Good day Peeps,

I purchased a new 2011 A5 2.0t about 7 months ago. My odometer currently stands at 4600 miles and my oil level is at zero.

Now, I've noticed that the MMI is inconsistent when it comes to oil level reports, as it bounced around for a few months. However, despite the bouncing around, the oil level has been consistently decreasing during this time.

I first noticed the zero oil level last night. However, I have not had any indicator lights come up on the dash. I checked again this morning (after letting the engine warm up) and the oil level still shows zero. Again, no indicator lights. I'm afraid to drive it like this, so I'll obviously run out and grab some oil as an interim solution.

However, my bigger concern is the excessive oil consumption. 5 quarts in 4600 miles translates to approximately 1 quart per every 900 miles. The manual states that high consumption levels can reach 0.5 quarts per every 600 miles. I know that oil consumption tends to be slightly higher during the initial break-in. I'm pretty meticulous about my cars, so I made sure it was broken-in properly and I monitor this stuff regularly. At 3000 miles, my oil usage was about half. So, it seems as if my A5 is consuming more oil now than it was previously. The car is garaged on a flat service in the same spot every night and also in a reserved spot at my work. I have zero oil spots in either garage, so it doesn't seem to be leaking.

So, my question is this: For all you guys with the 2.0 TFSI, what has your oil consumption been like? Did you notice excessive oil consumption during break-in? Do you guys see this level of consumption as normal?

I'm due for the 5000 mile maintenance and I'll have Audi check it out then, but just trying to gather information before I take it in. I'm also not trying to overreact to the oil consumption issue, but I've had other small nuances (misfire codes left and right) with this car since I got it and all of the nuances are starting to raise my annoyance level.

Ryan

 

Seems quite high. I only have 2000 miles and haven't checked yet.

Have you added oil? Have you purchased and checked with a dipstick?

 

I have a 2007 2.0TFSI and change my oil annually as I only put about 7,000 miles on my car each year. Usually I have to add 1/2 to 1 quart between oil changes. So I'm using about a quart every 7,000 miles.

 

I have yet to purchase a dipstick, but it looks like I probably should.

So, I purchased a few quarts of oil on Saturday. I added 1 quart of oil. I waited a little while before turning on the engine and then I let it warm up. I tried to check the oil, but got the following message on the MMI "Oil level display available after approximately 2 minutes. Engine must be warm and turned off." So, I let it run for about 10 minutes before shutting it down. I check the oil again and the MMI says that I need to turn on the ignition to get the reading. After turning on the engine, I get the same exact "wait two minutes" message... So, my MMI is stuck in a circular reference...awesome!

So, I decide not to put any more oil in until I can figure out the actual level. I check it again this morning and I got the same circular messages. After running some errands, I check the oil level and it finally gives me a reading. However, this time is shows the oil level as being completely full. WTF?

This makes no sense to me. I'm thinking maybe its an electrical or sensor or even MMI problem (as I've had other weird issues with my MMI so far).

Anyways, not sure if anyone else has experienced this but its really annoying. Scheduling my A5 for the 5000 mile maintenance this week...and the sad thing is that I have had a good half-dozen issues with this car so far.

 

I have a 2010 A4 but I have almost the exact same issue. First, at just under 5,000 miles, the oil light came on telling me to add oil. I ended up just taking it in for service where they told me it was normal. They said I did not need another oil change for until I get to 15,000 miles (or a year). Then at about 11,500 milles, the oil light came on and I added 1/2 quart of oil. Now I am at 12,500 and the light just came on again. I added another 1/2 quart, called the dealer and was told that its normal for it to burn through 1 quart every 1,200 miles. That sounds ridiculous to me, but that's their story. The only positive was that they said if I stop in to the dealer, they would top up the oil between oil changes.

And by the way, I get the exact same circular messages everytime I added oil. Very frustrating. The MMI is terrific generally, but there are just some little things that are very annoying.

