Did the oil change and filter clean yesterday. Normally I would only use OEM parts but I thought wtf and ordered the Bilstein oil instead of VW (£20 vs £50). I will only be able to tell any difference from Bilstein to OEM when I change the oil in 20.000km/12.000mi and can have a look at it (I will change the oil and clean the filter every 20.000km after I saw the state of it when changing it this time).
So, my car has done 28.000km/17.000mi, 15 months old and totally stock. The first half has been driven with mixed driving style (both the misses and I drove the car) and the last half with Quattro in Dynamic most of the time and a lot more spirited driving (I was the only one to drive the car)
I just can't understand how Audi have come up with a service interval for this Borg Warner Haldex system to be 3 years regardless of km/mi??? Just look at all the dirt in the oil on the last image let alone the state of the filter I will get a JB4 in a couple of months which is why I think a 20.000km oil change and filter clean interval would be a good idea.
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So, I changed my haldex oil and cleaned the filter again after 20.000km. The reason for changing the oil was mainly because it has been 20.000km since last time i did but I did also experience the car holding 1st gear longer than usual WOT before changing to 2nd. Of course this could be due to my JB4 but the fact is that after changing the oil it made a huge difference and the gearshift is now snappy changing from 1st to 2nd WOT. I talked to George from Burger Motorsport before the oil change and he told me that the slow change from 1st to 2nd normally is due to lack of traction and the car would hold the rpm until the speed catches up and then shift.
My conclusion:
- The first oil change is way more important than the second (the filter was almost clean this time with no clutch residue on it)
- There were a small amount of black spots in the bottom of the oil pan but not the same amount as first time I changed the oil (See my quoted post)
- I didn't feel a difference between OEM oil and Bilstein (I put Bilstein on again)
- Fresh oil equals more traction
- 15-20.000km interval is recommended, especially if tuned
Some pictures from the oil change:
Nice and clear oil
Almost clean filter
Before cleaning
Clean housing (also before cleaning)