Audi A5 TFSI 8T oil level sensor always requesting oil! Fault finding and repair. 

Same issue. Audi a5. Fixed in 5 mins after many others had failed. Brilliant

It feels good when you have that “ah ha “ moment when your trying to solve a problem… but when it comes from a shop that couldn’t figure it out , and then you are able to solve that problem. Man it feels really really good. Nice work man 🤜🏻🤛🏻

What a way to overcomplicate things when a dipstick would work just fine

Been having this exact issue for a few months, did have low oil since I did an oil change as didnt have enoigh oil so put some in no change. No errors found running a vcds scan. Well as you found I had same issue with the micro switch, it was all gunked up and no dash warning to say bonnet open. Took apart, cleaned and all working! For me was due to me spraying wd40 silicone grease into the catch mechanism and must have gunked up the micro switch! Appreciate the great video on helping me resolve this issue. Almost went to get a new oil level sensor and replace. Took all but 5 to 10 mins to sort.

Once again, you've proven that intellect plays a major role in Diagnostics.

Amazing case study👍 I wonder why would audi engineer's had designed the oil level gague circuit this way, it is very tricky if not diagnosed like you did, only a professional like you can fix it😉 Thanks for sharing Bro👍 & Stay Safe❤

Wow great catch, well done! I used to have a 2002 Golf myself and it would also give an oil warning after about 5 miles on one particular route which was a fast motorway immediately after a cold start. Eventually I realised that opening the bonnet would clear it.

several comments: 1) with a 6300 rpm redline, this Audi is not a diesel 2) it's easy to buy a dipstick for this car if you want physical reassurance. I bought one for something like US$15. 3) the electronic system, when working properly, gives better quicker warnings of needed oil addition, than the great majority of owners would get if depending on dipstick alone. I have an A5 2.0T now 7 years old, 64,000 miles, and the electronic system remains perfect (and my car still consumes negligible oil, being built after 2012).

Just wanted to say thank you for solving my problem. My A4 said it needed oil after an oil change so knowing there was a fault somewhere I assumed it was the sensor but without having to remove the bonnet lock I sprayed WD40 all around the microswitch and the dash indicator immediately showed the bonnet open! Also - no more low oil warning message. Saves me buying a dipstick too! Top man.

I’ve been in the motor trade for 45years you are very good sir.

Thank you so much🙏 nobody could figure out how to turn this off, I was just about to have the whole sensor replaced, turns out my switch just came unplugged. This vid saved me so much trouble

A massive thanks to your video, system was telling me to add oil and after nearly two litres still same message. After coming across this video managed to unstick the sensor too. Thank you...

Excellent video. After watching this I was able to fix the same issue on my A5 in less than 5 mins by spraying some lubricant into the bonnet catch, which freed up the micro switch! Thank you!

Dude, you just saved me some money. My mechanic wants to order that whole piece straight from audi. I told him yesterday to wait . I saw you do this. Thank you

Great find on this one Lois, but what an insane idea needing the bonnet to be open as well to reset the warning on the cluster..

Thank-you so much for this video, this has saved me so much grief. Long story short I have an Audi A4 2010 which had this very same issue. I even went to the expense of having the oil sensor replaced. After watching your video I sprayed some DW40 on the switch without removing the latch. I manually freed up the microswitch and my open bonnet status started showing and the oil warning went away. Why Audi don't supply a dipstick I don't know. Great video, thank-you so much.

Great fix! They will need to fix that oil leak from sensor. Interestingly when disconnected the fault codes were for oil temp only?

Wow, what an incredibly daft design! Mine was constantly warning that it needs a 1 litre topup. So i obliged and some more before finding this video. Turns out the bonnet release switch wasnt engaging, all it needed was the hinged pin pulling back and a bit of wd40. Job done, now showing good! Could well imagine there being a few ruined engines because of this jammed unrelated switch.

What a absolutely insane design 😮!

Just happened to my audi A5,done what you said and worked perfectly fine after ! Thanks alot mate !!!

