Newbie Oil change question
 

Just bought my first Audi (BMW & Miata guy) it's a 2024 A5 Cabriolet. The first oil change is scheduled for 10K miles. I'm accustomed to doing the FIRST oil change much earlier. I realize there have been improvements in machining and oil structure, but 10K seems like a long time to wait for the first change. I'm thinking I should do the first change at 5K., and subsequent changes at 10K.
I've also read here about issues with oil burning in most Audi engines (have not had this issue in any other car). Maybe this is a related issue?
Would like to hear from long-time Audi owners regarding both first time oil change, and subsequent intervals.

There is certainly no harm in doing what you are proposing, and given how much a car like yours costs, the peace of mind may very well be worth it. The cost is minimal - it's more the time involved in either taking it to a shop or doing it yourself.

That said, if you want an anecdote, for all three Audis I have had (2006 S4, 2014 A7, 2022 RS3) I have stuck to the factory intervals, including the first change. For me, that typically means replacing at 7-8k miles since I usually hit the one-year time interval before the 10k mileage interval. Probably 75% commuting / local trips and 25% longer highway drives - so not a heavy duty cycle, but not babying it either. I do Blackstone oil analyses most times I change my oil because I am nerdy about these things, and never has it flagged any issue with contaminants, elevated levels of metal in the oil, etc.

The A7 does burn a bit of oil though - typically I'll add half a quart over a 7-8k interval. I don't think it's related to oil change intervals versus relatively normal operation of the PCV system. But I can't say for sure.

Regardless of make and model, when I purchase a new car, the FF gets dumped at 1k miles, and then at 5k miles thereafter. Getting Universal Oil Analysis (UOAs) through outfits like Blackstone Labs back up my rationale, as typically the Copper (Cu) and Iron (Fe) are highest in the 1st few thousand miles, but it takes 10-15k for the engine to be fully broken-in, where the wear metal concentrations start to plateau from sample to sample. It's beneficial for long engine life to get the wear metals out of circulation in a reasonable amount of mileage, especially if you plan to keep your vehicle for a long time.

https://www.blackstone-labs.com/

When the Audi dealer has performed my oil changes, I give them an empty sample bottle so that I can send it into Blackstone. Otherwise, when I perform DIY oil & filter changes, I use an oil extractor to remove the oil from the sump, since most Audi engines now have oil filters accessible from the top of the engine.

Thanks, I have followed similar schedules with every new car, so your comments convinced me that there is no reason to change now.

I'm told the 10k intervals have been adopted in order to lessen oil usage and typically don't reflect correlating advances in lubrication technology. Technology has advanced, but not to the point where 10k intervals are a good idea.

I would second B6 Dolphin's recommendation.

In Europe they double our oil change intervals and synthetic oils manufacturers used to brag about 25k mile service life - I think 1 year or 10k miles is fine!

If you search through the big 2 Audi forums, those who have done early oil changes has found quite a bit metal particles/dust in the oil and filter. I would highly recommend to do so between 1-2k miles for the first one to get majority of it out. I did mine at ~1200 miles on my S5 and my filter had many silvery particles. Have sent the oil to Blackstone and waiting for the results.

I change mine every 5-6k. Takes 15 minutes. I read that oil burning is directly related to long oil change intervals. BMW used to have 15k intervals and that didn't work out, they switched to 10k.....

My previous Porsche had 5k intervals while same engine Audi had 10k :) My Lexus dealer recommends 5k intervals as well....of course they get paid for it, but that's what I do anyway on all my cars

Agreed, long intervals = increased wear = oil burning. My current BMW 335i has a little over 82K miles on the clock. All oil changes were done at ~5-6K intervals, and I've NEVER had to add a drop!

I was astonished to read the following "tip" on page 249 of the Audi owner's manual:
"The engine oil consumption may be up to 0.5 quart/600 miles (0.5 liter/1,000 km), depending on driving style and operating conditions."
"Consumption may be higher during the first 3,000 miles."

Yes and when I asked dealer I am interested in changing oil early, he said both Audi and dealership do not see any need to replace oil any earlier than once a year or 10k miles.

So they are hell bent on long oil change cycle despite known issues of excessive metal during break-in as well oil consumption. Perhaps their strategy is that most Audi's should last less than 10 years and 100k miles.