Audi A4 Sludge Problems
pistol_pete1
Member Posts: 7
in Audi
Is engine sludge still an issue with new Audi A4s, or has Audi finally resolved this problem?
I'm looking to buy a new Audi and this is obviously a major concern for me. Don't want to plunk down $35k and then have it die on the highway after only 60k miles due to engine sludge.
I'm looking to buy a new Audi and this is obviously a major concern for me. Don't want to plunk down $35k and then have it die on the highway after only 60k miles due to engine sludge.
0
Comments
That said, if you're making lot of short trips and never letting the engine fully warm up, then simply reduce your OCI, and take it out on the highway and put the pedal to the metal once a week or so.
Best Regards,
Shipo
audioilsludge.com
I'm a brand new Audi A4 owner member on this website. I'd like to take the opportunity to wish you all a great 2010 !
I'm writing to seek help and advise regarding the brand new A4 2009 2.0 T Quattro Premium Plus sedan that I bought a year ago. I've taken the car after the first 5000 miles to 2 separate Audi dealers in Massachusetts for this particular problem with essentially no solution. I recently wrote a detailed letter to Audi of America for help, I am enclosing a copy of the same detailing all problems. I would highly caution anyone who maybe planning on buying a new A4, do not waste your hard earned money, there are much better cars out there with pretty competitive pricing offers that would beat the A4 pricing in the long run. The letter is as follows :
Dear Sir / Madam,
I'm writing this letter with regards to the Audi A4 2009 2.0T Quattro Sedan that I bought as a brand new vehicle from :
Bernardi Audi
(401A23)
521 Worcester Road
Natick, MA 01760
Phone: (508) 651-0388
Fax: (508) 651-9835
www.audiusa.com/bernardi
After about the first 5000 miles, I started to experience very brief and intermittent episodes of the car getting stuck in 2nd gear, and having to literally floor the gas pedal / accelerator, in order for the gear to shift to 3 or higher, there was also accompanying slight jerking / jumping forward of the car upon bringing it to a stop, say like stopping at a 'Stop' sign or Traffic light. These issues were looked into at that time at the above dealership, however, nothing could be found to have gone wrong with the car by the dealership in Natick and I was re assured by the dealership that nothing was wrong with the car.
At about 8000 miles or so, I started to hear a rattling / chain-like noise coming from the front end / bottom of the engine area of the car, which was especially prominent on a cold start, and was less prominent, although present when the car had warmed up. Additionally the engine started to sound relatively more noisy than when I had purchased the car initially, and the jerking / jumping of the vehicle just as I brought it to a halt also became more prominent. I did not give it too much thought, since I had been re assured by the above dealer that there was no problem, however, with the onset of winter, especially since October 2009, the rattling noise from the front / bottom part of the engine became much louder and lasting for more than a few minutes, and more alarmingly, even after warming up the car for as long as 15 minutes, upon trying to shift the gear into reverse, did not engage it to move backwards despite increasing some acceleration, and I had to actually wiggle the gear lever at least twice before it actually engaged into reverse with the car then backing up. This also affected the 'drive' mode on cold start with the car actually making a sputtering noise with lack of acceleration / power, and the vehicle actually stalling, and much later on with some driving wanting to move / accelerate forward upon bringing it to a near halt at traffic lights / Stop signs. It takes at least about 30-45 minutes for this to get better, only to get worse upon letting the car sit for 1 hour or more. This problem is prominent even when the car is garaged, which it always is when I'm home.
I have since taken it to a second Audi dealership mainly due to distance issues, since Natick is much farther away from where I live. The address is as follows :
Audi Burlington
(401A14)
62 Cambridge Street
Burlington MA 01803
Phone: (781) 272-8880
Fax: (781) 229-2751
www.audiusa.com/burlington
I have taken the car at least twice for a thorough and detailed evaluation, including resetting the engine / transmission codes at the above dealership between November / December 2009. They were able to re produce the cold start rattling noise and problems with the gear shifting on cold start, although they said that no abnormal engine codes showed up upon their evaluation. (NOTE : I have always used Premium Fuel only).
Thus far I have the car checked out at least 4 times, the problem seems clearly frustrating, alarming and totally unacceptable especially for a luxury brand like Audi.
For the records, I have a 2005 Lexus vehicle, which has NEVER, had any electrical, electronic or mechanical problems so far and I have been extremely pleased with the purchase of my Lexus vehicle. I am finally beginning to feel that I made the biggest mistake by buying an Audi in the first place, since most of my friends had warned me against buying one due to serious quality issues, and had strongly recommended either a BMW, Lexus or Acura brand of vehicle, they, after all, may very well have been right about this fact. This has been my very first Audi purchase, and I'm hoping it won't be my very last one.
I am writing to you to help resolve this problem. I'm not sure if it makes any more sense for to me to take it to any other Audi Dealership. I was wondering if this car could be taken back to be replaced by a new one, which seems the only logical thing left to be done.
I am hoping to settle this rather serious matter amicable, and I truly hope I would not need to use the legal route, which I would not hesitate on doing if I am left with no other alternative.
I look forward to hearing from you at the earliest.
Thank You.
Sincerely,
RD7
Any suggestions / advise would be greatly welcome and appreciated!
Thanks,
RD7
Just so u know, bmw also has its reliability issues, recently from engine heating to electronic glitches.
Keep us updated about ur A4 and good luck.
My A4 recently started acting up when pulling into traffic. At around 2K RPM's the car stutters and is sluggish, but once moving seems OK. To pull into traffic, I need to get RPM's much higher in order to ensure performance. Ironically at the same time the hesitation began occuring, the Air Conditioning would fade out when sitting in traffic and would only condition the air once moving. There is a slight "Catch" I can fill before the air begins to run cool. (not sure if there is a belt that operates the AC or not and unsure if the issues are related)
Thanks
Tim
P.S.: The dealer had always used regular oil, but for the first time had suggested synthetic oil before this oil change. Not understanding why a 7 year old car would suddenly need more expensive oil, I had them use regular oil. Did they know something I didn't?
P.P.S.: The recent class action settlement was for the 1.8T engine. Has anybody else had similar problems with a 3.0 engine?