My car gulps oil. :(

[amdhunter]

About the vehicle:
- Year - 2007
- Make - Jetta GLi
- Model - Volkswagen
- Engine - 2.0T Turbo
- Mileage - ~3670 miles (10 months ownership.)

I checked my oil last night because I was showing off the engine to a friend and noticed that my car is extremely low on oil. I've read that the 2.0T engines suck a lot of oil, but man, this is ridiculous. My last oil change was less than 1500 miles ago.

(My manual says that 1 Quart per 1000 miles is normal.)

Question:

Do I have to change the oil filter (only 1500 miles on it) or can I just top the thing off? Where is this oil going anyway? Does it just evaporate? Turn to ash? Get stuck in the filter?

I don't even really push the car too hard...lol

 

[HannibalX]

The engine wasn't running when you checked was it?

 

[nakedfrog]

Just top it off.

 

[Mermaidman]

1 Qt/1000 miles is normal?! Are there certain types of motors that burn oil at that rate?

 

[aleckz]

Luckily you checked it!

 

[amdhunter]

Originally posted by: Pale Rider
The engine wasn't running when you checked was it?

No. When I take the measurement stick out when the cars running, the engine starts to thump left and right, and you hear a loud sucking sound...lol

The car was *just* turned off though, after a 40 mile run. About 2 minutes had passed before I checked it.

 

[amdhunter]

Originally posted by: Mermaidman
1 Qt/1000 miles is normal?! Are there certain types of motors that burn oil at that rate?

Over at the vwvortex forums, they have a theory that Volkwagon couldn't figure out the oil burning problem and just decided to put a note in the manual to cover their asses.

Where does the oil go is my question...does oil just evaporate?

 

[amdhunter]

Originally posted by: nakedfrog
Just top it off.

Yeah, thats what I plan to do. It's kind of hard to find the oil they recommend though. 5w40 + some kind of VW approval seal. ugh.

 

[nakedfrog]

Originally posted by: amdhunter

Originally posted by: Mermaidman
1 Qt/1000 miles is normal?! Are there certain types of motors that burn oil at that rate?

Over at the vwvortex forums, they have a theory that Volkwagon couldn't figure out the oil burning problem and just decided to put a note in the manual to cover their asses.

Where does the oil go is my question...does oil just evaporate?

It's probably being burned.

 

[fbrdphreak]

Well, we warned you about VW's...

What is "really low" oil? If the oil indicator was towards the bottom of the dip stick, I think that usually means add 1QT - but it may vary.

 

[BornStar]

My wife's 2006 2.0T has the same problem. We were right at the time for an oil change and when I checked the stick the oil level wasn't showing. I had to add a quart to get it to be at the minimum line. Luckily this car is gone in about 10 months.

 

[Zenmervolt]

The 1qt/1,000 miles piece is industry standard. Most places won't bother with a car unless it's burning oil faster than that. Turbo engines can suck more oil than other engines though, especially if the turbo seals are marginal.

Take the car to the dealer and complain about high oil consumption. If they tell you it's nothing, take the car back and continue to monitor oil consumption. If it stays bad, keep taking it back for warranty work to establish a pattern. That way if something bad happens after the warranty expires you have documented proof that the problem existed before and did not just appear after the warranty was over.

ZV

 

[amdhunter]

Originally posted by: fbrdphreak
Well, we warned you about VW's...

What is "really low" oil? If the oil indicator was towards the bottom of the dip stick, I think that usually means add 1QT - but it may vary.

Oil stick was actually below the breadcrumbs, and just above the "N" in "MIN"
In other words, nearly totally empty.

Thank goodness I checked it in time.

 

[amdhunter]

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt
The 1qt/1,000 miles piece is industry standard. Most places won't bother with a car unless it's burning oil faster than that. Turbo engines can suck more oil than other engines though, especially if the turbo seals are marginal.

Take the car to the dealer and complain about high oil consumption. If they tell you it's nothing, take the car back and continue to monitor oil consumption. If it stays bad, keep taking it back for warranty work to establish a pattern. That way if something bad happens after the warranty expires you have documented proof that the problem existed before and did not just appear after the warranty was over.

ZV

Thats a good idea. I've complained about it during the first oil change. They claimed it would get better as it hits 10000+ miles. The problem is, I probably won't hit 10000 for another year and a half or so.

I am going to make a habit to check it once a month from now on. I've actually made an reminder appointment on my work calendar and cellphone. lol

 

[overst33r]

Originally posted by: amdhunter

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt
The 1qt/1,000 miles piece is industry standard. Most places won't bother with a car unless it's burning oil faster than that. Turbo engines can suck more oil than other engines though, especially if the turbo seals are marginal.

Take the car to the dealer and complain about high oil consumption. If they tell you it's nothing, take the car back and continue to monitor oil consumption. If it stays bad, keep taking it back for warranty work to establish a pattern. That way if something bad happens after the warranty expires you have documented proof that the problem existed before and did not just appear after the warranty was over.

