How can i tell that i havent added too much oil?

[Tuk]

I find the oil level check via the dashboard on the B8 model very annoying and confusing. For c8K from miles the display has always shown max fill but yesterday it started telling me i need a service and when i checked the oil level had fallen to around the third full mark on the computer display. I added about 500ml of oil and today the 'bar chart' on the display was at max. This is all very imprecise. How can i be sure that i havent added too much oil and risk possible damage? It seems strange that i have added exactly enough to fill to the max. Is there any automated warning if I have overfilled??

[phil miller]

as a rule of thumb its a lt of oil to go from min to max so 500ml will prob have put you slightly over the max mark

[Tuk]

Thanks Phil, but how do i know i have not overfilled to a dangerous extent? Is there any leeway between slight overfill and damage?? Is there any automated system to warn of this??

[phil miller]

dont think so mate, TBH from what you have said if it is over the max then it wont be by very much, i wouldnt worry to much about it

[johnvw]

Dear Tuk,
This oil level business is a real pain in the butt.
Just how do you know if you have added too much oil ???.
I recently received a new A4B8, completed only about 2000K`s, the oil level indicates MAX. Not a problem until I purchased a dip stick ( very scarce) which is indicating an oil level greater than MAX.
Did the dealer add a little more oil, for the expected early oil consumption.
I plan to have the oil dumped and refilled, by my private tech, and check the calibration of my dipstick.
AUDI, shame shame, such an unnecessary pain.

Best regards
John

[vwawudi]

^^
Be interesting to know where you got a dipstick from and how it fits. I always assumed there was no dipstick guage anywhere in the car.

[phildixon]

Car will warn if oil level is too high or too low. Manual says if message to add oil is shown then add 500ml at a time and check the level. This must be done by warming the engine to the normal level, turning off the engine, turn ignition back on again, wait 2 minutes and then read level through sound system/MMI.

If you get the message to add oil and then open the bonnet, the oil level will be shown the next time you turn the ignition on.

There seems a lot of people having problems with this system, but surely a warning if the oil is low is better than having to check a dipstick all the time? How often did we do that anyway?

[vwcabriolet1971]

Car will warn if oil level is too high or too low. Manual says if message to add oil is shown then add 500ml at a time and check the level. This must be done by warming the engine to the normal level, turning off the engine, turn ignition back on again, wait 2 minutes and then read level through sound system/MMI.

If you get the message to add oil and then open the bonnet, the oil level will be shown the next time you turn the ignition on.

There seems a lot of people having problems with this system, but surely a warning if the oil is low is better than having to check a dipstick all the time? How often did we do that anyway?
Dipstick doesn't go wrong and it tells no lies !

[Tuk]

Thanks Phil. As no alarm/message has gone off can i assume then that my oil level is okay? I found this system poor. The car has done 8,000 miles now from new and the indicator has always said that it is full on the MMI. However the other day it has suddenly dropped to a third full (via the uncalibrated 'barchart') - very confusing.
I too would like to know where to buy and how to check the oil with a dipstick? I didnt think this was possible on these engines?

[phildixon]

Yes, according to Audi the warning message is the important item to take note of. I wouldn't recommend fitting a dipstick the engine. The dipstick position on the engine is purely for service use in a workshop i.e. to extract the oil. If you did fit one, you couldn’t be sure that the markings are in the position for the engine and I can imagine the kind of problems you’d have with a warranty claim if you’d been checking the oil this way.

As with using a dipstick it is important to check the oil level in the correct condition after the engine has warmed up to temperature and then been switched off for a few minutes to let the oil drain back to the sump. If this isn’t done then a quantity of oil can will be retained in the engine which will always give a lower than actual reading.

[GolferPete]

The car has done 8,000 miles now from new and the indicator has always said that it is full on the MMI. However the other day it has suddenly dropped to a third full (via the uncalibrated 'barchart') .

Mine has done 6k+ miles now in just under 11 months, and the display started to dip below 'full' at about 4k. It is now about at the same displayed level as yours, with a service due late next month.

I think of it as well above minimum level and about 33% on the way to full, ie if it the system takes 6 litres for example and minimum level is set at 4.5 litres, you still have about 5 litres in the system, and not 1/3 full with 2 litres.

Doing relatively few miles, and the oil temp never getting above 90 deg C, I have decided to monitor the level rather than use the supplied oil until the service.

[Tuk]

Cheers Phil. I must admit though that to me this complex computerised system hardly smacks of progress!! Whats wrong with a basic dipstick i say!

[belly buster]

My (manual) dipstick doesn't look like either picture in the owner's manual, and doesn't have any min/max markings on it. It looks a bit like this:

<======O--------O----------------------------------|

Where should I fill the oil to?

BB

[johnvw]

Car will warn if oil level is too high or too low. Manual says if message to add oil is shown then add 500ml at a time and check the level. This must be done by warming the engine to the normal level, turning off the engine, turn ignition back on again, wait 2 minutes and then read level through sound system/MMI.

If you get the message to add oil and then open the bonnet, the oil level will be shown the next time you turn the ignition on.

