1.8T engine sludge?

[Matt-7790-B6]

So i read up on apparently tons of 1.8T engines are getting engine sludge and blowing up.. Im looking for a 1.8T 5 speed quattro soon. probably a 2003-2004 with about 95000mi. I am generally very good with oil change intervals and i always run synthetic Mobil 1 in all my cars. Is this a really bad common problem... Or is this something that by running a bottle of that engine flush crap for a bit every oil change and doing proper oil changes will avoid? I hear this coming from a ton of people on forums and reviews. But i sometimes think theyre the customers that go 4500 mi over on theyre intervals and decline work that needs to be done at dealerships consistently. Is this only a problem from lack of maintenance? Please shed some light in this tunnel.

[derZeck]

most people do not look for the VW/Audi 504.00 rating and put any old oil. I have heard both good and bad things about people using mobil1 in VW/Audi. I personally only use 5w-40 Pentosin with a Mann oil filter. I do run a can of seafoam in the oil if I see any varnishing when I remove the oil cap. I have 188k miles and she runs great.

Just maintain them as VW/Audi has recommended and they will run forever. German's are smart when it comes to cars, American's are dumb

[Matt-7790-B6]

Alright that makes me feel better about it. Pentosin.. is that the OEM audi oil? I havent seen that brand anywhere for regular retail sale. And i am generally looking at quattros with a bit of higher mileage (85000-95000mi). Assuming that this happened pretty early on in these engines. If theyre at a higher mileage and still run good.. should i assume that it was maintained and i should just keep maintaining it. Or is there a way to tell. Like sticking a little mirror in the oil cap hole and looking for coking or sludge around the valve cover. Cuz we all know a dealers not gunna let me take the motor apart. Dont mean to ask a million questions. I just dont want the happy dance im gunna do when i buy one to get shat on by having to replace the motor.

[gregg3gs]

I've heard of the sludge in the 1.8 and have somewhat developed my opinion on the audi issue.

If you and the person who owned the car before you drive it, not from home to church next door, but drive it. If oil used is always synthetic then I believe there will not a sludge problem with that engine.

Case and point.
My first a4 was a b5. I have purchased it with about 75k on it and the kid that has owned it before did beat the hell out of the car, as well as had to put natural oil in it a few times.
You can see crusty residue on the inside of the valve cover when none synthetic oil was used.
I now own a b6 a4 and have to tell you the internal valve cover cleanliness tells a lot about the oil used and sludge issues.

In a conversation with a friend, who is also a mechanic, I have determined that is you use the right oil (synthetic), and you drive the car (to allow for hot oil to bind with metal as well as flush internals) then you will not have sludge related issues.

Having said that. I now have 220k on my clock in the b6, still no sludge. I drive it a lot as well as speed up quickly especially onto the on ramps.

There needs to be one thing mentioned too. You can't drive this or any car in a punishing way until the oil is in the operating temp range. (turbo will definitely fail)

Good Luck. (this is also apparently a problem with the 335 bmw)

[nolesfan]

If you get a car with detailed maintenance history for that age you're looking at, you should be good (well, assuming synthetic was always used). My 2004 Passat (same 1.8 motor) has been running synthetic since I bought it with 34k miles (almost 110k miles now) and everything still looks good. I've replaced the VCG a couple times and each time everything has looked nice and light/medium golden colored with little to no varnish.

As preventative maintenance, a couple years ago (around 80k mile mark) I ran Sea Foam as per instructions, then Auto-RX (not at the same time) as per instructions. Based on everything I'd read at that point about sludge I was getting nervous. After seeing how clean everything is under the valve cover, I felt better. Now, the oil pan and pick up tube, etc. could have some issues, but the car runs like a champ and doesn't use or lose oil.

[SkDUB]

I just got my a4 b6 and it was......peice of crap, a lot of sludge as old lady went to some ****ty ass lube stations(Mr. Lube etc)ran like crap, misfires everywhere, ran MTH cleaner trough it and few cans of seafoam in oil, fuel system and intake manifold, cleaned it up(as i thought) took head off looked and it was believe me or not shiny, car has 270km on it and runs great, except time for new exhaust and "BIG" turbo upgrade as well as stage 2 clutch

But again, if youre buying a car that you dont know how it was maintained, seafoam and fresh fluids everywhere is a must, also it wont hurt to update steering/suspension, i had problems with my tie rods, took me a week to get it into factory shape after i bought it, would of done in a day but parts delivery sucks big balls of glory here in SK, so if youre going to buy a car with high milage just refresh it and bring it to life again, and it will serve you till you get annoyed of it and try to total it off heheh

FYI you can always pour 1/2 can of seafoam to your oil with every oil change, it wont hurt your engine, itll just evaporate eventually

[nolesfan]

I can't say that I'd use half a can of Sea Foam each oil change, but I also don't think it would hurt. It's a little more aggressive than ARX, but is still petroleum based and should be fine. I don't think it's as harsh a chemical as others proclaim, though I still think I'd follow instructions on the bottle until you can better determine for yourself the condition of things.