 

I'm having the exact same issue. I took it into the dealership and they did and oil consumption test and said it falls within the 'normal parameters.

I think it's ridiculous... what other new cars burn oil?

Is there anything an owner can do about this problem? Take it up with Audi Canada/USA?

I would like more thorough answers to the questions originally asked in this post if possible. Thanks@

 

Ryan,

Are you thinking you've used 5 quarts of oil because the MMI reads zero? I don't have my manual in the house but I believe when the MMI reads zero you are about 1 quart low, same as the minimum mark on a dip stick. To check the MMI oil reading the car should be on level ground, the engine must be warm, shut of the engine and turn the ignition back on (engine not running), after about 2 minutes you will get a reading for oil level.

Gary T.

 

@Gary- Thanks for the info. The technician at my local Audi dealership basically told me the same thing, although I was confused by the statement.

I'm assuming that the 2.0 TFSI holds 5 quarts of oil. Is that a correct assumption?

So, by one quart low do you mean one quart remaining (equal to four quarts burned)? If so, this is understandable, albeit it still seems to be consuming oil fairly quickly (but, from what I can recall, would technically fall into the high part of the acceptable range according to the manual).

What I still don't get is why my MMI read a "maximum" oil level after I put 1-quart of oil in the car. So, if I was down to 1-quart of oil remaining and I put only 1-quart of oil in the car, then how do I end up with a "maximum" reading? That doesn't make sense.

Or if I'm misinterpreting everything and I was only down to 4 quarts of oil in the car (just 1-quart low), then why would the MMI read "zero" if the oil is at 80% capacity? That doesn't make sense either.

So, regardless of being at 4-quarts remaining or 1-quart remaining, the MMI reading did not make sense.

I guess what I find frustrating is that the MMI is not the slightest bit intuitive when it comes to reading the oil level. So, having a dipstick option would be nice when you don't have a system that is all but simple. However, when I inquired about ordering a dipstick from Audi I was told that they couldn't get one for my car. In addition to the non-intuitive system, it took me approximately 48 hours to get a read on my oil level. I followed the instructions by the book...flat surface, warmed the car up, turned it off and I got a lovely circular reference. I spent a good hour or two driving the car around and turning the car on and off (on flat surfaces) trying to get this reading to no avail. When I finally did get the reading, it was at "maximum."

So, perhaps the MMI system (specifically the software) was poorly executed/buggy upon release...which could be the case (and is typical in software development projects), as I've had several really weird MMI issues (not turning on [although audio is on and my phone is connected to bluetooth], stuck in back-up camera mode for several minutes, not reading/finding contacts on my MMI[yet, they I can pick up my phone and find them]) that are annoying as hell.

I absolutely love this car (IMO- the sexiest designed car currently in production), but if these little annoyances continue I may very well consider trading in on a MB or maybe even a *gulp* BMW. Kind of depressing...

Ryan

 

The MMI oil level reading is just like a dipstick. A dipstick only reads from full to down one quart. If you are down more than one quart you won't get a reading on the dipstick. On the MMI, if you are down one quart the MMI will read zero. If you are down more than one quart the MMI will still read zero. In your situation it sounds like you were one quart low, that is why when you added a quart the MMI read max. If your car becomes extremely low on oil you would get a red oil light on the dash. That light tells you that the engine has lost oil pressure. If that light ever comes on you should stop the engine immediately.

I think your problem with getting the MMI to read the oil level is being caused by confusion with the Ignition. When the car is running you push the key to stop the engine, then with your foot off of the brake pedal, push the key. All of your dash lights should come on but the engine should stay off. When you check the oil level it should give you the message about waiting 2 minutes. The 2 minute wait is to give the oil time to drain back into the oil pan for an accurate reading.

I hope this helps
Gary T.

 

Thanks for the clarification, Gary. That does summarize it well. Much appreciated.

Now that you mention it, I rarely use my key...typically just push start. So, perhaps that was my issue with the lack of a timely oil level reset.