THE B8 A4 Oil Consumption Thread

[MajorHavoc]

Just curious, were you aware of the car burning oil before you brought it in? Was there history of oil consumption in your cars's service records prior to your ownership? Also, do you happen to know your build date?

The build date on my 2011 A4 is 09/10.
I brought it in last Monday morning and they had the pistons/rings done Tues. afternoon. So far the mpg seems about the same but it does seem to have more torque.
Speaking of torque, the brand new '14 Q5 Quattro tdi they gave me as a loaner was very cool! It would really jump if I had my foot into it!

[PKaudi]

Drove about 9000 Km (~5600 miles) since the piston change, and I've dropped two bars on the MMI meter (about 2/3 left).
This is very much acceptable and I can live with it (getting an oil change next week as a "fill-up").

[gtipapi]

I just purchased my 2009 Avant last month. Failed consumption test at 49k. Dealer is replacing piston rings. Why do some cars get rings and some get new engine?

[AWDLover]

I just purchased my 2009 Avant last month. Failed consumption test at 49k. Dealer is replacing piston rings. Why do some cars get rings and some get new engine?

I'd imagine it depends on whether or not the cylinders have damage

[PKaudi]

I just purchased my 2009 Avant last month. Failed consumption test at 49k. Dealer is replacing piston rings. Why do some cars get rings and some get new engine?

If the cylinder walls are scored, changing the pistons only won't do much, thus they will replace the whole block.

[gtipapi]

Thanks guys!

[Lookingforans4]

Update with my 09 Avant. Drove 700 miles and needed 2 quarts today. Will start the process with the 3rd party warranty and see what happens. Have a feeling that it will be denied....

[MYFASTA4]

I been using motul for 3 years, after the second oil change it hasn't burn or use a drop. try changing your oil and see.

[A3/A4GUY2014]

Where are you guys buying these A-4's? Just went over 35000 miles, bought used with 8900, and have usually only required about a half a quart every 8-10000 miles.

[PKaudi]

Where are you guys buying these A-4's? Just went over 35000 miles, bought used with 8900, and have usually only required about a half a quart every 8-10000 miles.

Doesn't happen on every one of them, or else there would had been a massive recall as well as big damage to their image.
For those who had been unfortunate to be in one (like myself), we come to this forum and this thread to talk/ask questions about it.
Hence you'll see almost every poster here is experiencing the problem.

Audi fixed mine so I'm back on good terms with them, but what makes me mad is the owner's manual in which they state that 1 QT/1000km consumption is considered "normal".
Yeah right... whoever signed that off needs to get canned.

[Lookingforans4]

I know this may be a stretch, but does anyone have the Stage 1 vs Stage 2 fix breakdown? Parts needed etc... I have looked through the first 20 pages or so, but was hoping there is a list somewhere that I can utilize. Since my local Audi dealer thinks its completely normal to burn a quart every 300-500 miles, my VW dealer is wanting to know exactly what parts they need to file a claim. Thank you for any help!

[Turtleteeth]

Took car in for Stage II yesterday and got a call from dealer confirming that I'm consuming over 2/3rds quart per 1000miles. So they're moving forward with new pistons, etc. I'm at 64k miles for reference.
They gave me a 2012 A4 Avant (w/adaptive suspension) as a loaner in the meantime - pretty nice, tho its an auto-8spd. The dealership has been GREAT throughout the process of Stage I & II, which is a relief. I am very happy with their service and professionalism.
I'm interested to know if anyone who has had the stage II completed after dealing with the condition for a long period of time noticed any change or improvement in performance when they got their car back? Any chance it cleaned up the spotty lag, wavering rpms or throttle response? Just curious... Either way, I'm really looking fwd to getting my car back soon. Dealership said it should be over a week, b/c I'm 2nd in the queue.


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Finally picked her up yesterday morning and she's running well, with a smoothness in the acceleration. Dealer noted they replaced pistons, rings, cam seal, cam follower (note on receipt literally said follower was "blown out"), and I had an all wheel alignment done too. Right out of the dealership, the ride up to 7k rpms in 1st thru 3rd was notably solid, consistent and fun... Didn't feel any lag or drop in pull when coming off the clutch either. So far I'm pleased with the improved response. All of this said, I am in no way saying there is an improved performance over what would be considered stock. It's just nice to have confidence when going up thru the runs to highway cruising speed. Gonna keep a good eye on that oil level moving fwd but very hopeful based on the feel of things so far.


