Horrible oil analysis 10k miles brand new Audi A8.

[Nazmorgul]

Hello, I wanted to ask everyone's opinion here about what to do. Bought a brand new Audi A8 2018 model in October 2017. Time came for the oil change at 10k mile service. I asked the dealership to give me an oil sample for testing. Sample was sent to the laboratory for testing and came back horrible. Original Oil is supposed to be Castrol Edge 5W-40 Euro.

Ive attached the analysis. Please feel free to comment.

Thanks

Naz

 

[SZR48207]

1. Are you sure they pulled the sample directly from the engine as it was draining? Or could they have contaminated the sample with their 'dirty oil bin'?

2. For the first oil change, you should not expect perfection. Trends over time matter more than point-in-time numbers. Do another UOA at 20K and 30K and see if the numbers get better.

 

[fdcg27]

This was the factory fill?
Factory fill UOAs are supposed to be horrible.
I'm also pretty sure that Audi is aware of the fuel dilution which is probably common with this engine and recommends a thick oil for just that reason.
Finally, unless you have other examples of UOAs from this engine to compare with, this UOA really doesn't tell you much.
This may be entirely consistent with what would be found in a 10K run of the FF for this engine and probably is.
I'd run two more OCIs of an oil meeting the recommended spec and then sample.
I'm certain that wear metals will be much lower although fuel dilution will likely be similar.

 

[PimTac]

Some questions;

How did you break in the engine? What is your driving habit? (Leadfoot or easy)

I am in the camp of shorter oci, especially with a turbo GDI engine until you get a grasp of how the oil will hold up.

I would consider running 5k on your new oil and taking a sample for analysis. See if there is any improvement.

 

[demarpaint]

I'd wait until 20K miles pull a sample myself and send it for analysis before panicking. New car UOA typically isn't good resulting from the breaking in process. I would however monitor the oil for the smell of gas, and have the dealer note or address that if the oil really does "smell" of gas. This could all be normal. IIRC one of our resident UOA authorities caution against getting a UOA from a new car, until after a few OCIs for reasons like this.

 

[RooflessVW]

Metals seem normal for a new engine.

Fuel dilution is probably a fact of life for this engine.

The factory fill could be a 0W-30.

The sample was most likely taken improperly.

Sample again at 20k miles and ensure they take it correctly.

 

[Eddie]

I think I would pull another sample myself at 5,000 miles to get a recheck on what is going on. My first thought is the person who pulled the sample got it contaminated by using a reused collector. What make you think the FF was EDGE 5w40 oil? Ed

 

[CT8]

It is a waste of money to do uoas for the first few oil changes unless you suspect a problem

 

[dbias]

Originally Posted by CT8
It is a waste of money to do uoas for the first few oil changes unless you suspect a problem


Exactly.

 

[StevieC]

I agree if it's a new engine and the numbers look like this there is no issues at all... It's the reason I'm waiting for my first UOA on my new ride.

 

[UncleDave]

Factory fill is the worst conditions most cars ever see and as a few have already said not much point in doing a UOA on it because it will be horrible

Your UOA is also why lots of people ignore the factory advice to typically keep the break-in oil in place for the full OCI- but change ealry.
Its also why I make sure I have a magnet on my break in filter- but that a sep topic

since you already spent th money on the break in UOA - at min - Id run it another 5-7.5K and see where you are at - and after that let it roll out for a full OCI and do it one more time - if it all goes to [censored] yoru covered under warranty but if something is really bad you'll know very quickly

Youll have three under your belt and should have flushed all teh copper and excess stuff out - youd be surprised how long it can take for copper to wash out.


UD

 

[slo town]

OP:

I would not like that oil sample at all if it was my new car. There will never be consensus on this forum whether or not the metals found in this first sample are normal or not.

Is my assumption correct that you waited until 10K to change the oil because that was what Audi recommends? Regardless or not whether or not Audi recommends 10K OCIs, I'd never let it go that long given the fuel dilution you are seeing. If it were my car I'd drain this oil in 3K to 5K miles and take another sample just to see what changed.

