Purchased a Q7 2017 with 68k miles. Have to put 1L oil every 1200 miles. Now seems to be around 800 miles at 75k
Oil usage seems a little on the high-side, but most manufacturers would say that’s still within the acceptable limit. Suggest to never let oil level get more than 1/2 quart low, & replace oil and filter on manufacture’s suggested intervals (or more often); otherwise just monitor & document the oil usage. Make sure you are using the correct service-intervals. Most drivers should be using the “extreme” chart b/c frequent low mileage trips are much harder on the engine compared to freeway driving.
I presume there’s no visible oil leaks.
I think Audi considers 1 qt. every 600 miles to be acceptable. I may be remembering wrong though.
2 Likes
I recently came across a 2018 model year car where the owner manual stated 1qt/500 miles is acceptable 
1 Like
Pretty sure any oil burning is not normal whether the manual states it or not. Since your audi burns oil, it means the engine is worn. But not the end of the world as long as you keep an eye on it you should be fine and drive it a couple more years but it’s no longer perfect if it burns oil.
1 Like
If you have a turbo engine, it could be a leaking turbo. Still expensive but cheaper than engine replacement/repair. Might be worth having someone look it over to make sure there are no obvious defects with it currently.
1 Like
Pretty sure you are mistaken. All engines burn oil as no piston rings seal perfectly. So I guess the engine was “worn” the day it rolled off the assembly line.
My only comment based on bmw is to try oil from Audi. Some cars do not like some brands of oil.
Thanks for all the re-affirming comments. It is what I suspect. Although I can smell a weird garlicy/oil smell after a long drive, not seeing any leaks under or in the engine compartment. So I assume there is oil burning inside. (Exhaust tips are covered in soot)
You might consider having an Audi dealer do an inspection of this Q7 . Just in case there are other problems or service that might not have been done . That could cost between 100 and 200 dollars but it might let you decide if you want to plan to replace it.
I had a friend have a VW Passat turbo burning oil. He wasn’t the best at maintaining it so it consumed all the oil and basically almost locked up. He limped it to a place that bought it as it was for a pretty decent price. The rest of the car was in pretty good shape from what I could tell.
I wonder if someone did that with this car and they did some quick and dirty fix, then flipped it.
Oh I see, we are talking liters not quarts. Then throw in kilometers versus miles. So really doesn’t sound excessive.
One type of oil-consumption problem, leaking valve stem seals, can often be repaired for a relatively reasonable price, provided the cylinder head doesn’t require removal. OP could ask a helper to watch the tailpipe while you crank the engine, after the car has been sitting for a few hours unused. If a big puff of black/blue smoke is seen at first, but then disappears quickly after the engine has started, good chance incontinent valve stem seals is the problem.
I think its also possible to recondition valve stem seals using a seal conditioner chemical treatment, very inexpensive, but I doubt that method is effective for long.
Without car in hand, my wild guess would be that neglectful oil changes and/or running the engine low on oil due to not checking it has caused an oil control ring problem. It only takes one stuck ring on one piston to create severe oil consumption.
Even worse, there is no way of checking for a stuck oil ring short of tearing into the engine. Compression and leakdown tests can work on compression rings; not so much on the wiper rings.
1 Like
Personally, I think the engine oil consumption is just characteristic of the design
I don’t believe it has anything to do with the maintenance . . . or lack thereof
Yeah I agree. Thinking an Audi or bmw is going to have the same oil consumption as an Acura just doesn’t seem to make sense. These cars use oil due to design. And oil is relatively cheap.
Consider this; and it’s a factor which may or may not apply to this Audi which was purchased used so the OP has no idea either.
Someone near and dear to my heart owns a very late model Asian made car purchased new. They say that car will last them the rest of their life but 80k+ miles on it right now. Last week I mentioned maintenance and checking fluids. They associate “checking fluids” with having the oil changed every 10k miles. Nothing else is checked or exchanged. They assume that oil level is going to remain at a constant level while never degrading. At some point; a major problem. Point being is that none of us know if this Audi was similarly abused.
As for oil consumption on European cars, my daughter in law is on her second VW and neither this one or the prior one (Jetta and a Taos) used any noticeable amount of oil between oil changes. And to boot, neither one has ever had to make a trip to the dealer for any warranty repairs whatsoever.
What would I do if that Audi were mine? Run a dry/wet compression test. While that will not reveal the state of any oil control rings it can show a compression ring problem and if a compression ring problem exists then it can be reasonably assumed there is an oil ring issue also AND oil rings or no; means the engine needs serious work or replacement.
Might not be a bad idea to check the intake tract for signs of turbocharger oil leaks if so fitted.
2 Likes