Oil Change, where and how important?

[Segaman2002]

Hi,

I am about 500 miles overdue for an oil change per the reminders set up in my car by the dealer at my last service.
A few days ago I got a notification / error message in my dash that said my oil was very low and recommended adding up to 1 quart.

I don't have a dipstick to check my oil level. Is this likely to be a major concern?
I want to take it in for an oil change sometime this week but am wondering if I should rush due to oil quantity being below minimum specifications.


Also, can everyone please advise if there is a consensus on whether or not Jiffy Lube is OK?
The dealer quoted me about $195 including taxes and Jiffy Lube quoted about $100. Would like to avoid the dealer if possible because I'm likely to get flagged TD1 if they scan me (though I sort of trust my guy would avoid connecting to the scanners).

Thanks.

[kr3w45]

Hi,

I am about 500 miles overdue for an oil change per the reminders set up in my car by the dealer at my last service.
A few days ago I got a notification / error message in my dash that said my oil was very low and recommended adding up to 1 quart.

I don't have a dipstick to check my oil level. Is this likely to be a major concern?
I want to take it in for an oil change sometime this week but am wondering if I should rush due to oil quantity being below minimum specifications.


Also, can everyone please advise if there is a consensus on whether or not Jiffy Lube is OK?
The dealer quoted me about $195 including taxes and Jiffy Lube quoted about $100. Would like to avoid the dealer if possible because I'm likely to get flagged TD1 if they scan me (though I sort of trust my guy would avoid connecting to the scanners).

Thanks.

You should add oil ASAP when you get that warning light. You are probably burning quite a bit as well.

I would recommend finding a private auto shop maybe a shop that specializes in Audi/VW. They will probably use a higher quality oil and one that meets the 50200 spec. You are going to want to get your oil changed now or top off before you drive any more.

[s14roller]

Indicator goes off at 10K miles. For what it's worth, most cars using synthetic will flag owner to change at 15K (like BMW).

If low oil, go to Walmart/Target whatever, and throw in a quart of Mobile 1 0w40 which meets Audi specs. Instead of the dealer and $195, you should take a look at the DIY here (and also look into an oil extractor). VERY easy.

[Segaman2002]

Indicator goes off at 10K miles. For what it's worth, most cars using synthetic will flag owner to change at 15K (like BMW).

If low oil, go to Walmart/Target whatever, and throw in a quart of Mobile 1 0w40 which meets Audi specs. Instead of the dealer and $195, you should take a look at the DIY here (and also look into an oil extractor). VERY easy.

0w40? I don't know anything about motor oil but my dealer said the correct one to use is 5w40. I can buy either rating?

By the way my car is at 56,000 miles. Last service was around 10,000 ago.

[MrFunk]

Oil is the lifeblood of a vehicle. It is if anything the most important fluid to change.

I'll say most enthusiasts I know who like to "DRIVE" their cars change oil every 5k with full synthetic... Dealer recommends 10k. I own and plan on owning a long while so I change mine every 5k... which equates to 1.5 times a year. I find the car runs better on fresh clean oil... 10k is too long IMO - especially given I only drive 8k a year...

I paid for audicare when I bought the car which covers oil changes every 10k, so I pay for the in between one...
I also typically pay around $70 for full synthetic oil change at the dealership. They often send coupons.

[kr3w45]

Oil is the lifeblood of a vehicle. It is if anything the most important fluid to change.

I'll say most enthusiasts I know who like to "DRIVE" their cars change oil every 5k with full synthetic... Dealer recommends 10k. I own and plan on owning a long while so I change mine every 5k... which equates to 1.5 times a year. I find the car runs better on fresh clean oil... 10k is too long IMO - especially given I only drive 8k a year...

I paid for audicare when I bought the car which covers oil changes every 10k, so I pay for the in between one...
I also typically pay around $70 for full synthetic oil change at the dealership. They often send coupons.

do you have a photo of your car with the side mount license plate? Looks good from the pic.. I'm considering running one or just not running a front plate at all when I install my grill

[SouthernBoy]

Indicator goes off at 10K miles. For what it's worth, most cars using synthetic will flag owner to change at 15K (like BMW).

If low oil, go to Walmart/Target whatever, and throw in a quart of Mobile 1 0w40 which meets Audi specs. Instead of the dealer and $195, you should take a look at the DIY here (and also look into an oil extractor). VERY easy.

I've been looking at these. Having always crawled under my vehicles to do an oil change, a dipstick oil extractor is a bit foreign to me. I do know that the Audi dealer where I bought my car uses this method.

Do you have a specific model in mind by chance for the S4?

[kr3w45]

I've been looking at these. Having always crawled under my vehicles to do an oil change, a dipstick oil extractor is a bit foreign to me. I do know that the Audi dealer where I bought my car uses this method.

Do you have a specific model in mind by chance for the S4?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...=ATVPDKIKX0DER

[onlyaudis]

Oil is the lifeblood of a vehicle. It is if anything the most important fluid to change.

