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On that I do not totally agree, many German cars are not longer built in the old traditional "German way", especially Audi...they cheapened their cars quite a bit.....the new SQ5, for example, has a lot of hard plastic around (including the glove box door) and not even that nice to the touch and assembly imperfections abound.
I would respectfully disagree. I think the aesthetics of the Audi interior is top-notch. Looks better too.
Our 2014-MDX Tech/SH-AWD was always filled to max after dealer oil-change (about every 7,000 miles) ... yet come time to change it again (according to the vehicle's % request/schedule) ... it was always a quart low. Dealer said not to worry:
a. MDX can run fine "one quart low"
b. it was normal oil consumption
At about 35k miles the wife was heading-out on a special road-trip with her mother. Engine light came on and MDX went into limp-along mode. She turned-around and made it back to the dealer. Her mother's little family reunion road-trip (at mid-way point) was cancelled. Caused quite a problem.
Dealer said oil-sensor was bad. It was repaired under Extended-Warranty (but still cost us $150).
MDX still lost 1-quart per year/oil-change interval. It had the 290hp-V6 engine.
See my old posts in MDX area for more issues and (hopefully helpful) tips. Still say it was a "good SUV" but hardly trouble-free. However, sounds like we got off easy compared to other Acura owners.
We traded it a couple of years later at 6-years old. The Audi dealer gave us $16,000 for it.
Think the MDX has a buffer with 5.5 quart pan. One I would worry about is the TLX with only a 4.4 quart oil pan. Have not yet added oil between changes typically once a year but like the rest of the 3.0L line up I have an oil pan of 8 quarts. The 4 Cylinder 2.0L run 5.5 Quart pans. Audis run 5.5 to 8 quarts depending on model so again down a quart it not an issue but something I would not like that happing in any car
Our 2014-MDX Tech/SH-AWD was always filled to max after dealer oil-change (about every 7,000 miles) ... yet come time to change it again (according to the vehicle's % request/schedule) ... it was always a quart low. Dealer said not to worry:
a. MDX can run fine "one quart low"
b. it was normal oil consumption
At about 35k miles the wife was heading-out on a special road-trip with her mother. Engine light came on and MDX went into limp-along mode. She turned-around and made it back to the dealer. Her mother's little family reunion road-trip (at mid-way point) was cancelled. Caused quite a problem.
Dealer said oil-sensor was bad. It was repaired under Extended-Warranty (but still cost us $150).
MDX still lost 1-quart per year/oil-change interval. It had the 290hp-V6 engine.
See my old posts in MDX area for more issues and (hopefully helpful) tips. Still say it was a "good SUV" but hardly trouble-free. However, sounds like we got off easy compared to other Acura owners.
We traded it a couple of years later at 6-years old. The Audi dealer gave us $16,000 for it.
I still has a 2014 SH-AWD MDX, and so far it has not needed a single drop of engine oil in between oil changes. On the other hand, I need to keep adding oil to my oil-burning 4G, 3.7L-V6, SH-AWD TL.
One should really browse through some Audi forums, that have much larger populations of Audi owners, in order to get unbiased views. By reading them, one can easily realize that it is the norm that Audi vehicles burn engine oil. If your Audi doesn't, then you are the lucky one.
As for Honda/Acura, except the 3.7L-V6 engine, it is the norm that Honda/Acura vehicles don't burn oil. If your Honda/Acura does, then you are the lucky one.
I chose the TLX because it stands out from the crowd. Anyone who leases can normally afford an A4 (better Jetta), C-Class, or 3 series monthly payment. What's the problem? They're over-represented on the roads and have become quite pedestrian due to the "base rate." For better or worse, there are far fewer TLXs on the road and that's just fine with me!
There are also fewer RLXs and ZDXs on the road. Being exclusive on the road does not make it a better buy. If anything, more sales equals better sign of quality and appreciation. Almost 3 months in, I have yet to see a new TLX on the road, see plenty of old aspecs though.
