synthetic or semi-synthetic oil

laughter189

its a 04 Polo 1.2

Was in tesco and had to buy oil , as the engine light came on .

One was 5w-30 and the other was 10w-40

which is suitable for car above or does it matter ?

JOSman

Just got my car serviced last week and was talking to the mechanic, he told me he has 4 different types of oil depending on the car. Check the manual for what oil should be used.

Best of luck

Delancey

As JOSman has said , check the manual for the correct oil for your engine. It is unwise to rely on the oil warning light to alert you to a low oil level and you really should check the level regularly by using the dipstick.

Midnight_EG

Delancey wrote: »

As JOSman has said , check the manual for the correct oil for your engine. It is unwise to rely on the oil warning light to alert you to a low oil level and you really should check the level regularly by using the dipstick.

It's not an oil level warning light, it's an Oil Pressure warning light! Once that comes on, the damage has been done already

Delancey

Midnight_EG wrote: »

It's not an oil level warning light, it's an Oil Pressure warning light! Once that comes on, the damage has been done already

Never knew that ! Cheers.....

laughter189

what damage has been done ? ----only drove a 100 yards with the light on .

Midnight_EG

laughter189 wrote: »

what damage has been done ? ----only drove a 100 yards with the light on .

No oil means the moving parts in your engine aren't getting lubricated, which leads to metal moving against metal at a very high speed causing highly increased wear and tear. You can literally melt the parts inside because it gets so hot without lube

Atlantic Dawn

laughter189 wrote: »

its a 04 Polo 1.2

Was in tesco and had to buy oil , as the engine light came on .

One was 5w-30 and the other was 10w-40

which is suitable for car above or does it matter ?

If the engine light came on it's unlikely to be an oil problem. The oil light is another story.

Go to www.castrol.co.uk and it will tell you the spec and amount your car takes.

Mycroft H

Midnight_EG wrote: »

It's not an oil level warning light, it's an Oil Pressure warning light! Once that comes on, the damage has been done already

Depends....

You turn on a high miler and it might take a good bit longer for the pressure to build up, but by no means does it mean its broke

Midnight_EG

BX 19 wrote: »

Depends....

You turn on a high miler and it might take a good bit longer for the pressure to build up, but by no means does it mean its broke

5 seconds of no lubrication can do a hell of a lot of damage...and if Gary ITR comes on and see's this he'll attest to it

Whenever I start my car I let it heat up for 10 minutes, then I build up the oil pressure, then finally move off. I've only ever seen the oil pressure warning light once, and that was because I took a left turn a bit too quick, so all of my oil went to the gearbox side and wasn't getting pumped...but that was only a split second it was on for. I'll be investing in a baffled sump soon!

bryaner

I think this is a case of any oil type would be better than the amount thats in your sump at the min..

laughter189

This is the light that came on :



Is it oil level light or oil pressure light ?

JJJJNR

Midnight_EG wrote: »

...and if Gary ITR comes on and see's this he'll attest to it

Gary ITR FTW

Nissan doctor

laughter189 wrote: »

This is the light that came on :



Is it oil level light or oil pressure light ?

On most VAGS, that light in yellow is a low oil warning light. Red is the low pressure warning which can also be caused by very low oil level or an oil control system failure.

OP, your engine is extremely prone to chain tensioner failure and this will only be made more likely by not checking your oil level regularly.

kerten

Needed to top up exact car with same light on. castrol web site suggests 5/30 edge full synthetic for this engine. Took almost 1 lt oil to reach max level on dipstick. last service was 3000 mile ago, excessive oil loss like this should be diagnosed.

Saab Ed

Midnight_EG wrote: »

5 seconds of no lubrication can do a hell of a lot of damage...and if Gary ITR comes on and see's this he'll attest to it

I've only ever seen the oil pressure warning light once, and that was because I took a left turn a bit too quick, so all of my oil went to the gearbox side and wasn't getting pumped

I had an old Alfa boxer once that used to let you know it needed oil by knocking a bit in the bottom end as you exited a bend under throttle Great system and in fairness it never went bang. I used to lob in a litre and drive on.

That said (and back on topic) I wouldnt advise this method OP and you should always check the dipstick for a correct oil level reading atleast once a week IMO so as to avoid such a scenario happening again.

antodeco

Actually, that reminds me, better check my oil! Haven't in about a month.

laughter189

laughter189 wrote: »

This is the light that came on :



Is it oil level light or oil pressure light ?

