ADT927

I'm glad I came across this I have been having this problem for the past few months and its been getting progressively worse. I have a 2009 A6 with the 3.0L and picked it up as a CPO 3 yrs ago with ~43K miles. Never had a problem with oil consumption until ~95K mi. I have 111000 now. (BTW, I still have my 2004 with 150K mi and the 4.2L and its still doesn't consume oil. It started taking a qt at 2200 mi for the first 2 oil changes and now its taking a qt every 500 mi. Audi wanted to do an oil consumption test for $500. I told them I already know its consume oil, what was the problem. They said they would diagnose after that, so I brought it somewhere else. Another mechanic who worked on my car before checked the pcv box and said it was clean I needed rings. I am interested in the work your dealer performed, specifically the gaskets and ECU reprogramming that was done after replacing the pcv box with what sounds like a redesigned retrofit. Can you provide more details? Do you or anyone know if there is an easier way to tell if its the pcv or the rings (telltale signs at the exhaust). Mine seem dirty, but it is an exhaust. Also I noticed when I gun the engine that there is smoke, but it has been cold. And out of the right exhaust there was a clear spot and puff sound, as if one cylinder is missing. Related issue or another problem. Apologies for the lengthy post.

nielsn

I'm thinking you don't need an oil consumption test like you stated. what I did with mine was because rings weren't suspected. As far as what they do its the updated breather valve, the gaskets that go around the supercharger inlets and a few other gaskets for the most part. the reason they reprogram the ECU is to take advantage of the new valve the engine needs to run differently. I realize thats not very technical, but it has something to do with the way the car uses the oil and breather valves. all this stuff is controlled by computer. as you know everything on the car is computer controlled. I "might" still have my original quote with all the parts listed as well as labor quote somewhere. Ultimately I fixed the real problem by trading the car for a Mercedes in September. Yes, I've turned to the dark side of the force, but its a new 2016 C-class so won't have to worry about repair issues for at least until warranty goes. Also, my A6 at the time I traded it was at 97,000 miles and once they go to 100K you get a HUGE hit on depreciation and lose thousands on value. With all the mods I did to the car I got what I considered a very gracious trade value and got USAA pricing on the Benz so Audis are history. But back to topic, I can tell you that the oil consumption repair fixed mine, but if its rings, get rid of it! VERY expensive! Since I'm not a mechanic I can't tell you how to know if its rings, but loss of power, black smoke, missing all sound bad. mine never had any of those problems just used oil. ! hope this helps. Niels

ADT927

Thanks, your solution was one I have considered as well, except for it being a MB. I love everything else about the car. Just disappointed this engine isn't as strong as the 4.2 and hasn't lasted as long. I'll take it into my mechanic to get a positive diagnosis and see what it'll cost. I may start looking around to see what's out there in the meanwhile.

mxjones

Hello, I have a 2009 A6 3.0 with 83000 miles on it. It started burning oil somewhere between 50-60,000 miles and seems to be getting worse. Just had a oil consumption test done, and it burnt a quart of oil in 1900 miles. Dealer recommended the breather valve fix for $1350. Still thinking whether I should shell out the money for something Audi should either help with or eat the bill themselves. Am I doing any harm to the engine if I delay getting this thing fixed until I find out if Audi will help.

ADT927

They told me the same thing, but I opted to not get the oil consumption test as I already knew I was going through oil. As best I can tell you from my experience with them, they told me there was an Audi paid fix for the 2.0T engine but not the 3.0T, so they wouldn't do anything for me. They also said that going through a qt of oil anywhere between 800-2000 mi was within spec so there was nothing to fix. I was over 100k mi so they said I would be outside the ext warrantee anyway.


Sorry for the long reply but there is a lot to go over. I had an outside mechanic who checked my pcv box and said it was clean, so performing that service wouldn't fix the problem. I doubt your dealer guaranteed it would also, so I would be hesitant to have it done if it isn't going to fix the problem for sure. I spoke with 2 other mechanics who indicated it may be blow by through the rings. One gave me a more in depth answer that made sense. Now others who are a bit more savvy than me may correct the technical details of my explanation, but essentially it goes like this.


Check your back bumper to see if there is a lot of oily dirt which indicates blow by. I do not see any significant dirt on the bumper, but my exhausts are much dirtier than my 2004 with 155k mi. He recommended that I switch from synthetic to conventional oil and use a BG flush at the next oil change. Also go to a higher viscosity oil as it will help. He said he performed this on other Audis, used Shell Rotella and he went from 800 mi to ~1500 between qts. He explained that in order to improve gas mileage Audi engineered the least possible tolerance between the rings and cylinder walls to minimize friction and still be functional. As the engine wears that tight tolerance will create that spacing that allows for blow by, hence our problem. This made sense as I bought a couple of cans of the stuff they sell that's supposed to help seal rings, I know but I was desperate and tired of adding a qt every fill up. It did seem to work. It went from 380 mi for a qt to 700. I am midway through my second measurement and cannot tell you whether it is working consistently. I will bring it in to him for the oil flush and change after this. For ~$65 its worth it. I'll ask him to check my valve as well to get a second opinion. I know earlier in the thread someone spoke of a s/w update for the computer, so I'll look into that as well. As to your question of whether this will damage the engine, I don't think so as the computer will adjust for this. I am curious as to whether this will cause me to fail emission tests. At that time it may need a ring job to resolve the problem, I don't know for sure. I will ask my mechanic whether this is a possibility. I'll let you know what I find out.

mxjones

ADT927, Thanks for the info, it doesn't sound good either way. I haven't noticed my exhaust tips being any dirtier than normal and am not noticing any dirt film on the bumper above the exhaust, so I'm not sure which is causing the problem. I am going to talk to some other Audi service techs around my area to see what I can find out. I'll let you know when I do. Aloha.

royclark

Are you on the long life service (change oil/filter every 19k) or fixed,every 10k ?

mxjones

I change my oil every 6k to 7k miles using synthetic oil.

B. Rock

Anybody have a TSB # I can reference or a part # for the updated breather? I want to install the breather when I do a 100k service on the car this spring, that way all I'll need to pay the dealer is the fee to reprogram the ECU.

Thanks

EDIT: Looks like the NHSTA# for the TSB is 10051502. Still working on the exact part # for the new breather.

ADT927

Update to changing from synthetic to conventional oil and going to a higher viscosity over several months and 3K miles. I have seen a large improvement in the interval between adding a quart. I go another ~400 miles before needing a quart and since I was adding one at around 550 miles it is significant. Being more vigilant to what's going on I've also re-looked at what's been happening at the tailpipe. With the change in weather I've been able to see if there is smoke coming out or its just due to the cold. Glad to say it doesn't look like I'm burning oil and there really isn't any oil debris on the back bumper. Also what I thought may have been a miss in a cylinder was just the way my son had been gunning the engine for me to take a better look.

I change the oil every 5K miles or so, but not sure if I wuill extend that out a bit as I've put in 7 qts of fresh oil by the time I hit 5k miles. I am at that mark now and will probably do it as I will make the complete conversion to conventional oil. So the real question is whether changing the PCV box and upgrading the software will do the trick. Does anyone whose performed this fix feel it was worth it? Has the problem gone away or are you still adding oil between changes and at what intervals? Thanks.