Last edited by pyrodan007; 12-24-2020 at 01:54 PM.
There are also fewer RLXs and ZDXs on the road. Being exclusive on the road does not make it a better buy. If anything, more sales equals better sign of quality and appreciation. Almost 3 months in, I have yet to see a new TLX on the road, see plenty of old aspecs though.
Agree there is a very big difference between exclusive & not selling well. Have seen two, an all black one last week was really nice looking. See more Ferrari's, Lamborghini's & Malaren's in a week than TLX since release.. BMW's, Audi's & MB's - there is nothing exclusive about them, everywhere you look you will see one.
Last edited by BEAR-AvHistory; 12-24-2020 at 02:13 PM.
There are also fewer RLXs and ZDXs on the road. Being exclusive on the road does not make it a better buy. If anything, more sales equals better sign of quality and appreciation. Almost 3 months in, I have yet to see a new TLX on the road, see plenty of old aspecs though.
I haven't seen one new TLX on the road besides mine either. That being said it takes a while after a car comes out to be seen frequently on the road. For example I've only seen 3 Stingers on the road since they've been out. Only 2 G70s. I see a huge amount of Ford Escapes on the road daily. Doesn't make that a sign of quality at all as they are horrible in the reliability category. Ask anyone that owns one. MINI Coopers are very popular around here, I probably see 1 a day. Anther car that is popular but a horrible buy and terrible as far as quality and reliability. So more sales has nothing to do with quality. Yugos used to sell like hotcakes too back in the day. Didn't mean they were a quality car. Or appreciated.
I've seen more taycans on the road then tlx-2's.
in fact, never seen a tlx-2 on the road.
More new ilx's then tlx!!
I live in Houston with a population of 7 million
New ILX has been around for 2 years!! I see lots of them as well. I would think you'd see more than the new TLX. New TLX has been around for 3 months during a pandemic. I haven't seen a single Taycan on the road. Although I live in Kansas City with a population of only 2 million.
The last two comments are representative of what leads some folks to use the term haters.🤷♂️
No, it's called reality. Using exclusivity for a reason to buy a car is not a very good one. Once a car becomes too exclusive, it usually gets cancelled unless it's a super car. My two examples are exclusive for a reason.
No, it's called reality. Using exclusivity for a reason to buy a car is not a very good one. Once a car becomes too exclusive, it usually gets cancelled unless it's a super car. My two examples are exclusive for a reason.
I guess that depends on the person. Not everyone likes to use the cookie cutter mold.
1. Good, but you know ... it doesn't warn you. If I didn't start checking it right-before taking it for oil-change, I would never have known.
I have been driving long enough to develop a habit to check engine oil level regularly, especially after having owned 2 oil-burning Audi's.
I suggest every internal combustion engine vehicle owners should do the same, because even for the most advanced vehicles, when the engine oil warning light comes on, the engine oil level may already be too low to protect the expensive engine.
No, it's called reality. Using exclusivity for a reason to buy a car is not a very good one. Once a car becomes too exclusive, it usually gets cancelled unless it's a super car. My two examples are exclusive for a reason.
Elin said that he was okay with not seeing a lot of TLXs on the road and you chose without reason to turn that sentiment into a negative. What you did was the definition of hater which is to cast ridicule on a person or thing absent any justification.
There are also fewer RLXs and ZDXs on the road. Being exclusive on the road does not make it a better buy. If anything, more sales equals better sign of quality and appreciation. Almost 3 months in, I have yet to see a new TLX on the road, see plenty of old aspecs though.
Saw my first two days ago. Nice looking car, but doesn't elicit emotional responses like, "Wow!" or "Damn, that's hot!", etc.
Elin said that he was okay with not seeing a lot of TLXs on the road and you chose without reason to turn that sentiment into a negative. What you did was the definition of hater which is to cast ridicule on a person or thing absent any justification.
I pretty much know which ones are tone-deaf when it comes to adding to the discussion. Notice how I didn't bother responding.
