It comes through the vents and can be smelled outside the car. This typically occurrs when I hit the highway and accelerrate heavily. Ever hear of this?

Well I think it definatly confirms you have an oil leak. I really don't know if the smell on heavy acceleration can point you to were or not. It might be that when the engine is at higher rpms, more oil is moving around, and getting through the leak...

or it could be something else.. I don't know off han.

Had this problem with a volvo, Check for oil leaks on the rear of the engine.

So I guess the leak must be pretty slow. Either that or it's off and on. Should I just take her in? I know I'm going to bend over for it (see my other posts- Avoid CT Audi Dealers).

Was it at the correct level before, i.e. you don't have coolant leaking into your oil?

I think that it's only eating up oil at high accelerations. I took it out on the highway last night and had her pounding at 85, after that it didn't look like I had lost too much. This may be a conditional leak (only happens at certain times) but I can't figure out when that is.

However, I drove home last night at a real easy pace since I had some delicate stuff in the trunk. Really took my time. and when I stopped and through on the air, a got a quick blast of oil smell than that was it. I think I'm going to bring it in in next week.

I thought I had an oil leak too. Oil smell through the vents and everything. I had the valve cover gaskets replaced and it didn't fix the smell.

After a couple of times in the shop, it ended up being a bad transmission gasket that caused drops of transmision fluid to burn off my exhaust pipe when it got hot. (Smells just like oil, but looks red)

Best thing to do, take the engine cover off and look for the leak, then put the car up on the lift and look for the leak from below too.

Good luck,

Tyler

'97 A6 Quattro Wagon

I had a smell like that too (burning oil) in my 97 A6. Visual evidence was a few drops of oil on the garage floor every morning. It turned out to be a leaking transmission seal, and was replaced under the 5 year/75K warranty. I would imagine highway driving makes the smell more noticeable because of the higher engine heat and the higher rate of leakage.

splashes on the catilytic converters, and that what you smell.

Just had the same and took it to a trusted AUDI mech.
He showed me the red transmission fluid all over the hot catalitic
converter. It's a gasket, and when the fluid hits the cat it smells.
He also told me that the fluid is a synthetic expensive fluid and that it
is best to fix the gasket.
I will be doing it in 3 weeks.

3 weks ago i replaced valve cover gaskets with my mekanic on my 99 A 6 Quattro . Two weeks later same problem (bad smell in the cabin ) took my car to the dealer and he told me that it is a valve cover gaskets:(
Took my car to the same shop . They open the cover , clean the gasket and did the same job .
Next day they checked the car and they still leaking :( What is going on :( Is gaskets are deffective? (becouse both of them are leaking ) or what else ? The dealer told me that i need to replace a cam gaskets along with valve cover gaskets . It is true? Maybe valve cover gaskets are not leaking any more and the problem is cam gaskets ? And another question . I love my audi ! Why??!