How to check for sludge ?

[thejimrose]

nice writeup tony. it's my suspicion as well that that newer cars, given
higher hp, stricter mileage and emissions requirements, etc are much harder
running motors. couple that with fewer / further required maintenance by the
oem's and it seems sludge is one of the many outcomes.

my little 1.8t was 1 of the most notoriously sludgerrifical motors ever, and
she was whistle clean at 170k. PO's had the good sense to change the oil on
a reasonable interval w/ good oil and pay some attention to warm up / cool
down. i always did the same, highly scientific  "use? oil. change? sure"
approach to the a4.

funny.. when i bought the car there was a little label that the PO had made
[very official looking, black typeface on clear sticker] that said "TURBO
COOLDOWN - 20 SECONDS" stuck in the corner of the rear view mirror. THAT,
more than anything, sold the car.