Honestly, this thread is truly a rehash of a previous one and I'm seeing the same old points over and over again.
I'm hoping to add some actual insight to Acurazine once I burn my old Avia DVD audio tracks to USB and check speaker levels with my SPL meter...
I still has a 2014 SH-AWD MDX, and so far it has not needed a single drop of engine oil in between oil changes. On the other hand, I need to keep adding oil to my oil-burning 4G, 3.7L-V6, SH-AWD TL.
One should really browse through some Audi forums, that have much larger populations of Audi owners, in order to get unbiased views. By reading them, one can easily realize that it is the norm that Audi vehicles burn engine oil. If your Audi doesn't, then you are the lucky one.
As for Honda/Acura, except the 3.7L-V6 engine, it is the norm that Honda/Acura vehicles don't burn oil. If your Honda/Acura does, then you are the lucky one.
I had two A7s. Neither one of them burned oil. Never read any threads on the forums of that being a widespread problem. Maybe much older versions.
I read the AudiWorld forum for Audi info, just like I read the Acurazine forum for Acura info. Below are some of the hundreds of Audi-vehicle oil consumption threads taken out from this AudiWorld forum. These are all Audi owners posting and exchanging info in regarding to their oil burning Audi's.
I don't have time to go through every Audi engine type, every vehicle model, and every model year inside this Audi forum. But just by looking at my partial list below, one can see this oil consumption issue spans from engine types I4 to V6 to V8, and from sedan models to SUV models. So I think it is comfortably to say that engine oil consumption is a widespread Audi (and of course also VW) problem.
As an interesting note, I am quoting this comment from one of current Audi owners inside one of the below threads :
"This has been extensively discussed on this forum. High oil consumption is common and Audi does not consider it a problem. "
I won't be surprised if someone who has the patience to go through all these threads, will find similar comments from Audi owners to come up again and again inside the posts.
Of all the auto brands, Audi is the #1 for colleagues, neighbors and friends who I've known that got their vehicles successfully bought back bought by under lemon laws.
5000's, 100's, A4, A6 AllRoad,....
I read the AudiWorld forum for Audi info, just like I read the Acurazine forum for Acura info. Below are some of the hundreds of Audi-vehicle oil consumption threads taken out from this AudiWorld forum. These are all Audi owners posting and exchanging info in regarding to their oil burning Audi's.
I don't have time to go through every Audi engine type, every vehicle model, and every model year inside this Audi forum. But just by looking at my partial list below, one can see this oil consumption issue spans from engine types I4 to V6 to V8, and from sedan models to SUV models. So I think it is comfortably to say that engine oil consumption is a widespread Audi (and of course also VW) problem.
As an interesting note, I am quoting this comment from one of current Audi owners inside one of the below threads :
"This has been extensively discussed on this forum. High oil consumption is common and Audi does not consider it a problem. "
I won't be surprised if someone who has the patience to go through all these threads, will find similar comments from Audi owners to come up again and again inside the posts.
Lots of them seem pretty old so did not look at them to be honest. Did look at the leadoff 2018 post with a picture. Guy complained 25% of his oil was gone.
Looks like he is down around somewhere between an 1/8 & 1/4 of a pint in 4100 miles. Think the pan holds over 7 quarts. Suggest remedial Math + weights & measures.
Last edited by BEAR-AvHistory; 12-26-2020 at 02:46 PM.
Lots of them seem pretty old so did not look at them to be honest. Did look at the leadoff 2018 post with a picture. Guy complained 25% of his oil was gone.
Looks like he is down around somewhere between an 1/8 & 1/4 of a pint in 4100 miles. Think the pan holds over 7 quarts. Suggest remedial Math + weights & measures.
My daughters civic with the turbo needs about a half quart between oil changes. Non-turbo acura's generally never need to be "topped" off. The exception may be some 4th gen TLs. Gen 1 TLX's don't burn up any oil normally. I would expect the G2 will burn a bit in between services.
