A search after "FSI gunk " returns an ocean of scary info.

http://forums.audiworld.com/showthread.php?t=2772926

Audizine has the most comprehensive discussion.

For the fast thinking members=> there are deposits - gunk free engines 2.7T, low mileage
comes complete with drive train and body assembly.
PM me if you are forward thinking

 

I too have a 2008 A6 3.2; purchased new; has 20k on it now. I visited dealer three times complaining of car running rough at cold idle.

1st visit they put techron in gas tank. 2nd visit gave some sort of flash update to computer - provided slight fix. 3rd visit told me to use better gas (I've only used 93) and that they need to clean carbon out of intakes / valves etc, which they did along with 2 injectors. #1 & 2 cylinders).

Got the car back and it runs better on cold start. It also seems to accelerate fine, however upon slight acceleration (in overdrive) at about 25 to 30 mph or driving up a steep hill at similar speed (and NOT kicking down to lower gear) I'm getting an rattling noise that sounds like a shield vibrating or pre-ignition. Something is just not the same after they did this "repair".

I had the same mechanic do a road test with me but of course I had a hard time reproducing the noise with him in the car which of course was pronounced once I left the dealership!

Perhaps timing is off based on taking the top of the motor off to do the cleaning? Anybody have any thoughts on this? The Audi dealer mechanic wasn't sure what to look for.

 

I suspect something was not reassembled properly during the valve clean-up operation.
I have now 27K miles on my 3.2L engine and the valves had to be cleaned twice for excessive carbon buildup.

With my type of driving, it appears that the valves need to be cleaned every 12K miles. I don't see any permanent solution to this problem but to return the car at the end of the lease. This is a design issue and I think it cannot be fixed without modifying the engine design.

I think Audi is cheating their customers by not being pro-active and not coming up with a proposal to reassure them on the long term reliability and viability of this engine. I suggest Audi should offer a lifetime warranty on the intake valves and manifold system. This is the only problem I had with my car and it is unfortunate that it is a major one.

 

You should all complain to the Office of Defect Investigations, NHTSA. Just make it sound like a safety issue so it gets top priority.

http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/

 

Due to the nature of direct injection, there is no solution for the carbon buildup problem in the intake and on the intake valves. I have read some of the info from other foums, and one of the forums had part of the Audi/VW patent on the direct injection, and the carbon problem and possible remedies was mention in the info. What happens, is that the PCV valve sends crankcase gases back through the engine, to be burned off. This leaves an oily build up in the intakes, and on the valves. When this gets bad enough it disrupts smoothness of airflow and triggers the codes. Government regs require the PCV valve so that the oily polution is not released into the atmosphere.

Although you should use top tier gas, it won't help clean the intake carbon problem since the fuel is injected directly into the cylinder. The gas/cleaner mix or fuel additive never comes in contact with the intake and the intake valves. This leaves the intake and intake valves with no way to be cleaned other than taking apart the engine. The cylinder walls and injectors are sprayed with the detergent/gas mix, but since the mix cannot flow against the direction of air flow, the intakes and valves will never get cleaned.

One recomendation in the patent was to run the engine at 3000 RPM or more for 20 minutes to help remove some of the buildup from the valves and intake. With 2.0t mated to a 6 speed manual, that is not to hard. 4th gear at 60 MPH will get you 3100 to 3200 RPM, and 5th gear at 75 MPH will get you 3100 to 3200 RPM. Matter of fact, if you have ever heard of an Italian Tune Up, the above listed remedy is similar. The only difference, is that in the Italian Tune Up, you run the car/engine like someone possesed seriously revving, and tearing around like your going to a fire. The recomendation in the patent is much less extreme and stressful on the engine. I hope this helps.

 

So what is special about the 2008 models? Audi has been doing direct
injection for a while, and this problem doesn't show up (or not so pronounced)
in the previous year models.

Is it to do with the new B8 architecture? Don't know about 2009+,
anyone seen this issue?

 

It seems to me that given the many consumers world-wide are suffering the same inconvenience -- and being told by Audi that "it is routine maintenance that customers are expected to pay for once warranty is up -- that this design flaw is deserving of a class action suit against Audi.

Has anyone read about the 2008 A6 Carbon build-up topic in any automotive or newspaper publications?

Anyone have any knowledge of any automotive writers at national publications that would be interested in this story?

 

I just purchaced an 08 Audi A4 3.2 a little over a month ago with 16K miles on it. After 3 weeks, and aproximately 800 miles later, my check engine light came on. I took it to the used car dealership I bought it from (Mazda) and was sent to Audi. I took it to Audi and they couldn't get me in for 1.5 weeks. I finally got it in, and they did the same... cleaned my valves and changed 3 injectors. 2 1/2 weeks later, light is back on. I called the Audi dealership, can't see me for another 2 weeks! I explained how pissed I was that they didn't do their job the first time (now I see it's Audi's problem, not the dealership). This time, when I go in, I will raise hell and demand they either give me a new car, or lifetime warrenty on the intake/valves/injectors. Keep this post rolling. This is a HUGE issue that needs to be continually addressed! If anyone gets any possitive outcomes, let us all know.

 

A year ago, I have notified a local automotive writer and the Automotive Consumer Protection Agency without success. I have the feeling that automotive writers are not too interested to start a fight with a major European manufaturer that offers them nice travel opportunities. Since it is not a safety issue, the Protection Agency has no interest to spend time and money to build a court case over a mechanical flaw.

My Audi dealer told me that the carbon buildup problem concerns all FSI engines although I have not heard yet of any issue with the 3.0L Turbo engine. The VW Forum is full of similar cases with the 2.0L Turbo FSI engine.

My car intake valves were last cleaned 6K miles ago and the engine is still running fine. The Audi dealer used the BG air/fuel induction cleaning procedure to clean the valves and applied, as per the W/O, the latest updates to the engine software, whatever that is. Total cost was $175.00 .

I think the best approach would be to pressure Audi of America and the dealer to supply a lifetime warranty on the intake valve train and manifold. Their total financial exposure should be minimal if, as they say, there is nothing wrong with the engine.

 

They are shipping cars knowing about the problem, plain old cheating. Think you guys should go to a news channel, I'm sure one of them would be more than happy to air this.
Audi won't do anything until public image/bottom line starts hurting.

Even Toyota had to wait for the problems to be well known(because some
got killed on the freeway), before issuing recalls...