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What is this discussion about? Audi A6, Sedan

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#6015 of 6920 The Link Between Engine Sludge and Oil Change Intervals by legendman

Dec 05, 2005 (1:06 am)

Appropos of our recent discourse on the merits of oil change interval frequencies, I thought that the article below might prove illuminating as regards Audi and Volkswagen engines, and other makes as well.
 
In light of the observations detailed in this article, the wisdom of 10,000 mile oil change intervals continues to evade me. This is particularly true as regards the majority of the so-called "synthetic oils" like Castrol, which in fact is a highly refined "hydrocracked" organic crude oil. Such oils still contain sulfur and myriad other contaminants that will foul the oil in time, and experience breakdown as fuel blow-by brings fuel contaminants into the oil reservoir. This of course is not the case in a true synthetic, such as Amsoil.
 
Perhaps Audi's new saving grace was to install an extra large oil capacity in the A6 -- nearly nine quarts I believe. This will surely extend the life of the crankcase oil because that oil does not have to work as hard as the five quarts would that you would find in the majority of American and Japanese cars on the road today. By nearly doubling the car's oil capacity, Audi has, IMO, made a wise move toward built-in protection for it's engines. One might even make the case that with such a high oil reservoir capacity, Audi has cleverly built-in engine preservation safe guards and 'idiot-proofed' the car against those knuckle heads who might actually forgo an oil change for 20,000 miles -- as chronicled below.
 
Even though a top grade, true synthetic like Amsoil or Mobil 1 is capable of delivering 10,000 miles of service, with lots of short trips in stop-and-go traffic (considered severe service by AOA) I will still follow a more conservative approach and change my oil every 5,000 miles. With Audi picking up the tab for every other oil change, I think that that's still a good bargain; providing good "insurance", and peace of mind, all at a reasonable price.
 
--------------------------------------
 
Oil sludge woes plague VW; automaker to pay for engine repairs, extend warranties
  
 
RALPH KISIEL | Automotive News
Posted Date: 8/30/04
 
DETROIT - In the latest example of Volkswagen of America Inc.'s quality woes, the automaker is warning 426,000 VW Passat and Audi A4 owners of an engine oil sludge problem.
Affected are 1.8-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engines on 1998 to 2004 Passats and 1997 to 2004 A4s. VW won't say how many engines have been replaced or repaired, or what it is spending to fix the problem.
 
 Owners began receiving letters from VWoA this month. Remedies range from extending warranties to covering repair costs. That includes replacing engines.
 
 Sludge buildup causes engine performance to deteriorate. In extreme cases, sludge can cause engines to seize.
 
 The timing couldn't be worse. VW Division has old products, and sales are down 11.5 percent for the first seven months compared with the year-ago period. And it has only been a year since VW voluntarily recalled more than 500,000 vehicles because of faulty engine ignition coils.
 
 VW is not alone in grappling with engine oil sludge complaints. Last week the Center for Auto Safety in Washington demanded that the Chrysler group fix sludge problems and extend warranties on 2.7-liter V-6 engines in its 1998 to 2002 vehicles.
 
 Confirming that VW has received "numerous reports of problems," VWoA spokesman Tony Fouladpour said that VW is extending factory warranties from five years to eight years. Warranties are transferable.
 
Changes for '05
 
 VW is requiring its dealers to use synthetic oil and a larger oil filter in the 2005 Passat and A4. Some 2005 A4s are in dealerships. The 2005 Passat will arrive in October.
 
 A National Highway Traffic Safety Administration source said the agency has had 12 to 15 sludge complaints for 2000 to 2004 Passats and A4s. One complaint was about an engine seizure.
 
 VWoA will pay the cost of replacing an engine. For example, an independent repair shop in Tennessee that just replaced a sludge-damaged engine in a 1999 Passat charged the customer $2,500. Of that, $1,400 was for labor. The customer would be eligible for a reimbursement if he can show that he was having the oil changed as recommended.
 
