R8 GT Oil Service

[andyhofer]

Just so I get this clear, before I got an Audi I am used to the terms :

Interim Service
This 6-month, 35 point service is designed for the high mileage car user, or where the manufacturer recommends more frequent checks. This helps maintain your vehicle and prevents unforeseen faults. Included are an oil and filter change and a wide range of checks on the fundamental items. See our Service Schedules for more info.

Full Service
This is a very comprehensive annual service for trouble free motoring.
It exceeds most manufacturers service schedules with 67 checks and adjustments including changing the engine oil and oil filter. High quality parts are used such as Castrol Magnatec lubricants. We check and record wear and tear items using a colour code reporting system to give you peace of mind. For more info see our Service Schedules.

Major Service
This 24-month service covers all areas of essential maintenance.
In addition to all the items included on the Full service we cover items that are regularly recommended for replacement every 2 years. This includes changing the brake hydraulic fluids, fuel system filters, and spark plugs etc. By having the Major service you make significant saving on the cost of purchasing these extra items separately.



So I'm clear, which one of the two services that Audi offer is the full/major service. I thought that the Inspection service was the minor of the two, and the Oil service was the major one.

From what has been said above, £934 to change the oil !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 11 suggests that an Oil service just changes the oil.

My interpretation is
Inspection Service - Look over the car and check everything is as it should be
Oil service - Change the oil and any other consumables that are due t be changed

Andy

[desperado]

After all the recent track events, I decided the GT needed an oil change prior to the next scheduled service interval. So I popped into my local friendly Audi dealer for a quick oil change this morning. It turns out that the R8 GT does require a different oil than the "regular" V10. My dealer confirms 10W-60 racing oil, and I verified this in ETKA. Of course they don't keep this oil in stock (ETKA does not list an Audi part number, instead says "source locally") but fortunately it was available from the dealer's local source. So my "quick" oil change turned into somewhat of a project and took several hours for the work to be finished.

[mmaturo]

Good to know...note to self...when you buy your R8 GT next week buy the Audi Care for it.

[desperado]

I wrote the above on my phone while waiting for the car at the dealer's. Here is a follow up on today's R8 GT oil change, with "the rest of the story".

Since Audi and Castrol seem to be "joined at the hip" I was expecting the dealer to provide Castrol Edge Professional 10W-60 or Castrol TWS Motorsport 10W-60 oil. I was surprised that the oil provided is instead Lubro-Moly Synthoil Race Tech GT1 10W-60 Motor Oil manufactured in Germany by Liqui Moly gmbh. This is not a brand with which I have prior experience.

Fully-synthetic, all-season motor oil for sporting and extreme applications in gasoline and Diesel vehicles. Tested safe with catalytic converters and turbochargers. Special product developed by LIQUI MOLY.
Specifications: API SL/CF

Energy-conserving for extreme conditions. With the wide-range viscosity 10 W-60 HD. High thermal stability. Lubrication is also reliably maintained at extreme temperatures. Optimises engine performance. Immediate lubrication during cold starting and significantly improved wear protection. Fine-tuned to the demands of the latest generation power units (multi-valve and turbocharged).

DESCRIPTION Synthoil Race Tech GT1 SAE 10W-60 is a modern, fully synthetic, high-performance engine oil formulated for use in four-stroke engines under extreme load. The combination of synthetic base oils and modern additive technology satisfies the requirements of the latest engine designs.
PROPERTIES
- optimum lubrication under extreme conditions
- very high lubrication and ageing stability
- extremely low oil consumption and evaporation loss
- outstanding engine cleanliness
- rapid oil delivery at low temperatures
- miscible and compatible with commercially-available engine oils.
- tried and tested with exhaust catalytic converters

APPLICATION For petrol and diesel engines with and without turbocharging. Especially suitable for extreme engine requirements and racing.

