Don Keener

I got a quart of it to put on the shelf 'just in case' from the local Advance Auto Parts. Still sitting there with dust on it.

stix

Other way around. The 3.2L motors have had the highest volume of oil consumption issues...

m1964

Hi Stix,

What is your source of information?

I do not recall reading here (or on Audizine) anything regarding high oil consumption of a 3.2L engines.

In our Q5 the oil level goes down by about 1/4 of a bottle in one year.

snagitseven

Depending on operating conditions, any engine can burn a quart of oil before the next scheduled oil change. It's not a big deal unless you are burning a quart every 1K miles or so consistently. Otherwise, I wouldn't worry about it. Just don't overfill when adding.

stix

Sorry, too unclear. I should have said that up to MY2011 the 2.0 motors have had numerous consumptions issues....and the same for 3.2 motors.

There's a lot of information on both available.

snagitseven

FWIW, my 2009 A4 3.2 never burned a drop of oil in 50K miles (well, maybe a few drops but not so you would notice on the dipstick). I am aware that the 2.0T has had some well documented issues and that Audi had created a dual staged oil consumption evaluation process. Not one for the 3.2 engine that I'm aware of though.

Audi Junkie

Hi Pete!


The 3.2 should offer no systemic oil consumptions issues. I have a Q5 3.2 and has a B8 3.2, neither burn more than a trace of oil, about 1/2q over 5k.

The 3.2 takes a full 7q, so it can go a bit longer on oil changes than an engine that takes less. I don't always run synth in mine. What we now call "dino" oil is better than what we called "synthetic" not long ago. Voltility is the biggest issue for DI engines, which makes my Pennzoil Hi-Miles better than Mobil 1 5w-30.

The 3.2 can run ok on 30 weight oil, I have a UOA here from Caterpillar Labs, a mixed batch of 5q PZ Platinum 5w-30 (GTL base oil) mixed with a 1/2 gallon of Rotella Synth 5w-40, the indicated visc on the report being 12cSt, right on the borderline of a 30 and a 40....with very low wear. 7500 winter miles.

Audi Junkie

Furthermore...


Old Porsche visc charts are a bit of help...



People rush to 5w-40, the classic Euro car visc, also used for Heavy-Duty diesel service, often-seen Rotella 5w-40, technically dual-rated for gas and diesel. The thing is, for Euro spec, there is a large margin for overheating the oil doing Autobahn driving flat out for hours at a clip. We simply do not do that type of driving in the USA, short of trailering up a mountain. The "heavy" 5w-40 is typically measured at 14cSt, and ideal running visc at +100c the normal operating temp is generally accepted to be 9 to 10 cSt, the borderline of light 30 and 20 weight.



This background for the sake of discussion.

So, 5w-40 is overly thick under normal operating temps, putting excess drag on the engine. Much worse, it can also be excessively thick in cold, 3-4x as thick as a light 5w-30...




The German Syntec 0w-30 in this grapg is a heavy Euro 0w-30, same as a 0w-40 for our purposes, same too as a heavier "Euro" 5w-30 like all the new VW 504 oils are. Remind me to talk about that....

Anyway, for turbos I like to see cold start visc less than 5000cSt to lube the turbo nicely, for a non-turbo 10,000cSt is acceptable.

In some cold conditions, the engine never gets up to full op temp, keeping the oil well in the "overly thick" range. I need another graph, but it only has to be 20 to 30 cSt to be "doubly thick", not ideal for a number of other reasons.

So, select oil visc for climate. With a 3.2, synth 5w-30 from a jug like PZ Platinum is fine over winter, maybe the best choice for short trip driving. Same for a stock 2.0T, although I did a UOA with my APR 2.0T Tiguan 6M, and saw ultra-low wear with think Mobil 1 0w-30 (SL) as well as Edge 5w-30. One of them thinned to a 20 weight, still low wear. Someone correct me if this doesn't represent the lowest 2.0 TSI wear rates. When I checked, it ran lower wear than boutique brands Euro 5w-40.

Audi Junkie

VW 502 is a weak outdated spec, imo...









See, VW 502 is based on generic ACEA "A3" spec, "A5" is the same quality, just thinner...it's the thin 5w-30 synth you already get in a jug at WalMart!

So, what to use? We can find a good visc range for our climate, or rely on a thick 30 / light 40 visc range of 12cSt, oils like 0w-40, or if you're in a warm climate, Rotella 10w-30 SemiSynth or the Mobil 1 High Miles range, which features a thick 10w-30, plus the seal conditioners and really high additive levels.

There's the problem with VW 504 oils like M1 ESP and Pro OE, not the 12cSt visc or cold performance, they are LOW additive for Euro environmental regulations. It's made to work with Euro fuels, not the USA fuels full of alcohol and sulphur. Do a 10k run of 504/507 oil, do a UOA and post if if you don't believe me.

Pretty easy call, Edge 0w-40 is widely available now, with the newer titanium additive.



So guys who like Castrol have that, Mobil guys have 0w-40 for their 2.0T and the High Miles line for the V6 engines. The M1 HM 5w-30 is pretty thick, the 10w-30 is very thick, both great oils. I would follow the principles of climate and turbo/nonturbo to guide you. Plus, if you burn oil you might want something robust, one of the 10w-30 or Rotella 5w-40 as a last resort.

Shell/Pennzoil guys have Rotella and PZ Platinum. I have a bunch of this, which you won't see too many places....



I'm not going to linger too long, but I will return to post some intake cleaning tips, since the new CRC spray cleaner just came out, made just for DI engines, some of my old formulas are outdated.

crcindustries.com/auto/intake-valve-cleaner.php

Also, a bit of 2 cycle oil in the gas may help with oil burning, at 500:1. Use double for the first time to coat the fuel system, a lot of benefits and cheap if you buy a gallon at WalMart. The TCW-3 spec is ashless.

I'm done for now.

A6forMoi

Oil was showing close to min in my 2015 Q5. Added oil, but now the MMI gauge won't show - it says it needs two minutes of run time and for the engine to be shut off . . . but have run the car much longer than that and still no display. (It's also odd that it tells me that the engine needs to be off - because at that point I can't select the oil level display)