Thank you all for your help and advice! You guys are wonderful.

So, I had my husband pick up the car on the way home and got some codes.

Check Engine Light history:
1st time at dealer on 3.31.08
"Cause: Intake Cam Control Bank 1 Malfunction Electrical Concern: Performed 5051 Diagnostic. Code for Intake Can Control Bank 1. Followed Guided fault finding and activated valve to flush away dirt pinning valve open. Test Drove. Operating as designed at this time.

2nd time 4.18.08
Electrical Concern Perform 5051 Diagnostic. Code for Cam Adjustment. Changed oil. Car had aftermarket oil and filter*. Operating as designed at this time. *This is where I told them I had had it changed with Royal Purple the past two years.

3rd time 5.15.08
Cam Adjuster Malfunction.Performed 5051 diagnostic. Codes for Cam Adjuster Bank 1 and 2 sporatic malfunction. Followed 5051 guided fault finding test plan to purge dirt from cam adjuster assembly. Car has a history of this code so contacted audi tech line. Was advised of possible debris loosed by customers application of high detergent motor oil (Royal Purple) on last repair. Quoted replacement of cam adjusters per tech line. Repairs were denied*. *$3100.00 for just cams/ $4355 for cam adj and t-belts.

Diagnostic log on 5.15.08
P1619 1 Fault Detected
Intake camshart control bank 1 malfunction

I have the printouts with tons of stuff I don't understand. Any advice on an easier fix? Audi Corp doesn't even return calls anymore, so I'm SOL at the dealership and the company.

 

Did the techs at Audi only replace the 2 coils? Or did they replace all of them. From experience, the problem should lie soley on the fact they replaced 2 coils. The check engine light will come on due this, as you've seen and there would be no power to the vehicle. It idles funny and is not strong when pushing the throttle. Give me more detail into what else they did and what has been done so far. With that mileage I'm surprised that you're having these problems. Let me know and I can do more research for you.

 

I can highly recommend European Cars Limited on Feagan near Shephard and Memorial. http://www.openlist.com/houston-tx_e...ited/70510299/as being both compenant and fair.

 

I'd google the head of Audi North America along with a couple of other senior execs and send them all a letter explaining everything. Be complete and clear - but not "too angry". Ask for their help. You'd be surprised what kind of results this will get you. I've done it with lots of large corporations, including Home Depot, Daimler, etc. They (or their admins) usually pass it down to someone who makes a phone call and pretty soon they'll be calling you to resolve the issue.

Good luck.

 

Why not simply purchase a obd-2 scanner (Ross-tech) and scan your own codes. You mentioned that the check engine light was on but never described the symptoms. Does it drive ok.....start ok....shift...?

Or see if anyone on one of these audi forums has one in your area they can scan for you. If I lived closed I'd get it fixed for you. In the future I would simply avoid dealers when possible. They aren't great at reasonable prices or customer service...dunno why.

 

I have three Audi A6, and all of the problems were preexisting from previous owners and their agents. I even was able to buy a 1996 A6 2.8L for $3,000 because it was so poorly maintained. The wrong oil had been used, resulting in carbon blocking the EGR temperature sensor, and clogging the valve cover vents. It had a bad right head gasket, bad CV boot, two bad parking brake cables, unlockable trunk, bad cooling fan wiring, bad exhaust manifold studs, bad radiator, plugged vacuum booster, bad trunk release wiring, bad EGR temperature sensor wiring.
However, the two 1998 A6 2.8L wagons have not been so troubled, so I believe that some of the problems with this 1996 A6 are due to improper repairs,resulting from the fact that the location of the fan fuse is not listed in the owners manual by Audi. So, the foolish exowner had hired fools to tamper with his Audi, because he couldn't aford the dealer.
Since you are not a do it yourselfer, I can immagine how you could be easy prey. You sould go to the nearest AAA and get a list of diagnostic service centers which can do Audi, as related to the problems you are having. You need too take all past documentationof the problem andaskfor an estimate from severaldiagnostic service centers.
By cam adjusters, do you mean the hydraulicvalve adjusters? Exactlly how would theyget plugged up at only 36k miles, with nearly annual oil change?
Which weight of Royal Purple have you been using? (5W40, 10W40or ?)What type of oil filter did you use? Some of the aftermarket onesmay screw on but may be of poor quality, be undersized, or not to specification. I have been using Bosch oil filters and Syntech 5W40 synthetic oil. I have seen some filters in auto stores which are much smaller. When an oil filter is plugged up, a relief valve bypasses the filter.When this happens, then the hydraulic valveadjusters may get plugged up.
Perhaps the diagnotics center may be able to determine whatalternatives are possible.
Also, which engine does your 2002 A6 have?

