Failed oil consumption test q7 2017 3.0t
My Audi Q7 2017 3.0t has been plagued with issues after the first year. It had two cracked cylinders under warranty replaced. I should of traded the car in at that very moment. The dealership assured me this was not normal and just a defect within the metal and not at all common. Upon placing the engine back in they broke several additional parts (all covered by the dealership).

Sometime later I noticed my q7 slowly requiring more and more oil between oil changes. I told my Audi dealership’s service department that I suspected it was using an unusual amount of oil. I was brushed off and reassured it’s normal and it’s a high performance engine, but that my car was in great shape. I’ve never missed a service or the recommend maintenance.

Well, several years later at 120,000 miles (all highway) I paid for the oil consumption test. It failed at no surprise to me. The service department told me my engine is shot because, there is no repair kit available for an engine of that years model. It’s basically too new to fail. I attempted to reach Audi customer care at the dealerships direction but, couldn’t stomach the three and half hour hold time.

Suggestions?

 

Absolutely get a hold of Audi Customer Care. When the dealer repaired your engine, was there a warranty on the work they did? Hopefully you can link the oil consumption issue back to the work they did. You know Audi is going to resist any claim, so get your ducks in a row and be ready to substantiate your claim.

 

Yes, the cylinder repair was under warranty and the car was purchased new. I’m the only owner and the car has only been serviced by Audi. The dealership believes Audi may offer a good will repair possibly up to 50%, but because there is no fix it would require a new engine. They quoted me about $30,000! If Audi even paid 1/2 (no guarantee at that)-I’d still need to hand over $15,000 in repairs. Makes little sense for my situation to toss that kind of money into what has been an unreliable car. I just can’t believe there is no solution. Therefore required to purchase a new automobile for a car that’s not reached 6 years if I want to try to keep it running.

 

I'll just throw this out there as chum in the water, but both the '17 and '21 Q7s made the list of "Used Cars To Avoid" by Consumer Reports. It sounds like you know why.

That said, you've done everything right as an owner, and you have a valid case with Audi. There was a recent thread in regards to an owner with '17 had the engine suddently seize up from a broken spark plug tip; the car had only ever been serviced by Audi, and all services were completed. Her dealer said pay up or F-off. She appealed her case to Audi North America...the dealer doesn't care about you, BTW, and Audi N.A. extended a 'good-will' offer to assist her with replacing the engine for about $8k (USA$), which was basically their cost. The 'normal' price for a new engine swap out was going to run approx $20k, according to her post, so your dealer may be blowing some smoke up your pipe with inflated figures. It's not cheap, but it's certainly not $30k either.

To be sure, you are long outside of any warranty coverage unless Audi dealer has replaced stuff/parts within the last year, as new parts get a new part warranty, etc., but as this was reported prior, and you paid for the test to determine the issue when your dealer repeatedly told you there was no issue, you have a valid case.

When I called Audi N.A. to file a complaint recently, I chose their customer service prompt, and after a short wait it offered me a callback at my number, so I didn't have to wait on hold. Take that option, and go about your day with your ringer turned up on high.

 

Contacted an Audi Advocate through call back and they told me they would reach out to the dealership and review the case. I should have a response in 1-3 business days if they will offer any good will discounted service since I'm outside the warranty. The advocate told me that in their experience any time their car fails an oil consumption test they've suggested replacing the engine. Just keep in mind I insisted on this test to begin with. I was told multiple times adding oil between changes was normal and the car was in great shape.

 

Yeah, the whole dealer service department interface is broken at Audi. Now you've just got to be patient and see how it shakes out; make sure you've got your ducks in a row so far as all your service history/receipts with them telling you nothing is wrong (especially this failure to acknowledge the problem brought to them), validation oil-use testing results, etc. I'd hope they'd just swap out your engine in following the 'good-will' narrative, as much has gone wrong, repaired, and been documented with it prior, and only being six years old. More than likely though, you will probably get a good-will offer to assist replacing the engine that covers you paying just enough to cover basic cost of the engine. It might seem like they're kicking sand in your face after the dealer miscues, but the reality is you've got a car in pretty good shape otherwise, especially if you have serviced the driveline fluids on it, , and you can't go buy any kind of a comparable replacement in the current new/used car environment; even the beaters are expensive, LOL. Be patient.

