Sumo.wong

Hi Guys

I was just curious about something. I have been an Audi owner for 4 months now and my first service is coming up soon. I also purchased Audi care under the assumption that all my maintenance would be covered for the next 4 years.

I even asked my sales person while we were negotiating about Audi Care "so if purchase this, for the next 4 years all I have to pay for is the gas?" and he replied yes.

Well I just got off the phone with the service department and they said Audi care covers the maintenance at 25km 40km 55km and 70km) but they recommend I get oil changes in between at my own cost?

Any of you guys with Audi care follow this? Or do you just go in for those prepaid maintenances?

I’ve also never had issues before with low oil levels in any other car I've had. Is this common with having to add oil in between services?

Thanks for the help.

HX_Guy

They are supposed to cover the first oil change for free, wether you bought the Audi Care or not. From then on, they provide 4 additional services. They didn't tell me that I should change my oil more often than every 10k miles they provide so that's what I'm sticking with.

Turbo Freak

Many people do not trust the once a year oil change philosophy, I know I dont. If you want to keep your car for a long time, an extra oil change every year might be a good idea.

I went to my mechanic for an oil change six months after my Audi care prepaid oil change and he told me they see a lot BMW rental returns that people bought that have compression problem with the motors. BMW also do the once a year oil change thing. He even told me that the Castrol rep said that it was crazy to change the oil only once a year, that their oil is not that good...

It is worth it for my peace of mind to do this little extra maintenance.

HX_Guy

I thought synthetic is supposed to last 10k miles no problem? Or is it the oil filter that's the problem? And if it's the filter, can you just change out the filter at every 5k in between? Would be a really quick and easy change if you don't have to mess with draining the oil.

Moonjo

I change my oil every 5K. The dealer pays for every other oil change.

Audirings4

I didn't waste my money on Audicare because do my own maintenance every 5k miles.

Moviela

I am not sure why people change oil more often than specified unless they drive under unusual circumstances, and most of us don't. You cannot tell if motor oil is depleted by looking at it, smelling it, rubbing it between your thumb and finger, or even tasting it. A lab analysis like Blackstone labs will tell you the condition of the oil and some important information about your engine wear for $25.

Not all synthetics are created equal. Some should be labeled pathetic. Mobil One 0W-40 has a different additive package than most other types, including their own. It has about 50% more of the additives that wear out. The oil actually starts to wear as soon as it is exposed to the products of combustion. This is why you need to change the oil every year, even if you have only 3,000 miles on the ticker. The 10,000 mile life is within the life span of Mobil One 0W-40. For any oil you buy make sure it has VW spec printed on the label. Most oils sold in the US do not meet the vw spec.

The Audi filter is good, but could be better if it was made of polyester. It is the reason there is a 10,000 mile limit. Polyester can run 13,000. It is not productive to change the filter between oil changes. A used filter (that has not been disturbed) filters better than a new filter.

Avoid the boutique oils like Red Line, Amsoil, Royal Purple, and Swepco. These are fine products, but they cannot meet the VW specifications. Who knows where they buy their base stocks from day to day, and what additives they blend into it. For racing where you are going to go through the engine and transmission frequently they are fine. Not in your road Audi though.

I know everyone says they know a guy that used that oil for years, and "no problem." How do they know? They never show test results from an independent lab. How do you know how much Si is in the oil? What about TBN or sugar content?

No one would fill their tank, drive to half full, drain the tank and refill with "fresh gas" for peace of mind. Why would you do that when your oil was only half used up?

It really is not necessary to crawl under the car to drain the oil. Get a MityVac or similar pump and drain the oil by vacuuming it through the dip stick tube. It will be within a few ounces of what will fall out of the bottom. This saves you from a leaking drain plug. Synthetic oils sneak out of every crack they can find. You can do an complete change in a few minutes from the topside in fifteen minutes.

Following the normal change interval you can save some money. Enough for a NFL or MLB subscription.

Huey52

I plan to change my oil myself at the AudiCare-interim 5k intervals. In fact, I already changed it at 1.5k just to assure break-in contaminants were removed (replaced with approved Mobil 1 0w-40 and added a magnetic oil pan nut). Oil is the engine's lifeblood and it's better to err on the side of 'over-maintenance' (if there is such a thing).

As someone here sagely cited "oil is cheap compared to repairs."

Oh, and I still do the ol' school under the car method.

quality_sound

instead of conjecture about whether you THINK you should go 5, 10, or 15K between changes spend a few bucks and have Blackstone Labs analyze your oil. They'll tell you whether your intervals are a waste of money and oil, at a good interval, or if you're hurting your engine.

http://www.blackstone-labs.com/

Knowledge is power. Guessing about oil change intervals, without knowing someone's driving habits or worse, thinking the color of the oil has ANYTHING to do with th elife left in an oil, is just plain silly.

Moviela

Opsie! The "break-in contaminates" are desirable for the first 5,000 miles. The proper break-in including honing the cylinder walls and polishing the contact surfaces is designed to use the chips in the engine that were created at "green run." I am not sure why folks drain the abrasive before it has a chance to properly break-in the engine.

Until the oil additive package is depleted, you gain no peace of mind by changing the oil too often. Just spending money (about $60) for oil and a filter the dealer will replace at 5,000 miles. Keep your warranty intact by having the dealer do the required services. You may need that warranty at about 40K mi. for rings and pistons because of high oil consumption. That means more than 1 quart in 1,200 miles.

There really is no difference whether you drain the oil or vacuum it out of the crankcase. The latter is cleaner, and you don't risk a leak because the drain plug was reused.