What makes VW 507 oil so necessary?

BeemerMikeTX said:

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

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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 said:

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.

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And my point was that you can (and should) check for "507 00", and maybe "LL03" depending on which brand you want, on the container of oil that you buy at the auto parts store, without relying on the auto parts store employees to get it right. You apparently double-checked your VW parts guys without relying on their "seem to know" to get it right.

Now that we've resolved how to make sure that you are buying the required VW 507 00 oil, wherever you get it, we're hopefully back to the OP question about what is the "magic" of 507 00 oil. So far, it seems that 507 00 requires a high-quality, long-life synthetic oil with low SAPS and a viscosity of SAE 5W-30.

Does anyone have any other insight into 507 00?

I still maintain that the only thing that makes 507 different is the low ash and sulfur content. If it wasn't for that, it would be very similar to other VW spec oils. Guess it doesn't really matter for this thread's sake though.

Bottom line for sure, is that 507 spec oil is the ONLY oil VW licenses for use with diesel engines equipped with a DPF.

Philth said:

I still maintain that the only thing that makes 507 different is the low ash and sulfur content.

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And apparently also the SAE 5W-30 viscosity.

Philth said:

I still maintain that the only thing that makes 507 different is the low ash and sulfur content. If it wasn't for that, it would be very similar to other VW spec oils. Guess it doesn't really matter for this thread's sake though.

Bottom line for sure, is that 507 spec oil is the ONLY oil VW licenses for use with diesel engines equipped with a DPF.

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There could be other additives like detergent and stabilizers....

Stabone33 said:

There could be other additives like detergent and stabilizers....

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Could be a lot of things. Does anybody know what things it is, if any?

BeemerMikeTX said:

Could be a lot of things. Does anybody know what things it is, if any?

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Unicorn piss? It's probably unicorn piss....

Stabone33 said:

Unicorn piss? It's probably unicorn piss....

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So we'll mark you down as an "I don't know".

BeemerMikeTX said:

So we'll mark you down as an "I don't know".

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Aren't we all?

Why is 5W-30 "necessary" within the 507.00 spec - in many other engines 0W-30 is better during cold weather start-up - is it something specific in 507.00 that oil companies can't (yet) make in a 0W-30?

Black Grouse said:

Aren't we all?

Why is 5W-30 "necessary" within the 507.00 spec - in many other engines 0W-30 is better during cold weather start-up - is it something specific in 507.00 that oil companies can't (yet) make in a 0W-30?

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It seems that 0W-30 may be too low a viscosity for VW. My owner's manual says the factory-fill was synthetic oil with a viscosity of 5W-40 (not 5W-30). The required VW spec for engine oil in the manual is 504 00 and 507 00, and the manual says the only oils available in the U.S. that meet these specs are "synthetic" oils (and from VW's list all of these 507 00 oils are 5W-30). The manual further says that if you need to add oil and none are available that meet VW's specs, then you can add no more than 1/2 quart of high-quality synthetic oil that meets ACEA A3 and has a viscosity of 5W-40 or 5W-30.

So, it seems that VW does not want 0W-30 oil in their V6 TDI engines (or apparently in their V6 gasoline engines and hybrids).

Someone said that 507 is good for the cam lobe wear, however, I have found from the dealer as well as all over the forums that the 2004 touareg TDI pumpe deuse engines (engine code bkw) need the 505.01 or 506.01 and that the 507 should not be used even though it is a newer oil. This only applies to like 800 early v10 touaregs in the US that don't have the DPF filter system. This is correct right?

Well, then this oil must be even more special. lolz.

Castrol develops new engine oil for Volkswagen Group | ET Auto

I did see this that helps answer the question: VW 507.00, VW 504.00, etc: Volkswagen Motor Oil Specifications Explained - oilspecifications.org

sailboart29 said:

Someone said that 507 is good for the cam lobe wear, however, I have found from the dealer as well as all over the forums that the 2004 touareg TDI pumpe deuse engines (engine code bkw) need the 505.01 or 506.01 and that the 507 should not be used even though it is a newer oil. This only applies to like 800 early v10 touaregs in the US that don't have the DPF filter system. This is correct right?

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Yes.

nickyt said:

Well, then this oil must be even more special. lolz.

Castrol develops new engine oil for Volkswagen Group | ET Auto

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That new oil is 0W-20 - good for fuel economy - the sceptics will says it's "too thin".

sailboart29 said:

..., I have found from the dealer as well as all over the forums that the 2004 touareg TDI pumpe deuse engines (engine code bkw) need the 505.01 or 506.01 and that the 507 should not be used even though it is a newer oil.

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This is true, and I would go further to say the 5w30 505.01 oil you can get at the dealer now also should not be used as it leads to cam lobe wear.

Use only 5w40 in a PD TDI.

-J

sailboart29 said:

Someone said that 507 is good for the cam lobe wear, however, I have found from the dealer as well as all over the forums that the 2004 touareg TDI pumpe deuse engines (engine code bkw) need the 505.01 or 506.01 and that the 507 should not be used even though it is a newer oil. This only applies to like 800 early v10 touaregs in the US that don't have the DPF filter system. This is correct right?

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A later specification oil is not necessarily better than an earlier specification oil FOR EVERY PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTIC. Which is why I asked if anyone know what the "magic" was for 507 00. Later "environmental" specification oils tend to have lower viscosity (for fuel mileage) and lower ZDDP (zinc, phosphorus) levels to protect catalysts, which would provide less protection for earlier engines that were not designed for it. For example, lower ZDDP levels can be problematic for flat tappet engines.

I don't think you'll find anything in writing by VW specifically for what you're asking. 505.01 and 507 are very similar, by 507 is for engines fitted with a DPF. The PDs can use 505.01 or 507, but CRs cannot use 505.01.

Philth said:

I don't think you'll find anything in writing by VW specifically for what you're asking. 505.01 and 507 are very similar, by 507 is for engines fitted with a DPF. The PDs can use 505.01 or 507, but CRs cannot use 505.01.

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Well, if nobody knows the differences (whether in writing by VW or not), then nobody knows. In that case, it seems like a good idea to use the oil specification that VW requires for one's specific engine.