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[craigiemac412]

Added a quart on Thurs when the light came on....light came back on last night right before getting home.....90miles later . This is getting really out of hand, can May 19th get here soon enough?!

[Glen]

Here's an update;

After a long wait, finally got the Pistons & Rings changed by the used car dealer.
The car had been test driven by the dealers rep and monitored for a day. The next day when I picked up the car the strange thing happened. After I drove the car home after 56 km the fuel light came on....which was fine because I was low of fuel. However, after another 5 km after I exited the highway the oil light came on!!!
I took a quick snapshot with my cell phone as proof and sent it to the mechanic. But here is the strange thing. The car was switched off and left for 3 hours. When I started the car again, no oil light.
Its been two days now and I have been taking the car out for a few test drives and still no oil light.
The oil reading when displayed does not really show a bar indicator between the high and low.
I went shopping, the car was on a slight angle. When I displayed the oil level, it indicated that the car was at a tilt and that the reading may not be accurate.....which is exactly true!
The only thing that comes to mind now is that the ECM somehow remembered previous readings...and is now updating itself.
After I added fuel, the fuel lite went off. Oil light is still off, so I'll continue to monitor.
If anyone has any input, please share.

Thanks.

[QuatA4]

So the car's still at the dealer waiting to be fixed. Got an update call today (week later) saying the work on my car has started and so far I only need a chain tensioner ($65) on top of the pistons and rings, of course without doubt I said do it since the engine's already cracked open and it was right there and cheaper to fix now than later. They did say car should be ready mid next week or so. So far, I'm happy with the progress despite the crappy Subaru crosstrek I was rented out instead of a loaner that was a complete downgrade from my 2.0T :(.

Hoping I don't get shocked with the bill despite Audi covering 80%. Will keep you updated, but again, Marks Motors of Ottawa has been great to work with.

Got my car back after the stage 2, paid a lot less than I expected (~$900) which is great. Car seems to perform great so far and considering I only drove 100km, it doesn't seem to be burning any oil yet, though I would know better in the next few weeks or if I'm able to drive more than 700km without the oil bar going lower.

So far, again, very happy with Audi of Canada and being able to stand behind their products even out of warranty.

[PKaudi]

Got my car back after the stage 2, paid a lot less than I expected (~$900) which is great. Car seems to perform great so far and considering I only drove 100km, it doesn't seem to be burning any oil yet, though I would know better in the next few weeks or if I'm able to drive more than 700km without the oil bar going lower.

So far, again, very happy with Audi of Canada and being able to stand behind their products even out of warranty.

Good for you bruh.
I agree, AoC has responded well to this, especially comparing to AoA and a lot of folks here who got no support from them at all.

It will still burn oil, just not at the same rate.
I'm about a bar or two down after ~9000 kms.
Very acceptable.

[QuatA4]

Hey I'll be a very happy man if that's the case for me too. As long as it burns just enough that I don't have to put oil in between changes then I'm happy

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[Turtleteeth]

Got my car back after the stage 2, paid a lot less than I expected (~$900) which is great. Car seems to perform great so far and considering I only drove 100km, it doesn't seem to be burning any oil yet, though I would know better in the next few weeks or if I'm able to drive more than 700km without the oil bar going lower.

So far, again, very happy with Audi of Canada and being able to stand behind their products even out of warranty.

So wait, AoC is not covering the stage 2 under warranty?


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[MDORFER87]

I just completed the oil test from the dealership and it was determined that I would need new pistons and rings. I was surprised when the service guy said Audi would pay for it, considering I bought my '09 used from another non-audi dealer and it currently has 56K miles on it. Only problem is he can't get me in for a month to have them replaced.

[QuatA4]

So wait, AoC is not covering the stage 2 under warranty?


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I didn't have warranty, my car is 2009 and 90k on it.

I paid ~$850 for the first part of Stage 1 which is the seals and weight oil
Part 2 was the measurement which they told me would be an additional $250 or so. They said I don't have to pay for that (yet) since my car failed and they would just add it to stage 2 (pistons, etc).
When I picked up my car after pistons and what not, the bill was ~$1700 but I only had to pay ~$850 since they subtracted the $850 I had already paid.

Yes, its confusing as hell but all that to say it seems like the entire bill for Stage 1 and Stage 2 is $1700 out of pocket, and that's with the entire job costing Audi well over $7k before taxes (saw the invoice). I still can't get the numbers right but in my head it all works out to me not being raped.

