Auto-Rx Customers Questions & Answers

rkymtnrider · Member

New '04 Passat 1.8t owner is SCARED

johnoh · Veteran Member

Based on what you've written, your car sounds fine. I would add autorx and use it for one cleaning cycle. If you ever get a check engine light, go to autozone and they will find the error code for free. If you get a check engine light while using autorx, be patient until the cleaning cycle is through because the check engine light could just be temporary.

TurboJim · Moderator

"The previous owner claims he changed the oil at intervals of 5000miles or less using Dino based oil."

While dino oil is the oil of preference when doing a ARX treatment you should normally be using a VW approved synthetic. Even then 5,000 miles is pushing it as these engines only hold 4 - 4.3 quarts of oil with the recommended oil filter. Using the Purolator L40316, Wix 51333 / Napa Gold 1333 filter will increase the oil capacity considerably.

"Looking inside the filler port on top of the engine I could see that the color was that of dark caramel."

You are viewing a plastic shield, not the valve train.

"I replaced the old dino oil with Valvoline 5w30 full synthetic and the filter with a NAPA replacement."

I believe that is a VW approved oil. I will be using it myself the next time around.

rkymtnrider · Member

When looking directly down in the filler port I can see the black plastic shield. If I look to the side I can see he sides of the valve cover. It is this aluminum valve cover that is the dark color. As for the cap, there was some slight build up on it, but not much.

What does oil sludge look like?

As of present I am leaning toward NOT doing the ARX treatment immediately and seeing what the synth will do. Any comments on this?

johnoh · Veteran Member

The 5w30 full synth with consistent oil changes will keep the engine pretty much as it is, but will not improve it. If you want to improve the engine's condition I would use autorx.

Frank Miller · Guru

United States
Comments Used your product in my '04 VW Passat 1.8t after replacement of oil pump and screen cleaning.VW recommends an engine flush using Wynns products as per their tsb. Was sceptical, but after dismembering the oil filter at the 1k recommended replacement found nearly the entire filtering media covered with hard sand like deposits. At 2k dissasembled the second filter, and while results were not as dramatic as the 1st, I agree the 1st stage can go to the 3k limit. Have to say I was amazed at the amount of coke your product dissolved with no apparent harm. Was a cold winter this way and used Motorcraft 5W20 semisynthetic with top off at 1k and 2k of shell 5W30. Very satisfied. Used the second bottle on my 270k Ranger and my 200k Merc Grand Marquis. Will be reordering shortly. Thanks Dan

Dan followed application instructions he read the FAQ and understands Auto-Rx is going to clean internal solenoids as well as internal metal parts. He also used the type oil needed for sludge removal.

-- Edited by Frank Miller on Friday 2nd of April 2010 07:17:51 PM

rkymtnrider · Member

On another forum someone commented on engine flushes being potentially harmful to main bearings. This person said he would not suggest performing an engine flush on my car if it seems to be running fine. Can anyone speak to this and elaborate on the risks either way?

-- Edited by rkymtnrider on Friday 2nd of April 2010 01:50:32 PM

TurboJim · Moderator

rkymtnrider wrote:

What does oil sludge look like?

As of present I am leaning toward NOT doing the ARX treatment immediately and seeing what the synth will do. Any comments on this?

You'll know sludge when you see it. In the valve train it would take the form of a black gooey mess.

In these engines the danger of sludge / oil coking is that the oil pump pick-up screen will get clogged, significantly restricting oil flow. That is when you get all the dash warning lights and messages.

To remove the oil pan so that you can look at the oil pump pick-up screen is a lot of work. Unless you are using a cleaning product (such as ARX) you normally will not see sludge accumulating in the oil filter. I would suggest that you remove the valve cover so that you can see what sludge / varnish has accumulated by runing it on dino oil.

As far as relying on synthetic oil alone to clean things up you first need to have a good understanding of what needs to be cleaned up. This is why I suggested removing the valve cover. Will synthetic oil alone clean up this engine? That's somewhat of a unknown. I wouldn't count on it, even if you limited your oil change intervals to 2,000 - 3,000 miles.

Regardless of what path you decide to follow service the PCV system on a regular basis otherwise sludge will accumulate faster than even ARX can remove it.

-- Edited by TurboJim on Friday 2nd of April 2010 02:04:08 PM

TurboJim · Moderator

rkymtnrider wrote:

On another forum someone commented on engine flushes being potentially harmful to main bearings. This person said he would not suggest performing an engine flush on my car if it seems to be running fine. Can anyone speak to this and elaborate on the risks either way?

Solvent flushes come with risks. Any time you put something in your engine you can never drain 100% of it out. Don't add something to your crankcase that you wouldn't want in there all the time.

rkymtnrider · Member

TurboJim wrote:

Solvent flushes come with risks. Any time you put something in your engine you can never drain 100% of it out. Don't add something to your crankcase that you wouldn't want in there all the time.