Thanks, learnt something today. Have to say, for a petrol engine, that oil looked well past its best and I would be surprised (disappointed) that the garage did not replace when changing sensor.

I had the same issue last year, but I found a work around by simply disconnecting the power for the sensor and for some reason the bonnet would show as opened. The oil sitaution happened again and this time that didn't work, so this actually lead to the cause of the issue, thank you :)

I never going to forget this one Luis , everyday is a lesson watching your videos my friend 👍👍👍

That's what I call "high level car diagnostic" very smart to look @ the switch... Thank you for the video learning a lot from you.

What happened to the good old dipstick? Good diagnosis I remember the 2000 vag group cars have an orange oil light for checking the oil level based on time this worked off the bonnet switch such as this does. Cheers.

Good video .It seems to be a common vw problem .. However .. that bonnet switch appears to be 2 wire . its just a microswitch. the connectors are 4 pin ..but pins 1 and 2 are just looped to each other and the switch operates on contacts 1 and 3 .. so a simple switch that lights the warning on the dash ( Bonnet / hood ..open ) In my case ... that lights up when the bonnet is open and functions normally .. and even though i have replaced the oil sensor i still get the fault light.to check oil level. The weird thing is that opening the bonnet with the ignition on ...and leaving it open for about 30 seconds will reset the oil level fault for a couple of days .. and then it returns. The oil level is correct .. and is the recommended 5-30 oil .. the wiring has been checked and no faults found ..No faults showing on VAG com .. so I'm completely puzzled . I wonder does anyone have any other ideas .. BTW this is happening on 2 different cars .. in exactly the same way .

There's a plug that is right behind the front frame at the top that you can unplug and re-connect to reset your oil level sensor. Most Audi/VW have one at the same location.

Who would have thought a simple hood switch would be the problem. Thanks Champ.

It's a great feeling when you get that light bulb moment and realise you might have just found out the problem. I guess the original oil level sensor was not defective then?

This fault stumped me for a while the first time I came across it. Trouble is, I had another car doing same about a year or so later and had to go through the same rigmarole again because I forgot about the first one 🥴 Excellent video as per usual 👍

Hey mate ... my mothers Audi A4 Turbo just came up with the "add oil", so we added a liter of oil ... level still said top up, so we added another liter ... it was still on. At that point I thought well it has to be the level switch .. so i ordered and replaced it. Guess what? It was still on ... i couldnt work out how this was possible? Then I found your video ... and guess what? The bonnet switch wasnt working ... so i unplugged it, and shorted the circuit with a wire to simulate the switch being closed and dah dah dah dahhhhhh!!! All fixed! You sir are brilliant! I would never have thought a car was capable of "understanding" if the bonnet hadnt been open, then dont bother checking sensor again as how could oil be topped up if hood hadnt been opened HaHa! anyway, just wanted to say a big thanks! You saved us an expensive trip to Audi :)

I can confirm that this is the case on a similar A4. Hood latch was the issue causing the constant add oil message.

Wow that was a key piece of information you knew about the bonnet switch. Great fix.Thanks for sharing.

I paid a few bucks and added a regular dipstick to mine, but the electronic oil gauge has been so accurate that I haven't ever needed the dipstick.

This exact problem has been bugging me for months. Thank you so much!

Brilliant educated guess. I have a faulty switch on my civic cause the alarm to go off. Thanks for all your videos

Thank you so much, saved me an expensive visit to the Audi garage!

Mercedes did the no dipstick thing for a while and then and then had a rethink. Well spotted on the bonnet switch.

That oil looks nasty for a petrol, great case study! How is the m5 going?

For VAG the best diagnostic tool is VCDS. All others have tendency to give weird descriptions for live data. Is this the VAG "think", I do not know. I hate cars without dipstick. I would definitely buy dipstick for this car. I think you can check with Audi and buy correct one.

