I would drain it just to be on the safe side. It’s a tough question though.

 

Okay, total bone-head, newbie move here.

Turns out I picked up 5W-20 by accident instead of 5W-30. Should I drain it and replace it or can live with it for a few thousand K's until the next oil change?

I’d live with it. If you need any topup use 5-40…. Or you could drain half and replace with thicker?

 

I found this... What Happens When You Accidentally Put 5w20 Instead Of 5w30?

Here are the main takeaway points regarding these two motor oils.

• The 5w20 would flow easily at cold temps (usually during winter), but it’s likely to thin out in high temps.
• 5w30 is better and recommended. It flows easily too (just like 5w20), but performs better in high temps because it has more weight “30” as against “20” in 5w20.

Put simply, pouring 5w20 instead of 5w30 is the same as mixing a 5w20 oil and 5w30 oil, and then pour the blend into your car. So, it won’t hurt your engine immediately, but over time, you may begin to notice several uncommon signs, a significant drop in performance, and other unusual signs that show you’re not using the best motor oil for your engine.

Therefore, it is advisable that after you mistakenly pour 5w20 instead of 5w30, you should drain out the oil and refill the recommended one for your engine.

Guess what I will be doing this week!

 

Looks like you had already decided. Otherwise you could have quoted this from the same article:
5w20 would absolutely not harm a 5w30 engine because they deliver almost the same performance.
You should only be concerned if you drive in areas with high temperatures (or deserts, chuckles).
So, in summary, if you accidentally put 5w20 instead of 5w30, simply wait till your next oil change, drain the 5w20 and continue with your 5w30.
The only downside to drain and refill is to your wallet!
Jez

 

I'd drain it.
If you usued 0W-30 instead of 5W-30 then I'd say it's not a problem. But 30 weight is the viscosity during operating temps. 20W is too thin for you motor.

 

It's not likely to be a problem during the cold European winter months. I would say leave it in and then change at the end of spring.

 

I figured there would be a number of opinions on this topic, which is great - really appreciate the feed back.

I guess I'd rather play it safe and dump it all and put 5W-30 in since that's what's specified. It was a dumb mistake, but at least I caught it early, so no harm, no foul. At the worst, I will have only put 200km on it.

As I plan on keeping my Roadster for as long as possible, I'd rather bite the bullet and just do it right.

EDIT - I contacted one of the authors of the 3.2 Engine Chain Failure Investigation report over at the Audi A3 German Forum regarding my mistake and got this email -

Hallo Swiss,

This viscosity is NOT approved!
Please use an oil according to VW 507.00/504.00 in SAE class 5W30, or an oil with the approval VW502.00 and SAE class 5W40.
The oil should be changed immediately. Please do not drive too many kilometers as lubrication is no longer guaranteed and the lubricating film may break off.

Gruß
Michael

 

May I recommend PENNZOIL PLATINUM EURO XL 0W-30 for your change.

I've had good results with this oil so far.

https://solutions.shell.com/us/products/Pennzoil_Platinum_Euro_LX_SAE_0W-30_Full_Synthetic_Motor_Oil__001F4369

 

It will be fine on 5w20 if you don't drive it at high speed. You'll gain a little MPG on city driving.

0W20 is the lowest viscosity of (VW 502 00, 504 00)

 

Another vote for draining here, easy mistake to make. Audi put Shell Helix Ultra Professional 0w30 in my VR6, So if it’s good enough for them, it’s good enough for me. I think FNChaos has mentioned in the past that is the same as Penzzoil Platinum.

Supposedly 0w30 is better for fuel consumption than 5w30 and when you’re running a 3.2, every bit helps 😉

reCAPTCHA Verification

Shell Helix Ultra Professional AV-L 0w-30 Pure Plus Fully Synthetic Engine Oil
Shell Helix Ultra Professional AV-L 0w-30 Fully Synthetic Engine Oil with PurePlus technology is designed to meet the demanding requirements of particular high-end performance engines, including Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche. This oil is for gasoline and diesel engines, and is approved against the technically challenging, top-tier VW 504.00/507.00 specifications.

 

In these engines? I'd drain it yeah. It's funny that, over here, there aren't even many 5W30 oils that are 502.00 approved to begin with--pretty much everything is 5W40 or 0W40. So using a [max] 20 weight oil is unheard of (in these cars). I'm not sure if there are actually 502.00 spec'd 20 oils in Europe, but there are none here. If it actually passes a VAG petrol engine spec, it might not be that bad.

TBH if you don't drive the car hard and don't plan on keeping the oil in for more than say 4-5k kms, I don't think your engine is just going to up and explode on you lol. On one oil change out of the engine's life I doubt it's going to cause any serious problems. But, if it were me, I would drain it and replace with the right stuff. Of course, as I always say, I "don't drive like grandma, either" so I def. wouldn't want something like 5W20 or 0W20 in there.

Note that one of the things the newer 50x.xx specs address in gasoline engines is engine sludge--these oils all prevent oil sludging. Again though this is not going to happen in just one OCI; still if it were me I'd drain it and put the right stuff in.

 

In these engines? I'd drain it yeah. It's funny that, over here, there aren't even many 5W30 oils that are 502.00 approved to begin with--pretty much everything is 5W40 or 0W40. So using a [max] 20 weight oil is unheard of (in these cars). I'm not sure if there are actually 502.00 spec'd 20 oils in Europe, but there are none here. If it actually passes a VAG petrol engine spec, it might not be that bad.

TBH if you don't drive the car hard and don't plan on keeping the oil in for more than say 4-5k kms, I don't think your engine is just going to up and explode on you lol. On one oil change out of the engine's life I doubt it's going to cause any serious problems. But, if it were me, I would drain it and replace with the right stuff. Of course, as I always say, I "don't drive like grandma, either" so I def. wouldn't want something like 5W20 or 0W20 in there.

