Page 1 of 2

Oil leak - oil cooler pipes - any advice?

Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2013 9:53 am
by drbru
So the car is definitely leaking oil and I'm going to have it recovered and sent over to finchley road audi on a flat bed just to be safe as its leakin a fair amount

Looking at previous threads it seems it may be an oil cooler pipe problem although I have no idea if its because of corrosion etc

What I wanted to ask is of anyone has had any luck recently claiming through warranty? My car is at 65k

If no joy with warranty then can anyone shed any light on the cost of replacing the pipes an the cooler?

I think this is going to hurt!

Cheers

Re: Oil leak - oil cooler pipes - any advice?

Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2013 10:01 am
by Brooner
Cost of the pipe and the radiator is about £1500 fitted at Audi you might get it for a bit cheaper the radiator is about £560 the pipes are £90 and £180 unfortunately you will have to replace the lot as the hoses are steel and the rad is aluminium and the threads rip as you take the hoses off the radiator due to corrosion so yes it will sting you in the pocket a little

oh and make sure the put the bumper back on if your not happy with the gap as it is (you should only be able to get a pound coin into the gaps no wider) get them to ajust it whne the replace the bumper

Re: Oil leak - oil cooler pipes - any advice?

Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2013 4:25 pm
by adsgreen
as above - known and common problem. not a lot you can do - I've been toying with the idea of something like the silicone tape used to plug holes in high pressure pipes. The tension effectively welds the silicone together and creates a waterproof seal thus preventing the galvanic corrosion (as it needs water)

Re: Oil leak - oil cooler pipes - any advice?

Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2013 7:14 pm
by James997
Have just had this done at Camberley Audi on my car. I got a 30% contribution from Audi as my car has covered 84,000 mls so if your car has FASH and it has lower mileage you may qualify for more . Hope your service advisor can help you on this .

Good luck!
James

Re: Oil leak - oil cooler pipes - any advice?

Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2013 7:42 pm
by EddyPee
I had my cooler and pipes done under warranty a few weeks back at Camberley, on 35k miles and got a 50% contribution so bout. £750 all in ish, with it being £1500 otherwise. I think on the basis you cant do pipes without cooler you should be able to get some contribution if cars under warranty. Camberley acknowledged it as a common rs4 issues

Re: Oil leak - oil cooler pipes - any advice?

Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2013 7:52 pm
by watts6087
I just done my oil cooler pipes a couple of weeks ago! The 2 pipes are £225 from Aberdeen Audi including postage!
I fitted them my self and had new threads made up and welded on the cooler! Cost be £350!

Re: Oil leak - oil cooler pipes - any advice?

Posted: Tue Apr 30, 2013 9:22 am
by drbru
So my car was dropped into audi yesterday

Whilst they didn't have time to look at the car, tey acknowledged that it sounded like the oil cooler pipes and admitted that they knew it was an issue. He said he was confident he could get approval to cover the works under warranty even if its corrosion. I don't know if this was talk to keep me happy or what but I guess I will find out none the less

Bottom line is, it's a known fault based on poor design and there has been inconsistency across the board in terms of who gets covered under warranty and who does not. Think that's enough ammunition either way to fight my cases with audi UK if they start to get funny

Re: Oil leak - oil cooler pipes - any advice?

Posted: Tue Apr 30, 2013 9:26 am
by adsgreen
Warranties are very carefully worded and individual case by case.
Technically they can reject the claim - others may be calling it warranty but it is actually goodwill. One is regulated by the FSA and insurance obundsman... The other isn't.

As an aside, I wonder if it is worth using a Ali connector on the rad. So instead of steel hose to Ali rad it goes steel hose then Ali connector then Ali rad. That way if it does corrode it would be the sacrificial connector that goes not the rad. Not sure though as the pipe is solid so not much wiggle room.

Surely enough Teflon (or the oil equivalent) tape on the thread would prevent this?

Re: Oil leak - oil cooler pipes - any advice?

Posted: Tue Apr 30, 2013 4:48 pm
by Parptoot
I have some corrosion but no leak as yet but I've already started to look into an aftermarket, direct replacement, from a local company.
Once I've got this sorted and the fit is confirmed I'll be posting costs and results.

There's no way I'm paying Audi costs for what is just an oil cooler and two pipes. Unless I'm missing something here?

Re: Oil leak - oil cooler pipes - any advice?

Posted: Tue Apr 30, 2013 5:40 pm
by The_Coat
Got my bumper coming off on Thursday so will ask AMD to have a look. Picked up a tin of Hammerite today and will ask them to paint the pipes, hope they look all ok......

Re: Oil leak - oil cooler pipes - any advice?

Posted: Tue Apr 30, 2013 9:34 pm
by Audi Pardner
Parptoot wrote:I have some corrosion but no leak as yet but I've already started to look into an aftermarket, direct replacement, from a local company.
Once I've got this sorted and the fit is confirmed I'll be posting costs and results.

There's no way I'm paying Audi costs for what is just an oil cooler and two pipes. Unless I'm missing something here?
Looking forward to your results!

Re: Oil leak - oil cooler pipes - any advice?

Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2013 3:24 pm
by toyneg
Parptoot wrote:I have some corrosion but no leak as yet but I've already started to look into an aftermarket, direct replacement, from a local company.
Once I've got this sorted and the fit is confirmed I'll be posting costs and results.

There's no way I'm paying Audi costs for what is just an oil cooler and two pipes. Unless I'm missing something here?
how did you get on with this? cheers

Re: Oil leak - oil cooler pipes - any advice?

Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2013 3:38 pm
by Parptoot
Absolutely nowhere :|
No excuses other than Mine weren't considered bad enough to warrant a change and I forked out for a mahoosive carbon clean out and a big service just after the car purchase :thumbs:

I have seen a used set for sale here somewhere that I did think about snapping up but untill the bank of Parptoot is back on a level playing field I'll be holding back on frivolous purchases for a little while.

Re: Oil leak - oil cooler pipes - any advice?

Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2013 3:44 pm
by toyneg
Parptoot wrote:Absolutely nowhere :|
No excuses other than Mine weren't considered bad enough to warrant a change and I forked out for a mahoosive carbon clean out and a big service just after the car purchase :thumbs:

I have seen a used set for sale here somewhere that I did think about snapping up but untill the bank of Parptoot is back on a level playing field I'll be holding back on frivolous purchases for a little while.
i know what you mean. mine is at Camberley now and have been told they are corroded but not leaking. dont like the thought of that bill looming ha!

Re: Oil leak - oil cooler pipes - any advice?

Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2013 3:50 pm
by RIV
Toyneg i can get theses done for £900 all in, pipes and cooler fitted