2000 mile roadtrip summary, and Oil leakage questions--->(long)
 

Just got home this afternoon after a trip to Central S. Carolina and Myrtle Beach for a family reunion. Pulled out of NY with 3900 miles on the odo, pulled back into NY today with 6180 on the odo (in only 7 days)
First of all, a few shameless plugs for the A6. What an incredible road car this is. I made the 702 mile trip down south in 9 hrs and 27 minutes, (including 3 stops for a water-laden fiance to use the restroom) According to the trip computer,I averaged 74 mph on the way down, and I pulled in 24.9 mpg (using my math, according to the trip computer, I had only gotten 24.5)
High-speed road manners are truly indicative of this car's lineage. During the night hours, armed with CB and V1, Blue Thunder and I ran for hours on end, cruising in the high 90's and low 10's flattening the hills of Va (on I-95) and cutting through foggy swamps of N. Carolina. High speed tracking is dead-nuts accurate, and there is just a hint of wind noise when velocities creep into triple digits.
The Xenons are wonderful. On the wide open interstates, even the darkest stretches are well lit. When using the high beams, I got flashes from oncoming traffic much further away than I expected. And it's nigh about impossible to outdrive those high beams, not at any "sensible" speed.
Now the big question, who has suffered from the "oil leaks?" I left NY with all the fluids topped off. When I got to S. Carolina, I checked the oil and it was exactly 1 qt low. I topped it off and continued about my business. When I was leaving S. Carolina, I checked the oil again, and it was OK. About 400 miles into the trip, I stopped for gas and checked the oil. It was a full quart low again. I topped it off, and called a local dealer. I told him the problem, and he told me to bring it in right away, as soon as I got back to NY. I stopped once again in NJ, (about 300 miles later) and the oil was still full. I proceed directly to the dealer. They get the car in the air, and there's no leaks (I didn't look at it with them, I was sleeping in the waiting room) They tell me that there is no leaks, no dripping or anything. The service manager asks me if I was sure that the oil was low, to which I tell him that I added two quarts within 3 days!!
My only thoughts was that my car suffered that "oil plug" leak that I had heard someone else mention here, and that they fixed it and didn't want to make it seem as if there was actually a problem and didn't admit to finding a leak. I don't know what to think, but it was written on the service record that the oil level was full, and that was verified by myself the service manager and the technician. If the oil level decreases in the next few weeks, then it's been documented.
Anyone have any thougths on this?

Great road report and..............................
 

your oil issue sounds strange. Typically, if you've got a leak you'll see at least some on the ground after you've parked your car over night. Try putting some paper (newspaper for example) under your engine compartment, if you can park somewhere dry where there isn't already oil stains, and see if there is anything there over night. If not, I'd suspect you don't have a leak. If you don't, your oil usage is peculiar. Apparently the Audi engines provide a lot more oil reserve for the engine size than other designs. Could your higher speed driving have contributed to "burning" some of this oil? D'ont know. Could your rings just have finally seated? Seems unlikely. Where's April when you really need her? On vacation of course! Maybe Steve knows.

Re: 2000 mile roadtrip summary, and Oil leakage questions--->(long)
 

If an oil filter is a little loose (I don't know how it is on the A6) on some cars you can lose some oil under certain engine loads. This happened on a different car I owned. Other than that I don't understand it. Your speeds aren't it or Audis in Germany would be gobbling oil all the time and that doesn't happen. LOL and let us know the outcome.

Re: Sounds like a fun trip. The missing oil could be from
 

the fact that you checked the oil right after stoping the engine, in which case the oil has not had time to drain back to the pan thus, showing up on the dip stick as low.

If your not already doing this wait about 20 minutes before checking the oil level. This will give the oil time to return to the oil pan for a truer reading.

Hopefully you did not overfill it in which case the engine would burn is off.

Just a though to consider.

rmg
Audi A6 4.2
Black / Van. Onx.

Oil consumption is common on the 2.7T, lots of S4 owners have the same synthetic or not.