There seems a lot of people having problems with this system, but surely a warning if the oil is low is better than having to check a dipstick all the time? How often did we do that anyway?

OH Dear, phildixon, lazy lazy lazy,

Do you and Audi really mean we are to go through that procedure to check the oil level. Give me a break here fellas, engine cold, dipstick in, oil level indicated. No warm ups, no sensor malfunctions, no mistakes.
I bitched to AUDI Australia about this lack of a dipstick and it would appear we are just a lot of well healed dopes ( some of us well healed anyway). The official reason for the lack of a dipstick is :

1) When measuring the oil level the vehicle must be on a level surface.
( not 30 or 45 degrees as some driveways are constructed)
2) Only the factory recommended oil is to be used, as non recommended oil may pose problems and void warranty claims.
( so do not use oil left over from the lawn mover or anything you have found in your neighbours garage).
3) The addition of oil may lead to contamination which again may void future warranty issues.
( For Gods sake do not do not open the oil cap during a dust storm or if your father has decided to use the electric saw and cut up the chipboard).

You really can not dismiss the concerns Audi poses, as unfortunately I believe this is aimed at the lowest common denominator and keeping these owners out of potential trouble. Regrettably for those who do care about their purchase and endeavor to continually maintain their vehicle are xxx.

I decide sometime ago I would try and find/ make a dipstick so I could be IN CONTROL of the oil level ( after a big fright with my wifes VW).
AUDI declined to allow me to purchase a dipstick( as it was not necessary), and the AUDI dipstick is used for a number of models.
erWin provides a picture of the dipstick with the dual calibration as required for the various models.( I will try and post a picture, but will probably bugger it up).
All appears to be fine, although my dipstick indicates the oil level is high.
I purchased the dipstick on eBAY ( Australia) it appears to be exactly the same as indicated on erWin ( I assume a knock off from Korea).

It worries me a little when such a basic item is made redundant, presumably for no valid reason and the official response is - you do not need one, go away.

See, this is what happens when you become an old fart, you tend to question more and strive for common sense.

May best regards always, no offense intended
John

[fab1975]

Hi Everyone,

I am also very perplexed about the practicality of the “digital” oil measurement system compared to the old good dipstick that I had in my previous A4 (B6). 3 days ago I got a yellow warning message on the dashboard telling me that I needed to top up oil as soon as possible but I could keep on driving to the next workshop; my car is a 11 months old 2.0 TDi (170ps) with about 11,500 miles on the clock and it is worth noticing that when I took it to the local Audi garage one month ago for fixing a problem with the start and stop they also checked all the fluids levels.
When I phoned them to report the new problem they suggested to add 0.5 litres of oil, which immediately caused the warning message to disappear: however, the strange thing is that when I checked the oil level immediately after adding the oil (as well as 2 hours and 50 miles later) the engine oil level column on the display appeared to be empty, which was scary to say the least. On the following day I checked again and that time the oil level column indicated less than one third, which was better than nothing, but still strange if we consider that the car is still relatively new and I have never found any oil puddles in either my garage or my parking bay at work.
Now, the big question is: should I add another half a litre of oil to get to a more acceptable level or is the oil indicator totally unreliable? I wonder if the Audi mechanics have a better way of detecting the actual oil level, but I do not have the time to take my car to the garage for such a trivial matter.
I wish I could use the dipstick as in the old days!

Cheers

Fab

[johnvw]

Good News Fab1975,
they do, it`s called a dipstick ( possibly a universal dipstick due to the dual calibrations allowing for access to a variety of models.
Gee, oneday all car manufactures may consider offering this 'dipstick', seems like a good idea to me.
Regards
John

[fab1975]

Hi John, is that dipstick already available to the masses?

Cheers

Fab

[johnvw]

Dear Fab1975,
I am not sure. I purchased via eBay Australia ( I am an Aussie). The dipstick is made in Korea( possibly a copy of original) but for all intentional purposes it appears to be the same as AUDI displays via erWin. If I was clever I would post a photo and oil level calibrations. For those interested, the dipstick is about 600/700 mm long, 3mm wide. The top portion has a knurled nut that can be moved and tightened according to a calibrated scale. The bottom portion of the dipstick is also calibrated.
For my A4B8 I slip and tighten the nut at calibration point 39 ( this remains fixed). The 'breather dipstick" tube plug is removed, dipstick inserted until the nut rests against the breather tube ( 39), the bottom of the dipstick is calibrated from 0 - 30 ( 24 is my FULL mark).
The sliding nut and bottom calibration allows for seven engines fuel and diesel to be measured. I think it cost me about AUD 38.
The dipstick passage appears to curve towards the front windscreen, making the insertion a little cumbersome.
BUT I SEE WHAT I SEE.....no faulty displays or surprises.

It would be very interesting if enough was made about the removal, wether AUDI may consider reintroducing the dipstick, if only to keep the old farts happy.

Best wishes
John

[bruboy]

Audi Manual Oil Interface - I can see it now - a £200 option or £250 with piano black inlays.