I have been driving long enough to develop a habit to check engine oil level regularly, especially after having owned 2 oil-burning Audi's.
Sounds like a good plan.
What i find interesting is that you posted that Acura V6 engines burn-oil, and I just posted an example of that (as per my experience). I was agreeing with you.
IIRC, that is what started this recent "oil talk". AFAIK, it had nothing to do with Honda/Acura vs VW/Audi/Porsche .
In my experience, every turbocharged motor I've owned has exhibited some level of oil consumption. Blow-by was a key cause for some of them, but I figure as long as you keep the oil topped off it's more of an annoyance than a longevity concern (carbon buildup aside). Seeing as how Audi has been using turbos across their lineup for a long time now, it stands to reason there would be more cases of that happening with their cars. Have no fear, as the 1.5T and 2.0T proliferates across the Honda/Acura product lineup, we'll likely see more and more complaints about oil consumption here too.
Now, carbon buildup on Audis...that's a whole different story.
My error....the NSX is a 3.5..TWIN TURBO...but, the Type S, TLX will be as you all know...a 3.0, single turbo, which is of the latest "twin scroll design." Many see
the word....TWIN...and think it will have a "twin turbo." NO....it's a single turbo. Turbo design has come a long way...and these new twin scroll units are used by
many now. Better fuel mileage can be achieved with the ability to time the valve over lap, etc, etc. The unit itself is larger due to the design that requires 2 separate
channels to feed the turbine wheel from the exhaust valves/ports of the engine's exh. manifold. The exh.flow is now "paired with exh. valves to feed one channel of
flow to the turbine wheel....and the other exh. valves feed the other channel to the turbine wheel. Works really well...and this is why this set up also has very little
noticeable turbo lag....and that is a great achievement for a much more linear throttle response and overall acceleration.
What i find interesting is that you posted that Acura V6 engines burn-oil, and I just posted an example of that (as per my experience). I was agreeing with you.
IIRC, that is what started this recent "oil talk". AFAIK, it had nothing to do with Honda/Acura vs VW/Audi/Porsche .
I'm just being honest. If my cars burns oil, I will name them, be it Audi or Acura, or be it previously-owned or currently-owned.
FYI, only the Honda/Acura 3.7L-V6 engine burns oil, due to the absence of cast iron cylinder sleeve in the engine design. The rest of the Honda/Acura V6 engines don't burn oil. Acura has since discontinued using this oil-burning 3.7L-V6 in all Honda/Acura products.
These public forums work by members all sharing and exchanging VALID information and TRUE experiences, in order to formulate a fix or to help one another who is having trouble with their vehicles.
Also, my original intention is to point out it is industry known that it is the norm for Audi/VW vehicles to consume engine oil, and it is the norm for Honda/Acura vehicles NOT to consume engine oil.
My error....the NSX is a 3.5..TWIN TURBO...but, the Type S, TLX will be as you all know...a 3.0, single turbo, which is of the latest "twin scroll design." Many see
the word....TWIN...and think it will have a "twin turbo." NO....it's a single turbo. Turbo design has come a long way...and these new twin scroll units are used by
many now. Better fuel mileage can be achieved with the ability to time the valve over lap, etc, etc. The unit itself is larger due to the design that requires 2 separate
channels to feed the turbine wheel from the exhaust valves/ports of the engine's exh. manifold. The exh.flow is now "paired with exh. valves to feed one channel of
flow to the turbine wheel....and the other exh. valves feed the other channel to the turbine wheel. Works really well...and this is why this set up also has very little
noticeable turbo lag....and that is a great achievement for a much more linear throttle response and overall acceleration.
TS are cheaper to manufacture end of the story.
Have owned both on similar 3.0L DOHC I6 engines & twin turbos are better than Twin scroll versions. All the top end Turbo cars use twin turbos. Had a limited production specific high performance model that was built for 3 years after the regular line engines were switched over to Twin Scroll versions. Ferrari has twin turbos, McLaren has twin turbos, Lamborghini is still N/A, Aston Martin is twin turbo, Porsche is twin turbo, Cadillac BlackWing engine is twin turbo, C8 Corvette DOHC will be twin turbo. Twin Turbo seems like a plan.
