I have an Audi A4 2001 1.8T. In 2006, I had the oil sludge issue with the car and Audi replaced all the appropriate parts and flushed the oil. I guess I'm just lucky, because my low oil pressure light came on just a few weeks ago and the car shut down. I had it towed to Audi, who confirmed that oil sludge is the problem yet again.

My new dealership (I moved states since the first oil sludge problem) initially quoted me a price of $3,700 to fix the issue. They since revised it down to $2,800 based on the new parts installed in 2006 that don't need replacing. I'm also just past the 8 year warranty since the car was purchased in August of 2000. The dealership claims that they couldn't find any engine damage that had resulted from the new oil sludge issue, but that the cam tensioner needs to be replaced at a cost of $800 just for the part.

I am a 28 year old female with just a very basic, hazy understanding of how cars work, but I am extremely upset about my situation. I have been a responsible car owner and I get more frequent oil changes (with synthetic) than Audi recommends. I am now stuck with a car that in my growing opinion is not worth the repair bills.

Can anyone tell me if the cam tensioner replacement sounds right in the context of this oil sludge issue or if I am being had? Could you also give me your opinion on whether this car is worth fixing at this point?

 

The oil pump and screen for it is what gets clogged and causing issues. If you find a shop/friend that will replace the oil pump (~$150) and cam tensioner (~$150) you shouldnt have any problems. Add that in with a can of seafoam will flush everything out. But both items arent hard to replace and can be done by a decent mech.

You need to use the approved full syn oils and the large oil filter