@mmaturo: Since I was not at one of the Audi Care intervals, this oil change was on my dime. My cost for the oil, filter, sealing washers and labor was USD $285, broken down as Parts 135, Labor 150. So about $100 for the oil - IMO very fair. Also worth the peace-of-mind given the 14 days (I estimate about 35 hours) of track time put on the car this fall. Especially since the GT oil temp consistently runs quite high on the track, about 285 degF even in mild weather. At Chuckwalla in September the afternoon air temperature was 104 degF in the shade (the car was reporting 109 degF / 43 degC on the track) and the oil temps would easily hit the 300 degF red line resulting in the computer limiting engine power. TBH all the high output cars such as M3, ZR1, etc experienced overheating issues in these conditions. That is extreme duty for the lubricant and an oil change was certainly called for.

[desperado]

Here's what the Castrol USA website has to say about the R8 GT:

Lubricant Recommendation

Manufacturer : AUDI
Model : R8
Year : 2012
Engine : 10 Cyl-5.2L CMPA [Ed: This is the R8 GT engine code]
Climate : All Temps

Your Recommendations

Differential
Castrol SYNTEC Gear Oil, SAE 75W-90
GL-4 75W-90

Engine Oil
Thank you for inquiring about what oil is best for your vehicle. Based on the information you provided, your vehicle requires a special engine oil that can only be purchased at your local dealer. Please visit your local dealer to ensure that your vehicle is serviced properly.

[mmaturo]

Great information thank you! Just signed the purchase agreement about an hour ago for my soon to be GT... I will find out what it needs quickly as will track it early next year. Just signed up to drive Circuit of the Americas in February... At Daytona now with my RS5 for the next three days...GT would have been fun for this but did not get the deal done fast enough.

[desperado]

I spoke to GMG yesterday about oil. They use the Castrol TWS Motorsport 10W-60 oil in the R8 LMS and in their customer race cars. You can search for information about Castrol TWS on BITOG - you do have to sort through all the usual internet BS but the bottom line is this oil is the real deal for motorsport use. This oil is so highly recommended, if I were purchasing the oil myself I would pay the slight premium for the Castrol (~$15/liter) over the Lubro Moly (~$11/liter). Available online or at your local BMW dealer as it is the only oil approved for certain BMW M engines (such as our 2002 Z3 M Coupe with the S54 engine).

I've attached a UK datasheet for the latest iteration of this oil, Castrol Edge Professional TWS 10W-60. The Professional series oils have a fluorescent dye and are only available at the OEM's dealerships, not at auto parts stores or independent garages.



Note to the rest of you guys: Please stick with the OEM's recommended oil for your cars. After all, that is what we are doing for the GT - trying to understand and comply with Audi's recommendation. We are NOT looking to reinvent the wheel here!

[desperado]

@mmaturo: Since you will be tracking the GT, you are no doubt aware of this "lots of push" video by Motortrend / Randy Pobst:



My GT also initially pushed like mad with the OEM Pzeros. I was able to make the car much more neutral by changing tires and adjusting the alignment.

Ride height: Apparently USA-spec GTs come with the ride set fairly high, even higher than the Euro-spec versions. We lowered the car most of the way so as to maximize the amount of camber available. Here is what I am currently running with R6 tires.
Camber: -2.1 front, -2.0 rear
Toe: +0.17 total toe front (i.e., one half of the OEM recommendation), +0 total toe rear. This is just slightly nervous on the street, but feels good on the track.

Of course, sticky tires add much more grip to the front so also make a big difference. I tracked the car on the PZero, PZero Trofeo, and R6. Forget about the OEM Pzero, they were very overpowered by this car on the track. Either the cup tire or the R-compounds make the car much more rewarding to drive.

Now realize that Randy is doing 1:36 at Laguna on street tires, and I only manage 1:42 on sticky tires, so please take my comments with a grain of salt!

[desperado]

What is the circuit of America's event - do you have a link? I might be interested...

[James5599]

Supply your own oil mate..........i ve been doing it for years with all my cars, saved a fortune over stealer prices, assuming its not only available through a dealer.....

j.