"with the ability to time the valve over lap, etc, etc." Has absolutely noting to do with turbos. My modified FORD Racing 5.0 DOHC 32 valve V8 crate engine a high horsepower version of the mustang COYOTE engine is totally adjustable for valve overlap cam timing etc. Its over 5 years old now & has been replaced by the 5.2L COYOTE Version (not VOODOO) in the crate engine line up.
I can idle as smoothly as your Mustang but can also emulate a 60's 427 depending on how I set the cams overlap, duration, parameters. About 10 minutes work. Reduces power but it sounds good at Cars & Coffee etc,
Have owned both on similar 3.0L DOHC I6 engines & twin turbos are better than Twin scroll versions. All the top end Turbo cars use twin turbos. Had a limited production specific high performance model that was built for 3 years after the regular line engines were switched over to Twin Scroll versions. Ferrari has twin turbos, McLaren has twin turbos, Lamborghini is still N/A, Aston Martin is twin turbo, Porsche is twin turbo, Cadillac BlackWing engine is twin turbo, C8 Corvette DOHC will be twin turbo. Twin Turbo seems like a plan.
"with the ability to time the valve over lap, etc, etc." Has absolutely noting to do with turbos. My modified FORD Racing 5.0 DOHC 32 valve V8 crate engine a high horsepower version of the mustang COYOTE engine is totally adjustable for valve overlap cam timing etc. Its over 5 years old now & has been replaced by the 5.2L COYOTE Version (not VOODOO) in the crate engine line up.
I can idle as smoothly as your Mustang but can also emulate a 60's 427 depending on how I set the cams overlap, duration, parameters. About 10 minutes work. Reduces power but it sounds good at Cars & Coffee etc,
Sorry, no disrespect at all. I know you are fairly knowledgeable, but, you are wrong about the latest tech work using twin scroll turbos. They are working with the ability to do more work
with valve overlap etc, and you can do some homework and look it up. The info is readily available. With the new tech getting better all the time, they've managed to get up to 5% better
fuel economy while still getting the boost they want for a certain engine. IF you are talking ALL OUT HP engines, yes, twin turbos for the most HP. But, balancing out many issues with
"luxury touring vehicles" to get some extra HP and torque, while not having to deal with hardly any torque steer AND get a little better fuel mileage is a win win for certain type of vehicles
and the 4 & 6 cylinder engines in them. Again, I'm not making this stuff up....it's been out there for some time. You haven't spent much time diving deep in to what I just wrote, obviously.
Hope you had a great Holiday. PC there. MERRY CHRISTMAS to all on here. Enjoy whatever you decide to buy. I know my wife and I will enjoy our upcoming 2022 MDX Adv, and
my new toy, a 2021 TLX Type S. No, not the fastest out there..don't care. Very quick, handles, steering, comfort, some lux stuff...yeah, a great all around car for a decent price point.
YES...I looked hard at the S4! NOPE...too much and don't trust their maintenance, etc. Audi fan boys can bitch all they want at me...I don't care. We all buy what we want in the end.
It's my check, not yours, and what makes ME happy and my wife happy. And since this will be our 9th and 10th Acura mixed up with SUV's and sedans, we like them a lot.
Wow..sorry how the sentence structure came out. Wasn't done intentionally.
Last edited by Colorado Guy AF Ret.; 12-27-2020 at 05:03 PM.
Twin scroll turbo charger. A decent tutorial for those "unknowing"
What's the big deal about twin scroll turbochargers?
Many readers are familiar with twin scroll turbocharger systems but it never hurts to in basic terms explain turbocharger technology which can seem like witchcraft to the casual car fans. In the most basic of terms, a twin scroll turbocharger is like having two turbos in one.