[fab1975]

Audi Manual Oil Interface - I can see it now - a £200 option or £250 with piano black inlays.

Good point Bruboy! It is very difficult to accept that things like the door lights or the glovebox lock which used to be a standard feature on my old SE B6 (MY 2003) now need to be bought separately as either "lights" or "storage" pack on a S-Line B8 (MY 2010).
What's next? A "rubber pack" for 4 tyres on the B9? Come on Audi, you can do better than this!

[vwawudi]

Good point Bruboy! It is very difficult to accept that things like the door lights or the glovebox lock which used to be a standard feature on my old SE B6 (MY 2003) now need to be bought separately as either "lights" or "storage" pack on a S-Line B8 (MY 2010).
What's next? A "rubber pack" for 4 tyres on the B9? Come on Audi, you can do better than this!

Didn't realise that those things are optional!! :aargh4: That is both disgusting and disgraceful!

Push has come to shove indeed, my current car has been written off so months of planning and aspiring have come to a head. I NEED a car asap. I keep asking myself if an Audi will be an expensive mistake.

[fab1975]

Didn't realise that those things are optional!! :aargh4: That is both disgusting and disgraceful!

Push has come to shove indeed, my current car has been written off so months of planning and aspiring have come to a head. I NEED a car asap. I keep asking myself if an Audi will be an expensive mistake.

Please, don't get me wrong:Blush: The A4 is a fantastic car, the best in its class and I would buy another one tomorrow. It's just very annoying that things that you would take for granted in a 30k car actually need to be ordered as optional accessories. Ok, I can definitely cope with the lack of illumination in the glovebox, but I just don't like the principle. In a way it would be the same if Gordon Ramsay charged £2.50 on the top of a huge bill if you wanted to use the toilet in one of his restaurants.
I would leave these cheap tricks to the likes of Michael O'Leary...

[Lateknight]

Dipstick doesn't go wrong and it tells no lies !

Unless its an incorrect dipstick.

[sharantdi]

Be aware that this oil level monitoring can fail.... this happened to me on the way to southern europe on my Audi b8 2.0 tdi avant 2010 mod driving on german autobahn. I received following message on my MFD " ADD MAX 1 LITER OIL. YOU CAN CONTINUE DRIVING" and yellow oil can with min mark were on on mfd. This message came with 200 km appart every time I opened bonnet. Fortunately before leaving on holiday, I purchased oil deepstick and could check oil level and find that oil level was ok. Contacted Audi dealer at home and told them what is happening. Got message that it was safe to drive . I am back from holiday now and dealer has changed oil level sensor with no luck of fixing this issue. I've got my car back with message that Audi in Germany is working overtime to find solution to this problem .and my car wasnt the only one with oil level monitoring playing up... .. my dealer will contact me as soon as Audi has solution for this problem....




I find the oil level check via the dashboard on the B8 model very annoying and confusing. For c8K from miles the display has always shown max fill but yesterday it started telling me i need a service and when i checked the oil level had fallen to around the third full mark on the computer display. I added about 500ml of oil and today the 'bar chart' on the display was at max. This is all very imprecise. How can i be sure that i havent added too much oil and risk possible damage? It seems strange that i have added exactly enough to fill to the max. Is there any automated warning if I have overfilled??

[Wilkinson]

Dipstick part Number A06J 115 611 E

Not technically for the 2.0 T FSI but under reads within a mm of the correct level at full . My Audi Tech. acknowledged that more people are becoming aware of this dipstick.
Garage has a master dipstick to cover all cars but these cost a lot. Tech. acknowledged that no dipstick discouraged people from doing their own oil changes!!

[sharantdi]

If your oil level monitoring system is functioning well, when your bar on mmi is at min mark, you can add max 1 liter oil...if you overfill than message " please drain of oil " will appear on mmi screan when checking oil level.



I find the oil level check via the dashboard on the B8 model very annoying and confusing. For c8K from miles the display has always shown max fill but yesterday it started telling me i need a service and when i checked the oil level had fallen to around the third full mark on the computer display. I added about 500ml of oil and today the 'bar chart' on the display was at max. This is all very imprecise. How can i be sure that i havent added too much oil and risk possible damage? It seems strange that i have added exactly enough to fill to the max. Is there any automated warning if I have overfilled??

[legendamongus]

I added about 500ml of oil and today the 'bar chart' on the display was at max. This is all very imprecise. How can i be sure that i havent added too much oil and risk possible damage? ?

Bear in mind that things like dipsticks have a tolerance included so having an oil level 'slightly' above the max mark won't cause it to fail. I've had cars come back from dealers with oil levels a few mm above the max mark on several occasions and never had any problems with them. Given that Audi have provided a convenient computerised oil check which is easier to access than lifting the bonnet, I'd be surprised if Audi hadn't included a massive tolerance to counter the people who never normally top up fluids but are spurred on by the computer graphics.

I agree however that it is quite imprecise, and I'd rather it showed if the oil was above or below the markings. However, from what you've said, adding 500ml isn't going to push you over the limit. If you're still worried, maybe add oil in smaller amounts in future and check the level as you're doing it?