 VW dealers are seeing the problem mostly with owners who don't follow the recommended oil change intervals, said Gene Langan, of Gene Langan Volkswagen Inc. in Glastonbury, Conn.
 
 "I've seen a few cases," he said. "It seems to happen mostly when we can't verify oil change history, when people don't do them for 20,000 miles. I think that this is a problem that is pretty broad in the industry right now."
 
 VW owners will pay more for an oil change with synthetic oil, Langan said. An oil change with regular oil costs about $30, he said. It's about $65 with synthetic oil.
 
 In its letter to Passat and A4 owners, VW says that it will cover necessary engine repairs if oil sludge causes a problem and the vehicle owner could provide proof of oil changes. Oil changes would have to be according to VW-recommended maintenance schedules. VW recommends that oil be changed at 5,000 miles or six months.
 
How it occurs
 
 The letter states that engine oil sludge occurs when old, dirty engine oil thickens and cannot continue to provide correct lubrication. It says the condition occurs primarily when the engine is operated at oil change intervals beyond those prescribed in the owner's manual.
 
 Fouladpour said VW decided to contact owners after studying the oil sludge problem that Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc. faced two years ago.
 
 Toyota in April 2002 notified 3.3 million owners of 1997 to 2002 Toyota and Lexus vehicles with certain V-6 and four-cylinder engines that it would pay for sludge-related repairs for eight years from date of purchase. At the time, Toyota said that it had received about 3,400 sludge-related complaints.
 
 "We looked at that and learned from their experience," Fouladpour said.
 
 VW builds most of its 1.8 T engines at its Gyor, Hungary, engine plant.

#6017 of 6920 Bluetooth Phones in the 2005-2006 A6 by legendman

Dec 10, 2005 (9:42 am)

Being a Verizon Wireless customer for many years now (best reception just about anywhere, in my experience) I went out and bought the Motorola E815, successor to the V710. While a tad large and heavy, it's got a lot of stong features and is failry easy to navigate (though not as easy as my prior LGs or Samsungs).
 
Once enabled, and properly so (took some help) the Bluetooth engaged the A6 flawlessly everytime I entered the car (just as it should).
 
Call quality and sound fidelity was superlative and many people I called were blown away by the good sound, indeed, some had to remind me to lower my voice so as not to sound like I was shouting.
 
OK, so the phone syncs great to the A6, but what about uploading a telephone directory, and call memory? I had no luck in that department while on Verizon's system. I was told that that's because Verizon allows no SIM card in their phones -- the card that would allow the telephone directory, and call memory functions. Other carriers do allow SIMS.
 
So, last week I tried out T-Mobile -- rated #2 behind Verizon in call quality in a recent CR report -- here in Southern California. This time it was the latest generation Moto Razr V3. The good news is that it syncs beautifully with the car, the call memory works great as does the directory. The bad news is that signal strength and coverage is spotty on the T-Mobile area network.Some calls placed did not go through, and others, placed later in a restaurant, could barely be heard -- that is, I could not always hear or discern the other party speaking to me. Whether that's due to the phone or the service, or both, I cannot say.
 
One thing I can say is that when I tried using it in a business district restaurant, I could barely hear during some calls. Of course, the placement earpiece is odd and it seems like unless you have the phone right up to the precise spot on your ear, you could be out of luck.
 
I am curious to know how other Audi A6 Bluetooth users are enjoying (or not) their Bluetooth telephone functions. For those who have Verizon, is your experience similar to mine? Same question re T-Mobile (good and bad). If you have Verizon, are you forced to manually enter all your phone contacts? Or is there a way to transfer your phone directory through electronic means?
 
One last question: When I place a call out of the A6 MMI "memory" (using T-Mobile w/SIM card), and the call is being successfully connected, I seem to then be unable to call up the screen that will allow me to enter the tones and symbols to activate my home voicemail (such as *,#, or number). What is the way to get access to that screen so I can input those tones into my home voicemail box so that I may retrieve calls, etc? I did not have that problem with Verizon, btw.
 
