adjust the interval for the 1st service to 7,500km.

[Mischa]

thanks vw50 for the advice, will get some from the dealer for top ups and will not over fill either. Agree with the dipstick - correct very hard to read, not much room between min / max either. I think they should adjust the interval for the 1st service to 7,500km.

you can hardly call it a service, its simply an oil change and quick check with the computer - 350$ thank you very much.

just do the oil change yourself and if you're that worried take it to a euro car specialist for them to hook up to their computer... or just buy the stupid vag com and rosstech software/cable yourself it'll still cost you less than the first service

[OilBurna]

where can these items be purchased from mischa, and yes not too hard to do it yourself, is the filter hard to change? any links anywhere to a workshop manual - thanks

[Mischa]

where can these items be purchased from mischa, and yes not too hard to do it yourself, is the filter hard to change? any links anywhere to a workshop manual - thanks

theres no manual from bentley publishers that covers the new tdi's yet as its produced mainly for the states so it only has the gti engine in it. you'd have to get it from the volkswagen erwin service https://erwin.volkswagen.de/erwin/sh...1EA57.ASTPVWE1 although i think it would be pretty expensive.

as for the cables and computer software for diagnosing, clearing and changing options within the car's computer, the general consensus is that the rosstech product http://www.ross-tech.com/ is the best one to go for (called vag-com).

if you do the oil change yourself, remember to use the right oil only available at the dealer parts shop. oil should be about 80$ plus an 18$ filter and your around the 100 mark for an oil change - expensive by jap car standards but a heck of a lot cheaper than what the dealer will charge you.

the filter is apparently slightly messy to change since there is a housing around it, but nothing too tricky - anyone should be able to do it... although i havent done it myself

[OilBurna]

mischa thanks for that, almost worth it to order the cables and license as peace of mind as stated. Might get the services done while under warranty then look at changing the oil myself after that.