So I have a '98 A4 Quattro 2.8 5spd. I have been getting just 15-16mpg the last few times I have filled it up. I had it in for a timing belt/water pump last week and the mechanic did not find any problems. I am driving around the city, many times just for short distances, but should it really be this low? I knew Audi's were not the best for that, but I was hoping for 19 at least in the city? Any thoughts on what this could be?

 

all depends on what you have running A/C - lights - radio - heated seats - you know that sort of thing because the more the load on the engine the more fuel it uses, you might want to put some fuel system cleaner in the gas tank to clean the injectors

 

any vehicle when its used for short trips will always get low MPG - in-town is always bad for me - usually around 20mpg and I have a 1.8t and a lead foot - do a test this weekend - fill her up and take it out on the Hiway - drive a good distance - do a day trip somewhere. See how good it is then. If your avg is still down then you should try

MAF
Plugs
O2 Sensor
all the way down to the air filter

 

You look kinda snow'd out in your sig - where you at - cold does bad things to MPG

 

I'm in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Its been 20-30F lately around here... yeah we've been getting some snow.

I know that my heated seats, heater, lights, radio have been on a lot, and the trips have been short. Guess maybe those made a bigger difference then I expected. I will be making a 3hr trip in a week and a half, so I'll fill up and check my mileage there and see if its similar to what I used to get on expressway (23-26mpg in the fall).

I know the mechanics ran the car through the diagnostics tool and nothing came up there. Well, I'll continue keeping an eye on it and check the things you posted above. Thanks for the help.

 

the colder it is the more fuel your burning. (denser air needs that much more fuel to keep the right a/f ratio) not to mention the heat being on and all electrics being on.

stop and go city driving also takes a toll on the mpg.

 

Yea my 2.8 gets around the same in the city. But I aslo blame that on my CAI and the fact that my MAF needs cleaning. If its all city miles I'm lucky if I get 260 per tank, but on the highway I'll get near 350 a tank.

 

how does turning on your radio and your heated seats effect your gas mileage?

 

I squeezed 25mpg out of my 12v. It's all about how the car is driven. My usual though is 20mpg. What oil weight are you running?

 

if you have the time and patience i would take the injectors out and get them flowed here they do it for about 60 bucks, but it also cleans them and they tell you want cc they are flowing. by researching it the 2.8 all i couold find is someone "thinks" they are 190cc https://www.audiforums.com/m_87685/tm.htm