Audi A3 1.4T sportback - Audi A3 1.4T MPG issues

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Wed 16 May 2012 16:08
Audi A3 1.4T sportback - Audi A3 1.4T MPG issues - russell audi A3

Hi, i have a A3 1.4T sportaback on a 57 plate- done 16K miles. Since i have had it i cannot get any decent mileage out of it. It is mainly used for town driving but even on long runs i can only get about 28mpg out of it at best. Putting so much fuel in it!!. im running it on normal 95RON unleaded. Any help or ideas would be appreciated. Thanks- Russell

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Wed 16 May 2012 17:12
Audi A3 1.4T sportback - Audi A3 1.4T MPG issues - madf

Change your car : you are achieving what you can expect on low mileage journeys with stop start motoring.

16k miles in 5 years = 3 k miles a year. So you are doing negligible mileage and doing your best to ruin your engine.

Does it get serviced at all? And if yes, how many since new?

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Thu 17 May 2012 14:43
Audi A3 1.4T sportback - Audi A3 1.4T MPG issues - zango

Try a fuel system cleaner that you add to the tank. Worth a try for less than £20 and will probably work.

Don't run the car on supermarket fuel - use proper branded stuff. HJ recommends one.

The previous poster is right that your low mileage is a contributing factor. Not sure that it would even be properly run in if it had only done round town mileage all its life.

So try the above, get it serviced if you havn't already and take it for good thrash. WOT and high loads not high revs.

Enjoy.

Pete

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Thu 17 May 2012 16:26
Audi A3 1.4T sportback - Audi A3 1.4T MPG issues - unthrottled

Try a fuel system cleaner that you add to the tank. Worth a try for less than £20 and will probably work.

Why will it probably work? If there was an injection problem, the OP would probably be moaning about rough idling or lumpiness, or an MIL would be showing.

Don't run the car on supermarket fuel

To anyone that thinks they can tell the difference between petrol brands, get a friend to fill the car up for you and do a blind test. The excitement over additive packages and 2 extra octane numbers is out of all proportion.

Your engine hasn't the faintest idea what liquid is in the tank, and unless the knock sensor is constantly pulling spark timing-which is highly unlikely- you won't see any difference in economy.

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Thu 17 May 2012 18:25
Audi A3 1.4T sportback - Audi A3 1.4T MPG issues - galileo

Hi, i have a A3 1.4T sportaback on a 57 plate- done 16K miles. Since i have had it i cannot get any decent mileage out of it. It is mainly used for town driving but even on long runs i can only get about 28mpg out of it at best. Putting so much fuel in it!!. im running it on normal 95RON unleaded. Any help or ideas would be appreciated. Thanks- Russell

If you only get 28 mpg on a long run there is something wrong with the car or the way you drive it.

I could get 28 mpg out of a 2.6 litre Ford Zephyr 6 when I had one in the 1960s so a 57 plate1.4, presumably fuel injected and with 5 gears should do more like 45 on a 'long' run.

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Thu 17 May 2012 19:15
Audi A3 1.4T sportback - Audi A3 1.4T MPG issues - zango

Any help or ideas would be appreciated.

The clue is the original post.

This guy is asking for help.

All of the posts on this thread (except mine) are either argumentative or admonishing. This is the "technical" forum after all.

If you can't help then don't post, otherwise it devalues the forum.

For reference I had exactly the same problem with a V6 Mondeo that was used repetitively for short journeys. It ran slightly harsh, not rough, but the difference was only really noticeable when it was fixed. Caused by sticky EGR valve. Fixed by long runs, decent fuel and fuel system cleaner.

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Thu 17 May 2012 20:00
Audi A3 1.4T sportback - Audi A3 1.4T MPG issues - unthrottled

The fault would havbe been the EGR valve-the other two were placebos.

The other stock piece of advice is to change the air filter-which also has nothing more than a placebo effect.

Poor mileage usually comes down to driving style and journey length. It's difficult to see how an engine can have a malfunction that doesn't manifest itself in either poor running or an MOT emissions failure.

My advice would be to check that the wheels rotate freely with no dragging or binding. Check for excessive heat build up in the brakes after a gentle run.

If you think you have a fuel problem, check the oil for fuel dilution. Pull out the spark plugs and see if they are a nice uniform tan colour. There's not enough information to start suggesting solutionsat this point.

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Fri 18 May 2012 11:07
Audi A3 1.4T sportback - Audi A3 1.4T MPG issues - TeeCee

I have to agree with you. I have a 1.8 Zafira that's cheaper to run on BP Ultimate petrol than anything else, despite the higher cost per litre. The reason? It eats EGR valves when run on anything else and they ain't cheap! I went through three of the things before I worked that one out.

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Thu 17 May 2012 23:48
Audi A3 1.4T sportback - Audi A3 1.4T MPG issues - Big John

A friend of mine has an Octavia 1.4 tsi (120bhp) and is getting a really good mpg - usually 40+. On a long run through to Germany he achieved 52mpg (driving gently).

Sounds like there is something wrong, I believe they eventually can suffer direct injector problems causing poor fuel economy and bore wear due to petrol bore wash.

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