# Excessive Oil Consumption



## pieropan (Feb 12, 2017)

I have a 44k DSG AUTO on a 07 plate and had a new oil and filter change a couple of months ago on 43k. Today the dashboard warning light is showing and the dipstick shows oil on a minimum level.I know now that I have to check the oil weekly/fortnightly but I am worried that this could be a serious engine problem.No oil leaking...any ideas as to what this might be.
Any advice from experienced owners out there much appreciated.
Car is booked in at local Indy garage for Monday.


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## TT-driver (Sep 14, 2010)

Possibly a leaky PCV value. Such a valve can leak oil into the inlet manifold. And your engine will burn off the oil.

Was the right viscosity used?


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## tttony (Dec 21, 2014)

Did you check the oil level right after the oil change to see if the correct amount had been put in?


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## Hoggy (May 8, 2002)

Hi, How many miles has it covered since the oil change & did you check the oil level was correct after the service ?.
Top it up to the correct level & check it weekly to give some idea of the consumption.
Hoggy.


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## Danny1 (Sep 2, 2010)

Hoggy said:


> Hi, How many miles has it covered since the oil change & did you check the oil level was correct after the service ?.
> Top it up to the correct level & check it weekly to give some idea of the consumption.
> Hoggy.


1k miles hes done it seems from his post.


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## Hoggy (May 8, 2002)

Danny1 said:


> Hoggy said:
> 
> 
> > Hi, How many miles has it covered since the oil change & did you check the oil level was correct after the service ?.
> ...


Hi, I read it twice as well.  
Audi state 1 litre per 1300 miles & some 2 lites can use more oil. Min oil alarm is probably a litre used if at max level. 
Hoggy


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## Danny1 (Sep 2, 2010)

Hoggy said:


> Danny1 said:
> 
> 
> > Hoggy said:
> ...


 8)


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## TT-driver (Sep 14, 2010)

Hoggy said:


> Audi state 1 litre per 1300 miles & some 2 lites can use more oil.


However that doesn't mean the engine is in good shape. It's merely an excuse so they don't need to fix the engine. 
Mine uses 1 litre every 6250 miles and has done so in the past 89000 miles and 11 years. It's a 2.0 from 2006.


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## Hoggy (May 8, 2002)

TT-driver said:


> Hoggy said:
> 
> 
> > Audi state 1 litre per 1300 miles & some 2 lites can use more oil.
> ...


Hi, We all know how Audi work & I did state SOME 2 litres engines.
Hoggy.


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## TT-driver (Sep 14, 2010)

Some fresh members might be on a learning curve when it comes to Audi's modus operandi :wink:


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## pieropan (Feb 12, 2017)

Many thanks for your responses.I should have checked the oil level after the change ( won't make that mistake again !) but looking at piston rings and replacing the pcv seem to be the options that most people pursue. 
Are there any other options as I want to hang on to the car as it drives like a dream ?
Again your help is appreciated...


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## MarksBlackTT (Nov 29, 2016)

Yep. better to be safe than sorry. I'm well happy that mine has used half a litre in 10 months and 8,800 miles of ownership.


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## TT-driver (Sep 14, 2010)

I don't think you'll have to worry about piston rings. The piston rings drama you'll read about is relevant for the later, facelift TT. Various members have seen a substantial drop in oil consumption after replacing the PCV valve. A 40 quid part that can be replaced in under 30 minutes. Chances are your engine will idle more stable as well. The PCV valve has had many revisions in the past. Possibly Audi finally got it right after 10 years.


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## pieropan (Feb 12, 2017)

Thanks TT driver. You and other members have been a great help.Car's going in for a service on Monday will confirm what happens.Will pursue the pcv option in the meantime.Fingers crossed !


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## repsol (May 1, 2015)

Audi state 500ml every 620 miles, this is the tolerance for the consumption test.
Is there oil residue in the exhaust tips? 
Take it to an Audi dealer for the oil consumption test. Hope you have better luck than i did from them.


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## tttony (Dec 21, 2014)

Repsol, do you have a vested interest in high oil consumption?


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## ashfinlayson (Oct 26, 2013)

In 4 years of ownership I only had to top my old (earlier) mk2 up 3 times, on two occasions it was not long after a service so I always put it down to garage putting the bare minimum in. The other time was six months after service and after a trip to Cornwall where I covered a good 2k miles in a short time so it was never excessive. On all occasions it never asked for oil again until next service.

Just top it up and check it regularly, it's probably the wrong amount put in by the garage


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## Vanu (Oct 2, 2016)

I changed DV, PCV and EVAP valves but it looks like the main reason was the 5W30 oil itself, on my last service I put 5W40 and it holds up much better.


