135,000 kilometers*** without an oil change

"macanamera" (macanamera)
09/07/2016 at 12:59 • Filed to: None

It was an Audi TT

DISCUSSION (47)

The Lurktastic Opponaught > macanamera
09/07/2016 at 13:02

Whisky. Tango. Foxtrot.

What was the owner’s first clue something was amiss?

MonkeePuzzle > The Lurktastic Opponaught
09/07/2016 at 13:04

when the mechanic told them. they were probably in for new tyres after the others wouldn’t hold air for some reason!

Kinja'd!!!

Snuze: Needs another Swede > macanamera
09/07/2016 at 13:05

I’m actually rather impressed it made it that long.

The Lurktastic Opponaught > MonkeePuzzle
09/07/2016 at 13:06

That was still running? I'm amazed there was any space left for flow through the oil galleries.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > macanamera
09/07/2016 at 13:07

How did it even make it that far?

And people say Audis aren’t reliable.

Ash78, voting early and often > macanamera
09/07/2016 at 13:08

Wait, a VR6 in the TT? I had no idea. I always thought Audi models only used full-V engines.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > macanamera
09/07/2016 at 13:08

They can use the money they saved on those worthless oil changes on a new motor

WilliamsSW > Snuze: Needs another Swede
09/07/2016 at 13:08

I was thinking the same thing - last time I saw an engine this gunked up, it was a late 1980's Honda. And that didn't make it to 40,000 miles.

MonkeePuzzle > The Lurktastic Opponaught
09/07/2016 at 13:10

lol, no idea. I just imagine they are the sort of customer who never has anything serviced, and likely raged at the poor mechanic who told them their car was complete toast

WilliamsSW > MonkeePuzzle
09/07/2016 at 13:12

Yeah, I picture the type of person who wants to talk to the GM about getting this replaced for free, and is telling their friends what terrible cars Audis are.

luvMeSome142 & some Lincoln! > macanamera
09/07/2016 at 13:15

If it really is 130,000 miles on the original oil, that is an amazing testament to modern engine design.

Urambo Tauro > macanamera
09/07/2016 at 13:19

Synthetic or conventional?

NostalgicCarLife > macanamera
09/07/2016 at 13:20

I remember seeing this a while back, but I think it is 135,000 kilometers, rather than miles.

just-a-scratch > macanamera
09/07/2016 at 13:21

Wow. I’m not sure what to say. It’s impressive in several ways. The engine made it to 135,000 miles with that level of service and gunk. I didn’t know that an engine could build up that much crud.

Have you ever seen worse?

Steve in Manhattan > macanamera
09/07/2016 at 13:23

Ray Magliozzi (one of the Car Guys) gave his Dodge Colt Vista to one of the show’s producers to ignore. I wonder what’s happened to it ....

TheRealBicycleBuck > macanamera
09/07/2016 at 13:24

Perhaps they put it back together and drove it another 51,000 miles in the last year and a half?

http://jalopnik.com/what-happens-i…

E90M3 > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
09/07/2016 at 13:25

They probably spent so much money fixing the electrics they didn’t have money left over for oil changes.

Jarrett - [BRZ Boi] > macanamera
09/07/2016 at 13:27

Assuming you change the oil every 3000miles, that’s 40 oil changes at @$75 per visit, so they saved $3375 PLUS the time and hassle of going to get it done. Let’s assume that time is money, and that the Audi person’s time is worth $10/oil change. So, at a 30 minute oil change, times 45, is another $450 of saved time.

THEREFORE.

If they can fix it for under $3825, they’re in the clear.

(There’s no way they can fix that for under 4 grand, but I had already done the math!)

duurtlang > Jarrett - [BRZ Boi]
09/07/2016 at 13:31

There’s also no way the oil change interval of an Audi TT is 3k miles.

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > WilliamsSW
09/07/2016 at 13:38

Indeed. I’ve seen a miata motor look like that, but only at about 40,000 miles of no oil changes.

Jarrett - [BRZ Boi] > duurtlang
09/07/2016 at 13:40

No? I did not research. Just based it off of some other cars. *coughMiata*

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > macanamera
09/07/2016 at 13:46

Just add seafoam and blinker fluid and she’s good to go.

Satoshi "Zipang" Katsura > MonkeePuzzle
09/07/2016 at 13:48

... How the hell do these people have a car?????????

jimz > macanamera
09/07/2016 at 13:51

Kinja'd!!!