[jjinla]

lookingforans4 -I will PM you.

[oripaamoni]

Just adding my info here. I have a 2010 with a 9/2009 build date. I bought the car with 28K on it last Feb car now has 52k. Since i got it the oil consumption has been exactly the same the MMI give me a low warning after 6k-7k. My previous car (B7 S4) burned a qt every 3k My car before that EA113 2.0t (MKV GTI purchased new) burned 1 qt every 2k. MY factory warranty just ended up and am about to go get a chip. *cross my fingers for no oil issues in the future*

[craigiemac412]

Added a quart on Thurs when the light came on....light came back on last night right before getting home.....90miles later . This is getting really out of hand, can May 19th get here soon enough?!

Well, that was just about one of the easiest things I've done! Called AoA around 3pm today to ask for a complimentary carbon cleaning service when I go in for pistons/rings and spoke with the most wonderful woman...I explained exactly how bad my consumption was and she opened a case and said she'd have an update for me by C.O.B. Friday since she would need to be in contact with the dealer to request some records/do some research on her end....and then less than 3 hours later called back saying everything is approved and I am getting the service as requested! Very painless....not quite what I was expecting after hearing so many horror stories from people dealing with AoA...

[Lookingforans4]

Thank you very much! @jjinla

[PKaudi]

So the oil consumption issue for me is out of the way with the piston change I received.
New issue: Coolant consumption.

I already searched up on it and a lot of members have already got their water pumps replaced due to this.
I plan to act up on it in the next few weeks.

[kaklexicon]

So the oil consumption issue for me is out of the way with the piston change I received.
New issue: Coolant consumption.

I already searched up on it and a lot of members have already got their water pumps replaced due to this.
I plan to act up on it in the next few weeks.

Same here! Although I wouldn't say the oil consumption is fixed. After about 1500 miles my oil is down to about 3/4. Sure it's much better than what it was, but it's still consuming oil. My coolant is vanishing too, and I can smell coolant at a stop with the windows down... To be honest, I'm about done with this car.

[PKaudi]

Same here! Although I wouldn't say the oil consumption is fixed. After about 1500 miles my oil is down to about 3/4. Sure it's much better than what it was, but it's still consuming oil. My coolant is vanishing too, and I can smell coolant at a stop with the windows down... To be honest, I'm about done with this car.

My consumption is fixed, I was only down to 3/4 after 10,000 km of driving with the new pistons.
Coolant is diminishing like I said, but not sure of the rate yet (if it's going from max to min within the oil change interval... I can live with that).

I'm not quiet ready to call it quits and take the loss... I also can't afford to take losses, I'm saving for house.
But then again, mine is 2010 and not 2009, which is the evil of all B8....

[kaklexicon]

My consumption is fixed, I was only down to 3/4 after 10,000 km of driving with the new pistons.
Coolant is diminishing like I said, but not sure of the rate yet (if it's going from max to min within the oil change interval... I can live with that).

I'm not quiet ready to call it quits and take the loss... I also can't afford to take losses, I'm saving for house.
But then again, mine is 2010 and not 2009, which is the evil of all B8....

Yea, I've been there, saving for a house. It's worth it! I bought this car at the end of December for a good price, so fortunately the trade-in value right now is just about what I paid when I bought it. I'm just sick of oil issues. I mean, AoA has been good about trying to fix the issue I'll give them that, but I can only imagine how many Audi's are out there chugging through oil. I love these cars but I've had a B5, B7, and a B8, and each one has had oil issues of some sort, whether it be sludge or consumption, not to mention carbon build up. Hopefully they fix all this BS for the B9.

[PKaudi]

Yea, I've been there, saving for a house. It's worth it! I bought this car at the end of December for a good price, so fortunately the trade-in value right now is just about what I paid when I bought it. I'm just sick of oil issues. I mean, AoA has been good about trying to fix the issue I'll give them that, but I can only imagine how many Audi's are out there chugging through oil. I love these cars but I've had a B5, B7, and a B8, and each one has had oil issues of some sort, whether it be sludge or consumption, not to mention carbon build up. Hopefully they fix all this BS for the B9.

I hope it's worth it (saving for house), because I'm paranoid to even spend a dime these days... yet I still gotta keep my girl friends (real gf + and my A4) happy, which doesn't come cheap.. lol
Can't remember when was the last time I bought a decent pair of clothing for myself!!!

