[54913]

Hi All

Only had my car a few weeks but when i realised i didnt have a dipstick (haha) i monitored the oil level which on first look was quite low ( it didnt trigger any warning lights though) anyway i decided to get it topped up.

That was about 2 weeks ago roughly... after the top up the electronic oil monitor showed the level at max.... 2 weeks later its under half.... still no warning light but back to roughly the level it was when i bought the car.

i have read on here that the 2.0 FSI engines can have an oil consumption problem but not sure if the S5 v6s have the same issue?

do i need to be worried??

Nick

 

[Shrek]

Keep an eye on it but there isn't as far as I'm aware a widespread issue with the 3.0 SC. What age/mileage and any other details do you have regarding the car? Is it brand new or used etc?

 

[54913]

Hi Mate,

Its a 2010 S5 Sportback with 64K on mileage.

Full audi stamps on the servicing logbook and really doesnt look 64K miles old! ... obviously this doesnt mean there might be an issue!

Nick

 

[54913]

I have VCDS VAGCOM aswell and the scans are all clear apart from a towbar sensor?? lol!

 

[Audi Bairn]

Certainly had zero oil issues with mine.

 

[F1isbest]

No issues with oil in my 2014 S5. In fact no issues at all in 16 months since delivery.

 

[Adrian E]

Ours seems to use a bit between services - more than I'm used to with our old A6. Seems to be oil choice dependant and down to the type of journeys you do.

Part number for a dipstick is 06e115611h and it's under a tenner from TPS

Car needs to be on really level ground to get an accurate reading - the MMI method requires the car to be hot, but I tend to rely on the dipstick when it's cold to confirm oil level before I do anything.

The car will tell you when it needs a litre adding, so I would find out what was used at the last service, grab a bottle of that, and keep it in the boot for when needed. If poss get a dipstick so when the oil level warning comes on you can manually check it too.

I've found adding half a litre when the MMI says the level is at about a 1/4 then takes it right up to the top!

We had our car serviced recently so I'm now leaving it till the level drops to minimum so I can monitor the mileage/litre

 

[Dippy]

For reference: http://www.a5oc.com/forums/a5-s5-topics/89682-engine-replacement.html

How many miles is the car covering for the oil level to drop from max to half?

 

[Jamin_00]

I topped mine up for Brands then had to top it up a month later for my next trackday by 250ml and 400miles a week.


Will keep an eye on it now Only done 15K so far.

 

[54913]

Mine has covered 64K miles... i would assume that this problem would have arisen sooner from sa previous owner if it was a major issue? It doesnt seem to drop to a level where by it triggers the warning light.

Im going to book the car in for a service soon and i will monitor the level of oil.. I got the car topped up to max about 2 - 3 weeks ago and now its just under a quarter.

Nick

 

[X5OT]

I do about 1000 miles per month in my 2010 V6 3.0, and have to put a litre of oil in every 2-3 months

 

[Adrian E]

Just to update on our experience, since the car was serviced the MMI hasn't moved off the top mark. I'm wondering if they've done a software update on the EGR control without telling me as I'm sure I've read on Pistonheads forum about someone changing a pollution control valve for a later replacement which reduces oil usage as well.

Interestingly the oil used at service was thinner than what I believe is recommended, but it meets the same spec, so is acceptable. In grade terms it should use a 5w30 but my local Audi dealer uses 0w30 Shell oils - presumably just for convenience as they have to stock less grades to cover more vehicles.

In theory making the oil thinner at cold start is better for the engine anyway, as it means it flows more quickly around the engine to provide protection - the 30 value refers to the viscosity at 100C so that stays the same. Where the winter grade (the xW value) can fall down is on the production tolerances of the engine - too thin an oil is likely to find a route out of the engine, but with modern engines having such tight tolerances this shouldn't really be an issue.

If using this grade means my oil consumption reduces to a negligible amount then I will stick with it. I really must order a top up bottle though!

 

[Dippy]

I can't find any information about recommended oil grade for my car, just the VW504 spec for variable servicing. If you look on the Shell LubeMatch website, for a CAKA engine it recommends either "Helix Ultra Professional AV-L 5W-30" or "Helix Ultra Professional AV-L 0W-30", both of which meet the 504 spec. For fixed servicing it recommends "Helix HX7 Professional AV 5W-30" which meets the VW502 spec. In theory there would be a difference in the oils since VW would need to test oils to ensure that they conform to whatever factor that is used to determine how long the oil lasts (I don't know if there is a viscosity sensor) for the 504 spec, whereas for the 502 spec it doesn't matter so much as it would be changed at fixed intervals. Anyway the point is that either 0W30 or 5W30 oil can be used as long as the brand meets one of those specs. Adrian - where did you learn that your car should use 5W30?

