2015 Audi A6 2.0 Tdi - First Sampling

[Vulusmaximus]

Hi guys
Having recently had my eyes opened to the interesting world of oil sampling with my BMW 335D, I decided to get the oil sampled on my wife's 2015 Audi A6 2.0 TDi. We've had the car since 2020, it's a nice drive, works well for us so we intend to keep it for a while longer. Here's the service history.

Car registered:	31-Jul-15				Engine Oil Volume:	4.7
No	Date	Mileage	Miles Since Last Change	Age of Oil Mths	Brand	Viscoity	Life
1	16-Mar-17	18,876	18,876	18	Unknown	5w30	LL (probably)
2	16-Mar-19	37,004	18,128	24	Unknown	5w30	LL (probably)
3	18-Nov-19	47,137	10,133	8	Unknown	5w30	LL (probably)
4	27-Jul-20	52,717	5,580	8	AD	5w30	LS Plus
5	28-Jul-21	60,514	7,797	12	AD	5w30	LS Plus
6	21-Jul-22	68,823	8,309	12	AD	5w30	LS Plus
7	18-Jul-23	73,484	4,661	12	AD	5w30	LS Plus
8	15-Jul-24	78,217	4,733	12	AD	5w30	LS Plus

As you can see in the last few years the mileage has been low and the journeys for the most part have been shortish around town.

I'm interested in your thoughts on the results as the Iron and Alum seem high to me for the mileage (only 4,733). A bit of fuel contamination presumably from the short journeys maybe causing this by dragging the oil quality down ?

Should I be using fuel additives to help the burn/keep the injectors clean and changing the oil every 6 months ?

Kind regards to all
Ian

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

My two cents.

Iron seems on the high side but I have no idea what the universal average is for this particular engine.
Fuel has an impact on viscosity and labs generally don't flag it until it gets to around 5 percent. Unfortunately you don't know the starting viscosity of this oil so there's no way to compare. I wouldn't worry about the amount of fuel. It's a diesel after all.

 

[fantastic]

Aluminum & Iron seem slightly up. This is your first sample so just keep testing to establish a trend.

 

[SatinSilver]

I'd shorten the interval to 6 months.

 

[loneryder]

I used Power Service Diesel Kleen in every tank of fuel in my MB V6 diesel. If I forgot, I could tell because of more diesel clatter. It's not expensive especially since your wife doesn't drive that much. What brand of oil is that. I'm not saying this will improve your iron levels, just will make it a smoother running engine. It looks like the engine is never getting fully warmed up. Diesels are slower to warm up.

 

[Vulusmaximus]

I used Power Service Diesel Kleen in every tank of fuel in my MB V6 diesel. If I forgot, I could tell because of more diesel clatter. It's not expensive especially since your wife doesn't drive that much. What brand of oil is that. I'm not saying this will improve your iron levels, just will make it a smoother running engine. It looks like the engine is never getting fully warmed up. Diesels are slower to warm up.

The brand of oil that the has been used is AD Oils - ADTEC19 - 5W30 LS Plus
https://www.ymfcarparts.co.uk/ad-oils-ad-tec-19-5w30-ls-plus-5l/

I'll have a look into Power Service Diesel Kleen.

Yes, it's not getting warmed up enough

 

[Vulusmaximus]

I'd shorten the interval to 6 months.

Yes, I think I'm going to do that and then re-sample.

 

[kschachn]

The brand of oil that the has been used is AD Oils - ADTEC19 - 5W30 LS Plus
https://www.ymfcarparts.co.uk/ad-oils-ad-tec-19-5w30-ls-plus-5l/

That's all weasel wording in regards to the listed approvals. I'd first try an oil that actually has the approval your vehicle requires and make a determination after that.

 

[edyvw]

VW like to shed iron. But I would skip that oil. Stick to known stuff, M1, Shell, Castrol, Motul, Repsol, Total, Esso, Liqui Moly, etc.

 

[Vulusmaximus]

VW like to shed iron. But I would skip that oil. Stick to known stuff, M1, Shell, Castrol, Motul, Repsol, Total, Esso, Liqui Moly, etc.

Yes, I think I'm going to go with Motul next time.