I'm new to this car. First German car and first turbo car. Only had it a week and I want to know if I have problems or if it's just the nature of the beast.

01 2.7T, tip,+88k miles.

1 - When I'm in stop and go traffic, and moving in between say 10-20mph here's what happens. I let off the gas and am rolling at about 10mph. I lightly tap on the gas, and there's a small "tug" and it goes. Like something was resting and then decided to engage. Again, this is not fast acceleration. I let off the gas to coast, then press it lightly, "tug". It doesn't happen from a complete stop with slow acceleration. Nor does it happen over 20mph. Is it supposed to do this?

2 - In the morning when I start up, I hear a low rumble coming from up front. I know some cars need to warm up, but it's averaging 75-80 in the mornings now. Is it safe for me to just drive off?

3 - When winter time gets here (in Chicago), I saw somewhere in the forum that someone said to disconnect something to the turbos and then they don't have to worry about warming them up. Wouldn't that do some type of damage to the turbos? Here when the temps can easily reach -20, wouldn't the turbos seize?

 

1 - I don't have the tip, so it may be related to a downshift. Otherwise I would guess it may be turbo lag. What's a "tug"?

2 - No idea about the noise, but it is okay to drive off immediately. Just don't hammer on it until the oil temperature starts to rise from the stop, and preferably wait until it is ~225o.

3 - I live across the lake from you and my 2.7T is my winter vehicle - and a delightful car in the snow, it is. See answer to #2. Also, you may want to consider changing to Mobil10W-20 or 0W-30 for the winter as it will flow better when cold. I use Mobil15W-30 in the summer.

Last, if you drive it hard on the Eisenhower (or wherever), give it a few miles to cool down before shutting it off. And have fun with it.

 

1 - It's hard to explain. I think you have a manual transmission so you may not experience it in stop and go traffic. But try to imagine this. You step on the clutch in stop in go traffic. You're still rollng at about 15-10 mph (decreasing in spped). Traffic in front of you moves and you want to move also. You step on the gasslightly, and let up of the clutch kinda abruptly. You feel the clutch engage and you move. You know normally you do it smoother than that, but you feel that "tug". Now, the only difference is, you're driving an automatic transmission and it does it. Does that explain it any better?

2 - Well I know most cars sound a little rough in the morning until they warm up. I just wanted to make sure if this was normal for German Turbo sudo-luxury vehicles also.

3 - Thanks for the tip on the oil. I'm a DIY when it comes to oil changes. But I have a question. Is the same engine oil circulated through the turbos to lubricate them? I know it seems silly but this is my first turbo vehicle and honestly never paid attention to how they operate or how they are lubricated and cooled. Speaking of cooling, what type of coolant do you use in your car?

 

Your first problem I think is going to be almost impossible to diagnose over the internet. If it really seems like something that is going to be a problem, you might just need to buck up and spend a little dough to have someone look at it.

As for the car starting rough... I really don't think you should be experiencing that. I mean if it was 0 degrees on a winter morning that makes sense, but 75-80? That is ideal for starting a car, a A6 should have no roughness at all. But once again, describing this over the internet is tough and a "rough" start is something that is VERY relative.

Lastly, yes, the same oil goes through the turbos as the rest of the engine. BTW, there is no such thing as a silly question. If its your first turbo car obviously you aren't going to know everything about it and the only way to learn is to ask questions! Oh and if you are going to be flushing your coolant, its best to only use the OEM pink G12 coolant.

 

1. Maybe you need a new snub mount, or other engine/trans mounts, but not a "tug" is not normal.
2. It might be your SAP (secondary air pump) it blows air into the cats on cold startups. It can make some noise.
3. Never herd anything about this. Just keep the oil fresh & use a lighter weight in winter.


4. Advice... Never let a boost leak linger, never get on it, when the car is cold, keep all the fluids fresh.

 

 

Thanks for your input.