What Oil do I need?

Sarah2490

Hi

Typical girl question :rotfl:

My VW R reg Polo is low on oil

The car is slightly over heating and I have checked and the oil is low (not a heating system problem as I have just had all that checked and a new thermostat fitted!)

So what oil do I need? Also how much do you put in?

Thanks

mattyprice4004

Given that the Polo came with a lot of different engines, more information would be useful.

Engine size and petrol or diesel?

Sarah2490

it is a 1.4 petrol in a very nice shade of blue lol

rob7475

Hi,

It depends whether the car is petrol or diesel.

If you put your registration number into the halfords website, it will tell you what oil you need.

The difference between the min and max on the dipstick is usually 1 litre but may be different so check your hand book. Always fill up on level ground and give the engine time to cool down before filling up. After you have added oil, leave it a couple of minutes before checking the level on the dipstick.

Have a look at the link below for a demonstration.

http://www.castrol.com/castrol/sectionbodycopy.do?categoryId=82915245&contentId=7073086

anotherbaldrick

10/40 semi synthetic, like Castrol Magnatec . you can get it in pink. (well, pinkish )

[Deleted User]

Sarah2490 wrote: »

it is a 1.4 petrol in a very nice shade of blue lol

You need to ask for "blue car oil".

Sarah2490

Thanks!

luckily there is a garage in walking distance as I don't want to move the car (ready a few scary post about driving with low oil!)

Do I need the good branded stuff or will cheap do? Have the car booked in for MOT on Monday so will get an oil change I think....just need to top up till then

rev_henry

Sarah2490 wrote: »

Thanks!

luckily there is a garage in walking distance as I don't want to move the car (ready a few scary post about driving with low oil!)

Do I need the good branded stuff or will cheap do? Have the car booked in for MOT on Monday so will get an oil change I think....just need to top up till then

An older car that you're taking for an oil change next week, get the cheapest you can find.

mkirkby

rev_henry wrote: »

An older car that you're taking for an oil change next week, get the cheapest you can find.

Indeed.

These would do:-
http://direct.asda.com/ASDA-10W40-Semi-Synthetic-Oil---5L/001021119,default,pd.html
http://direct.asda.com/ASDA-10W40-Semi-Synthetic-Oil---2L/001018949,default,pd.html


Same item, different sizes. They do a mineral oil as well which *should* be cheaper but doesn't appear to be

skivenov

Pretty much any engine oil's fine for topping up, particularly short term. I generally just chuck some of Asda's 15W- in.

Most small cars hold about 4 litres from empty, and take a litre to get from the min to the max on the dipstick, so that should give you a guide of how much to buy.

1.4 polo's aren't known for burning oil if it's the 8V, so ask the garage to see if they can see where it's leaking from while they're doing the change. My guess is cam cover (aka rocker cover) gasket, which isn't an expensive part or hard to change.