Hello everyone,

I needed to do a 20,000 maintenance for a 2003 Passat 1.8T.
Using a coupon, the service would be at around $95. But then, the service manager asked for an additional $35 fee to use synthetic oil rather than the standard. So the total came out an estimate of $140.

On the coupon, it did say synthetic extra charge.


1) Is synthetic oil required to maintain factory warranty?
2) Am I getting jipped or is this like the standard costs for a Passat in Southern California?

Not to confuse the readers, the $95 intermediate maintenance includes the 'standard' oil change.

The extra $35 would replace the standard with 'synthetic' oil.

Ikwak,
In order to maintain your warranty, the oil used must meet VW service spec 502.00. The only oils that currently meet that spec are synthetic. You can find a list of approved oils at VW.com and use the search box to find the list. VW only recommends synthetics now due to sludge issues occurring with the turbo motors and "dino oils".

VW reccomends synthetic because longer oil change intervals require an oil that is capable of cleaning the engine for that period of time. Normal 5w30 oil cant do that. If you dont want to spend the money for synthetic, change your oil every 3000miles.