A dipstick has got to be cheaper than that oil level sensor I just don’t get it. Also if that sensor reads incorrectly it will be bye bye engine.

dropped he bonnet hard and light went so thats a job for summer, but thank you for your time posting

Your video is very informative Sir. Respect 🫡. I had the same problem such that I even bought a dip stick which I would rely on. But now after watching your video the sensor is back on 🙏🏽 I also have a problem of an engine light. Have changed oxygen sensor and I don’t know what to do

My man you have gained a subscriber in me, thank you thank you thank you very much, you have saved me a loooot of money! I drive a 2012 Audi A4 (B8) 1.8T Ambition in South Africa. On weekend of 06/09/2020 I had the same problem, then I poured a pint of oil (about 500ml). The warning light went off, then I drove about 15km's boom, the warning came on again. Then I poured another 500ml, this time aroundf the warning light did not go off. I drove cautiously because the message said I could still drive, but I had a similar "ahaa moment" before I could close the bonnet. It was open but that did not register on the screen, that just added palpitations to my heart because I still needed to drive almost 296km's(JHB to Mahikeng NW) to my residence. Upon closing the bonnet, now the bonnet did not want to close and lock, somethin was blocking it on the locking mechanism. When you picked up the bonnet opening's not registering on the screen and it's possible link to the problem I got the excitement of my life!!!! Now cherry on top is that you have fixed it!!!! Well done!!! I am attending to it in the morning when I wake up. I am also scared that I might have over filled it too because along my long trip I poured another pint since the warning light stayed on and it was my way of playing it safe. Thank you, thank you!!!! and I will report back but I have no doubt it might be anything different.

Thank you so much Fixed my S6 v10 oil light I had forgotten to plug the hood connector back after some repairs. I was freaking out You saved me a new oil pump

Awesome video once again showing the importance of research and knowing the enemy. Another part free fix.

What a twist 😳 Job well done Lewis 👏

That switch was great diagnosis 👍👍

I'm scratching my head more for those four dislikes, humen are strange, I learned a lot, thanks brother.

God level diagnosis as always. I've actually had that fault on a beetle. Have you seen the Autel Ultra advertisements popping up? Looks intimidating, intimidatingly expensive.

Very good diagnostic skill, thank you for your video on how to....

Good job Luis.I did not know that thing with the switsch.I know i had to unplug the battery once to make a low oil lv solved out.

Had the exact same trouble with my A4 B8 1.8tfsi. Doenst show my hood open or closetpapier. Gonna try this! Thnx m8

Wow thats very helpfull to know. I would never thought of the bonnet switch but waste money on a new sensor.

Had the same problem back in 2003 on a Golf . Never fully understood why this had to be connected to each other

You were correct……. I had a dirty hood sensor switch. Thank you sir

Good tip ! Works on Skoda superb 2 1.8 TSI

Well, now that you found the problem, seems so logical; the dashboard sends a message that said that you need to add oil; then you open the hood, open the oil cap an pour the oil. The problem is in fact that the computer don’t detect the hood opening. So the logical process never ever started. And the message pops out again until somebody opens the hood...

That switch could have caused overfilling and blown some oil seals and then oil starvation then engine failure.

Had this fault after doing a timing belt job, forgot to plug micro switch back in, found after much head scratching !

You my new found friend are a legend and saved me some pennies

Thank you so much man. same problem. your're a godsend.

What a shame not to be able to see the scanner reading with the correct levels at the end of the video. anyway good video. thank you!

bro you just saved me, two words for you mate big brain!!

Great video.. Is it a scantool problem, that the codes is only showing “Oil temp” codes ?

Thank you saved I resolved the issue by simple spraying wd40 to the lock to clear the dirt on there and that seemed to work

Great Stuff Louis, i would never of thought of the bonnet switch 😉

Yeah thank you for sharing this information that’s very helpful coz we were thinking buying a Audi A4 2017 model.

