Diesel engine management

[John L]

Hello all,
have just joined this forum. We have a 2016 A5 3.0TDI Quattro which is great and suites our purposes for long distance travelling. However, with just 76,000km we have two dash displays with the Engine MAnagement and Emission control system. Initially we thought with some short travelling during COVID the car needed some longer trips, but this has not eliminated the dash display. Our mechanic, who I do trust, has explained there will be an excessive build up of very sticky carbon/exhaust particles which is a major job to access then ultrasonic clean.

We see two issues, 1. Is there an easier way to clean the carbon build up without engine dismantling? & 2. How do we avoid this issue in the future. Friends with other diesels do not seem to have the same problem.

if anyone can advise what we should do it would be very much appreciated. Thanks John L

[ML24WA]

Fairly common problem for diesels. I have the same engine in a q5 and I had the same problem. I opted for a flash tune, disabling the EGR system (the cause of sludge buildup) and removal of the swirl flaps which just act as a surface for buildup.

Your mechanic is right, not much you can do without physically cleaning the internal parts of the intake. There are some products you could try from Supercheap etc that will try and clean the intake but they are unlikely to improve the situation much. If you have the time, tools and patience you could tackle the job yourself.

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[jnrdavo]

always worth a second opinion. Might be worth taking to a Audi dealer and see what they say and if they concur with the independent..

For some, driving a 'long' distance has fixed their problem (and done a DPF burn), and for others, it's been more serious..