I am very challenged - although I do try google to resolve my ignorance - when it comes to cars and how they work.
I have received my A6 back from the dealer as it was asking for oil, from full, after 500 miles cruising on the motorway at a steady 80/85 mph.
Still under warranty, 3.2 FSI V6, nearly 3 yrs old, 40K on the clock and fully serviced they have replaced and removed all plugs, fitted a new valve stem and seal on number 5 - whatever that means.
Do you seasoned Audi guys think this will resolve the issue.
If there really was no oil leakage, then I can't think of any other place for so much oiul to go but out the tailpipe meaning that it was getting into the combustion chambers and being burned. Getting past a valve seal is one way for that to happen. However, I would think that with your oil consumption - I assume 500 m/qt - that you would have been noticing some tell tale bluish smoke out of the exhaust. Was that the case?
If valve stem has been replaced, that means a valve has been replaced as the stem is forged to the head of the valve. If they suspect that valve stem/ guide clearance is the problem, as it would appear from the components they have replaced in an attempt to cure the problem, the actual problem, they suspect, may be wear in the valve guide. It used to be possible to press out an old guide and press in a new one into the cylinder head. If they really have changed a valve then they must have removed the cylinder head, in which case why didn't they change the guide at the same time to totally kill excessive clearance between the two as a problem. On the other hand a valve seal fits on the camshaft end of the valve and can be changed without removal of the cylinder head. Quick fix? Has the valve "stem" been changed?
If you have been consuming excessive amounts of oil that are going down the exhaust pipe, I would also be mentioning to your stealer the effect of this upon the catalytic converter, they don't like swallowing too many of the additives contained in oil, the catalyst becomes "plated" and unable to perform it's designed function.
There are only a few ways an engine can lose oil.
Past the piston rings.
Into the coolant circuit.
Down the valve guides.
External oil leaks.
It shouldn't be beyond the wit of your stealer to determine which of these is the case - and then to cure it.
The trick is to get them to concentrate long enough on your problem to properly address it, they would far sooner be selling new cars.
Kick ass, they're just spinning time until the end of the warranty!
I use a school book to keep a record of events such as putting in oil: the date, how many miles done and about how much etc. The replies you have had seem to cover most of what may be said. You could take the car to an independant mechanic who may be able to see if the cylinder head has been removed. They may not make any charge for this as it could take but a few minutes. Ask, some are very helpful.
Well the oil issue seems to be resolved, however, on a round trip to Manchester on the first day of picking it up (had been 10 days with the garage) it broke down - a worn coil.......
In all fairness and stating the obvious there are millions of happy Audi drivers that can rightly sing Audi praise from the roof top - I have just been unlucky and currently have a bad taste.
From faulty boot locks, intermittent starting problems, oil and EPM issues it seems my second home home has been the dealership and I or the car have been a Jonah over the last nine months :)
Never owned a beamer, like the X5 and think the change will flip my luck.
I'm here because I lemon-lawed my 2005 Honda Accord Hybrid. It averaged maybe 6 hours a month in dealership labor plus it had the occasional replacement of a major engine system. Can you imagine paying for that when the warranty runs out? I couldn't have even sold it because any decent test drive would have brought up OBD codes that would fail a smog check. It scared the crap out of me. Sometimes you have to get rid of a car.
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