ZV

Thats a good idea. I've complained about it during the first oil change. They claimed it would get better as it hits 10000+ miles. The problem is, I probably won't hit 10000 for another year and a half or so.

I am going to make a habit to check it once a month from now on. I've actually made an reminder appointment on my work calendar and cellphone. lol

You should make a habit of checking it every time you put in fuel. Keep a few quarts of oil in your trunk just in case.

 

[LTC8K6]

Does the car have a low oil level warning light?

If so, that should keep you from damaging the engine via forgetfulness.

 

[amdhunter]

Originally posted by: LTC8K6
Does the car have a low oil level warning light?

If so, that should keep you from damaging the engine via forgetfulness.

I'm sure it does. But honestly, how low does it have to get before that oil light triggers. It looks nearly bone dry to me. Especially for a turbo'd car, I'd expect warning well ahead of time.

It's hilarious that the first scheduled oil change for this car is at 5000 miles.

 

[LTC8K6]

At the rate you are going, your oil will never need to be changed. Just change the filter. Your oil will always be fresh if you replace a quart every 1K.

Hopefully, the consumption will get better.

The oil level light should be set to come on at a level where no damage will occur. The dipstick only shows the last quart and half or so, usually. So even if there is no oil on the dipstick, you probably aren't anywhere near empty.

Note that I was not referring to an oil pressure light!

 

[amdhunter]

Originally posted by: LTC8K6
At the rate you are going, your oil will never need to be changed. Just change the filter. Your oil will always be fresh if you replace a quart every 1K.

Hopefully, the consumption will get better.

The oil level light should be set to come on at a level where no damage will occur. The dipstick only shows the last quart and half or so, usually. So even if there is no oil on the dipstick, you probably aren't anywhere near empty.

Note that I was not referring to an oil pressure light!

Yeah, I have separate oil indicator + soil pressure warnings. It's been super hot days in NY lately, so I'd rather be safe than sorry.

When should I top off the oil level, after driving for a while (few minutes/few hours?), or when the car is cold (and on a level surface?)

 

[BornStar]

Two things. Don't believe them that the consumption will get better; my wife's car is at over 26,000 miles. The oil light came on for me (as in, shut down your engine now!) as I was taking an 270 degree off ramp in a spirited fashion. As I stated above, the level was two quarts below the max line on the dipstick. I'd guess the car could be 2.5 to 3 quarts low before the car would warn you under normal driving.

 

[overst33r]

Originally posted by: amdhunter

Originally posted by: LTC8K6
At the rate you are going, your oil will never need to be changed. Just change the filter. Your oil will always be fresh if you replace a quart every 1K.

Hopefully, the consumption will get better.

The oil level light should be set to come on at a level where no damage will occur. The dipstick only shows the last quart and half or so, usually. So even if there is no oil on the dipstick, you probably aren't anywhere near empty.

Note that I was not referring to an oil pressure light!

Yeah, I have separate oil indicator + soil pressure warnings. It's been super hot days in NY lately, so I'd rather be safe than sorry.

When should I top off the oil level, after driving for a while (few minutes/few hours?), or when the car is cold (and on a level surface?)

You can top it off whenever you want, just give the oil about 5 or so minutes to drip down into the crankcase to get a better level reading.

 

[funboy6942]

LOL I just took my 88 astro with a 92 LT1 corvette v8 motor in it, with 180K miles, for a 1K round trip and it lost, or burned, NO oil. They consider burning oil, and 1 qt ever 1k mile normal, WHY??????

 

[LTC8K6]

As another poster said, get into the habit of checking your oil when you fill up with gas. That should be fine.

Keep two quarts of oil in the trunk.

When it gets to the mark for adding a quart, you add a quart from the trunk, then replace the quart you used from the trunk.

This way, you always have 2 quarts in the trunk, and you get in the habit of checking and filling the oil.

Also, should you somehow forget and get really low, you have 2 quarts in the trunk you can add to get you moving.

 

[Bignate603]

Wow, I'll never buy a VW until I here that they've fixed this.

 

[thomsbrain]

Originally posted by: amdhunter

Originally posted by: fbrdphreak
Well, we warned you about VW's...

What is "really low" oil? If the oil indicator was towards the bottom of the dip stick, I think that usually means add 1QT - but it may vary.

Oil stick was actually below the breadcrumbs, and just above the "N" in "MIN"
In other words, nearly totally empty.

Thank goodness I checked it in time.

On most dipsticks, the "max" and "min" lines are only separated by 1 quart. So if it reads "min," you are only down a quart and probably still have anywhere from 3 to 5 quarts remaining, depending on how many quarts your engine takes. You can test this really quick by adding a quart and seeing how far up your reading goes.

But obviously you'll need to stay on top of this to avoid engine damage. And don't just let it go indefinitely without a real oil change. You may be slowly replacing the oil, but the filter still needs to get changed, and of course you can never get ALL the old oil out unless you really change it properly. It's a brand-new car, so don't treat it like a beater.