MMI oil level indicator redux
 

I am currently unable to get any indication from the MMI oil level indicator on my 2009 A4 Avant. I've tried several times over the last couple of days, and wait 2-3 minutes after the engine shuts off. No level is indicated. Some people seem to think the hood should be open; others apparently don't. I don't think the manual says anything about it. I've been doing it with the hood shut; I don't recall ever having to open the hood to get a reading.

So what does a lack of an oil level tell me? If it's really that low, I should be getting a low oil message, which I receive periodically -- maybe every 3-3 months. I understand that this is supposedly normal for this engine. I thought that I might be getting around to that time again, so I decided to check the oil. Checking the oil used to be -- and still could be -- such a simple, easy task. But on this car, it's become a real pain the butt. So what is the deal with no oil level in the MMI?

As many threads and posts have suggested since 2009, simply get a dipstick and check it the old fashioned way.

http://www.ecstuning.com/Audi-B8_A4-...arch/Dipstick/

Yeah, I'm planning on that. But meanwhile I've got a mysterious "non-reading" from the MMI. Or maybe it's about to warn me that I'm low?

Doubtful. In any case, you would get a low oil warning if it gets down a liter.

Well, I got my answer this morning. When I started the car up, the low oil warning came on immediately. So the MMI level indicator was indeed "working", but the feedback it was providing was of pretty poor quality. I don't know whether the MMI has improved much since '09, but this is an example of where things could be improved a lot. The idea that a driver can't tell what the oil level is is *ridiculous*.

Buck: https://www.audiworld.com/forums/sho...5&postcount=15

See if that works on your MY2009 car.

Also, once the hood has been opened the car makes the assumption that the oil has been added. You won't get a reading on the MMI 'til the car has traveled some distance. Could be several days for it to display a refreshed reading whether you've added oil or not.

Thanks, I will. Just to clarify, when I was trying to check the oil level, the MMI oil level indicator did not say that no information was available. It showed the level indicator, but there was no orange-red fill color, and the text did not say whether the level was "ok" or "low". It just said "oil level". I can't help but think that if a old cell phone (like mine) can show a battery level that is getting really close to low with a little "granularity", then the Audi MMI ought to be able to do the same. Showing a level with no obvious visual indicator and no useful text message is pretty lame.

I typically see that "no information available" statement when the engine is cold or if the hood had been opened recently.

The MMI indicated exactly what was going on. No orange on the bar indicated approx 1 qt low. The warning went off once it was more than 1 qt low. You don't have to wait until the warning goes off. If it shows half on the bar graph add a half quart.

I guess I must have missed something here. If there was no fill in color it would make sense that you were down at least a quart/liter of oil. If you don't trust the system go buy an aftermarket dip stick and measure the oil the old fashion way.