Anyway, as you point out the difference between 0Wxx and 5Wxx is just the cold crank viscosity with the former rated to -35C and the latter to 'only' -30C (although I have also seen -30C and -25C specified). However in terms of viscosity between the two test points, it actually varies by brand. I have seen results of wear tests with different brands of 5W30 oil and they are different. But I would expect for the same brand, e.g. Shell Helix, the 0W30 should have a lower viscosity at 'mid' temperatures than it's 5W30 version, and indeed it could be argued as better for the engine. Having said that I do remember that the 'recommended' oil for the B5 S4 was 0W30 until there were cases of cam wear and then most people switched to 10W40 (since 10W30 is uncommon). Aside from this the main concern about oil viscosity is for turbocharged cars where the turbos have an oil bearing. I imagine that the supercharged V6 is not so sensitive.

Adrian, I imagine that it would be very useful information to our forum if you could find out if your dealer's tech did make a change which could have affected oil consumption. Can you ask?

 

[Adrian E]

Hiya

I would love to ask, but given it took several e-mails just to get them to confirm what the oil was that they'd put in the engine (i.e. make, name, grade/spec) I suspect I will get nothing of value out of them. I only wanted to know so I could buy the same stuff for topping up!

Our car has always had at a minimum annual services by main dealers, but the previous services were done elsewhere. It may be that the previous dealer used Castrol oils but mine uses Shell and that is part of the reason for the sudden drop in usage.

I did report concerns about oil usage when it went in, but the report back from the garage was 'it's not leaking any under the car and your oil usage is within acceptable limits' so even if there were an unknown change, I doubt this dealer would tell me.

As for grade info, that's easy to obtain:

Castrol UK

Despite the fact that's a TPS web site, it doesn't talk in terms of VAG specs, but only in terms of grades. I found the same info on the Shell site as you mention as well.

My understanding is you can run a cheaper oil for annual intervals (Platinum 5w40 in this case) if you want, but they list the longlife as an alternative. Dealers don't stock in bulk for annual service oils and use the same stuff for all vehicles - I think that was an Audi/VW decision some years ago?

I use the non-VW approved Fuchs Pro Race oil in my D2 S8 that the B5/6 boys swear by, which is 5w40. It's an acceptable grade for the S5 as well, but doesn't have the approval so I'm not using it for now. There's also Millers Nanodrive which I believe is popular for B8s but I haven't tried it....

Will continue to monitor it - I'm basically trying to leave it till it gets to the Min mark so I can note the mileage before I need to add a litre. Am on hols for 2 weeks so will be getting some miles on the car

 

[54913]

Had an oil service on mine a week ago and the oil level has stayed at maximum which is what it didnt do last time. I used Shell Helix 5W40.... fingers crossed this has resolved it

 

[Dippy]

Maybe because of the 2.0 TFSI debacle, all dealers are now under orders to do some sort of 'tweak' to reduce oil consumption as a matter of course.

 

[54913]

Sorry to being this thread back from the dead but mines still getting through the oil pretty quickly! i added alitre of oil about 3 weeks ago and MMI now down to under a quarter full.... three weeks ago the oil warning light came on for the first time..... still a bit lost with this one as there is no visible signs of an oil leak on the drive or anywhere where i park etc.

Car has now covered 70K miles.

Nick

 

[Adrian E]

Nick

Did you get a dipstick in the end?

A

 

[moominjuice]

If you were losing that much oil you'd surely notice some smoke from the exhaust? I bought a couple of litres for mine when I first got it as I thought mine was low... turned out I was using dipstick when the car was slighlty inclined. Really you should only ever check when warm and on level ground (pardon stating the obvious) but I was pretty surprised at the change in levels for such a small incline. When I re-checked it was just below max whereas on the slight incline it was barely above half!!!
In 4 years I've done about 40k and never had to top up between services. Still got the 2 bottles of oil unopened from 4 years ago. It has more chance of going off before I get to use it ☺

 

[54913]

Hi Adrian

Went to Audi at the weekend and they seemed to think they didnt do a dipstick for the S5.... Useless.... I will probably have to order from Elsewhere, was it TPS you got yours from?

No smoke from the exhaust as far as i can tell.



Nick