JLHart

I have a 2007 A4 Quattro 2.0 T I purchased with 83.000 in Sept. I now have 107.000 on it I have a long drive I do every week. I have been going through about a quart every 1.000 miles. I changed the plugs and they were covered with ash deposits indicating the oil burning problem. I pretty sure it is rings is there some way I can be sure about this Other then this problem I love the car.

Mbogosia

Found this on another site.


"This thread has been created to act as a summary of information for the widespread oil consumption problems with the 2.0 and 1.8 TFSI engines and provide answers to the most frequently asked questions. If you are new to the forum please read this before posting a new a thread.

What is the problem?

The early version of the TFSI petrol engines found in the A5, A4 and Q5 have an inherent design fault which leads to high consumption of oil.

The base problem seems to relate to the piston rings, which allow small amounts of oil to leak round the pistons into the cylinders, where it burns and therefore leads to high oil consumption. The typical way drivers become aware of this is when the 'add one litre of oil' notice comes up on the dashboard. When this comes up you don't need to immediately stop, but you should add a litre of correct grade oil as promptly as you can.

Over time this problem gets worse, and the range you can drive before needing to add oil steadily drops. In advanced cases there can be noticeable smoke from the exhaust under heavy acceleration, and it is also known to damage the actual cylinders themselves, causing scoring in the bores. One theory is that these grooves cause more and more oil to leak around the pistons, hence the problem gets progressively worse.

Note that the Audi specification for the 2.0 engines allows for a litre of oil to be used every 1242 miles, and they will not consider this level of usage to be a fault. This is written in the manual if you look in the section on oil. However, many 2.0 TFSI owners routinely get only around 500-600 miles, which is definitely out of spec.

(Other engines may have different specifications, please check your manual to confirm)

What engines are affected?

The 2.0 and 1.8 TFSI engines prior to 2012. Engine codes known to be affected include CAEB, CDNC and CNDC (list being updated). The problem seems to have been corrected when the facelift was released. But all A5 TFSI engines before that, i.e. 2008 - 2012, are susceptible.

The overwhelming majority of reports are for the 2.0, but 1.8 TFSI is also affected. There have been far fewer reports from 1.8 owners and information is harder to find. It is unclear whether this is because the 1.8 is less susceptible to the problem, or there are simply less 1.8 engines in existence.

Diesels engines are not affected, but there have been isolated reports of the larger petrol engines such as those found in the S5 also having an oil problem, but it's unclear if this is the same issue. Again, S5's are far less common than 2.0 TFSI A5s, so that may be the reason there are few reports of this.

The following advice should be generally applicable for any owner with oil problems, but is primarily based on the experience of 2.0 owners. If you have a different engine and find information that contradicts this FAQ, please post below and I will update.

How can I tell if I have the problem?

It's fairly easy to test. Top up your oil then reset your odometer. When the one litre message comes up if you've done less than 1200 miles you have the problem. In practise if you are getting anything under 2000 miles you probably have the problem, but Audi won't acknowledge it until you get below 1200 miles. (this is correct for 2.0 engines, I am not sure the spec mileage for other engines)

However, for Audi to do any corrective work you need to have an official consumption test done by a main dealer. For this they will drain your car of oil, then fill it up with a carefully measured volume so they know exactly how much is in the engine. You are then asked to drive 621 miles, or until the one litre warning comes on, whichever is first. At that point you return to the dealer, they drain the engine again and carefully measure how much is left. In this way they can get an extremely accurate measurement of the oil used over the distance. If more than half a litre has been used over 621 miles, the car has failed the test and they will recommend a repair. It is essential that you not top up the oil during the consumption test, as it will invalidate the result.

Audi dealers will typically charge £80 for the consumption test, although this is sometimes waived for goodwill.

Can I ignore it?

For a long time, especially when Audi wasn't offering much in the way of financial contribution, many TFSI owners took the view that it wasn't harming the engine, and buying a 4 litre bottle of oil every few months was a lot cheaper than the repair.

However, it has now been confirmed that the problem does harm the engine, it causes scoring and grooves to be worn into the cylinder bores. In the short term these make the problem worse, longer term this could eventually cause the engine to fail.

So you are strongly advised not to just ignore the issue.

Can it be fixed?

There are three known solutions offered by Audi.

Stage 1

This involves replacing the crank case and updating the engine management software to the latest release. While it appears to reduce the problem in some cases, and is sometimes offered alongside the consumption test as an initial fix, it does not seem to be a permanent solution and Audi does not seem to be offering it very often anymore. Audi dealers typically charge £200 for this but it is sometimes offered free with the test as goodwill.

Stage 2

This involves removing the engine from the car, stripping it down to the cylinders and replacing the pistons, piston rings and con rods. It takes around 12 hours to do this, so it is not a trivial piece of work. Provided there is no other damage the stage 2 solution will completely fix the problem. Audi dealers typically charge £4000 for this.

However, before conducting a stage 2 fix, the dealer should check the cylinders to see if they have been damaged. This is done either by stripping the engine, or by putting an endoscope in through the spark plug sockets. If the bores are damaged the stage 2 fix is not suitable as the grooves will still cause oil to leak around the rings.

Stage 3

The final repair option is a completely new engine, and this is the only fix that will work if the cylinders have been damaged. This is a permanent fix, the replacement engine will not have the same problem. Audi dealers typically charge £12,000 for this.

Note that both the Stage 2 and 3 are permanent solutions, neither is more effective than the other, and there is no requirement to have the stage 2 before you have the stage 3, in fact that would only happen if the dealer missed there being engine damage in the cylinders.

The only thing that decides whether you need the stage 2 or 3 is the presence of scoring damage in the cylinders.

Other solutions.

Some drivers have reported that using different grades of oil, or engine treatments such as STP, can improve the problem. But while there might be some small incremental improvement, there is no evidence that they significantly reduce the problem or provide a fix. Crucially, Audi doesn't seem to have ever recommended these solutions, and given how expensive the other options are it seems likely they would have at least tried it if there was any chance it might work.

What are Audi doing about this?

For a long time Audi dealers were quite reluctant to admit there was any problem, and while they did provide the various fixes listed above, unless the car was still in warranty the owners were typically requested to make a significant contribution to the cost, sometimes to the tune of several thousand pounds. After market warranties also didn't seem to cover the issue as it was either categorised as a manufacturer defect or else wear and tear. This left many owners facing having to live with the problem due to the huge expense of rectifying it.

However, in 2014 a class action lawsuit was brought against Audi in America, and while they have not formally admitted liability, they have made a settlement offer to American owners. This extends the manufacturers engine warranty to 8 years or 80,000 miles, and will fully cover the cost of the required repairs up to and including a new engine. American TFSI owners should read this website to find out details of this and how they can claim.

Oil Consumption Settlement > mainpage > Home

Apparently as a result of this finding in America, as of 2015 Audi in other countries appears to have had a change of heart and are now making 100% contributions to remedial work for affected cars that meet their criteria. In March 2015 I personally had the stage 3 fix, i.e. a whole new engine, provided completely free of charge despite my car being two years outside of its manufacturer's warranty."

uberwgn

I guess we should have an idea of how much $$$ you are willing to spend on the car.


I would I was running a 5W40 502.00 only. I'd find out if there are updated parts for the PCV system. These might slow consumption.