1. Do your first oil change, top it up on the sensor, then insert the dip stick and mark o n the dipstick where "full" is.

2. An oil change should take about 7 liters. Open up your owners manual and read the specifications to find out for certain. Don't believe what others tell you on the internet, unless they are willing to warranty your motor.

3. VW 507.00 motor oil is rated for extended oil service changes... up to 20,000 miles / 30,000 km between oil changes. 10,000 miles or more is fine. 30 to 45 minutes is a time factor, not a miles traveled factor. How many miles are you doing in 30-45 minutes? If you are averaging 20 mpg per tankful of diesel, regularly, then yes, 10,000 mile interval oil changes are recommended. If you are averaging 33 MPG like I am, then 20,000 miles + intervals would be fine. Long, uninterupted, steady state highway or freeway miles that are easy miles on a diesel motor extend the oil change intervals. Short trips, city driving, stop and go miles that load up the motor oil with crap byproducts of combustion under heavy load shorten the intervals severely, they are known as severe operating conditions.

4. Vw oil filters for their diesels are designed to go 20,000 miles 30,000km between oil changes. I would change the oil filter every other oil change if doing 5k oil changes.

We have no idea what your driving conditions are other than that they are 30 to 45 minutes long. How many miles do you cover in that time? What kind of MPG are you averaging, long term? Is it flat, rolling, up and down, straight, canyons? More information is needed.

I would say you are fine with 10,000 mile oil change intervals... the oil run in the TDI's currently is a type 4 full synthetic, either made in Austria or made in Belgium if Mobil 1 Formula ESP.

 

NINER Asked: "We have no idea what your driving conditions are other than that they are 30 to 45 minutes long. How many miles do you cover in that time? What kind of MPG are you averaging, long term? Is it flat, rolling, up and down, straight, canyons? More information is needed."

"I would say you are fine with 10,000 mile oil change intervals... the oil run in the TDI's currently is a type 4 full synthetic, either made in Austria or made in Belgium if Mobil 1 Formula ESP."

My average MPG is 27 to 29 MPG (I do better mileage than the wife who accounts for 30% of miles driven). We live in a semi-mountainous area around 5000 feet elevation - good deal of up and down. We drive on 3 miles of dirt/gravel road from our house to paved road (generally driving 5 to 15 mph depending on the condition of the road). The rest to city is 45 to 65 mph depending on posted mph and is roughly 25 miles one-way to city (Prescott, AZ). If we go to Phoenix which is apprx 2 hours we average 30 to 32 mpg.

Oil used - Mobil 1 Full Synthetic at $10/Qt. Same as I used for '09 Jetta TDI.

Thanks for your imput. I would guess that the 3 miles of dirt road warants filter change at 5,000 miles and full oil change at 10,000.

 

I'd say oil changes at 5000 ( not to get into a tribological discussion, but clean oil is cheap engine insurance) and oil + filter every 10k. That works out for me at just about 6 mo and every year.

 

I would do either this or just do oil & filter changes every 10k miles. Just don't chase cars down the dirt roads ever, eating someone elses dust, and you wont get the dust intake. 27-29 MPG per tank is plenty good MPG to go 10k miles on an oil change. What is helping you out is doing 45-65 mph, that's pretty easy on the motor and the fuel consumption, better than blasting air out of the way and the motor doing some hard work doing 80 -85 mph constantly with all the drag from the ballistic coefficient of the car.

 

Wow, who hijacked Niner's username? There was not a single demeaning comment.. Gasp!

Good info, thanks, Niner!

 

I'm not sure why everyone thinks a dipstick made for a different engine with a different oil capacity will somehow be calibrated for this engine.

The oil level guage thing is a Porsche design, all their cars use this system...this is why the Treg has it.

Personally I do 5K oil changes. oil and filters are cheap, engines are not.

 

It won't be calibrated, it will be up to the operator to make the marks and indicators on it so that it WILL be calibrated with the oil sensor. Sensors can fail, dipsticks rarely fail.

 

Do yourself a favor and get your oil analyzed. For a $25.00 you'll get a wealth of information about YOUR oil and the intervals you really need to follow.

