5W30 Oil: Best Alternatives & Reviews

I have the feeling that the Longlife III 5W30 oil might be reaching its temperature limit during longer highway drives.

Can I safely use a different type of fuel in my Sharan 7N with a CFGC engine and DSG transmission?

I change the oil annually or every 15,000 kilometers.

I use 5W40 (505.01) engine oil with my vehicles, and it is suitable for use with a diesel particulate filter (C3).

vag-driver wrote:

I have the feeling that the Longlife III 5W30 oil reaches its temperature limit during longer highway drives. Can I safely use a different type of fuel in my Sharan 7N with a CFGC engine and DSG transmission? I change the oil annually or every 15,000 km.

Sure, you can, contrary to Volkswagen's recommendations. That means you'll probably only want to do it after the warranty expires (plus any extended warranty you may have). You should definitely consider the catalytic converter and DPF, but there's no real necessity to change it. There are probably no documented engine failures that can be attributed to long-life oil (with the exception of some early T5 (Touareg) models, where a connection was suspected. However, engine failures were more likely due to oil dilution caused by too frequent regenerations, or peeling plasma cylinder coatings and crumbling EGR valves). If you change the oil annually, I wouldn't worry about the engine oil.
haithamina

Hi,

Oil-related topics are always tricky, as everyone has their own philosophy and beliefs/knowledge.

You can definitely continue using 5W30 oil, just make sure to use the recommended amount.
"Genuine" fully synthetic products that claim to use a specific synthesis technology but actually contain only semi-synthetic ingredients.

This way, you'll have more stable oil, a cleaner engine, because there's less carbon buildup, and no problems with the warranty .

Possible options include:

Motul 8100 X-clean+ 5W30.
RAVENOL WIV III SAE 5W-30
Valvoline SYNPOWER XL-III C3 5W-30.
Addinol Passenger Car SAE 5W-30 GIGA LIGHT MV 0530.

....just a thought .

Regards,
Mpire

I find it alarming how high the oil temperature gets on the highway when you're driving at a faster pace. 120°C is not uncommon. I personally feel that it's already borderline.

I would definitely investigate the cause. 120°C is quite high.
What cooling water temperatures are you working with?
hg
Herbert.

vag-driver wrote:

120°C is no problem. I personally find that already borderline.

Our Sharan, with the CFGB engine (170 hp + DSG), reaches an oil temperature of 138 degrees Celsius (according to the MFA) when pulling a 1700 kg caravan on inclines. However, the displayed water temperature also rises to 105-110°C. I reduced the throttle, so it consistently runs at this temperature, but it hasn't gone higher.

The vehicle didn't seem to consider this condition critical. There were no warnings and no functional limitations. The previous model (a 7M with a 150PS BTB engine) would already shut off the air conditioning at such displayed water temperatures. (It didn't have an oil temperature display).

In short: I don't think your 120°C is a problem. I could probably lower it a few degrees with more discipline, but at 120°C, I would definitely be an obstacle on the mountain. Whether my nearly 140°C is critical or not, I can't judge.

Greetings.
Sure, here's the translation:

"Guste" is a German word that means "gust" or "gust of wind." It can also be used to describe a sudden burst of something, such as laughter or anger.

Herbert wrote:

I would investigate the cause of that. 120°C is already quite high. What cooling water temperatures are you working with?

There will be no issues, except that the oil cooler and oil pumps are undersized. The coolant temperature is constantly at 90°C.

Probably, nowadays, everything is fine. After all, nothing is supposed to last long anymore.

I happen to use "ROWE HIGHTEC MULTI SYNT DPF SAE 5W-30".

When VW was still willing to include specific numbers in the owner's manual, it once stated a maximum temperature of 145°C. Above that temperature, the engine speed and load should be reduced.

However, that was in the early 1990s, with oils that were not as advanced as they are today.

I wouldn't worry about it at 120°C. However, over the long term, very high oil temperatures can lead to increased deposits due to evaporation losses.

I can confirm the temperatures in the 7N; we also subjectively experienced them to be consistently 10°C higher than in other VW models under similar conditions.

Probably, only a larger oil cooler would help. The option of driving slower, if it were even possible, is not an option.


"Wouldn't a similar phenomenon be observed with the T6 model, which has 204 horsepower?"

On our T6, the oil temperature can only be raised with great effort and by constantly driving at full throttle.

However, the T6 also has some things that are different from the start, such as the significantly larger oil capacity.

matthiasTDI96 wrote:

In our T6, the oil temperature can only be raised with great effort and pointless constant full throttle. However, the T6 also has some things that are different from the start, for example, the significantly larger amount of oil....

What is the engine's oil capacity? What is the maximum temperature it reaches?

I'm talking about roughly 7.4 liters. It also has a truly enormous, square-shaped oil pan. I rarely see the oil temperature reach 120°C.

To reach an oil temperature above 110°C, I have to drive the steep sections of the Tauern Autobahn at full throttle with a trailer weighing 1100 kg. The vehicle is loaded and has roof racks. As a result, the coolant temperature also exceeds 100°C. The vehicle and engine details are listed in my profile.

The heat should ideally be dissipated directly through the coolant. Heat enters the oil directly via the piston undersides, the turbocharger, and the blow-by gases. A difference of more than 20° between the oil temperature (in the pan?) and the water temperature at the cylinder head outlet would, at the very least, be a reason for me to check the sensors.
What's mainly suffering are the seals.
hg
Herbert.

Surprisingly, as has already been mentioned in this forum, the 7N model exhibits higher oil temperatures. Since the engines are likely the same as those in, for example, the Passat, this could be due to the vehicle's significant weight and large frontal area, or simply a problem with heat dissipation.

The T6 has noticeable differences in its engine compartment compared to other vehicles within the group.

I personally haven't seen such high oil temperatures in the A6, even in models with significantly more powerful engines.

However, everything is controlled via the combination instrument.