jeff968

After a couple of months I can continue to report that my oil consumption problem is pretty much gone. It was down about half a quart after 3K miles but that is nothing compared to what it used to go through. I also had a new problem. My warning light came on saying I had TOO LOW oild pressure. Wow, one extreme to the other!!! We took it in to the dealer. They said it was not related to the consumption fix and that I needed a new oil separator. That said, they waived the cost of the part and most of the labor so it cost me $100. Back on the road again.

Steppenaudi

Low oil pressure is a bad sign that might mean the engine overhaul that reduced your oil consumption wasn't done correctly. Engine oil pressure is defined by the clearances in the crankshaft bearings (and camshaft bearings). If the clearances are good and tight, you get nominal oil pressure. If they're not, you get low oil pressure and bearing failure or catastrophic engine failure ("throwing a rod" - I've experienced this with a Chrysler engine). Be very vigilant for engine noises like knocking at high (or any RPM) - this is a sign that bearing clearances are too loose. You should have the dealership check the oil pressure checked after the oil separator repair to prove that the separator was the cause of the low pressure. Otherwise, they have to do the rebuild again.

turbotop

Thanks for the advice. I am dealing with this issue on my 2014 3.0T supercharged.
I need to get it resolved or I will get ride of the car.

Houstonken

I have a 2011 Q5 2.0 with 62,000 miles. At 45,000 miles I was adding 3-4 quarts of oil during the 10,000 miles between oil changes. The service department adjusted the engine codes and the burn rate dropped to 1-2 quarts per 10,000 miles. At 60,000 miles, the oil consumption has creeped up again.

My question is do you have to start the oil consumption test with the add oil light on ? I was going to have them change the oil at 65,000 miles and start the test ?

motoguy128

Not a great 1st post, but here goes....

We bought a 2011 Q5 2.0T just a few weeks ago with 98,000 miles on it. When following it, there is visible smoke (more black than blue, but still seems like oil) and consumption is about 1 quart every 200-300 miles!!! Yes, that's like almost 40:1, like a 2 stroke! Ugh!

My independent shop replaced the oil separator last week and no real change in oil use. It runs a little rough on cold start-up, but warm start-up is normal. Nearest Audi dealer is 50 minutes away so I'd like to work with my independent that works almost exclusively on German cars, they are probably more competent anyway.

So am I SOL, or might Audi at least cover the replacement parts? I fear that the only solution is new rods, pistons & rings, about a $3k job. It sounds like the extended warranty is only up to 80k miles. the car has inconsistent service history. Full history until around 70k, then the last 18 months it was spotty. I suspect the previous owner traded it in because of this.

The good news is that replacing the transmission and brake fluid improved those systems. We replaced the plugs, too as part of a 100k service, but I fear the plugs are already fouled again burning that much oil.

Any thoughts? We LOVE the car, and figure investing $2-3k is still better than the hit we'd take trading it back in on another car, that in turn could still have a tranny failure or other issue.

motoguy128

UPDATE: I contacted the Audi dealer my Indy recommended. Audi extended the warranty 18 months starting in Jan of this year of all affected vehicles regardless of mileage as long as no repair was previously done with oil consumption being resolved.

Step 1 will be the PCV, reflash ECU and check consumption. I'm sure it will fail, so I suspect a bottom end rebuild is in my future. Maybe it will work out in early Oct. when were out of town on vacation for a week.

AlouxL

Quick update here. Still no need for additional oil after my pistons and rings were replaced at 80K. I have now over 7,000 miles since the work was done and my digital dipstick shows the oil level just above 1/2.
This is so much better than adding a quart every 600 miles...

gordyloc

Just received a call from Audi that my 2013 A4 (49,500 miles) failed part two of the oil consumption test. They'll be replacing pistons and rings. I thought this issue was supposed to be fixed with 2013 models but guess not . I'll post an update asap.

motoguy128

I'm wondering what the root cause is here. Is there a QC issue or installation issue on piston rings that's unique to this engine/piston design? Sensitive to break-in (too easy or too hard?).

vanz

I took my 2011 Q5 2.0T in last week for the conclusion of the first part of the consumption test...it took several months for the low engine oil light to come on since the first part (don't drive it much, it only has 25k). It failed that.

Got approved for the second part, which I guess is the piston replacement?...Something happened....and now they are going to be installing a brand new 2015 engine in my q5. I should get it back next week.

In the mean time I received a brand new A4 s-line with all the bells and whistles as my loaner car.