manuva

My A6 (41 K miles) consumes about 1 Quart of oil every thousand miles. Wondering how to investigate this. I took it to the delearship (University Audi, Seattle) for an oil change. The mechanic said:
1. Probably isn't leaking it because the oil pan (?) was empty.

2. Doesn't seem to be burning it because there was no blue smoke on pressing the gas pedal.

The mechanic advised me to just keep filling up the oil and not worry about it -- said it was okay to lose upto 1 Quart every 600 miles!

Guys, mighty grateful for any advice on how to investigate & fix this.

Thanks,
Manu

muhammadc

Look closely around the engine for fresh oil. Notice any burning smell after driving? Valve cover gaskets is the first place I'd look. They are fairly inexpensive and take 1-2 hours of labor to replace.

Seattle Scott

Agreed, also wash your engine and watch it like a hawk. This will help you find any external leaks..

ARK

is prone to head gasket oil leaks because the head bolts stretch, and you loose the clamping force between the head and the block. The oil leaks down the back side of the engine, and drips off the car when you drive. The belly pan prevents most of the ol from dripping on the floor, when the car is parked.

manuva

Scott, know any good mechanics in the area (Seattle/Eastside)? Thanks!

Seattle Scott

where I-405 and I-90 cross there are two places, German Car Specialists? and Gemini?(sp) Auto. There is also a Texaco gas station on 156th? (near there) on the North side of I-90.

From what I hear :

Texaco : Best deal
Gemini : Started by two mechanics that left German Car Specialists.
German Car Specialists: Very picky, only work on Audi, BMW and Mercedes. Good at finding work to do on the car, $20 oil changes rapidly turn into $200 service calls. I used them for my pre-buy inspection.

I personnaly have never had any work done by any of them except for the pre-buy inspection.