They "say" the reason for the oil change every year is because they use special oil because of the possibility that when the engine comes on when either the battery is depleted or you need full 204hp power that the engine needs more protection as it is cold. tbh i think it's 'cock and bull' as I think it's a money making exercise

 

Yes, that's the same BS they told me. Still, hard to tell and hard to know what to do. They "threatened" me with voiding the guarantee if something where to happen as I didn't change the oil a year ago.

I booked an appointment next week, so I asked them if I could safely drive the car in EV until then. He said "It will probably be ok", whatever that means.

Can someone with inside information possibly comment?

 

So my car now says it needs an oil change !

Why I ask

It was first on the road 29 July 2016

(From the app )

Mileage today: 5,402

Next oil change: In 1,065 Still 17 Days


Next Inspection: In 13,670 Still 395 days.


All guesswork as far as I can see.

 

So I tweeted Audi and this is the reply

"Would you like us to arrange for a member of the team at your local Audi Centre to contact you about this?"

 

Oil is changed in Ampera every other service so 20K miles irrespective of how much ICE is used. Required to keep Vauxhall warranty - is that not case with VAG? Presumably these service details were available before you purchased?

My understanding is that modern oils breakdown with age too - is that true?

Incidentally, In USA we were encouraged to change oil in our ICE every 5K miles :-O

 

It could be just with use but I'm sure over time oil can become acidic therefore harming stuff in the engine.

 

So a reply from Audi

"The A3 e-tron is on a fixed oil service regime of 9,000 miles/one year (whichever comes first)."

 

Supply your own oil, as long as it meets all the audi specifications or is exactly the same oil they have to use it, been doing this with my Q3, the dealers make a killing on oil price they charge you!

 

Depends on how the car is setup - I have the long (variable?) service intervals setup and currently have just short of 25,000 km driven and its showing the first inspection service is due in 59 days or 4,500km. I got the car in june 2015 so its set for just before its 2nd birthday.

Currently it is showing 69% EV-mode driving on the e-tron stats page #2.

 

I have just been told this by Audi:

With the A3 E-tron Audi recommend the vehicle is on a fixed service schedule, one of the reasons is when starting the engine it using the E-machine, which is a drag start, they also use specific oil for the E-tron for this reason, as the engine does start and stop a lot it does degrade quicker, I know your engine hasn't covered many miles in a year but again its Audi's recommendation to change the oil yearly.

Does anybody know anything about this E-machine? It sounds made up to me?

 

It may be excessive but if you are concerned about keeping the warranty then you have to comply. Comply can mean supplying your own oil (same spec to what Audi use) as mentioned above or having the oil change and service done by an independent such as Halfords using Audi genuine parts, Audi spec oil and of course ensuring that they clearly document that they have done so.

 

The Audi Service Schedule is, if you do less than 9000 miles a year Oil Service, Annual, else it is Mileage based.
The Annual service alternates between Oil service or Full Service.
The Inspection Service is every two Years.

I had this confirmed by the Technical Team.