The Caffeinated Penguin

Posted By matt on August 29, 2007

So, to recap:

• Car goes in for oil change and 40k service @ 39,00 miles (oil has been changed every 5,000 miles, except once where I went 7,000 because I was busy. Recommended change interval is 10,000 miles).
• @ 40,000 miles, I start noticing a ticking noise. I try various things (fixing some screws which had come loose on the flash guard, etc). The ticking is in time with the engine, and only noticeable when accelerating.
• @ 40,100 miles, the MIL (Check Engine) light comes on, and VAG-COM (the computer thingy) says “Cylinder 3 Misfire detected”.
• It's still under warranty I make an appointment and don't drive it anymore, because I figure it's serious.
• While driving it there, the car really starts to shake around 2000RPM, so I keep it in lower gear and up around 3500 RPM. It starts to get a little scary. I keep waiting for the “pull over right now flashing MIL of doom.

This brings us to today. Car is at the dealership. I get a call, but am on the phone, so Liz takes it. It is a rocker arm, and they've ordered a new one. The tech remarks how he's never seen one of these break before, and it must have been defective from the get-go. He orders up another. It will be done on Friday.

I ask the Google what it knows. Apparently, these very rarely fail, though the main cause of it is insufficient or improper lubrication.

Hmmm….

I call the dealership, Martin Nemer VW. I ask if they will change the oil after they replace the rocker arm to get out any particles which might have come loose. They will. This makes me happy.

Then the real question.

Me: What oil do you use in the TDI's, just to check, because the previous dealership told me that this requires special oil, which is different than other TDI's.
Service Rep: We use either Castrol or Quaker state full synthetic 5W-40.
Me: Can you tell me what VW spec it meets.
SR: Sure can, let me go check.
Me: … Wait…
SR: Okay, this is Castrol.. synthetic… 5w-40. On the back it says.. yep, right here – meets VW 505.00 spec.
Me: That's great, but all TDI's 2004 and after use the Pumpe-Deuse (PD) engine and VW requires use of 505.01 spec oil or they will void your warranty because it provides insufficient lubrication to the cam shaft and turbocharger and can therefore destroy the engine in only a few thousand miles.
SR: Let me have my manager look into this and call you back.

So, I call VW of America and talk to a customer rep there, explain the situation. They say that they will contact the dealership, find out what oil was put in the car and take appropriate action.

Meanwhile, here is a thread which talks about this requirement, and links to the various VW technical bulletins. Here is a scan from the manual (not mine.. it's in the car.. at the dealership) and makes it very clear what oil is required.

Now, I need to be clear that none of this has been confirmed – the guy on the phone could have grabbed the wrong bottle of oil, and it actually was a mechanical failure due to manufacturing defect. Furthermore, I need to stress that everyone here has been very nice, including the folks at Nemer. So, I am not in any way dissatisfied or disparaging anyone, I am merely relating a tail.

Also, in all fairness, I can understand this mistake on the part of the dealership. Remember – 2004 and 2005 TDIs are the only ones with this engine. They also were not sold in NY state due to emissions issues. Mine was an import, because I moved here from RI. As such, they probably don't see any of these cars, and might not have paid any attention when using the 505.00 oil (which is correct for years <= 2003). Still, while understandable, it does not excuse their culpability in this matter - they need to make it right.

I'm thinking that (at a minimum), they probably need to replace the rocker arms and camshaft itself (because the metal is going to have galled and such) and check the turbo. Is there anything else anyone can think of which needs to be done? It's also possible that VW has a "recommended repair procedure" for when this happens, which involves replacing anything which might have been messed up, in which case we can go with that. I doubt they replace the whole engine; that would be silly.

Also of note are two points from the VW tech bulletin (C 17-05-01).

• WARNING:Failure to use engine oil for your engine that expressly conforms to Volkswagen oil quality standard VW 505 01 can cause engine failure on the highway that can cause a crash and serious personal injury. Lovely.
• Engine oil, topping off: It is recommended that the customer always carry a spare quart / liter oil which meets Volkswagen quality standard VW 505 01 in case the engine oil needs topping off while on the road. The spare quart of oil should always be stored in its original container that is securely closed in the luggage compartment. Make sure the container is securely stowed. Pop the hatch. Left side, white crate. Fire extinguisher, compressor, paper towels, and.. a quart of Castrol TXT 505.01, which also happens to be on the “approved oils meeting 505.01 spec” list. How about that folks?

Category: LJ Import
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