Anyways, if you can break even or take minimal losses, maybe selling it is a wise choice.
I'm going to stick with it for now (unless something really catastrophic happens), but if I ever have to switch or get a 2nd car, I may go back to a Japanese brand.
Love this car, but just sayin'.

[ed@mtl]

2014 Allroad. 5530km. Oil light came on. Added 1L.

[QuatA4]

1000km post Stage 2 (Pistons and Rings) fix and Oil level in MMI has not dropped a single bar :) Very happy!

[wabbit23]

Figured I'd add my car on this list of oil consumers as well now. Sucks because my last A4 burned through about 1/2 liter in about 7k+. I'm sure breaking in the motor has a lot to do with it considering that car was tuned from less than 1k on the odo and was driven hard from day 1. I had that one until about 49k without any issues.

However, here's my new (to me) Avants Oil consumption story. Bought it CPO'd at 56k. It was in pretty bad shape mechanically so I replaced oil, air filter, plugs, R8 coil packs, had dealer replace turbo and bunch of other little pieces here and there that were either broken or breaking. So with that laundry list I was sure I was gonna have an issue with Oil Consumption. Sure enough here's what I'm seeing right now.

2011 A4 Avant with 64k

First oil change I was seeing 1 liter/ 2700 miles.

Now I'm at 1liter/ 1700 miles.

She's at the dealer right now having stage 1 completed but I'm sure that isn't going to do much. Has anyone had stage 1 actually fix their issues?


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[belzebutt]

I didn't have warranty, my car is 2009 and 90k on it.

I paid ~$850 for the first part of Stage 1 which is the seals and weight oil
Part 2 was the measurement which they told me would be an additional $250 or so. They said I don't have to pay for that (yet) since my car failed and they would just add it to stage 2 (pistons, etc).
When I picked up my car after pistons and what not, the bill was ~$1700 but I only had to pay ~$850 since they subtracted the $850 I had already paid.

Yes, its confusing as hell but all that to say it seems like the entire bill for Stage 1 and Stage 2 is $1700 out of pocket, and that's with the entire job costing Audi well over $7k before taxes (saw the invoice). I still can't get the numbers right but in my head it all works out to me not being raped.

Did you get it done at the dealer where you bought the car, and did you buy the car new?

[QuatA4]

Did you get it done at the dealer where you bought the car, and did you buy the car new?

Nope, I'm second owner, bought it used from a BMW dealer and the car was originally purchased from a different city Audi. As long as I showed proof of oil changes that seems like thats all they wanted.

[wabbit23]

^yup. Dealer didn't have proof oil changes on mine so they did one, then put my car in for it. They charged me for the oil change but approved me for stage 1. The ECU update definitely smoothened out the car a decent amount but well see if stage 1 is enough. Doubt It though.


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[Red911T]

Just had Stage 2 done on my wife's 2011 Q5....between when I bought it last August CPO'd and now, it was consuming a quart every 750 miles or so. Most recent interval it consumed a quart after 500 miles. Stage 2 was just finished today, picked the car up and seems to be driving fine. Will update if there are any more consumption issues with it. Mileage is 51,000.

[gtipapi]

Pistons and rings just completed on my 2009, free of charge. I bought it 2 months ago. Not certified, no warranty.

[Dub_prime]

Just picked up a 2010 with 68k miles a month ago, has consumed about 1.5-2 quarts in the 1200 miles I've driven it, but evidently the previous 2 owners never reported problems to audi... I have an appointment scheduled for next thursday to have stage 1 done. Crossing my fingers for good results.

[PKaudi]

Just picked up a 2010 with 68k miles a month ago, has consumed about 1.5-2 quarts in the 1200 miles I've driven it, but evidently the previous 2 owners never reported problems to audi... I have an appointment scheduled for next thursday to have stage 1 done. Crossing my fingers for good results.

To be exact, you would want to cross your fingers for BAD results, so that you move on to stage 2 and get the new pistons :)
I was losing a quart every 1500 km (whatever that is in miles).
New pistons in, now I lose 1/3 quart in 10000 km.
Not too shabby, especially considering that I do oil change around 12000 km mark.

[MajorHavoc]

UPDATE: About 90 days and 3,000 miles (road trip) after stage 2, all seems to be good. So far, no oil consumption!