I just had one in for warranty repair of EGR coolant leak where the tech falsified the diagnosis details, said it was not warranty covered, and recommended a generic, oil-cooler plate reseal service, which actually does remove all the EGR cooling system components, but isn't focused on resolving a leak in the EGR cooling system circuit. The explanation for selecting that as the service was that in removing everything to do the oil-cooler plate reseal jobber (seals getting damaged by the leaked coolant), that it would all get the stink-eye inspection before going back together, and they would locate the coolant leak that way, etc. As I took it in for a warranty repair, I was happy they were going to do the reseal jobber where the coolant had been leaking on the cases, and eroding those seals, in addition to correcting the coolant leak source. I can't say for certain it's the EGR Cooler or the EGR Coolant Diverter Valve that's the leak source, but those are the most likely suspects.

I got my car back after a month, with nearly three weeks time wasted solely on the warranty dispute process with the dealership. The worst part; after failing me at every single customer touch-point, they then failed to repair the coolant leak it was in their shop for; how does that even happen at such a highbrow dealership, Audi of McKinney, TX? The prior dealer's shop I took it to (Audi of Grapevine, TX) couldn't even find a coolant leak, although you could easily smell it when it was hot, the reservoir showed it was losing coolant, etc., and they told me to come pick it up. Now, that's after my directly telling them where it was leaking from, how to visualize it, and doing everything except for 'X marks the spot' in marking paint on the engine for them. I mention these recent experiences only to illustrate both the ineptness of the 'technicians' employed by many Audi dealers at troubleshooting, and the fact that they often times manufacture their own 'truth' about your car's diagnosis/prognosis, to ensure it aligns with whatever lines their pockets, or is in their own best interest, not necessarily the customer's or the car's best interest, even when it's covered by warranty. I can't explain why they treat their customer's this way, but that's been my experience. I've been to three Audi dealerships with our cars, and rarely has a warranty visit ever been calm & relaxed, or a non-event, like it should be.

 

Audi basically offered me 10% off the cost to replace the entire engine. The quote from the dealer after Audi's make good is still a bit over $28,000 to repair. Needless to say I will not be trusting this brand in the future.

 

You might look into finding yourself a reputable independent Audi/VW Group mechanic, and see what they have to say about this. I've not priced any engine work, but on other repairs, the independent mechanic that I use is at least 50% cheaper than the Audi dealer, and they may also have some options that Audi can't/won't tell you about.

 

Reading the comments on the 3.0T engine makes me want to avoid newer Audis. Look like they really suck, and the MLB-Evo chassis sucks too. Our Mk-I Q7 has been bulletproof in comparison. There are electrical issues like the satellite radio and rear brake lights, but European electronics suck in comparison to Japanese.

Audi sold 25,363 Q7s in the US. I am not surprised there is no interest in providing good support. Just buy another one I suppose. NOT.
https://www.goodcarbadcar.net/audi-q7-sales-figures/

 

I'll assume the role of Devil's advocate:

Rather than jumping on the "Let's just replace the entire engine that runs perfectly fine" bandwagon, which is soooo typical of how Audi corrects problems, let's take a step back, and pause a moment to embrace and fully understand the 'normal' causes of accelerated engine oil consumption, especially as pertains to higher mileage vehicles. You don't DIY your services, so I'd suggest you find a good local mechanic shop with excellent feedback on fixing German cars.

I present you the following links to moderately entertaining and mechanically sound information that may help you out. Certainly you'll be better informed, as will some of our DIYers. Please watch both videos, as they present different known issues that result in high oil consumption:

Why is my car losing oil but no leak? (This video just explains the why, in general, but not specific to Audi's)
A defective PCV valve can often cause your car to lose oil but no leak or smoke because it prevents the natural flow of oil. Extra pressure creates oil waste from cylinders. In consequence, you will need to feed your car more oil than its natural demand.

(This video discusses more in-depth about changes to newer model cars with GDI engines, and having oil consumption issues based on mechanical reasons on higher mileage engines; it's actually quite interesting)