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## TT-driver (Sep 14, 2010)

Obviously thicker oil = less oil consumption (and more fuel consumption + less BHP)
The way the engine is treated, especially during the first few 100 miles of its life makes a difference too.


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## jdevally (Jun 21, 2017)

My 47k 2012 Audi TT TFSi has needed just over a litre of oil in the last 7k which shocked me as none of my other cars ever use any oil. I rarely drive above 60mph and rarely accelerate hard but reading through this thread it appears that Audi's are prone to oil usage.
It does worry me as I have not experienced oil use of this nature in modern cars, even my 1976 Ford Cortina Mk 3 2.o GT didn't use oil like this all those years ago!


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## Barr_end (Oct 19, 2016)

Vanu said:


> I changed DV, PCV and EVAP valves but it looks like the main reason was the 5W30 oil itself, on my last service I put 5W40 and it holds up much better.


Exactly what I did servicing mine and the misses car, her car has gone from monthly oil top ups to over 4 months since serviced and not half way down the markers. My car runs noticeably noise/smoothness better now running 5/40 millers nanodrive!


TT-driver said:


> Obviously thicker oil = less oil consumption (and more fuel consumption + less BHP)
> The way the engine is treated, especially during the first few 100 miles of its life makes a difference too.


http://r-techperformance.co.uk/2-0-tfsi-stage-1-guide/
Wouldn't agree with your first statement, when the most recommened/'best' tuner for this engine suggests 5/40W.


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## TT-driver (Sep 14, 2010)

Barr_end said:


> Wouldn't agree with your first statement, when the most recommened/'best' tuner for this engine suggests 5/40W.


Pretty simple: an engine that produces more horse power burns more fuel and therefore runs hotter. That means the oil is hotter too. A 40 weight oil at higher temperatures has a comparable viscosity as a 30 weight oil at normal temperatures.

The 40 weight oil doesn't give you more horse power. If ever you've taken apart an internal gears hub of a bicycle, and you've applied a slightly thick oil to lubricate it, then you'll know what effect thick oil has. Replace the thick oil with thin oil and you'll cycle 1 to 2 km/h faster with the same effort. With an engine it's the same story: easy flowing oil means less energy is wasted on pumping around oil. Thus more effective power is available on the crack shaft. It's not without reason that engine manufacturers are moving towards thinner oils: it makes the engine more efficient. Even if it is just 1 or 2 %.


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## Hoggy (May 8, 2002)

TT-driver said:


> Barr_end said:
> 
> 
> > Wouldn't agree with your first statement, when the most recommened/'best' tuner for this engine suggests 5/40W.
> ...


Hi. [smiley=thumbsup.gif] 
Hoggy.


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## C00P5TT5 (Jul 10, 2016)

Now the pissing contest is over, what weight oil should we be using on a stage 1 remap tts?


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## TT-driver (Sep 14, 2010)

My two drops of oil:

5W-(√BHP)*oil temperature in °C when warm)/(battery voltage*number of wheels) rounded to the nearest available value will usually do just fine. And no, there is nothing scientific about it. 

In all honesty, I don't know. The weight of an oil is one thing. The HTHS value another and perhaps is even more important. HTHS is an indicator of how easy an oil is sheered of from metal at high temperature. The HTHS value isn't only determined by the weight of an oil, but also by the additives that were added to the oil.

In any engine you need the oil to move around easy enough to reach all places fast and to cool down the hot parts well. This calls for a low weight oil. At the same time the oil shouldn't be pushed away from the bearing surfaces under stress. This asks for a heavier weight oil, but also a certain chemical mixture that determines how well the oil bonds to the metal parts.

These two somewhat conflicting properties make it impossible to advise a certain oil _and_ guarantee that all parts of the engine get what they need by just using google.

Maybe using a standard 504/507 oil and doubling the oil service frequency is OK. Maybe a 5W-40 is better at a track day event. But then do change the oil the day after as normal 'street oil' wasn't developed with track days in mind. Just as racing oil wasn't developed for daily use.

Oil is a very complicated matter. It's no wonder that we live in a day and age where every car manufacturer has its own set of requirements. This results in many flavours of what just _seems_ to be the same simple oil.

In case of the TTS, I know it has the standard 1st generation 2.0TFSI engine block. But in order to cope with the additional stress in the TTS, Audi upgraded the bearings of the crankshaft. And then a normal TTS would just need standard 5W-30 504/507 oil. After a remap you're putting more stress again on these bearings. See how complicated things are becoming? Are you still within the mechanical specs? Can an oil widen these mechanical specs? A skilled engine developer would still have to perform stress tests and inspect the engine afterwards.