Note that one of the things the newer 50x.xx specs address in gasoline engines is engine sludge--these oils all prevent oil sludging. Again though this is not going to happen in just one OCI; still if it were me I'd drain it and put the right stuff in.

I thought the 507.00 specs were for low SAP which means it doesn’t lubricant as well as older specs.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Yeah, it's going to get drained and replaced this as soon as possible. I agree, it's a horrible waste of oil, but it's way cheaper than a set of toasted bearings!

 

@ TT'sRevenge - PM sent...

 

Looking on the bright side, you'll have given a nice and possibly rewarding engine flush using the 5W20 for a little while.

Sent from my SM-G996B using Tapatalk

 

I vote leave it in over winter.
You can reduce that auto bahn speed to compensate. It will give you a UK vibe when you're at 70mph max 😂
You're nearly on winter tyres soon? I wouldn't expect you to be flying around at top speed in winter.

 

You're nearly on winter tyres soon? I wouldn't expect you to be flying around at top speed in winter.

Not bloody likely with freekin' 5W-20 oil in the pan!

 

Evidently the last time I bought my oil a few years ago, I picked up four or five cases at one go. Like a knuckle head, I managed to grab a case of 5W-20 by mistake. The only reason I even noticed was as I was cleaning up the shop, I happened to look at one of the bottles and thought "Why do I have a bottle of 5W-20?"....only then to realize they were ALL 5W-20!

Got home, checked the remaining cases and sure enough, there it was with great big letters on the side Castrol GTX SAE 5W-20 right next to all the other cases of 5W-30. So I have quite a few unused quarts that I guess I will keep just for topping up as needed.

 

Evidently the last time I bought my oil a few years ago, I picked up four or five cases at one go. Like a knuckle head, I managed to grab a case of 5W-20 by mistake. The only reason I even noticed was as I was cleaning up the shop, I happened to look at one of the bottles and thought "Why do I have a bottle of 5W-20?"....only then to realize they were ALL 5W-20!

Got home, checked the remaining cases and sure enough, there it was with great big letters on the side Castrol GTX SAE 5W-20 right next to all the other cases of 5W-30. So I have quite a few unused quarts that I guess I will keep just for topping up as needed.

A few years ago? You’d better check the “best before” date!!! 😏

 

 

If you keep it in the original container and in a controlled environment (no freezing or excessively hot temperatures) it will last a long time. Most literature states 5 about years in those conditions. The trick is to make sure the additives haven't separated. Mine poured the dark honey color as always and no chunky bits in the bottom.

More info here -

MAXIMIZING INDUSTRIAL LUBRICANT’S STORAGE LIFE | CASTROL INDIA

Some lubricants may be kept in storage for more than a year & operators fail to understand their effects. Read how to maximize industrial lubricants’ storage life.

www.castrol.com

Oddly, there's no specific information in the MSDS for shelf life -

https://msdspds.castrol.com/ussds/amersdsf.nsf/Files/C74C348DD1623357802588B70052878D/$File/2875880.pdf

 

After leaving my Roadster in the driveway for the past few weeks with an engine full of 5W-20, I finally managed to get the time to dump and re-fill it with 5W-30. Thanks to the Stahlbus drain valves on the sump and filter housing, it was super easy to drain all of it without a mess or having to remove the filter housing.

So while I was holding a bog standard oil funnel in one hand and a 5-liter jug of oil in the other, I was wondering if there's a funnel out there that would screw into the oil filler fitting that can remain upright and keep itself in place.

Sure enough, it turns out both Sealey and Laser Tools offer an Oil Funnel Set for VAG. And over on Amazon, I found a similar one from Brilliant Tools for a lot less. Of course eBay has these exact same funnels but with different names.

Just curious if anyone out there has used one of these and can make any recommendations?

The Sealey funnel (red) and the Brilliant funnel (blue)-

 

Yeah those funnels are cool and all but never thought they'd be so necessary as to spend the money they cost. Some like the second one you have there are typically not too expensive at around $25-30 USD but when you consider a non-locking funnel is a few bucks and you probably have 2-3 of them already anyway... Meh never seemed like a "must buy to me". The cool thing about the second type you have there is there's interchangeable cap/spouts for them so you can fit different makes and models by either buying a kit with multiple types or by just buying them separate if/when you need to.

Convenient, yes, but like the Fumoto and Stahlbus drain valves, I never really found these to be so useful as to warrant spending on them. However of course other people will have different views on the matter. I think they're certainly "nice to have" but never bothered with them myself.

 

Wow SJP, you're looking to package this up with the drain valve and start selling on daytime TV shopping channels?
If you weren't a moderator I'd have to question your passive selling tactics (and look to take a cut myself 😂)

I've got a super cheap small funnel that slots right into the neck deeply enough to not come out while pouring in the oil. Think I paid £1 (or $0.5 in tomorrow's money ).

 

Agreed...spending that kind of money on a plastic funnel is a bit mental.

Normally I wouldn't even consider with this sort of "late night TV offer" product since I've always purchased oil in the 1 qt/ltr bottles which are easy enough to handle and control. In fact I've never used a funnel in the past.

But that 5 liter jug was rather awkward to manage and it was pretty obvious trying to pour that much oil at one go was going to result with some spillage; which is why I borrowed the shop's funnel in the first place.

Probably the wiser decision is to skip the funnel and just buy smaller bottles as I have done in the past.

 

I totally disagree. 0w is like water. 5w20 is way better but just don't have the heat protection 30 has. All my cars call for 5w20 but I put 5w30 and have never had one smoke or burn oil way past 200k miles