 

It was easy to tell when I would blow a coil in this car. I was usually trying to merge on a highway and lose power. Then the light would go on. But that was about 2 and 3 years ago, and no trouble since then.

As for this latest situation with the lights, I'm just driving easy, not hard, and the light will just come on. No difference in the driving, starting or shifting of the car at all. Strange.

I did not realize I had to worry about which oil filter that the chain (KwikKar) was using on my car. I was assuming and won't be doing that again. They were using 5W30 and a "Mobile One Filter with a Special Filter Charge $10" ??? At the same time, I had also had a "Gum Out Engine Flush" done because it was gunky back in 11.12.07 (34382 Miles). Audi Changed the oil again on 4.18.08 at 36663 Miles and again complained of dirty oil (2281 mile difference).

Thanks for the recommendation on the shop here in Houston, I'll check it out next time the light comes on. The dealer just cleared the light so I'm assuming if I bring it in, it won't throw a code? Am I correct?

Husband wants to throw in some gas additive next time. BAD idea, right? "I'll clear that junk out". I'm scared for him to take my car. He drives it HARD and I drive it very gentle. LOL.

I hate to say it, even think it. While surfing, I found out that Audi has a problem with cars having Oil Sludge. I was assured by the dealer that it did not happen in A6, 6 cylander engines, only the 4 cyl TTs, and A4's. If this is true, then could it be the KwikKar oilfilters that caused my problems? If it is possible, and sort of help/recourse I can get?

She still looks brand new, beautiful. She's very sentimental to me. I really don't want to give her up. I don't want to go in the poorhouse because of her either. Again, thank you one and all for all the help.

 

Not wishing to detract from the OP's problems or questions, but is the abovetrue?There are very few manufacturers of modern mass produced cars that require an oil change every 3,000 miles or 3 months. My Audi tells me when it's due. The harder I drive it, the sooner the service is due, but I've never managed (and wouldn't want) to drive it hard enough to warrant a service in under 5k, let alon 3k.

Can ask what your statement is based on (and I mean references, online or other, not just opinion). I'm not looking to provoke an argument, I'm genuinely interested.

 

That is a common question and its not a straitforward answer. I'm basing this on a course in internal combustion engines I took in college. I am also a diesel watercraft engineer but diesel are a whole different world.

Oil does not break down so age is not a consideration when you are talking about changing your oil. Now with natural oil a naturally aspirated engine does not need to be changed until about 5,000 miles. The recommendation was always 3,000 but that really is just a waste of money. Our engines however use full synthetic. Synthetic oil is much much better than natural oil. It can go as far as 10,000 miles in a naturally aspirated engine. I read this but still ignore it. I find that the buildup is still there even with synthetic so I still change mine evey 5,000. Turbo and high compression engines tend to get more buildup so you generally change the oil about 2,000 sooner.

If you want to be safe in the oil you buy then simply buy the audi oil. You can get it here - http://www.autohausaz.com/ and it is much cheaper than royal purple though still of excellent quality (royal purple is simply overkill in our engines)

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Now back to the subject at hand.

UpsetAudiOwner

Do you do any of your own work or do you prefer to take it to a mechanic? The reason I ask is not just for the cost involved but also because when you go to the dealer you end up have a different mechanic looking at the car every time. A real waste of time.