If you actually bought this car, you should monitor this closely until you get a better understanding of the situation.

If you've leased the car, follow Audi's recommendation. The minimal maintenance that's performed on leased cars is part of the game, I'm sad to say. If leased, let Audi do it's minimal leased vehicle service schedule. If you take nice care of it Audi will sell it CPO'd. The next owner will pay $4K for an extended factory warranty that will last 8 years of 100K miles. And then 100K the engine will be plenty "loose" - but not your problem. That is the sad reality for leased cars.

Scott

 

[Omahaug]

If you didn't take the sample yourself, you really have no way to tell how it was done or whether it was done correctly. They could have forgot, then went back and skimmed some out of their oil tank.

I wouldn't have even done a UOA if I didn't take the sample myself. Why? Look at the questions being asked here and the fact that you cannot positively 100% say for sure the sample was taken correctly. That doubt jeopardizes the validity of that analysis because it raises questions nobody can answer.

By the way samples for "analysis" of any kind (whether it be oil, water, sewage, mouth swab) should be done in a controlled, verifiable manner. I'm not saying you need to do it like the CDC or with a chain of custody, but asking someone else to collect the sample for you, someone who probably has no idea how oil samples are usually taken, with no oversight, is not usually done either.

 

[slo town]

Originally Posted by NoNameJoe
If you didn't take the sample yourself, you really have no way to tell how it was done or whether it was done correctly. They could have forgot, then went back and skimmed some out of their oil tank.

I wouldn't have even done a UOA if I didn't take the sample myself. Why? Look at the questions being asked here and the fact that you cannot positively 100% say for sure the sample was taken correctly. That doubt jeopardizes the validity of that analysis because it raises questions nobody can answer.

By the way samples for "analysis" of any kind (whether it be oil, water, sewage, mouth swab) should be done in a controlled, verifiable manner. I'm not saying you need to do it like the CDC or with a chain of custody, but asking someone else to collect the sample for you, someone who probably has no idea how oil samples are usually taken, with no oversight, is not usually done either.


I agree with everything NoName Joe said.

Scott

 

[SnowDrifter]

Factory fills are always horrible. Lots of break in wear

 

[maxdustington]

Originally Posted by Nazmorgul
I asked the dealership to give me an oil sample for testing.
You got a sample alright, a sample of their waste oil tank! That's the exact type of crap a dealership would pull!

 

[69GTX]

TBN at 4.5 is fine for 10K miles. Higher viscosity at >11.00 indicative of a 30 or 40 grade. But the ad package seems to be deficient imo. No moly. No magnesium. And not much Calcium at 1500 mg. Does have Boron at 100 ppm

Usually the Ca and Mg should run 2000-3000 ppm combined....not 1500. It's usually moderate levels of both or high levels of Calcium....this oil has none of that. There's not much detergent working for you...whatever oil this is. It sure doesn't look like Edge 5w-40 which would have a ton of Ca and Mg....and often Titanium in many of their oils. Even the Waste Oil Collecting Tank would have more Ca/Mg than that!

 

[webfors]

The only that that concerns me in that report is the low flash.

Everything else is expected for a FF ran to 10k.

 

[Danh]

The comments about wear metals in a factory fill sample are valid and who knows how the sample was taken. Nonetheless, the fuel dilution is extreme and deserves a second look. Don't think I've ever seen a flashpoint that low.

Does this engine have a dipstick? If so, you can order a kit from Oil Analyzers that will allow you to extract a sample from the dipstick tube on your own, ensuring you have a good sample.

Either way, I'd take this UOA to your dealer and insist on some kind of follow-through. This isn't normal and your car was far from cheap.

 

[Tom NJ]

You have a lot of dirt in that oil sample (Silicon = 67) which could be responsible for some of the high wear metals. Suggest you check the air filter.