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Engine oil with VW 508 00/509 00
VW 508 00/509 00 - Longlife IV internally - is the VW Group's 0W-20 approval: 508 00 for petrol, 509 00 for diesel, always as a pair on the container. It applies only to engines designed for it from the factory and does not replace 504 00/507 00. What your engine needs is shown by the oil finder.
Longlife III and Longlife IV: two separate worlds
The VW Group runs two Longlife tracks in parallel, and there is no switching between them on your own initiative:
- **504 00/507 00** (Longlife III) - 5W-30, the specification for the vast majority of Group vehicles since around 2005
- **508 00/509 00** (Longlife IV) - 0W-20, introduced with the newer engine generations from around 2018
The manufacturer's rule is explicit: an engine specified for 508 00/509 00 may be given **only** this oil, and an engine specified for 504 00/507 00 may **not** be switched to the thinner Longlife IV. Both mistakes happen in the same place - topping up with the wrong container off the shelf.
How to recognise a Longlife IV vehicle
Typical are the newer petrol engines of the EA211 and EA888 generations plus the newer diesels, right across VW, Audi, Škoda, Seat and Cupra - from the Golf 8 and the Octavia IV to the current Audi model lines. What is reliable, though, is not the model year but the entry in the service schedule or on the oil filler cap: that is where the standard is printed. If in doubt, entering your engine in the oil finder leads straight to the approved oils.
Why the double number
508 00 is the petrol sheet, 509 00 the diesel sheet of the same oil generation - approved products meet both and carry both numbers. Technically it is a low-ash, low-friction oil based on ACEA C5 with markedly reduced friction; the fuel consumption advantage over Longlife III is the reason the Group opened the new track.
Frequently asked questions
Can I put 508 00/509 00 in a vehicle specified for 504 00/507 00?
No. Longlife IV is markedly thinner; engines specified for 504 00/507 00 are not designed for it. Switching between the tracks is not permitted in either direction - what counts is the standard in the service schedule.
My Golf 8 calls for 508 00 - is a 0W-20 with ACEA C5 enough?
No. ACEA C5 is the performance class below it; the VW standard is an approval of the specific product. The container has to say VW 508 00/509 00, otherwise the oil is not approved for this engine.
Does 509 00 also apply to my older TDI?
No. 509 00 is the diesel sheet of the Longlife IV generation and belongs only in engines with that specification. Older TDIs with a particulate filter run 507 00 - a different viscosity, not a substitute.