So sorry, lots of text and perhaps even more confusion. But no straight answer to your question.


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## Vanu (Oct 2, 2016)

I have a distant memory that in the manual of a MK 5 GTI it says to use 5W-40 (502 00). At some point VW/Audi decided to use 5W-30. To this day I haven't found a reasonable explanation as to why. It just became a the new policy. From another forum:



> The VW spec for gas motors is still 502 00, irregardless of it being coupled with 505 00 or 505 01 diesel specs.
> One of the key parameters of the VW 502 00 spec is an HTHS minimum of 3.5 mPa.S. Whats important about that is that HTHS is measured at 150c which is 50c higher than the temperature the 30 or 40 (or 50) high temps numbers are measured at.
> Therefore, the viscosity range shown on the bottle is not the ultimate measure of the suitability of the oil for VW applications.
> That said, the 30 and 40 (or 50) numbers affect the start-up and city-phase fuel economy. The fuel economy benefit is the reason most of the new specs require a 0w or 5w30 rating.
> Can Tire and Walmart will have Castrol 5w40 and or Euro 0w30 which are VW 502 00 approved. Your dealership wants to sell you what they're using and only know how to use fear as a sales tool.


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## TT-driver (Sep 14, 2010)

Vanu said:


> To this day I haven't found a reasonable explanation as to why. It just became a the new policy.


It is all about the money and convenience. There are no mechanical reasons. 1 oil fits all is cheaper than keeping various oils on stock. 
But even VAG has to move on: the 508.00/509.00 0W20 has finally arrived. Honda and Toyota have been using this oil for the past 10-11 years. And they've moved on too: 0W16 oil. But never ever experiment with those oils in our engines. Those oils are so thin that there won't be any oil pressure build up in our engine.


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## Le Smith (Apr 15, 2017)

C00P5TT5 said:


> Now the pissing contest is over, what weight oil should we be using on a stage 1 remap tts?


 Millers nanodrive 5W/40 as BE suggested I run this in my Stage2+ TTS


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## ttestosterone (Mar 8, 2017)

I had a similar problem in a previous car - did an oil pressure test and it showed there was a leak but is was impossible to find changed parts, changed seals and still could not find the problem
my tt does not require too much topping up, my friend has exactly the same model/year and has too top up every month or two - we are doing around the same mileage.


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## pieropan (Feb 12, 2017)

My car was serviced yesterday and the pcv valve was not the problem.Garage topped up the engine oil and have asked me to check when the orange dash oil warning light comes on.They have suggested changing to 5w/40 oil if the consumption is still poor. The technician said if that fails opening up the engine is going to be expensive.
How successful has changing to thicker oil been for other owners out there and does it require the old oil to be drained out ?
Many thanks again to all the advice and comments that have come in on this...much appreciated.


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## Hoggy (May 8, 2002)

pieropan said:


> How successful has changing to thicker oil been for other owners out there and does it require the old oil to be drained out ?
> Many thanks again to all the advice and comments that have come in on this...much appreciated.


Hi, Some have reduced oil consumption by using 5w-40 oil. All modern oils can be mixed without probs, but without draining & refilling you won't see any effect, if any.
Hoggy.


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## pieropan (Feb 12, 2017)

Just an update on the above.My TT did 2k on one litre of oil before orange warning light came on so back to my garage for a top up.The 2k is only just above the AUDI minimum tolerance of 600 miles per half litre (so I'm told ). It's coming up to cambelt replacement time so I'm not sure whether now would be a good time to sell it.However it drives beautifully, is in vgc and it only does 5k per year (the wife loves it also).Anyone else been in a similar predicament ?


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## Hoggy (May 8, 2002)

Hi, At 5k a year I wouldn't worry about oil consumption, but I would worry about you waiting for the low level alarm, it may not work next time. [smiley=bigcry.gif] Check oil level more frequently.
Hoggy.


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## pieropan (Feb 12, 2017)

Good advice...!


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## Soapy1 (Jan 4, 2021)

Barr_end said:


> Exactly what I did servicing mine and the misses car, her car has gone from monthly oil top ups to over 4 months since serviced and not half way down the markers. My car runs noticeably noise/smoothness better now running 5/40 millers nanodrive!
> 
> 2.0 TFSI Stage 1 Guide
> Wouldn't agree with your first statement, when the most recommened/'best' tuner for this engine suggests 5/40W.


This is a fairly old post, my audi tt mk2 2.0 tfsi coupe had the same problem, I changed the pcv valve, then got a remap, now I'm burning half as much oil.


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