[Oregon TDI]

My dealer sells Castrol LL03 for under $7 a bottle (liter). Just not worth my time to look for it elsewhere.

 

[Oregon TDI]

The big deal about 505 and 507 is specific protection for cam lobe wear. 507 is for dpf and 505 is non dpf. The way the tdi engine is designed, it requires a specific oil to prevent premature cam lobe wear. Any modern diesel oil can deal with dpfs, but only 507 can deal with cam lobe wear prevention.

It baffles me why anyone would buy a $50K+ premium precision vehicle like the Touareg and then fret over an extra few dollars for an oil change.

 

[Oregon TDI]

Il be honest with you the LL03 at my dealer costs less than any other synthetic brand I can buy at whatever store. 7 bucks a litre is pretty much the going rate for any synthetic oil

I shopped around all the local auto parts stores for LL03. Knecht's, O'Reilleys, etc etc. Not only did they not have LL03 on the shelf, when I asked them they didn't know what I was talking about. So I figured, well, crap, I'll try the dealer and expect it to be $15/liter. To my surprise it was ~$7, about the same as all other full synthetic not meeting the 507 spec.

Score +1 for the dealer!

 

[Oregon TDI]

Low SAPS (low sulfated ash, phosphorus-sulfur)

Diesel Particulate Filters : Comma Oil & Chemicals Ltd.

 

[Oregon TDI]

I love threads about motor oil.

 

[Oregon TDI]

On the few occasions I've gone to the dealer to pick up a liter of oil, I say "I need a bottle of that special magic VW-approved oil for TDIs". They've never handed me the wrong thing.

 

[Oregon TDI]

So you looked for, and saw, "507 00" on the label.

Of course. I check for "LL03" and "507" on whatever they hand me. My point was the VW parts guys seem to know what it is without me saying "LL03" or "507". I can't say the same for the employees at other auto parts stores.

 

[Oregon TDI]

I always carry a bottle of 507 in the rig just in case, precisely because it can be difficult to get on short notice.

 

[Oregon TDI]

Unless someone in Wolfsburg who works on VW's Lubricant Engineering team happens to read & reply to this thread, we'll probably never know for sure!

 

[Oregon TDI]

No, there are other folks who understand what makes 507.00 engine oils 507.00 who don't work for VW. It's just no one here has found any article that discusses it.

If the formula for LL03/507 is proprietary (bottle label says "Ingredients: Proprietary"), maybe NDAs prevent other parties from disclosing VW "trade secrets". Even the MSDS for LL03 doesn't say much.

 

[Oregon TDI]

Maybe Bob Is The Oil Guy | The Internet's Number One Motor Oil Site knows.