You r a very good mechanic! Thanks for the tutorial.

as allways a good informative video with simple but powerful logical investigation please keep up the good work

Hi Thanks for you explanation Have a A5 2014 with a petrol 2.0 tfsi engine And when scan it I have a level 3 oil sensor malfunction (EPC + engine max rpm 4000 when accelerating) I’m just looking for the position of this sensor and how can I change it . Thank you for help

Great video Luis. Thanks for sharing 👍

Excelente trabajo siempre se aprende algo de tus videos gracias Saludos desde Barcelona España

Oh Thank you for this. I all most thore a part wires. You are my savior 💪

Do the end customers get to see your vids? As proof of work done? BTW i really love your videos. The way of your reasoning is just like mine and there is no problem too complex for me. I always love to see you doing repairs, instead of replacing (u Polish? 😄). Your videos are inspiring and one can learn a lot of your knowledge. You’re unique on YT. Thanks for sharing.

great video! thanks for taking the time and being thorough. i think i have the same problem. doing research now and will check soon.

Hey great channel! i have A4 with working sensors and i wonder if this cause major problems with 2.0l TFSI engines? I mean people just add liter oil.... it is quite much for this turbo engine? btw mine is at 175 000km quattro model 2011 and last oil change at 165 000 now sensor show about quarter from bottom so little oil consumption?

I saw you for a long time ago ,you are a good guy I like how you fix it I'm same like you I fix the cars but, when the car give you the prank with the level was the first time when I really laugh in fixing cars. Good job man keep it same!!By the way I would never think about bonnet sensor to check never ever, I learn something new today!Even when already knew honestly about that always you forget to check it.. it is something weird I know:))

Thanks for the tip! I had the same issue And your video saved me so much time!

You can push the button under the wiper arm to turn off the door open tone

What a genius...thanks for sharing your hard work..

Thank you so much, very good video, very knowledgeable I managed to sort my car with this thank you so much for saving me the hassle and money

Thank you for this video. I found it to be very helpful. I suspected the sensor switch for other items but it makes sense that the hood/ bonnet (I'm in the US) would affect the oil gauge also. Now I know what to ask the mechanic to check. This seems to fit my issue exactly. Thank you, again! I'm subscribing to your channel!

Genius mate !!!!, So many thanks for sharing, i could save myself a massive headache in the future with this. :)

Thanks a lot. You helped me to get my A5 straight!🍹🍹👍👍

Awesome find man! Does anybody know if this can happen on the 2015 mk7 GTI TSI 2.0T motor? I have replaced the oil level sensor twice, frequently measured oil (level is perfect if not 1/4 qt overfilled), and the check oil level light never turns off. Please help it’s driving me crazy.

What kind of diagnostics is that ? When it connected, sounded just like my launch :D thank u in advance!

What a master you are the best !!!

Very interresting. Thanks a lot for sharing this great expérience

Hi, in my case the oil level sensor warning comes on sporadically (every other week) and goes off when I stop the car and put in park for a couple of seconds. I have changed the oil 5w 40, oil filter, oil level sensor, oil pressure sensor and spark plugs, everything OEM. It does shows up on the screen when the hood is open. The car runs perfectly fine, I’m just worried that might be something else that could cause a catastrophic failure... any ideas? It is an 2014 A3 8v 1.8t . Great video btw. Thx in advance.

Lovely bit of old school diagnosis. Well thought through. Particularly like the WD40 & toothbrush to clean the bonnet switch! An often overlooked area that's prone to exposure to the elements coming through the grille. Great video, but please tell me you didn't confirm the final oil level whilst the car was still on your ramps? I'm sure you got it on level ground first, but not shown in the video!

Superstar! My problem exactly, thanks so much 👍👍👍

Perfect as always

Who would think there is correlation between bonnet switch and oil level switch ? you must be a wise guy :)

Thanks I have the same problem with my Q5

Oil is low cause it's all over the undertray .lol good mechanic

Actually these switches can be opened and cleaned from the inside.

Hi, Louis thank you so much for the video, I'm a bit confused about the link between the bonnet switch and that oil sensor, is there a link or something that cause the problem of the oil?, thank you in advance.

By the way you did a great job and the video was super easy to follow, very informative

Hi LM Auto Repair I have Audi A5 and oil level always is on maximum even on cold start would this be possible the oil level sensor