A4 / A5 / Q5 Q5 2.0 TFSI Burning Oil Problems - Information Here

[foobar]

There seems to be a common theme amongst Q5 2.0 TFSI owners around the internet that this model is burning oil at a rapid rate. Having talked to my dealer a few times about it I am now fed up that I have to put in a litre of oil (the expensive stuff recommended by the dealer) every 4-5k.

My car has done ~34k and had a service at 32.5 and it has already burned .5 of a litre and in all honesty it looks like it is starting to burn more with age. I have worked out that not including the service at 1k and 15k and 32.5k that I have topped up the car with 4.5 litres of oil having .5 litre left in the container. The last 2 services I brought it into the dealer with the low oil light on.

I heard today from another Q5 owner that his dealer is topping up for free and they too are pulling in every 4-5k to get it done.

So what's the deal ? Is everyone having this problem with the Q5 petrol turbo engine or is it just a subset of them, or do I have a individual problem I need to sort out ?

 

[bottleOfRum]

There seems to be a common theme amongst Q5 2.0 TFSI owners around the internet that this model is burning oil at a rapid rate. Having talked to my dealer a few times about it I am now fed up that I have to put in a litre of oil (the expensive stuff recommended by the dealer) every 4-5k.

My car has done ~34k and had a service at 32.5 and it has already burned .5 of a litre and in all honesty it looks like it is starting to burn more with age. I have worked out that not including the service at 1k and 15k and 32.5k that I have topped up the car with 4.5 litres of oil having .5 litre left in the container. The last 2 services I brought it into the dealer with the low oil light on.

I heard today from another Q5 owner that his dealer is topping up for free and they too are pulling in every 4-5k to get it done.

So what's the deal ? Is everyone having this problem with the Q5 petrol turbo engine or is it just a subset of them, or do I have a individual problem I need to sort out ?

My Q5 2T has done only 7700kms and I've had it topped up three times - once at Audi and twice on my own.

On Average, I've topped up at approx ~2300 kms intervals. I do long drives regularly and this does take its toll.

I've called my dealer about this and supposedly its within their design tolerances - thats why they do free top ups. But then - its a pain in the butt to purposely make way down there for the free oil...and at 25 bucks a pop for a litre of the fully synthetic oil - its an annoying expense.

 

[LonQ5]

I've done a little over 6000kms in my 2.0TFSI, most of that on long runs, and have yet to get a low oil warning light.

Audi Parramatta gave me a 5l bottle of oil for free when the car was with them to get voice control activated and I'm yet to use any of it. They may have topped the oil up when they had the car but no mention was made of it.

 

[cancan]

We have done over 30,000km and ours needs topping up on average every 3000km (mostly city driving). Is a pain in the a**e. I have had to purchase it twice, had to detour via Audi (also a pain in the a**e) a couple of times and the other times the light came on just before services or the many warranty trips.
Does make it a bit hard if we want to get away on a long trip, have to carry oil which I havent had to do since I sold my HR holden when I was a teenager.
At first Audi told me it was the running in oil and the usage will stop after its first service....first top up after first service was told that it will stop after 50,000km and is a common problem with Audis and VW's so who knows what the next story will be.

 

[Rogue_01]

There seems to be a common theme amongst Q5 2.0 TFSI owners around the internet that this model is burning oil at a rapid rate. Having talked to my dealer a few times about it I am now fed up that I have to put in a litre of oil (the expensive stuff recommended by the dealer) every 4-5k.

My car has done ~34k and had a service at 32.5 and it has already burned .5 of a litre and in all honesty it looks like it is starting to burn more with age. I have worked out that not including the service at 1k and 15k and 32.5k that I have topped up the car with 4.5 litres of oil having .5 litre left in the container. The last 2 services I brought it into the dealer with the low oil light on.

I heard today from another Q5 owner that his dealer is topping up for free and they too are pulling in every 4-5k to get it done.

So what's the deal ? Is everyone having this problem with the Q5 petrol turbo engine or is it just a subset of them, or do I have a individual problem I need to sort out ?

It's all of them. Not great but not something I care that much about.

 

[foobar]

How is it that you don't care that much ? This is a major problem that has my dealers full attention now that I have read them the riot act. Apart from the fact that the engine is burning something non combustible which is not good for performance or longevity, having to top it every 3-4 weeks with oil is embarassing given the status and reputation. Sorry I love Audi's, but that doesn't mean they will put one over me. There is a problem that needs to be fixed, and no it's not a run in period issue and no it's not within design tolerances, and no it's not going to just stop. There is no way any reputable manufacturer in the world would allow an engine to burn 1 litre of oil every 3k to 5k, they won't sell another model thereafter and the reviewers would have a field day - imagine what the boys from Top Gear would say ?

 

[filipovic]

How is it that you don't care that much ? This is a major problem that has my dealers full attention now that I have read them the riot act. Apart from the fact that the engine is burning something non combustible which is not good for performance or longevity, having to top it every 3-4 weeks with oil is embarassing given the status and reputation. Sorry I love Audi's, but that doesn't mean they will put one over me. There is a problem that needs to be fixed, and no it's not a run in period issue and no it's not within design tolerances, and no it's not going to just stop. There is no way any reputable manufacturer in the world would allow an engine to burn 1 litre of oil every 3k to 5k, they won't sell another model thereafter and the reviewers would have a field day - imagine what the boys from Top Gear would say ?