I'll say most enthusiasts I know who like to "DRIVE" their cars change oil every 5k with full synthetic... Dealer recommends 10k. I own and plan on owning a long while so I change mine every 5k... which equates to 1.5 times a year. I find the car runs better on fresh clean oil... 10k is too long IMO - especially given I only drive 8k a year...

I paid for audicare when I bought the car which covers oil changes every 10k, so I pay for the in between one...
I also typically pay around $70 for full synthetic oil change at the dealership. They often send coupons.

this exactly. at the independant shop near me, they have seen way more long term problems with oil consumption and carbon build up on cars that run the 10K oil intervals compared to the ones that do 5K.

[jsh139]

Mobil 1 makes a 5w40 that's tricky to find. It says it's for turbo diesel cars but I can't imagine it is any different than the other viscosities. Pretty sure it's on the approved list.

[s14roller]

0w40? I don't know anything about motor oil but my dealer said the correct one to use is 5w40. I can buy either rating?

By the way my car is at 56,000 miles. Last service was around 10,000 ago.

Do a search on this forum. Mobile 1 0w40 is the preferred Mobile 1 oil for our cars. It's the European formula and on Audi approved list (if you google the list, it also comes up).

[s14roller]

I've been looking at these. Having always crawled under my vehicles to do an oil change, a dipstick oil extractor is a bit foreign to me. I do know that the Audi dealer where I bought my car uses this method.

Do you have a specific model in mind by chance for the S4?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...=ATVPDKIKX0DER

I have the same exact one kr3w45 posted lol. Same way Audi changes oil at the dealership.

Super easy since everything is done up top.

[Segaman2002]

I have the same exact one kr3w45 posted lol. Same way Audi changes oil at the dealership.

Super easy since everything is done up top.

someone tell me more about this product and the steps to use it. Won't it leave a lot of metal shavings / grime at the bottom if you just suck out of the top?
I added a quart of the Mobile 1 0w40 to my car so I should be ok until i get around to the full oil change.

[Intrepid One]

Hi,

I am about 500 miles overdue for an oil change per the reminders set up in my car by the dealer at my last service.
A few days ago I got a notification / error message in my dash that said my oil was very low and recommended adding up to 1 quart.

I don't have a dipstick to check my oil level. Is this likely to be a major concern?
I want to take it in for an oil change sometime this week but am wondering if I should rush due to oil quantity being below minimum specifications.


Also, can everyone please advise if there is a consensus on whether or not Jiffy Lube is OK?
The dealer quoted me about $195 including taxes and Jiffy Lube quoted about $100. Would like to avoid the dealer if possible because I'm likely to get flagged TD1 if they scan me (though I sort of trust my guy would avoid connecting to the scanners).

Thanks.

Keep running the oil low and exceeding the time limits..You can put that 99 bucks you save towards a new engine..Oh and you have a tune also…flog it a bit while you are at it..Why would they scan to change the oil?

[14S4GWM]

Leave it to the pros and don't go to Jiffy Lube. You can get a dipstick from ecs tuning.

[Segaman2002]

Keep running the oil low and exceeding the time limits..You can put that 99 bucks you save towards a new engine..Oh and you have a tune also…flog it a bit while you are at it..Why would they scan to change the oil?

I added a quart within a few days of the low oil notice. Avoided driving with it on. I am being careful about it. Also 10,000 miles between changes is what I was advised.

[Acejam]

Do a search on this forum. Mobile 1 0w40 is the preferred Mobile 1 oil for our cars. It's the European formula and on Audi approved list (if you google the list, it also comes up).

It is. However Mobil 1 has been known to cause excessive valvetrain noise on these cars. Not a bad thing, it's just noise. For this reason, I run Motul Specific 5W-40.

[MrFunk]

do you have a photo of your car with the side mount license plate? Looks good from the pic.. I'm considering running one or just not running a front plate at all when I install my grill

I"ll PM you a pic... It's OK I guess... better than being pulled over for no place which would be a waste of my time... I'd prefer without it if I could... Depending on how you set it up (angle) it can look terrible or half decent.

[BigBluu]

someone tell me more about this product and the steps to use it. Won't it leave a lot of metal shavings / grime at the bottom if you just suck out of the top?
I added a quart of the Mobile 1 0w40 to my car so I should be ok until i get around to the full oil change.

I took the DIY plunge a couple weeks and bought that same extractor posted earlier. It was super easy and more painless than anticipated. Instructions are included in the box and plenty of youtube vids if you need. Start to finish was less than 30 min. I went with Liqui Moly and Mann filter, both purchased from eBay vendors. Still need to recycle the used oil.

[kr3w45]

That's the same extractor we have at my shop. Also not a fan of Mobil 1 for the turbo/sc applications. Stick with any of the Euro oils that meet the 50200 spec. Motul, liqui Moly


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[wwhan]

Indicator goes off at 10K miles.....