For the sludge...have you looked at the engine oil after 5,000 miles and seen this sludge yourself? It is incredibly unlikely that you have sludge in such a new car and on such a proven engine as the 3.0. Those oil additives you mention are intended for high mileage cars and even then there is a very specific way to use them. If you have seen this sludge an would really like to run a cleaner through then the best one is Liqui Moly. You can but it at the same site I mentioned above...https://www.autohausaz.com/search/pr...ids/Treatments Just be sure you get the one that says "oil change prep" and only run it in your engine for the directed 10 minutes prior to oil change.

For the fuel additive your husband wanted to use...don't. If your engine is running smoothly and driving smoothly then your fuel system is not at fault. Just a waste of time and money. When it comes down to it, I would say you simply have a fualty sensor somewhere or that the computer software for your car is not up to date (the early versions had many bugs). I'm hoping someone else can shed some light on this as I have the 2000 model with the 2.8.

I did have the same check engine light until the dealer updated my computer software. No problem for several months now.

 

This is the strangest thread I’ve read in years. It is full of bull, miss-information, and wrong assumptions, so I figured I would try to make it stranger.

Answer to question about Audi Lifetime- I have personally had Audi’s go for 350K, 200K, 210K and the current one is at 190K with very few problems. My experience is common, so 36K on a 02 is just a baby. But life is not that simple.

Coil issues – Audi and VW went thru a period of time where the coils failed in a short time. In fact there was a shortage of coils and although they should have changed every all of them (before there was trouble) there were not enough for everyone so they allocated them one at a time to the vehicles that had problems. They screwed up by not doing a follow up to change all the others .This doesn’t mean that changing one was wrong. It means that when failures started the others would most likely fail soon. IT DID NOT HURT ANYTHING TO CHANGE JUST ONE OR TWO COILS!

Oil issues – This one is a mixed bag. Low mileage cars need a different kind of maintenance than high mileage vehicles. Short trips – stop and go – where the vehicle seldom reaches full operating temperature (not the water temp) is very hard on them. The oil never has a chance to dry out thus it needs frequent changing. The moisture actually combines with the oil and becomes sludge that traps particles and coats the inside of the motor. (If you have ever popped a head gasket and found mayonnaise on the dip stick you know what I’m talking about.) Changing to very high detergent oil after using standard oil that has caused sludge can really mess things up because the sludge and dirt go into suspension and plug things like the filter and small passages. Synthetic oil is definitely better than standard oil for high and low mileage cars but Sludge –like the other S word happens!

FYI -- I drive 100 miles a day thus I can easily go 5K – 8K between oil changes but I always change the filter and use Mann filters on my Audi. I change the oil and filter every 6 to 8 weeks.

I strongly dislike Audi dealers because they are too expensive and in many cases lack commonsense, courtesy, and integrity. In this case, it sounds as if the dealer is correct about the oil but has done a poor job of communicating the problem. I suspect that the motor had a lot of sludge because it very seldom got warmed up completely and when high detergent oil was put in it the junk plugged up the passages to the adjustors and the rest is history.

I know someone that bought an A6 2.8 with 120K on it decided to use a high detergent oil additive because he could see sludge at the filler cap. He drove for 1000 miles, changed the filter and oil – and added another can of detergent. About 5000 miles later the motor stopped because a rear cam bearing seized due to no lubrication. The cam and timing belt broke.

In this case I would consider doing the following –

Have a good independent mechanic that knows Audis replace the cams and adjustor.
While he is at it I’d have him drop the pan, remove as much sludge as possible and clean everything he can get to. – even flush the motor with kerosene but not run it.
Then I would use a good Synthetic oil (low viscosity) and Mann filter and run the car until it warmed up.
Next I would change the oil and filter using a standard synthetic oil and gently drive the car for about 100 to 200 miles making sure it get warmed up really well without driving hard.
Next I would change the oil and filter using a standard synthetic oil and go 500 to 600 miles driving a bit harder.
Then I would change the oil and filter again and go about 2000 miles before the next oil change and stay away from the high detergent stuff.
After that I would change the oil and filter every 4 – 6 months and make sure that you get it really warm at least once a week.
Finally I would go to church and pray that I didn’t mess it up too much – LOL![/ol]
Sorry for the long post - I couldn't help myself. [sm=guilty.gif]