Believe it or not this issue had your dealers attention long before you "read them the riot act".
Current model's come in every single day of the week for top-ups, you're just one more.
Yes it is within design tolerances, you don't have a leg to stand on unless you are burning more than 2L/1000km.
And Audi make a car that burns 1L of oil every 3-5000km, and guess what.. they keep selling. So I guess you can let Audi Germany know that they won't be able to sell anymore cars worldwide due to this issue.

 

[barefoot]

Believe it or not this issue had your dealers attention long before you "read them the riot act".
Current model's come in every single day of the week for top-ups, you're just one more.

One of my staff is having to do this with his GTI, he is using up to a little every 2 weeks. The VW dealer is obviously concerned, though going by their advice to him, this is not normal, and that they're monitoring the situation over an extended period of time. The odd thing is, the car has only started using oil recently, so it is definitely not run-in issues.

You say this issue 'had your dealer's attention', does this mean the dealers think this is peculiar behaviour?

 

[acb]

How can having to top oil up every 2000 - 3000 kms be within "design tolerances". Sounds like a load of sh!t to me. Ive never once owned a car (including all the crappers from my yoof trhough to the current Q7 and the E55) which needed oil every couple thousand kays.

 

[filipovic]

As stated, any less than 2L/1000km is considered within specifications and no action will be taken under warranty.
If your concerned about excessive oil consumption you can request an oil consumption test which takes place over 2 visits and 1000km, if the consumption falls outside of specifications then you will most likely receive a new head, if it falls within specifications you will foot the bill for the test. Its that simple.
Most dealers will top up a bottle of oil for you to keep in the car if driving to the dealership is an inconvenience.

 

[LJP]

Foobar, I don't there is any issue at all. It's the way Audi's are and no, it's not like I don't care, that's the way the engines are designed by the sound of things. My A5 2.0TSFI is using about 1 litre every 5K. I got it topped up for free at the dealer the other day and will now buy own own oil to save the inconvienience having to go in.

I'm with filipovic's comments, if it's outside those tolerances then sure, there may be an issue. But otherwise, I don't see why people are getting that worked up over this! I know it's an expense, but if the dealer had told you this before you bought your shiny new car in the showroom, would it of stopped you? - I doubt it.

 

[4xFun]

I am also not too concerned.

Go ask any Mazda RX8 owner about their sportscars oil conumption per Km. These are also designed to use oil.

4x

 

[sleeperA4]

There is a fix coming next year to correct the issue.

 

[foobar]

I am surprised that some here think it is 'within design tolerances'.

The dealer is topping up about 20 cars a day (any model with a 2.0 TFSI) for free, I doubt very much it is within tolerance. ~20 litres a day plus the labour is a huge cost for one dealer to be wearing.

If a sticker was on the car about oil consumption (as well as fuel) and it said 1 litre per 5000km's - no, I don't think I would have bought it I would have paid more attention to the diesel models. I mean really if it's a norman thing than they should have no problem declaring it up front - yeah?

I too have just been told that Germany have found the problem and will be a couple of months away for a recall.

SleeperA4 any chance of telling us what the fix might be ?

 

[filipovic]

20 cars a day?
Must be the biggest Audi dealership in the southern hemisphere.

And I'm not thinking that less than 2L/1000km is within specifications, its a fact.

 

[mouse]

Does anyone know if these engines are actually consuming oil through the piston rings or valve seals, or do they just suck oil into the inlet manifold through the crankcase ventilation / emmision control system?

 

[John Deere]

I have a GTI and a Q5 TFSI, they both use around a litre every 5000km (the GTI a bit less). I am not all that bothered about it, but I see that some are.

Its a pretty well documented characteristic that I knew about when I bought the vehicle. For those that don't like it, might I suggest a quick google before your next purchase.

 

[Hamish]

Hi Fella's

I dont seam to have this problem ???.

Before the 1st service I topped up at around 13,000Ks with 1 litre.
Made it to 2nd service at 30,000 without topping up.
Now at 38,000 & around 1/2 way down acording to the display.

I do around 55 Ks each way to work & back, mix of 80 - 110 speed limits & mainly only drive around town on the weekends.

 

[Lumpy]

Hi guys,

Good to find out I'm not alone. Here's my 2.0 TFSI Q5's details:

first 9.9k's : 3 oils changes done at audi
that's about 1 liter (?) per 3.3k's
and just yesterday, the warning came up again - mileage was 10.7k's
which means that it's now 1L per 800km.

I just do city driving, with the occasional trip to the country, mebbe once a month.

Any advice? Do you guys think it's to do with the engine running in? The Q5 is 9 mths old

 

[sleeperA4]

I had my car serviced two weeks ago and they now do an oil consumption test. I had the first stage perfromed during the service. You then have to drive for 1000km and take the car back and they will do stage two which I am doing tomorrow.

Depending upon the level of use there are two fixes from my understanding with these being either a breather/valve or the repalcement of the rings.