The oil change warning goes off at 10k miles or 1 year, whichever comes first. Mine always goes off around 7k miles (1 year).

[SouthernBoy]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Thanks for the link. I did notice some not so good reviews and one person mentioned that it does not work well with synthetics, which I use after the engine has broken in. What about some of the motorized ones that sit on a bucket?

[wwhan]

Thanks for the link. I did notice some not so good reviews and one person mentioned that it does not work well with synthetics, which I use after the engine has broken in. What about some of the motorized ones that sit on a bucket?

For the extractor to work properly, the engine oil needs to be pretty warm. I have used it with Mobil 1 European forumula 0W-40 (502.00), with no problem.

[rtl5009]

Extractor is the only way to go. Could not be any easier.

[chaos2984]

Hi,

I am about 500 miles overdue for an oil change per the reminders set up in my car by the dealer at my last service.
A few days ago I got a notification / error message in my dash that said my oil was very low and recommended adding up to 1 quart.

I don't have a dipstick to check my oil level. Is this likely to be a major concern?
I want to take it in for an oil change sometime this week but am wondering if I should rush due to oil quantity being below minimum specifications.


Also, can everyone please advise if there is a consensus on whether or not Jiffy Lube is OK?
The dealer quoted me about $195 including taxes and Jiffy Lube quoted about $100. Would like to avoid the dealer if possible because I'm likely to get flagged TD1 if they scan me (though I sort of trust my guy would avoid connecting to the scanners).

Thanks.

Jiffy lube ROFL. Its like going to a Dr. that has no schooling and just winging it. You wouldn't let that happen. I wouldn't let a kid work on my vehicle let alone a 50K vehicle. Honestly its about the dumbest thing you can do it take your car there. Yes the price and the quickness seem appealing but you want it done right. I've seen way to many issues come from them since they have 0 training. I worked at a mazda dealership and we saw atleast once a month a blown up Mazda 3 engine come from them since they have no clue what they are doing and man handle the oil filter housing and break the cap and it leaks out out and locks the engine up. It got so bad at one point they were bared from doing oil changes on Mazda 3's. And it was a hassle for the customer to get jiffy lube to cover it.

Honestly you have just as much training as them and you can do it yourself just as well as they can. Its easy enough you should do it yourself. But if you look at the cost of what a dealer wants and what they do within the service its worth it. Divide it by 2 and you get the real cost of an oil change at normal intervals. It doesn't seem as bad since your changing it less often.

[SouthernBoy]

For the extractor to work properly, the engine oil needs to be pretty warm. I have used it with Mobil 1 European forumula 0W-40 (502.00), with no problem.

Thanks for this info. I do use Mobil 1 oil after break-in. Guess I'll be giving this neat little tool a try when I starting doing my oil changes on my S4.

[jygesq]

When I was doing my first service at dealer , I talked with tech while he was servicing my car. He was concerned that I would only change oil at 10 k interval.I told him I change oil once per year as in drive less than 10 k per year .

[sangaroo]

Jiffy lube ROFL. Its like going to a Dr. that has no schooling and just winging it. You wouldn't let that happen. I wouldn't let a kid work on my vehicle let alone a 50K vehicle. Honestly its about the dumbest thing you can do it take your car there. Yes the price and the quickness seem appealing but you want it done right. I've seen way to many issues come from them since they have 0 training. I worked at a mazda dealership and we saw atleast once a month a blown up Mazda 3 engine come from them since they have no clue what they are doing and man handle the oil filter housing and break the cap and it leaks out out and locks the engine up. It got so bad at one point they were bared from doing oil changes on Mazda 3's. And it was a hassle for the customer to get jiffy lube to cover it.

Honestly you have just as much training as them and you can do it yourself just as well as they can. Its easy enough you should do it yourself. But if you look at the cost of what a dealer wants and what they do within the service its worth it. Divide it by 2 and you get the real cost of an oil change at normal intervals. It doesn't seem as bad since your changing it less often.

Agreed. Going to Jiffy is like going to community health center up in NE. You get the worst result in those places.

[tsjordan]

I wouldn't let Jiffy Lube work on my lawn mower, much less my car. Just my $0.02. Any 3rd party shop that has any understanding of german cars should be fine. It's not hard, but if it's possible to make a mistake, Jiffy Lube will.

[TexasDfwS4]

Indicator goes off at 10K miles. For what it's worth, most cars using synthetic will flag owner to change at 15K (like BMW).

If low oil, go to Walmart/Target whatever, and throw in a quart of Mobile 1 0w40 which meets Audi specs. Instead of the dealer and $195, you should take a look at the DIY here (and also look into an oil extractor). VERY easy.

+1 for the oil extractor too easy!

[doug97gxe]

side note.. i wonder if people will start using oil extractors to steal gas

[Chandler]

side note.. i wonder if people will start using oil extractors to steal gas

I am sure it has happened. Extractors are not new. I had one over ten years ago to change oil in an inboard board.