Change my oil?

Question

How often should I I change my oil in my VW Jetta 1.8T?

Answer 1

any car, 3500 is standard milage before oil changes

Answer 2

I'm going through some hell right now with my 2003 Passat. There is oil sludge mucking up my filter, pump, etc, and I did change my oil often. It turns out this is a VERY common problem with the 1.8T engine in both Passats and Jettas, regardless of how religious or negligent you are about changing your oil. VW has recognized this problem and extended the warranty on those parts to 8 years. HOWEVER, the catch is that you have to retain every single receipt for every single oil change you've ever had. And VW says you must change your oil every 5,000 miles or 6 months, so even if you have your receipts and you are outside those parameters they will deny the warranty claim.

So make sure you change your oil on their schedule and SAVE YOUR RECEIPTS. I don't have mine and this fix is going to end up costing me $1300.

Also, VW has now stated you should use only synthetic oil. There is a class action lawsuit here in the U.S. about this since that makes the price of an oil change go from $30 to about $65.

Lots of links below, but if you want more, just Google "Jetta oil sludge" or "Passat oil sludge."

I'm selling my car as soon as I get it back from the dealer.

I now officially hate VW and will never buy another.

Answer 3

Follow the manufacturer's recommendation in the owner's manual. If you do not have the manual, and as has been mentioned, 3,000 miles /3 months is a good rule to follow. Turbo cars absolutely need the oil changed on time. The heat at the turbo bearing, especially after turning off the engine, can cause the oil to coke. This unfortunate occurrence will reduce heat transfer if it does not totally block the oil passage. Sometimes (I do not know about this application) manufacturers recommend idling the engine for a couple of minutes following highway driving to give the turbo bearing time to "cool" down.

Answer 4

3,000 miles is excessive and a waste of valuable resources. Volkswagen says every 5,000 miles. 40,000 miles is a major service. if you have your owner's manual all the info on what to check at certain miles is in there.

not doing your oil changes on time WILL NOT void your warranty. the decision to void your warranty (in whole or in part) is up to the service advisor / service manager. If you have a problem that comes up due to lack of maintinance, warranty will not cover it. but lets say you do you oil changes late every time (at 6,000 miles for example) and your window motor stops working, you will still be covered under warranty (provided your car is under 50,000 miles or 5 years). dont be fooled by people claiming that your warranty will be void if you dont do your oil changes, that's rediculous...warranty issures are evaluated on a case by case basis.

I agree that you should use a synthetic oil, i have an 03 Jetta w/ the 24v VR6 and i have used synthetic from the first oil change...i regularly do my oil changes late (sometimes at 8,000 miles) and the oil always comes out clean...90,000 miles and still going strong. and i have done ALL my own service (some very late) and never ever had a problem with taking my car to the dealership for warranty work.

Answer 5

If you want the motor to last change it every 3,000 miles unless you use synthetic oil and you can go up to 6,000 miles.

Answer 6

IF YOU DON'T WANT TO VOID YOUR WARRANTY YOU HAVE TO CHANGE IT AT 5000 MILES(VW SPECS). ALSO WITH YOUR ENGINE THE TURBO MAKES A LOT OF HEAT AND BREAKS DOWN THE OIL FASTER, SO I WOULD RECOMMEND USING SYNTHETIC OIL

Answer 7

every three thousand miles or three months is the rule of thumb don't put it off too long with a nice car like that

Answer 8

3000 miles/ 3 months is about general for all cars.

Answer 9

Every 3,000 miles on conventional oil. 7,000 to 10,000 miles on synthetic.

Answer 10

I have a 2004 and I change mine every 5,000 miles. It runs BEAUTIFULLY! (I love my car)