Cash Rewards > Jarrett - [BRZ Boi]
09/07/2016 at 13:53

Any car I’ve owned built in the last decade had had 10-15k between oil changes.

RallyWrench > macanamera
09/07/2016 at 13:54

That’s horrible, but I doubt it actually never had the oil changed in that long. VR6s are really tough but not that tough, and the cam adjusters will fail from sludging if they even go 15k between changes for their lifetime.

Stapleface > macanamera
09/07/2016 at 13:57

That's impressive. So, I've gotta ask, did the customer just keep adding oil?

macanamera > Ash78, voting early and often
09/07/2016 at 13:57

My thoughts exactly, but that’s what I found on reddit. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was wrong.

macanamera > Urambo Tauro
09/07/2016 at 13:58

vaseline

Jarrett - [BRZ Boi] > Cash Rewards
09/07/2016 at 14:14

That’s crazy. Between myself and my family we’ve never had a car with more than a 5k mile interval (8000km).

FWIW, my Miata is the oldest of the bunch.

**Edit - looks like they edited the title to make it 135000km (it was miles originally), which renders my original post obsolete.

LongbowMkII > macanamera
09/07/2016 at 14:14

Iirc the 3.2 was a VR6

LongbowMkII > MonkeePuzzle
09/07/2016 at 14:16

I DEMAND A SECOND OPINION!

Ok sir/madam, you should've changed your oil sometime during Obama's second term.

LongbowMkII > E90M3
09/07/2016 at 14:18

“What’s that noise?”

“Oh, I don’t know. But look! The windows work again!”

LongbowMkII > just-a-scratch
09/07/2016 at 14:20

Kms but still that's like 80k miles.

MonkeePuzzle > LongbowMkII
09/07/2016 at 14:24

THANKS OBAMA!

just-a-scratch > LongbowMkII
09/07/2016 at 14:42

No kidding 135000km is a long way between oil changes.

Ash78, voting early and often > LongbowMkII
09/07/2016 at 15:09

I’m only about 90% sure, but I think we're confusing the Audi 3.2L V6 (which was 2.8L, then 3.0L, then 3.2L) with the mostly-VW 3.2 VR6, which was in the Cayenne/Touareg and R32 at around the same time. I still can't find (via Wikipedia, anyway) a VR6 in a modern Audi.

Cé hé sin > Ash78, voting early and often
09/07/2016 at 16:38

The first TT indeed had the VR6 which as I remember was the first one to be available with the DSG gearbox.

Wagon, semi manual, not brown, turbo because volvo > macanamera
09/07/2016 at 17:03

I did a favor for an older lady in a 95 tercel and changed the oil for the first time in 4 years. The filter was plugged solid and weighed a pound and a half. A bout a quart and a half of lumpy brown sludge came out of the pan. She asked me why her oil light was flashing.

LongbowMkII > Ash78, voting early and often
09/07/2016 at 17:26

Well both used the mk4 golf platform (A4?) so I think it'd be easier to re use the VR6 than adapt it to fit the V6 from the bigger A6.

Ash78, voting early and often > Cé hé sin
09/07/2016 at 17:30

I completely forgot about that...it's coming back to me slowly. I don't know I've ever seen one, since the 1.8t was so ubiquitous and tunable.

Ash78, voting early and often > LongbowMkII
09/07/2016 at 17:31

Yep, Ce he sin just confirmed the first-gen TT had it available. You're right on the platforms, though...you'd never be able to take a longitudinal V6 and shoe-horn it into a transverse engine bay. I just can't recall ever seeing a VR6 TT before.

LongbowMkII > Ash78, voting early and often
09/07/2016 at 17:38

Never?

Queue the music.

Ash78, voting early and often > LongbowMkII
09/07/2016 at 17:40

OK, let me expand: You'd have to be a completely rich moron to bother sticking a lame, slow, longitudinal VAG engine from the early 2000s into a VAG car made for a transverse engine. There would be no advantage, since the transverse engines were really good on their own. Re-routing the exhaust and customizing the tranny work would make it a fool's errand.

torque > macanamera
09/07/2016 at 18:51

So conventional

random001 > macanamera
09/07/2016 at 19:35

well, i think i see what your problem is...

NJAnon > macanamera
09/10/2016 at 17:48

Yeah maybe someone necro-posted this on another site. Happened long ago.