i have a 1996 audi a4 2.8 and im currently running castrol syntec fully synthetic 0w30. seems to be running great with it i have about 12,000 mile ( on my second oil change ) i changed it at about 8,000. but the oil temp gauge when on the highway on a hot day will get up to about 225-240 degrees Fahrenheit. i was just wondering if that sounded normal or maybe the oil is a little to light causing it to run hotter than normal. and one last question i have to get my front ball joints replaced on my car, im not to mechanically inclined but it looks to have 2 front upper ball joints per tire and im second guessing myself and im looking for a website to buy them from if you could give me some info on that

 

And also my a/c needs to be recharged and I'm wondering if I can just go to auto zone and get me a can on the normal 134a and recharge it myself. I'm asking first because I'm not sure if they take a special kind of refrigerant.

 

I would say you need to change your oil more often than every 8K. I dont care how fancy the oil is I always change it at about 3K.

I also have the same problem with the upper ball joints going out, and yes there are two uppers and two lowers. Personally I am going to get some cheap ones through rockauto.com for about $27 (which I bet someone else is going to say dont go cheap pay the extra $$ for some good ones) but IMO they are just a piece of metal with a bushing in it and if the OEM lasted me 160,xxx miles then I figure I will be able to get at least 60,xxx miles on the cheap ones.

I have never done a recharge on the A/C so I cannot comment there.

 

OP, you definitely need to be changing your oil more frequently than 8k intervals. Even with full synthetic, these cars are known to have sludge issues. This was especially prevalent in the 1.8, but the 12v V6 was not immune. I use Mobil1 0w-40 and change mine religiously at 3k miles.

Aftermarket ball joints, like many other aftermarket suspension parts (TRE's, control arms, etc) are hit and miss. Some people have been running eBay suspension parts for years, others buy "OEM" replacements from O'Reiley's or Rock Auto and they don't last 10k miles. A popular choice for forum members is a full front control arm kit from FCP Groton. They have a website as well as an eBay store(cheaper prices), so if you call the warehouse and ask for the eBay price they usually oblige. These parts are proven to be better quality than most of the other crap out there.

As for the AC, the change from R12 to R134a in automotive AC systems was federally mandated in the early 90's, so you should be fine with a refill kit from Autozone or some such. That said, can't say I've ever tried to find the high/low pressure fittings for the AC, so I can't tell you where they are.

 

its a 15000 mile oil but being the cars age i was gonna change it at 6-8k. when i did a oil change i sent a oil sample, the results came back good. ill keep that in mind tho!

 

I would NEVER trust "15,000", even Fully synthetic oil in my cars are changed every 3k

 

Not a sermon, just a counterpoint: When the warranty ran out, I switched to full synthetic 15,000 mile or one year oil changes. That trust has gotten me to 268,000 miles and still going, no oil related problems along the way, oil analysis every once in a while comes back 'no problems indicated'.

 

I just don't get it. Is it really such a pain to change oil more often, or too expensive? People just like to do these long oil intervals for the hell of it, I think. (And for every "I never changed my oil and my car is fine" story there are ten dead car stories).

Bottom line, 3-5k Oil changes don't cause problems. Longer oil changes do. I don't give a **** what your oil analysis says, take a look inside your engine.
Use conventional oil, a quality filter by Wix. (unless you are turbo, then synthetic.) Change it every 3-5k miles, enjoy not having oil related engine problems. The 2.8l doesn't need synthetic oil, using it is only a placebo.

Or don't. You can bring it by my shop when it explodes, I'll be happy to charge you a few grand for a new engine.

You can throw a can of AC recharge crap at it, sometimes they work. More often there is some kind of leak in the system, considering its age. If so, you need a dye test and repair.

 

just a quick question for you oil people, ever heard of AMSOIL ? anyone really use the stuff?

 

I used amsoil in my bike (04 kawi 636) and in my opinion it was amazing. I never had the 636 knock and it rain 10 degrees cooler than my buddies identical bike. From what I heard its the stuff to have in a bike but have never used it in a car?