I thought that's why, when using ARX, there is the 'rinse' cycle? Does the rinse not get enough of the additive out therefore allowing it to do harm to the engine? Honestly, I wouldn't think this to be the case, but I have to ask.

TurboJim · Moderator

rkymtnrider wrote:

I thought that's why, when using ARX, there is the 'rinse' cycle? Does the rinse not get enough of the additive out therefore allowing it to do harm to the engine? Honestly, I wouldn't think this to be the case, but I have to ask.

http://www.auto-rx.com/pages/maint_program.html

There is no harm in having ARX in with the oil at all times.

Frank Miller · Guru

Auto-Rx can't harm anything it is green chemistry. i am not sure if you know this your posts seem to always revert back to solvent damage. Having Auto-Rx in your oil is a good thing it reduces metal wear among many other benefits.

rkymtnrider · Member

So should based on my above description, should I put it in MY engine?

johnoh · Veteran Member

rkymtnrider wrote:

So should based on my above description, should I put it in MY engine?

yes

bmwtechguy · Senior Member

After using Auto-Rx in dozens of cars and trucks of various makes and engine types, including European vehicles, I have yet to personally find any negatives or bad experiences. Main benefits have been improved compression (power and fuel efficiency), in the case of engines, and improved shifting and quieter/smoother operation in the case of automatic transmissions and power steering (hydraulic) systems. These are real benefits I have seen happen, and customers always notice the benefits mentioned above and have felt the small cost of Auto-Rx worth the long-term benefits.

rkymtnrider · Member

This is all very good info, and I thank you all for your input. I am, none-the-less, still nervous. I am planning on pulling the valve cover this weekend and will make a decision based on what I see in there.

geeaea · Senior Member

Yes, do that. If you could, take some images and host them on Imageshack. We always like before and after images.

A word of caution. Think twice about attempting to remove any formations you see. If you do, be very careful to get all of it out. physically plug the drain holes if necessary and/or assure that they flow when you're done. Perhaps a shop vac (do not use a volatile solvent with a shop vac running) with some brass bristle brush ...but be careful not to merely score the formation. Auto-Rx will slowly degrade the deposit in a safe manner. If severe enough, it may require multiple treatments. What you see up top is surely present in the pan.

cycloxer · Member

I own two 1.8T vehicles: a 2001 GTI with 143k and a 2005 Audi A4 with 76k. The Audi has been properly maintained with only OEM synthetic German Castrol. I bought the GTI used with no service records and while the engine runs pretty good, it is evident that it was not maintained perfectly. That is why I am running ARX in my GTI, but not in my Audi.

If you look under the cap of my Audi, everything is silver and perfectly clean. In the GTI, things are not quite as clean and you can see some varnish deposits.

I can tell you this, the ARX has helped smooth out the top end of the GTI. The engine valves have quited down a bit over the past 3k. I recommend you run a cycle through your Passat. Once you have finished your cleaning cycle, start using a top-shelf synthetic product like Castrol Edge. This is what I use now. The latest synthetic products out there are pretty darn good, but I still don't think they have the cleaning power of ARX.

geeaea · Senior Member

Good post. The biggest problem VW/Audi had around the turn of the century was selling too many units and having too few service centers. The required oil was in too limited distribution. They, and perhaps other Euro dealers, were the only ones carrying it. Consumers weren't going to drive 50 miles to get a $150 oil change and "oil is oil, right?". After their "getting acquainted" bout with the American consumer that they fought hard to sell to, there was a much wider availability of approved oils. German Castrol was about the only approved oil that one could find outside of a dealership for a decent length of time.

bmwtechguy · Senior Member

The VW dealers around here use only Castrol Syntec 5W-40, and oil changes are unbelievably low at about $60.

cycloxer · Member

I recommend regular Castrol GTX 5W30 for your ARX treatment cycle. Why? It is a very good oil that will not sludge and will not interfere with your ARX. I am running this now in my GTI with very good results. I plan to run it for a full 5k interval before draining.

For the rinse cycle I am going to switch back to a VW 502 approved Castrol Syntec 5W40. It is a very good Group 3 synthetic that will not interfere with the ARX rinse cycle.

After all treatments are complete I am going to switch to my favorite oil for the 1.8T - Castrol Edge 5W30. Even though it is not yet VW502 approved, it is Castrol's most advanced synthetic product. It is an excellent choice for the 1.8T. This oil can be run safely for 5-10k intervals depending on how hard you drive your vehicle.

Finally, I highly recommend that you use the large sized oil filter. I prefer the German Mann W940/25 available from germanautoparts for 6 bucks. It is an excellent quality filter that will fit on all variants of the 1.8T engine.