Cam shaft seal on 2.7T
 

I recently had an oil leak in one of the the cam shaft seals. Very strange in that I only saw oil (a drop or two) on the ground once in a while. Most went on a drip pan I suppose. But it was down about a quart at 3000 miles. Since getting it fixed I have put on about 400 miles and have seen no oil drops or oil loss. Since the tech saw no leaks I doubt that's your problem, Mine was noticiable quickly by the tech. But if it is its an easy fix for the dealer.<p>Greg

Ming/Melange 2.7T

Re: Great road report and..............................
 

I have found the car to be quite sensitive to changes in the tilt of the ground when checking the oil. It is rare to find truly level ground around a filling station.
I would be hesitant about adding oil until I was CERTAIN it was needed.

Re: 2000 mile roadtrip summary, and Oil leakage questions--->(long)
 

I'm only halfway through my own equivalent 2.7T trip--I'm in Myrtle Beach at the moment! I averaged just under 27 mpg coming down here from Baltimore at about 75-80 mph. Nice level roads--significant hills reduce the average trip mileage noticeably.

A couple of thoughts about your oil. First, I agree with the other comments--level ground and a ten minute wait are needed to get an accurate oil level reading.

Second, higher oil consumption (not leakage) is not uncommon at higher engine rpm's. At your 90-100+ range, some burning wouldn't surprise me. A quart in 400 miles still seems somewhat higher than I might have guessed, however.

Third, Audi engines are notoriously "tight" at first and take a long time to break in. During this time, oil consumption can be higher and gas mileage lower than will eventually occur. My A4 2.8 (basically the same engine minus the turbo's) wasn't fully seated until about 6,000 to 8,000 miles.

Finally, if you had been doing a lot of stop and go, short-trip driving before your road trip, it's possible that you built up a nontrivial amount of condensation and other non-oil junk in your oil. Then, when you get the engine well and truly warmed up, it evaporates and leaves you with an apparent drop in oil level. (The drop has really occurred over a much longer period, before, and is gradually replaced with the junk.) Thus, it appears that your oil level has suddenly dropped during a long highway trip.

I'd say, continue to check your level carefully (level ground, after waiting, etc.) and see how it does. Good luck, and thanks for the interesting report.

Thanks for all your help, one or two more things I noticed--->
 

Each time I checked the oil, the car was on level ground, and I never saw any leaks or dripping(that's what so odd about it) My driveway in the Carolinas is completely level and the car had sat overnight when I checked the oil the first time. The first dipstick removal showed a normal level, as always you disregard the first reading. The 2nd, 3rd and 4th readings all showed the oil level to be at the "min" marking. When I stopped in Va and checked the oil (At Aunt Sarah's pancake house at exit 104 off of I-95. (BTW, you must try this place for home-style country breakfasts, wonderful food) The car had sat until after we ate (about 45 minutes) and was on level ground again. Very weird..
Another note, Armourfend is some awesome stuff!!! I didn't get the full install done yet (just the mirrors, headlights, hood piece and rear fenderwell leading arches) but I can tell you that stuff holds up great. I took thousands of bug hits, and one or two serious rock hits (one of which glaced off the hood and hit the windshield and made a small nick there, I SAW that one coming, it was about 1/2" in diameter, and it nailed the hood while I was running about75 mph on a 2 lane backroad) One the biggest hit, the film actually had a "dent" in it, but no cut or scratch. Later on that day, after baking in the almost 100 degree temps, that dent had smoothed itself out again. Truly remarkable stuff, very tough indeed.
For those who are wondering, I ran the lower half of the Audi bra to protect the non-filmed sections of the car..

Re: 2000 mile roadtrip summary, and Oil leakage questions--->(long)
 

<I>My A4 2.8 (basically the same engine minus the turbo's) wasn't fully seated until about 6,000 to 8,000 miles. </I>

I still think mine isn't fully broken in at 48,000 miles. It just keeps getting better.

//Greg