Mike in San Diego

The oil light came on yesterday in my new S4 with only 3500 miles. It was down 2 quarts. I don't see any signs of leaks. Is this normal or did I get a lemon? Should I be concerned about engine damage since it was 2 quarts low?
Thanks for any advice!

bhvrdr

AoA will tell you it is normal. Keep vw502 oil in the trunk.

DrGP

you do the Audi easy break in. The rings don't seat completely and you end up burning oil. Some have had it diminish with mileage. Others not.

RI A6

There is nowhere in the owner's manual where it recommends an "easy" break-in. There are rpm limits and that is it.

There are many reasons for oil consumption. Ring seal is one of them. There are others, like fuel dilution which will degrade the oil, until it begins to volatize.

RI A6

Mike

You will have no damage. The yellow oil warning light comes on well before any damage is ever done. The amount of oil consumed depends on how you drive and the type of oil being used. Factory oil is pretty thin and will burn off quickly as it starts to wear out.

These engines also take a very long time to wear in, since the cylinder walls are composed of hard glass. What you can do to help things along is to occasionally do do some hard acceleration/deceleration runs within the rpm guidelines that Audi recommends. This will force higher pressure on the rings and help them to better seat into the pistons.

bzcat

dealer will top off for free (check oil level often the first year)

Mike in San Diego

thanks for the advice everyone. I actually have been driving it pretty hard (no break-in), so I guess I will continue to do so and keep some oil in my trunk. Thanks!