How is that possible you say? Well, just think of your classic V6 or V8. There are two exhaust banks. Traditionally, an efficient turbocharger setup would mean two turbos hanging off the manifolds at the bottom of the car. Each is fed by that set of cylinder banks which it is connected to. It looks like this:
Such a setup can make a ton of power, no doubt about it. A good twin set of modern single scroll turbochargers on a V8 or V6 can produce quadruple digit horsepower. However, look at all that piping. Look at the distance the exhaust gases have to travel. Can a single twin scroll turbo do the job of these twins more efficiently?
Absolutely. Imagine if the exhaust gases traveled to the turbocharger right from the cylinder head. That poses a packaging problem but one that a twin scroll turbo helps alleviate. The new B9 Audi S4/S5 3.0 TFSI turbo motor is a great example of this:
Audi placed a twin scroll turbo in the V at the top of the motor and with a very trick manifold feeds a single turbo with both banks of exhaust pulses. It is like having two in one yet also with the benefit of less piping, less travel distance, and quite simply greater efficiency.
Originally Posted by BimmerBoost
The S63 is based on the N63 but there are some very significant differences between the two motors. The main difference being that the S63 uses a pulse tuned, cross engine exhaust manifold. That sounds cool, but what does it mean? It means that each turbo gets its exhaust flow from 4 exhaust pulses but also from opposite cylinder banks. This exhaust gas is fed into twin-scroll turbos which means there are two passages for the exhaust gases in the turbos. The N63 on the other hand uses single scroll turbos which means one passage for the exhaust gases. It is this pulse tuned exhaust manifold as well as the twin-scroll turbos that is major difference in the architecture of the S63 vs. the N63.
BMW has two V8 twin turbo motors, the N63 and the S63, but the S63 outpaces the N63 considerably. Why? Because of the twin scroll cross manifold design. The N63 can essentially be turned into an S63 by changing the manifold and turbos and that is basically what an S63 is.
Imagine turbochargers being fed by pulses from both banks instead of just one bank. That is exactly what a twin scroll setup does with the turbocharger taking in exhaust gases from both banks.
This pays dividends in many areas. Spool is said to be increased which leads to low end torque gains as well as an improvement in throttle response. The turbos in theory will make more power through the rev range as they are continuously fed with exhaust pulses through the curve. One should also see a decrease in intake charge dilution during valve overlap along with lower exhaust gas temperatures. You also have reduced pumping losses and better fuel consumption.
What are the disadvantages? There really aren't any other than more manufacturing and tuning complexity. In theory a good sized single twin scroll turbo will cost you less than a pair of high end traditional turbos.
The main thing to get right is the firing order feeding the twin scroll turbo. For example a four-cylinder motor usually fires 1-3-4-2. You would want one exhaust passage to get gases from the number 1 and 4 cylinders and the other from the 3 and 2 cylinders.
This may all sound too good to be true but the principle has been tested and a twin scroll setup is simply more efficient:
More power through the curve? Yep:
You also get the benefit of greater boost at lower engine speeds which is that low end torque and response benefit discussed earlier.
You are going to see more and more twin scroll turbocharger applications in production cars. Expect variable geometry twin scroll turbochargers as well which means the turbocharger has vanes that can adjust. This way the turbocharger can adjust itself to maintain the speed of gas flow based on how much exhaust gas it is being fed.
Turbo lag will never be eliminated but with twin scroll and variable vane turbo technology manufacturers are getting so close it may no longer matter. The modern turbo era is providing excellent response, efficiency, and power with fuel economy nobody would have thought possible not too long ago.
Much respect to twin scroll technology!
THIS WAS TAKEN FROM A BMW HIGH PERFORMANE OWNERS WEB SITE. BMW's and Audi's, just to name a couple have been using "twin scroll turbos!"
On V8 BMW's they've used (2) twin scroll turbos. There are many ways they can be used and they ARE more efficient.
Last edited by Colorado Guy AF Ret.; 12-27-2020 at 06:10 PM.
12-24-2020, 12:06 PM
Originally Posted by BimmerBoost
