Audi A5 Oil Pressure Warning: Common Causes & Fixes

As someone with moderate experience working on Audis, I dealt with a similar oil pressure warning on my 2015 Audi A4 last year. The oil color had turned darker than usual, and the warning light started appearing intermittently. Took it to my workshop where they discovered oil sludge buildup due to extended maintenance intervals. The oil change history showed the previous owner had stretched the service intervals too far. The fix involved: 1. Complete oil system flush 2. New oil filter 3. Fresh synthetic oil 4. Oil pressure sensor replacement Total cost was 165 Euro and resolved the warning light issue completely. The technicians confirmed no permanent engine damage occurred since I addressed it quickly. To help diagnose your specific case, could you share: Current mileage, Last oil change date, Type of oil currently used, Any oil leaks visible under the car, Whether the warning appears more during idle or acceleration These engines are sensitive to oil maintenance, and proper oil additives can help prevent sludge buildup after resolving the initial issue.

Just had my service done last week at 37314 KM, and my symptoms match yours exactly. The oil pressure warning started right after. Using the recommended synthetic oil but noticed its getting dark quite fast, which got me worried about oil contamination. After reading up, these engines seem particularly sensitive to maintenance. Technician also checked oil pressure with diagnostic tools but found no major engine damage thankfully. Currently waiting on additional test results to rule out sensor issues. Running compressed air through the oil galleries helped in my case, though still monitoring the situation. Would be curious if your pressure readings were taken at both cold and hot operating temps?

Thanks for the follow-up. Had the exact same experience with rapid oil darkening post-service on my A4. The workshop did test pressure readings at both temperatures, cold start showed normal pressure but readings dropped slightly when hot, though still within specs. Worth noting that after my oil system flush, I noticed the engine oil stayed cleaner much longer. The contamination was mostly from carbon deposits that had built up in the system. The compressed air cleaning you mentioned definitely helps, our engines share similar oil gallery designs and they can get gunked up in the same spots. The rapid oil darkening often indicates either: Residual contamination still in the system, Carbon deposits breaking loose, Oil filter not catching smaller particles effectively Since you caught this early like I did, severe engine damage is unlikely. One tip: after my repair, I switched to shorter oil change intervals (about 20% less than recommended) and havent seen the issue return in over 12000km. Any new pressure sensor readings since the cleaning? My experience showed values improved gradually over about 500km as the fresh oil circulated fully through the system.

Thanks everyone for the helpful insights. After another 600km of driving, I can confirm my situation has improved quite a bit. The diagnostic readings are looking better, oil pressure is now steady at both cold start and operating temperature. The compressed air cleaning seems to have done the trick. The oil is staying cleaner longer too, which is reassuring. I will definitely follow the advice about shorter service intervals. No point risking engine damage by stretching the oil changes too far. The technician suggested checking for any small oil leaks at the next service, just to be thorough. One last note on the pressure sensor, they tested it separately and it was working correctly. The warnings were genuine pressure drops from the sludge buildup, not a faulty sensor. Good to know for others who might face similar symptoms. Will report back after a few thousand more kilometers, but so far the engine is running smoother and those worrying warning lights have stayed off. Just shows how important it is to catch these oil issues early.