No idea. My old Honda had 200k on the OEM cat and the engine used about a quart every 5k. No issues.
Drive back, dealer denied, told me that I should start engine for a while and then stop engine and check immediately. After 1,200 miles go back, I was told another story on how to check engine oil. I should stop engine and wait for 5 minutes to check, the engine does not burn oil again.
This is exactly why I started doing my own oil changes, no lube guy actually knows how check oil and always overfills it. You have to give the oil time to drain back to the pan. Waiting 5 minutes is even in the Forester's manual. Overfilling will eventually blow out seals, etc.
I've had 3 Subarus, but have experience with 6 different dealers, and only one was worth a crap. When my HGs needed replaced I drove my car 250 miles to take it to that dealer instead of the bozos here. If there is another dealer around, I would try to take the car there.
The oil light should never turn on with the rate of consumption you state. That needs to be checked out.
According to the owner's manual for the 2.5i model, the low oil level warning light will come on when there are only 3.8 quarts of oil in the system. That's 1.3 quarts low from the 5.2 quart capacity.
If he's doing 6,000 mile oil change intervals and losing 1.5 quarts over those 6,000 miles, then the oil light absolutely should be coming on with the level of consumption he has stated.
That said, a half pint (0.25 quarts) of oil usage every 1,000 miles is not significant. It's definitely not enough to warrant repair.
ZV
Anyone who thinks you should need to check your oil every time you put gas in the car is mentally deranged. Also, anyone who thinks it normal for a car sold as a daily driver (under factory warranty) to burn a QT of oil within the 7000 mile manufacturer specified drain interval, is also got mental issues.
Anyone who thinks this infinitesimal level of oil consumption warrants repair has absolutely no mechanical knowledge whatsoever and is wholly unqualified to state what level of oil consumption is or is not normal.
The level of oil consumption you note is completely normal. The owner's manual for your vehicle states quite clearly that oil consumption below 1 quart per 1,200 miles is considered normal (see page 11-11 in the section titled "Maintenance and Service"). This should be more than sufficient to inform a reasonable person that the oil level will need to be checked between oil changes and that it's quite likely that some amount of oil will need to be added.
ZV
I disagree.
That just means you have insufficient mechanical understanding.
There's no possible way for a level of oil consumption that small to cause a problem unless a moronic owner fails to check the level and lets it dip too low.
Machines, all machines, require monitoring and maintenance. Anyone who thinks they can simply ignore the machine until the maintenance interval is a damn fool.
ZV
I wouldn't be happy with an engine that needed any oil added between the first and second oil change. I can over look something burning a little bit of out brand new, but after break it, it really shouldn't.
I guess it pays to read the manual as we have a 2015 Fozzy.According to the owner's manual for the 2.5i model, the low oil level warning light will come on when there are only 3.8 quarts of oil in the system. That's 1.3 quarts low from the 5.1 quart capacity.
If he's doing 6,000 mile oil change intervals and losing 1.5 quarts over those 6,000 miles, then the oil light absolutely should be coming on with the level of consumption he has stated.
That said, a half pint (0.25 quarts) of oil usage every 1,000 miles is not significant. It's definitely not enough to warrant repair.
ZV
Anyone who thinks this infinitesimal level of oil consumption warrants repair has absolutely no mechanical knowledge whatsoever and is wholly unqualified to state what level of oil consumption is or is not normal.
The level of oil consumption you note is completely normal. The owner's manual for your vehicle states quite clearly that oil consumption below 1 quart per 1,200 miles is considered normal (see page 11-11 in the section titled "Maintenance and Service"). This should be more than sufficient to inform a reasonable person that the oil level will need to be checked between oil changes and that it's quite likely that some amount of oil will need to be added.
ZV
That just means you have insufficient mechanical understanding.
There's no possible way for a level of oil consumption that small to cause a problem unless a moronic owner fails to check the level and lets it dip too low.
Machines, all machines, require monitoring and maintenance. Anyone who thinks they can simply ignore the machine until the maintenance interval is a damn fool.
ZV
I really like Outbacks, the styling, the features, and the value, but Subaru has not been on top of their game with engines. EJ25 had head gasket problem that has never been completely fixed. If I recall correctly Subaru redesigned the gasket a bit to make it "better", but it couldn't fix it completely. A buddy of mine with 2011 EJ25 Forester had to have his head gasket replaced under warranty in 2013. IMO that's insane to need head gasket replaced after two years of ownership. And now the new FB25 engines consume too much oil. The problem is fairly wide spread and Subaru forums are full of suggestions on how to properly break in the engine to minimize oil consumption after it's been broken in.
But back on topic, no, new engines with minimal mileage should not be consuming any significant amount of oil at all after the initial break in. It might be acceptable for an older car that is close to its end of expected operating life, but not for a new car. Subaru suggested oil change interval is 7000 miles. What's the point in even having suggested change interval period if you have to top the oil twice in that period? That is insane. As SparkyJJO has said above, oil burning on a new car means the oil is getting into combustion chamber, it should not be doing that on a new car. On an older car, maybe, but not on a new one. The oil burning is only going to get worse as the car ages. If the new car is burning oil at 1Qt or more every 6000 miles I shudder to think how bad it's going to be when the car is at 50-75K and is out of warranty.
I'm nowhere near having to replace my car yet, as it's only 10 years old and still drives just fine. However, every so often I look at the current crop of cars, and at Outback in particular. As I said, I like the car a lot, but the persistent engine issues make me weary. I would hope the Subaru manages to fix them in 3-5 years when it's time for me to buy a new car, but I'm skeptical they will given the fact that they've never managed to fix EJ25.