Your Audi A4’s TFSI gasoline engine has a design flaw that causes it to burn through oil quickly if your vehicle is older than model year 2012. (Take note that a quart of oil can be used every 1,000 miles according to Audi specifications for the 2.0 engines.) These engines’ fundamental issue is that the piston rings permit very small amounts of oil to seep into the cylinders. It burns once it’s in the cylinders, which uses a lot of oil.
Your Audi A4 may be overheating if it is a model year 2013 or later due to a coolant leak (water pump, radiator, etc.), a defective radiator fan, or a malfunctioning thermostat.
Whatever the source, you might not be aware that you’re using oil quickly until you see the “Add 1 qt. Oil” sign on your dash. It is OK to continue driving after receiving this warning, but you should add a quart of the proper quality of oil as soon as you can.
The issue will worsen over time, reducing the amount of time you can drive before adding oil and increasing the frequency at which you must top off your oil. Many people accept doing this since it’s less expensive than the cost of the repair, but the harm it causes to your engine isn’t worth the short-term savings.
Is oil burning in Audis typical?
The assertion that oil consumption is a typical aspect of a car’s operation is one that Audi, BMW, and Subaru steadfastly uphold. Every 1,000 to 1,200 miles, Subaru deems a quart of fuel burned to be acceptable. According to the requirements for some Audi and BMW vehicles, a quart of fuel should be burnt every 600 to 700 miles.
A driver may need to add up to 7 to 9 quarts of oil between oil changes if they must add a quart of oil once a month. Because automakers more frequently need synthetic oils, which can cost upwards of $9 per quart in addition to the cost of routine oil changes, the expenditures associated with excessive oil use can pile up.
According to Consumer Reports research, there is no clear link between greater oil usage and other engine issues. Our survey data, which covered 10 model years, reveals that an oil-burning car will continue to do so as it ages. Engine families exhibit rising oil consumption with each additional year on the road when oil consumption is tracked by model year.
If you are diligent about checking your oil levels, adding oil won’t necessarily leave you stranded on the side of the road. However, we consider it to be a major issue that automakers ought to address.
Not all engines experience this issue. In fact, according to our research, 98 percent of owners of automobiles made from 2010 to 2014 did not need to add oil in between oil changes. The cars that do consume oil, however, do so quickly. Even if only 2% of the cars sold since 2010 have this issue, there are still 1.5 million cars on the road.
According to Consumer Reports, the powertrain warranty should be used to fix any engine that burns oil in between oil changes. However, automakers frequently hide their intentions in the small print of their owners’ manuals.