This light came on again today -- 2 days after putting a litre of oil in the car .

So its not oil problem .. The car has plenty oil .

Anyway , put in another litre and the light goes out again . - Will let you know what mechanic says tomorrrow .

Could it be a faulty sensor causing this ?

jca

Was there oil on the dipstick? If there's oil up to the max line on the dipstick I wouldn't worry too much about it. Be very careful not to overfill with oil. Too much oil can cause damage.

Suprab1

We had a good few VAG & Fords in earlyer in the year for this problem. Some had just kept toping up & blew their engines. Always check the dipstick before filling as it seems to be getting very frequent that these oil pressure sensors are failing/faulty.

Nissan doctor

As has been said above. Have you been checking the level properly with the dipstick or just putting oil in because the light came on?

Fishtits

I don't get why modern engines use so much oil.

I had a 200K mile '90's car that never needed a top up.

I replaced it with a modern version that came with a litre bottle in the boot, and used it between services (cost a bloody fortune too...)

One step forward...:cool:

laughter189

laughter189 wrote: »

This light came on again today -- 2 days after putting a litre of oil in the car .

So its not oil problem .. The car has plenty oil .

Anyway , put in another litre and the light goes out again . - Will let you know what mechanic says tomorrrow .

Could it be a faulty sensor causing this ?

Went mechanic today and he says that there is plenty oil in the engine .

He said that it is a faulty light -

laughter189

It must ahve been a faulty light .............did'nt need to do anything or pay a mechanic .

The light has not come on since . It was not low in oil , so it must be a faulty sensor / light .

Still driving away and the light is not coming on .

Notch000

Midnight_EG wrote: »

Whenever I start my car I let it heat up for 10 minutes, then I build up the oil pressure, then finally move off.....

Do you usually set off 10 mins early or arrive 10mins late to everything ???? personally i think sitting in your car for 10 mins waiting for it to heat up is complete BS

Midnight_EG

Notch000 wrote: »

Do you usually set off 10 mins early or arrive 10mins late to everything ???? personally i think sitting in your car for 10 mins waiting for it to heat up is complete BS

I usually go out, turn on my car and let it idle while I shower or eat something...maybe even go toilet if I feel like it


Do you have a point?

-Corkie-

Midnight_EG wrote: »

I usually go out, turn on my car and let it idle while I shower or eat something...maybe even have a fap fap if I feel like it


Do you have a point?

FYP...:pac::pac:

keithclancy

Midnight_EG wrote: »

I usually go out, turn on my car and let it idle while I shower or eat something...maybe even go toilet if I feel like it


Do you have a point?

10 Minutes ??? .. Jaysus thats a bit excessive

I just set off after 10/15 seconds and then take it easy until the engine has warmed up.

Midnight_EG

keithclancy wrote: »

10 Minutes ??? .. Jaysus thats a bit excessive

I just set off after 10/15 seconds and then take it easy until the engine has warmed up.

Ah I like letting my oil warm up, then building up the oil pressure, then heating up the gearbox with 10 minutes of easy driving

unkel

Midnight_EG wrote: »

Whenever I start my car I let it heat up for 10 minutes, then I build up the oil pressure, then finally move off.

That's very bad practice. Who told you to do that, your great grandad?

Your engine warms up much quicker with less wear when you start your car and drive off straight away (provided you keep the revs right down until the engine has warmed up)

Midnight_EG

unkel wrote: »

That's very bad practice. Who told you to do that, your great grandad?

Your engine warms up much quicker with less wear when you start your car and drive off straight away (provided you keep the revs right down until the engine has warmed up)

Nope, my car likes it better when I treat it well...if you owned my car you'd know


Different strokes for different folks eh

phelixoflaherty

Same with a Saxo I had..

VeVeX

Midnight_EG wrote: »

Ah I like letting my oil warm up, then building up the oil pressure, then heating up the gearbox with 10 minutes of easy driving

Thats bad for your engine.

When the engine is at idle it takes more than twice as long to heat up compared to when you drive immediately. Most engine wear happens when your engine is outside its ideal temperature.

EDIT: too slow

Mech1

laughter189 wrote: »

This light came on again today -- 2 days after putting a litre of oil in the car .

