10W40 for an ageing engine?

R

rich.p

Member
Hi,

We have a 2001 petrol 1.4 approaching 100k. When starting from cold it can be noisy - a sort of noisy valve sound. (I think I read here that the AUA petrol engine can be noisy when cold?) This can sound quite bad sometimes, but when she warms up the engine sounds lovely and quiet.

We're currently running Edge 5W30 in her but I was reading that a thicker oil may help quiet an ageing engine, particularly when cold. Would this be correct or just a load of bull?

We did see on past service history paperwork (before we owned her) that a previous garage had filled her with 10W40 at 90k. I changed the oil over to 5W30 when we first got her thinking they'd cocked up.

Many thanks, Rich.
 
Hi Rich, welcome to the A2oc.
Its possible the noise is coming from the hydraulic tappets. These rely on oil pressure fed through small galleries to pump them up. If this is the problem, from cold, oil flow of a thicker oil would be worse so it would not help.
An engine oil flush additive (not flushing oil) which you add to the old oil for a short period before draining may clean out the oilways and improve pump up time of the tappets. This may be worth discussing with the garage who services your car.

Cheers Spike
 
Thanks Spike for the very quick response. :) and thank you for the welcome.

I tend to do the general servicing on the car, so I will look at adding this next time I do the oil change (due this coming September/October). Do you think the 10W40 that appeared to have been used before we bought the car damaged the engine? Seems odd that a garage would mess up on this, though 10W40 is usually semi and would cost less to them to buy in.

Will keep to the Edge 5W30 then.

Oh, she seems to use a bit of oil now. Typical of the petrol A2 or just because she's done a few miles now?! :D Great car though, must admit.
 
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I think it seems to be quite normal for the 1.4 petrol to use a bit of oil. And as the dipstick is so hard to read, some people have to rely on the low oil warning to tell them when to top up.

Mine is quite noisy at cold also, the same as you describe, and has been since I bought it when it had arond 45k on the clock - so another characteristic I would guess.
 
rich.p

I've been using this in all my cars (diesel and petrol) for the past 10 years and have been v. impressed. Whilst it may be down to imagination, I reckon it has resulted in the engines being quieter on start-up and smoother running. Available from Halfords.

http://www.team-zx1.com/
 
the garage I use for service is Audi like and they use everything factory spec and geniuen parts. My car is on fixed service interval for city driving and I've confirmed with the garage it is using 10w40. I didn't see much difference between the two but I do notice the engine is ever so slightly quieter after the recent service.
 
Hi, From memory, a while ago there was an article in the Audi Driver, on turbos, and how people were using thicker oils on high mileage cars. The thicker oil was not getting fed properley into the turbo, causing premature failure.
 
Thanks guys for all the info.

I will take all this onboard and try a few things to see if any have an effect. Of course, I don't want to damage the engine.
 
If you value your car (and your wallet in the long run) don't scrimp on oil.

Look for the VW507.0 spec on the back of the bottle - if it's not there, get something else.

Personally, I wouldn't get anything other than Quantum from an Audi dealership.

As our A2s get older, they need more attention and care, not just something that will do.

Cheers,

Mike
 
Cheers Mike, yup will do.

Going to flush her next oil change to see if that helps. Do you guys use Audi branded oil filters or do the generic 'Halfords' ones do?

rich.
 
I use Audi oil filters exclusively - they've got bypass valves built in and are generally made better and to tighter tolerances (they've got zig zag pleats for more surface area and better filtration) than Halfords or generic no-name filters.

Cheers,

Mike
 
Yes, the TDi filters are around £7. Even petrol oil filters are reasonable too at around the same price.

Cheers,

Mike
 
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