 

I'm not sure it's paranoia, but a functional dipstick, to the oil sump, provides the prudent owner a simple means to both ensure that there is physically sufficient oil in the sump ( and let's not get started on the calibration aspect, a small percentage of oil one way or the other is inconsequential, you have a more than adequate capacity sump, and sufficient crank clearance to allow serious overfill) but also to manually check the condition of your oil. Does it look like clean oil? Black paint? A milkshake? Smell like lube oil? Smell like diesel fuel? It merely enhances the information available to the interested owner.

 

OK so assuming one wants a manual dipstick. Why does anyone think one that isn't made for the engine will work? The dipstick everyone is buying is for the 09-12 engine which had more oil capacity and was a different engine design...the 13+ engine has less oil capacity and is redesigned.

So my question is really - which dipstick do you buy that you know is accurately calibrated for the 13+ tdi engine?

 

It seems to me that any one will do as long as you only use it to inspect the oil and not the level.

Though there again, if you marked the full level on it immediately after a service you might stand a reasonable chance of that mark being accurate!

 

Or, perhaps ask the VW service tech to measure his SST dipstick for that engine (the ones they use to check when filling), then mark yours accordingly.
And post the length (full mark to the tube seat face) here, for future seekers of truth.

 

Would someone please provide the part number for the dipstick which will fit the 2013 Touareg TDI?

TIA

 

2013 VW T-Reg does not have a specific dip stick. Below is a site with a 2012 for sale. What I'm not sure of is the specific oil level it (the 2012 dip stick) will show on the 2013. The 2013 oil capacity is something less than the 2012, I believe.

Oil Level Dipstick (V6 3.0L TDI) - 059115611T - IDParts.com

 

I think I paid $13 for that 2010 tdi touareg dipstick from Riverside VW... call up, ask for Robert Ford, tell him you are from TDIclub.com for the club discount. The dipstick from the CATA motor is longer than needed for a 2013 CNRB motor, you will need to calibrate the dipstick for a CNRB motor yourself, by testing and making your own marks on it, further up the dipstick, after installing the correct amount of motor oil.

 

I have a 2004 V10 TDI (5L). The plastic end of the dipstick (that touches the oil) has broken off. I assumed that it just fell down into the crankcase/oilpan. That turns out NOT to be the case. Upon purchasing a new dipstick, I found it woulden't seat. The VW mechanic tells me that the broken end is remaining in the tube, preventing seating of the new dipstick. I've had no luck trying to fish it out. Has anyone had any experience with this problem?

 

I have not experienced such a problem, but I know that you can buy a new dipstick tube for a few $$. It might be an easier way to resolve you situation. My 0.02$.

 

Thanks Conservative Consumer. After nosing around on the forum, I think I'll try the "heat-shrink tubing" procedure next.

 

I can't find the tube on my 2014. Has that been deleted on the newest TDIs. I would really like to add a manual dip stick.

 

You do have the tube on your 2014 TDI, but there is no dipstick in it, but just goofy plastic “cork”. Physically the tube is in the front of the engine on driver’s side.

Here is the link to a VW e-store diagram: http://parts.vw.com/parts/2012/Volkswagen/Touareg/TDI%20Executive?siteid=9&vehicleid=378649&diagram=9242243

On this diagram #22 is the dipstick tube, #21 is the “cork” by someone’s weird fancy called “dipstick” in the part description. The real dipstick can be found on the diagram for 2010 or earlier TDI under #29 (sold together with #30):

http://parts.vw.com/parts/2010/Volk...NE PARTS&component=Dipstick seal&partnumber=N90813802&vehicleid=302792&siteid=9

I paid like $19 at my dealership Parts.

As others said before, do not use the dipstick readings for adjustment of the oil level until you would know for sure what id true “full level” is. Ideally, right after oil change at a dealership or after it has been done on your own (knowing an exact amount of oil put in), find how this true level is reflected by the dipstick and use this reading for future references.

 

I looked around more today quite carefully and still could not find anything resembling a dip stick tube. I know my way around engines and had a 2010 Treg before this with a dip stick. I'm thinking this newer generation engine has eliminated it totally. If someone with a 2014 TDI could post a pic that would help. Otherwise I guess I'll ask the guys in service at my dealer, they are pretty helpful when I've needed them.

 

I was making an assumption that the 2012 and 2014 are almost the same engines with a few insignificant differences. You might be right; removal of the dipstick tube could have been one of those insignificant differences.