So its not oil problem .. The car has plenty oil .

Anyway , put in another litre and the light goes out again . - Will let you know what mechanic says tomorrrow .

Could it be a faulty sensor causing this ?

That light gets reset by a switch in the bonnet latch. Even if you dont put oil in it opening and closing the bonnet will reset it for a while.

Prob faulty level sensor. (if, as you say plenty of oil in engine).

Midnight_EG

VeVeX wrote: »

Thats bad for your engine.

When the engine is at idle it takes more than twice as long to heat up compared to when you drive immediately. Most engine wear happens when your engine is outside its ideal temperature.

What works for me might not work for others...so unless you've first hand experience with my car you need not try school me on it

keithclancy

Midnight_EG wrote: »

What works for me might not work for others...so unless you've first hand experience with my car you need not try school me on it

Is it this one ?

Midnight_EG

keithclancy wrote: »

Is it this one ?

http://www.dyna.co.za/cars/Ford_15_Model_T.jpg

Nope, this one

-Corkie-

Dont ever buy a VAG daysul because you will be buying a new DPF every week..:)

Midnight_EG

-Corkie- wrote: »

Dont ever buy a VAG daysul because you will be buying a new DPF every week..:)

Wouldn't ever touch either

-Corkie-

Midnight_EG wrote: »

Wouldn't ever touch either

You are worse than my old man. He calls me the bag of spanners tractor driver...:mad:. He loves Hondas too.

Midnight_EG

-Corkie- wrote: »

You are worse than my old man. He calls me the bag of spanners tractor driver...:mad:. He loves Hondas too.

I never said I was sticking to Honda for life :rolleyes:

bryaner

Midnight_EG wrote: »

Ah I like letting my oil warm up, then building up the oil pressure, then heating up the gearbox with 10 minutes of easy driving

Your engines oil pressure gets lower the hotter the oil gets..

Midnight_EG

bryaner wrote: »

Your engines oil pressure gets lower the hotter the oil gets..

If it did I really doubt I'd be hitting VTEC all through the day on a trackday now, would I?

bryaner

Midnight_EG wrote: »

If it did I really doubt I'd be hitting VTEC all through the day on a trackday now, would I?

It gets lower as the oil thins basic stuff really..

Midnight_EG

bryaner wrote: »

It gets lower as the oil thins basic stuff really..

So, on that theory, I should use new oil everyday because my oil pressure will be too low if I drive it on a bit?


Nah, oil change every month is fine with me

bryaner

Midnight_EG wrote: »

So, on that theory, I should use new oil everyday because my oil pressure will be too low if I drive it on a bit?


Nah, oil change every month is fine with me

Quote me where I said it gets to low, I stated that oil pressure gets lower as the oil gets hot and thins, surely you understand this very simple process..;)

Midnight_EG

bryaner wrote: »

Quote me where I said it gets to low, I stated that oil pressure gets lower as the oil gets hot and thins, surely you understand this very simple process..;)

Low oil pressure = me not hitting VTEC...therefore I'd have to change my oil everyday going on your theory

bryaner

Midnight_EG wrote: »

Low oil pressure = me not hitting VTEC...therefore I'd have to change my oil everyday going on your theory

Good grief can you understand the difference in lower and low, obviously you don't build engines for your track days, maybe ask the guy that does..

Midnight_EG

bryaner wrote: »

Good grief can you understand the difference in lower and low, obviously you don't build engines for your track days, maybe ask the guy that does..

Why would I build engines for track days? I bring my own car on track...finish, change the oil and off I go on my daily routine again

bryaner

Midnight_EG wrote: »

Why would I build engines for track days? I bring my own car on track...finish, change the oil and off I go on my daily routine again

Nuff said, maybe stick a gauge on it and look at the different oil pressure hot and cold.

Quazzie

Midnight_EG wrote: »

Low oil pressure = me not hitting VTEC...therefore I'd have to change my oil everyday going on your theory

As the oil heats up it becomes thinner and the pressure gets lower. When you let it cool down again the pressure rises again. It's simple physics. There are people here telling you some simple basic information but you are too stubborn and you think your car defies physics and acts different to all other cars. Oil is oil. It acts the same in your car as it does in a teediddly. Take the advice and drop the bullshît as it only makes you look like a delusional fanboi.