Given Verizon's solid network, I'd prefer to be on it. On the other hand, it seems that a number of the Audi MMI telephone interface feature and functionality is lost without a SIM card, hence T-Mobile. Decisions, decisions (or) Frustration, frustration.
 
Ps. Cingular is NOT an option. Their signal is, in my own experience, quite weak and spotty around thse parts, and that is borne out too in the recent CR report.

#6018 of 6920 Re: Bluetooth Phones in the 2005-2006 A6 [legendman] by newaudilover

Dec 10, 2005 (3:42 pm)

Replying to: legendman (Dec 10, 2005 9:42 am)
There is a new Razor V3 available from Verizon. Maybe that will give you the best of both worlds. I hope so since I just ordered one specifically to use with my A6. I can let you know later this week.

#6019 of 6920 Re: Bluetooth Phones in the 2005-2006 A6 [newaudilover] by legendman

Dec 11, 2005 (1:46 pm)

Replying to: newaudilover (Dec 10, 2005 3:42 pm)
There is a new Razor V3 available from Verizon. Maybe that will give you the best of both worlds. I hope so since I just ordered one specifically to use with my A6. I can let you know later this week.
 
Great! Looking forward to your observations.

#6020 of 6920 Re: Bluetooth Phones in the 2005-2006 A6 [newaudilover] by kgary

Dec 11, 2005 (3:02 pm)

Replying to: newaudilover (Dec 10, 2005 3:42 pm)
Razor from Verizon will not allow for the transfer of the phonebook or many of the other Bluetooth features with the A6. Verizon website contains the following quote for the Razor:
 
*The RAZR V3c supports the Wireless Headset & Handsfree Bluetooth Profiles. It does not support Bluetooth object transfer (OBEX) profiles.
 
It seems that the wait continues for Verizon to market a true Bluetooth phone.

#6021 of 6920 Re: Bluetooth Phones in the 2005-2006 A6 [kgary] by legendman

Dec 11, 2005 (5:27 pm)

Replying to: kgary (Dec 11, 2005 3:02 pm)
The RAZR V3c supports the Wireless Headset & Handsfree Bluetooth Profiles. It does not support Bluetooth object transfer (OBEX) profiles.
  
It seems that the wait continues for Verizon to market a true Bluetooth phone.
 
Good point. Perhaps what it will take to get them to do that is a class action lawsuit. Cetainly, the protestations of thousands of their customers nationwide have not moved them to do it.
 
Imagine buying a car, but being told that some its functions have been disabled (so the manufcturer could make more money). Here's one hypothetical analogy: Audi disables the AM-FM portion of your radio, and in so doing forces you to BUY the "optional" satellite radio, and by extension, contract for XM or Sirius satellite service if you want to be able to hear music and talk content -- for a fee of course.

#6022 of 6920 Re: Bluetooth Phones in the 2005-2006 A6 [kgary] by newaudilover

Dec 12, 2005 (5:47 am)

Replying to: kgary (Dec 11, 2005 3:02 pm)
Sometimes I hate the small print!

#6023 of 6920 Re: Bluetooth Phones in the 2005-2006 A6 [kgary] by newaudilover

Dec 12, 2005 (5:55 am)

Replying to: kgary (Dec 11, 2005 3:02 pm)
Actually, according to the attached chart,the 2006 A6 WILL transfer the phone book of the Verizon Razor phone. If you own a 2005 like I do, you are out of luck. It would be nice if there was some "patch" or "upgrade" to allow in the 05 model.
 
http://dts.vzw.com/pdf/Motorola_carkit_RAZR%20V3c.pdf

#6024 of 6920 Re: Bluetooth Phones in the 2005-2006 A6 [legendman] by newaudilover

Dec 12, 2005 (5:38 pm)

Replying to: legendman (Dec 11, 2005 1:46 pm)
Unfortunately the Razor does not update the phone book in my 05 model. Guess I will be spending a few hours entering data in the car. The things we do for convenience.

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