LEAFS

ive been getting some really thick white smoke when i turn on the car. Its a 2002 3.0a4 with 115km. Also, sometimes the car shakes fairly hard when i turn it on, and the check engine light (which is always lit) starts blinking. I took it to audi, they couldn't find anything, took it to 2 mechanics, they couldn't find anything. My coolant is leaking like mad (full tank every 300-500km), and the car has been bad on gas lately (maybe 16-18litres/100km)...
Sounds like a complete wreck, anyone have any idea what it could be?
Thanks

TurboEnvy52

I recommend you stop driving it or the motor will be Toast!!!

A4AdMan

Have the timimg belt and water pump been changed? If not, that could be the issue.

LEAFS

What can we be looking at in terms of repair?? Just to get a range of $$...assuming its either headgascet or cracked head?

s4master1

however since you said it loses coolant I can tell you that the engine block is either cracked or a sleeve has shifted
We see this more and more on 3.0 engines where you end up replacing the entire motor
emissions warranty will cover this to 80k<ul><li><a href="http://euro-techmotors.com">http://euro-techmotors.com</a</li></ul>

Myllymaki

Do you get the white smoke only momentarily after startup? I've been told that worn valve guide seals can cause that symptom (oil runs down the valve stem past the seals and into the cylinder as the car sits, then burns off at startup). That wouldn't explain the coolant loss obviously, but you might have more than one problem. My 2002 A4 with 100k puts out some white smoke on startup (not water vapor white, but synthetic oil white), but it burns off in about 3-4 seconds and there is no smoke after that. I don't lose any coolant and loose very little oil.