I'm due for my first service since the oil change indicator started blinking at me yesterday...planning on putting some Mobil 1 synthetic in there.<p>Anyway, my question is, I currently have about 4300 miles on the car, so it's not quite at the 5000 mile mark yet. So how does the oil indicator lamp determine it's time for a change? Is it a combination of time (I've had the car 4 months now), mileage, and other factors? What other factors would there be? Is there any sort of analysis of the oil done internally somewhere?<p>Thanks in advance.......<p>Cheers,<br>-Ash Silver 98.5 1.8TQMS

I think the service indicator is just based on number of kilometres (ie. light comes on every 8000 kilometres) since on my first oil change 2 weeks ago, the dealer had to reset the indicator.<p>Gordon (also in Toronto)<br>98.5 1.8TQMS

(I posted the below a few weeks back and just dug it out with an archive search).<p>I've never seen a good explanation of how that various service indicators in the A4 are programmed to come on. (These readouts, OIL, IN1, IN2 replace<br>the trip odo readout). Here is what is going on with them:<p>OIL indicator: Can be programmed to come on at any even number of thousands of kilometers (NOT MILES) from when it is reset by the dealer (or<br>someone with the proper tool/software). For example, it can be set to come on in another 10,000 km (not 10,500, for example). For setting to a certain<br>number of miles, the miles have to be converted to the nearest 1000 km (1 mile equals 1.6 km). The OIL indicator doesn't have any date input. (For<br>example, you CANNOT set it to come on in 10,000 km or 6 months, whichever comes first). If this indicator, or one of the ones below, comes on, or doesn't<br>come on, when it should, it likely was programmed wrong. Maybe someone didn't know miles and km aren't the same.<p>IN1 indicator: This has a setting for number of km just like the OIL setting (but independent -they don't have to be set to the same thing). In addition, the<br>number of days is set until the service. This can only be done to the nearest 10 days.<p>IN2 indicator: This can only be set for number of days, to the nearest 10. (No km function).<p>Notes:<p>1) Apparently the readouts in 98.5 models onward can be reset by the owner. I don't know how this programs the various functions (e.g., to what km/day<br>interval), or if that is even what it does. (The procedure is apparently in the owner's manual and has been previously posted).<p>2) There is apparently no practical limit to the maximum number of km/days that can be input to the system. An owner that never wanted to be bothered<br>with the displays again could apparently have them reset to VERY large numbers, say 400,000 km, 90000 days. I don't know if a dealer would balk at this,<br>but the procedure for doing so is exactly the same as just resetting to shorter intervals. Or, alternatively, they could be used for shorter intervals, if, for<br>example, you wanted to be reminded of oil changes every 3,750 miles (half the 7,500 recommendation for a 2.8 engine, or exactly 6,000 km,<br>coincidentally, so this would be easy to accurately program).<p>3) For dates, the system uses differences, not actual dates. The system doesn't know or care what year it is, what month it is, etc. Therefore, no Y2K<br>problem!<p>4) Info is from Audi service manuals, so is only as accurate as they are.<p>Another interesting tidbit (at least to me):<p>There are occasions when the instrument cluster has to be replaced. Every new cluster has the ability for the odometer reading to be reprogrammed,<br>ONCE, and only upwards. For example, if your car, with 25,000 miles on it, has the cluster replaced, the brand new one can be be set to that mileage. As<br>with the service indicators, this is programmed in km, but can be done to the nearest 10 km. It can ONLY be done to an odometer showing under 100 km<br>(63 miles). (So, no one can take your used car and advance the odometer reading accidentally, or on purpose.) It isn't even possible to reprogram it<br>downwards from, say 60 miles, to say 10 miles. This is a good thing - a dealer can't erase test drive miles.<br>

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This post relates to the instrument cluster tidbit. I had my instrument cluster replaced because the readout was too bright and difficult to read because of blurring of the digits. This was from new. I had the cluster replaced at 3243km. The techie reset new cluster to 3240km (it can only be adjusted in increments of 10km); so I gained 3 km! He jokingly asked me what value I would like it set to! The reading was manually entyered via the VAG tool, and there was nothing to indicate that there was any sort of check against the previous reading. So, I guess an unscrupulous dealer could alter the reading significantly (possibly even without replacing the cluster).