2016 A6 3T: DI or Dual Port Injection?
 

I was having a conversation about this in an unrelated thread,so I thought I’d start a new thread.

The question is whether the 2016 A6 3.0T (supercharged engine) has Direct Injection like past model years, or if they added port-injection to the 2016s (DI + Port injection). I’m considering buying either a 2015 or 2016 and wanted to know if the Dual-Port is something I should consider to be a benefit on the 2016s (better in terms of less carbon deposits potentially).

I read this autoweek article, which implies that the 2016 A63.0 TFSI is dual-port:
http://autoweek.com/article/car-reviews/first-drive-2016-audi-a6-s6-s7#ixzz3ucbn4Gve

I was skeptical, so I called Audiusa, they didn’t know (the girl on the line didn’t have the information).

I went to two Audi dealers yesterday. One didn’t know, the other said no, they didn't think it had Dual Port Injection.

Another member wanted confirmation, so he asked his ServiceAdvisor. That SA said that it DID have multi-portinjection.

Does anyone know for sure? Or how to find out for sure (other than disassembling the engine)?

Thanks,

I'm the guy who asked at his local dealer if the /16 had both DI and a port injectors I spoke with the lead tech who indicated that the 3.0T engine for /16 does have both DI and port injection. Nice to see that there is a level of confusion on this point. Sheesh.


Best,
Jeff

I don't know for sure, but I highly doubt it. Nothing in the press release of the 16s indicated it changed. And if you just go by output, all they did was bring it up to the same power and torque as the S5 has had for a few years (the peak torque actually didn't change).

Okay, I did some more homework. The website says it has TFSI. I then found the article in the link below that defines it as Direct Injection.

FSI/TFSI principle ? Audi Technology Portal

Strange, no mention of carbon buildup in Audi's materials............LOL. LOL that is until it happens to one of us. So, if /16 does not have the "Toyota" DI and port injection we are left hoping that this issue does not present in the 3.0T. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. The good news is that internet is not littered with stories about 3.0T engines with this problem so perhaps those of us with this engine will dodge that bullet. On the other hand, if the problem does not present until high mileage -- say over 80K, there are probably not that many cars out there yet that have covered 80K+. So again, wait and see. If becomes an issue hopefully Audi will stand behind the product.

Actually Audi's 3.0T engine has been available since 2009 with the facelift C6 so I would imagine there are quite a few on the road with well over 80K miles.

Thanks, Snagit. I keep forgetting about that as I see very few of the facelift C6 around these parts. So again, fact that hear little about carbon buildup issue on the 3.0T a good sign IMHO.

Carbon buildup in the intake area is a result of two things; poor oil control and lack of washing from fuel injected in the intake port area. The dual injection approach used by VW/Audi in Europe is achieve improved emissions ( DI alone results in increased particulates). DI offers improved cylinder cooling allowing higher compression ratios but it also results in poorer air/fuel mixing resulting in increases in some emissions. The particulate issue is not as critical a the moment in the US so the port injection is generally not added for US bound cars. I do understand that 3.0 may have both types of injection systems for the US market, however. VW/Audi seems to have solved the excessive oil consumption issue starting at about the 2013 MY. My understanding is that there was a design issue with the crankcase ventilation system that created excessive pressure in the crankcase resulting in excessive oil fumes to be circulated into the intake area. This solution should significantly reduce the amount of carbon/sludge buildup in the intake area. Still, the addition of port injection doesn't hurt.

FWIW, Audi sent a letter out in 2013 to 2009-2012 3.0L and 2009-2013 3.0T TFSI engine owners announcing an extended 10 yr/120K mile warranty to include the cleaning of the Secondary Air Ports of carbon build-up. Eligible coverage would include removing any carbon deposits of the SAC and only if the condition resulted in a malfunction indicator lamp (MIL). The extended warranty would not include cleaning any carbon deposits in other areas of the engine including the valves or other problems that would cause the MIL to illuminate.

Presumably, this would indicate Audi has changed the design for 2014+ models that would alleviate the need to offer the same warranty. That is, of course, unless Audi extended the model years and sent the letter to newer model year owners at a later date.

Maybe Audi won't compensate 2014+ owners because they figure that they purchased the vehicle after this issue was well known? If you bought a 2014+ then let the buyer beware? I'll call Audi and see if they warranty the 2014+s.

When I talked to the service adviser, he estimated that roughly that 5% of 3T owners have this problem, that if it was a problem - it would appear >70k miles, and that it would cost ~$1200 to repair. He said the S6 engine (V8?) has a bigger issue with carbon buildup. He wasn't sure why the 3T would be less prone to carbon buildup.