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I have recently bought an Audi a3 2008 TFSI, and had a mechanic checking the engine over before buying it. He had to repair an oil leak and refilled the oil, everything seemed good to him.

Today when I was driving through the hills, the oil pressure warning light appeared on my dashboard. I stopped the car and checked if the oil level was fine. It is definitely not leaking anymore, but I feel like there is too much oil in it.

Please check out the attached image.

here

There is a slight bend in it, but the arrow indicates the oil lvl.

Is this an exces amount of oil, and could this be causing problems with the oil pressure?

I appreciate the help

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    It's always best to check the oil level when it's cold, as the oil expands when hot. Also make sure tyou pull the stick out, wipe it, put it back and pull it again to get an accurate reading
    – Nick C ♦
    Apr 25, 2018 at 10:19
  • Thanks Nick, I did wipe it and then checked the level. The engine however is still a little bit warm. Thanks for the advise. I will check it again tomorrow.
    – MartijnKozijn
    Apr 25, 2018 at 10:26
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    OP: make sure your car is parked on a flat and level surface, in addition to taking care of what Nick C said. Go park it on a flat and level surface if you've already haven't. Also, remember to let the stick inside for half a minute after putting it back inside clean. With that, you can be 100% sure about your current oil level. Also, check whether you have headgasket failure (mayonnaise inside expansion tank and under oil filling cap) or not. Take another picture of that oil level obtained as we instructed you and send it to your mechanic, if you can.
    – Al_
    Apr 25, 2018 at 10:51
  • I was going to suggest making sure it's level, but I think it might be safer to just check with your mechanic. Better to be safer than sorry. Just have to be diplomatic about how you talk to them.
    – NitrusInc
    Apr 25, 2018 at 14:38
  • @NickC "as the oil expands when its hot"? Come on thats utter nonsense. Oil gets pumped around the engine, so after driving you should wait a while for it to gather in the oil pan for an accurate reading on the dipstick. But it does not expand.
    – MadMarky
    Apr 25, 2018 at 14:53

1 Answer 1

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I have an Audi A3 with the same EA888 engine, just 2.0 litre instead of 1.8 litre. Very similar other than a stroke increase and some variable camshaft differences. Based on the Haynes manual, the oil capacity is 4.6 litres. Having just put fresh oil into this engine at that amount, the oil level sits just above the bend below the 'Max' wording (measuring cold and on a flat surface).

So I would guess that there is about a litre of extra oil there. If the oil pressure warning does not repeatedly come on, I'd be inclined to not worry about it - it's anecdotal but in my experience, mechanics who have done oil changes for me (but not on this Audi) tend to put more oil in. It seems they favour too much rather than too little - possibly a safety margin in the event there is a leak elsewhere.

Note that these engines have a reputation for both consuming oil in 'normal' operation and for sump leaks (probably what you had).

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  • If the sump leaks, the sump gasket needs to be changed.
    – Al_
    Apr 26, 2018 at 10:27
  • These engines do not like to be overfilled, that will cause higher crankcase pressure as OP experienced, also might cause oil foaming. Take out some oil ASAP.
    – mBardos
    Jun 20, 2022 at 7:55

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