-- Edited by cycloxer on Friday 9th of April 2010 07:24:49 PM

bmwtechguy · Senior Member

Castrol Edge is on the thin side of the 30 grade at operating temps. I don't believe it is ACEA A3 rated due to HTHS lower than 3.5 I would rather have the Syntec 0W-30 or 5W-40 in there for hard use due to their A3 rating/ higher viscosity at operating temp.

Of course, the only Castrol Syntec I would use during a clean or rinse is the 5W-40, as you mentioned.

-- Edited by bmwtechguy on Saturday 10th of April 2010 02:02:04 AM

geeaea · Senior Member

bmwtechguy wrote:

The VW dealers around here use only Castrol Syntec 5W-40, and oil changes are unbelievably low at about $60.

Surely more true now than when VW/AUDI had a bit more choke on the access. Not that they were necessarily gouging. I'm sure that the NA distribution of approved oils in/around 2000 made it an import item and they too were being gouged. If I know my Americanized Euro dealer (as in suspect) half of them weren't using the approved oils either.

cycloxer · Member

bmwtechguy -

I have always run Castrol Syntec 5W40 in my Audi, but a few guys over at Quattroworld have started running Edge 5W30. They posted a lab test from Blackstone after 5k miles with comparable results to the German Castrol 0W which is becoming increasingly difficult to source.

What do you recommend as a top-shelf oil choice for the 1.8T?

bmwtechguy · Senior Member

Your choices are limited if you want to stay with a readily available VW 502 approved oil. GC is found at most Pep Boys and Auto Zone stores, and is occasionally on sale. If out of warranty, I would consider any one of the excellent dual-rated gas/diesel 5W-40 synthetic oils such as Schaeffers, M1, or Rotella (RTS). These will protect a hot-running, turbocharged engine that is being pushed to the limit. Finally, Amsoil makes a heavy duty synthetic dual-rated 5W-30 (HDD) that will protect as well or better than GC, but costs more.

There are surely other great oils (Redline, for example) that will work very well in the 1.8T engine, however, the above are the oils I am most familiar with and have easiest access to.

If EDGE works well for others, then it may be a viable choice for you. I cannot see spending more on it than for GC, if available. Sometimes, there is no good substitute for adequate HTHS, especially when a turbo-charged engine is pushed hard in hot weather.

-- Edited by bmwtechguy on Sunday 11th of April 2010 09:04:37 AM

rkymtnrider · Member

What about Valvoline full synth 5w30? Any comments on this?

TurboJim · Moderator

rkymtnrider wrote:

What about Valvoline full synth 5w30? Any comments on this?

It is an Audi/VW approved 502.00 oil - http://www.audiusa.com/etc/medialib/cms4imp/audi2/aoa/company/aoa-specific.Par.0023.File.pdf

bmwtechguy · Senior Member

The Valvoline Synpower 5W-30 that you find at parts stores and Wal-Mart is not the same as the "MST" version on that approved oil list. Different formula.

QuattroGuy · Newbie

Don't forget Audi Stealerships has been useing 502 oil for a few years and most 1.8T still have sludge issues. I have just finished my cleaning cycle on my 99 A4 1.8T and i used Motor Master Supreme 5w-30 on sale for $9 for 4.4Liters and i just changed my oil to start the rinse Cycle with Castrol GTX on sale this week for $13. to me the type of oil isn't going to kill your car over a 20K. it going to be how you drive your car that kills it. At least that my experience all 300,000Km worth on a 1.8T. I should mention that I decided to use Auto Rx because my car had it 300,000k and not because of car problems. I will also go back to useing Amsoil 5w-30 after the 2 Clean and rinse cycles

-- Edited by QuattroGuy on Monday 19th of April 2010 11:04:17 PM

TurboJim · Moderator

bmwtechguy wrote:

The Valvoline Synpower 5W-30 that you find at parts stores and Wal-Mart is not the same as the "MST" version on that approved oil list. Different formula.

After this question was raised I sent an e-mail to Valvoline asking if Synpower 5W-30 met VW's 502.00 specifications. I never heard back. Valvoline's website has a feature that tells you which oil to use for your application. It did not specify a weight, but Synpower was their recommendation for my Passat. ( http://classic.valvoline.com/crmo/details.asp?cid=515770 )

bmwtechguy · Senior Member

I am looking at the back of 5W-30 and 5W-40 bottles of Synpower and the 5W-40 is the only one that lists the VW502.00 spec. The quart bottles of Maxlife Synpower currently list only the A3 spec, but I imagine that it would meet 502.00 as well if it meets A3.

Seems like Valvoline is pointing Euro car customers towards the Synpower 5W-40 as it is the only one that I can find to buy that lists many Euro specs. Amsoil sort of does the same thing with their Euro 5W-40, even though other oils may actually work better in some apps.