Hey all,

So, after buying a '97 A4 2.8 Quattro with 150k miles on it, I want to drive the thing off a cliff. I made the mistake of not getting it checked out before I purchased, and I've been kicking myself in the *** ever since. So the car is leaking oil.... and burning oil... So I took it upon myself to take it in, and see what the source of the leak could be.

So I first take it to a local mechanic in my neighborhood, who doesn't necessarily specialize in Audis. He claimed it was the head gasket, and gave me an estimate of $1600+. So naturally, I decided to get other opinions. So the next shop I took it to, which is a VW / Audi specialty shop said that it was the "Breather Valve". He claims that it would be a very labor intensive repair, about 8 hours, as he would have to dismantle the intake manifold. He said that he would replace a couple of other gaskets / hoses / seals while he was in there. He gave me a quote of $900. I decided that I wanted one more opinion before doing anything. So I took it to another Audi specialty mechanic. He gave me an ENTIRELY different list of components that he thought needed to be replaced. He thought that the main sources were the Oil Pan Gasket, the Oil Cooler Seals, the Oil Cooler hose, the Valve Cover Gaskets, and the Cam Plugs. He gave me a quote of $775 to replace all of those parts. I asked him if he saw any major leakage coming from the breather valve, and he said no. I showed him where the 2nd mechanic was pointing to, when he said it was the breather valve, and he said that that wasn't even where the breather valve was! He suggested that I get my engine steam cleaned so he could have another look and confirm that those are the sources.

So, naturally, getting three COMPLETELY diferent opinions is a bit unsettling. I mean, I don't know who to trust here. I don't have any first hand reccomendations on who to use, and am going into all of this based on blind faith of the mechanic, since my knowlege of cars is next to nothing.

If anyone has can shed any light on this, I'd greatly appreciate it! Do the quotes sound reasonable? Do the diognosis sound reasonable? Who would you trust most based on the diognosis given? Is there anything more I can do to determine what the real problem is?

One other concern that I want to throw out there is my gas milage.... My computer is giving me an average reading of 10.5 up to 12.8 MPG for city driving. This seams extremely low for a V6, and i'm going through more gas than I was with a V8 Lexus! I only got about 160 miles to my last tank. This can't be typical... right??? Could this be linked to the oil leaks? If not, any ideas on what it could be? I have had the oil and air filter changed....

Thanks in advance for any help you may be able to provide!

 

Ouch, sorry about all the **** your going thru with this car. Well go ahead and steam clean it so you can better investigate exactly where its leaking from, but don't go back to that first mechanic. It would really help if you had mechanical knowledge so you can spot the BS those mechanics are telling you. If possible post some pics afterwards and maybe one of the guys here can help. As for as your gas mileage thats really low even for a V6. It could be the oil leak but I'd say check out the fuel filter and the injectors first.

 

I agree with Trey, unless they steam cleaned the engine and let it sit for a minute there is really know way they can accurately tell where the leak is coming from. Probably the only accurate thing they did tell you was the price range btw 1000-2000. I'm in the army and had a mechanics shop and when our vehicles leaked oil sometimes the mechanic would take short cuts and not steam clean the engine in order to properly id the leak so the leak would never get properly fixed. Get the engine steam cleaned or ensure the mechanic does it in his diagnosis. He probably will but only after you have committed to his shop. And definitely ditch the first guy and take it to an expert, it'll save in the long run.

 

Just from my experience the 3rd guy you took it to is prolly right, it should be cleaned without a doubt

But also the things he mentioned are very common culprits for leaking (except maybe the oil cooler seals and hoses)

 

As for the low gas mileage, that is pretty low. Could be a lot of things including bad oxygen sensors. Check for stored codes or find someone with a VAGcom.

 

I'd go with the mechanic who is an Audi/VW specialast who also gave you the cheapest quote.

If your problem hasnt been fixed dont pay him, simple as that. Or if it has been fixed temporarily and the problem re-occurs within days or weeks take it back to him again and demand the problem be repaired based on the quoted price.