Oil Usage MY08 1.9 TDi POLO

[Preen59]

I've done 35k in my Caddy. I change the oil and filter every 5 thou (have to do it again today actually). After the first 5 i only noticed minimal oil consumption, and since then i've noticed bugger all consumption. Seems strange that people are noticing such i high oil consumption rate?

The only thing i can come up with is that i use my engine "correctly" and some others do not? I made sure i ran in it properly (not nessecarily following that sticky thread, but my own way) and i haven't experienced any of these problems.

For interest, i will check my oil level before i do the service in a minute.

How common is this oil consumption issue?

[GoLfMan]

Volvo t5-r 240bhp at the front wheels

very nice indeed

yeh im going to drop the oil on my TDI this weekend all going well i hope, ive noticed that it also needs a top up.

[Oneofthegreats]

Just to point out one little thing about this subject.

It's only an issue if it exceed's the manufacturer's specification's.

Say if it's using 900ml per 1000km. It's nothing to worry about.

BMW spec's were also 1L per 1000km & more on the Motorsport cars. If it wasn't over it, build a bridge & get over it, as they put it ever so nicely.

Don't know about other dealer's , but where I work, we offer a free oil check & top up service, but that maybe only for customer's who've brought car's there.

I'll double check on that one.


I don't know of any fresh engine that doesn't use oil at the start.

I also don't believe in these so called "running-in" procedure's either, as I've stated before, as I've seen the damage it can cause first hand & what it cost's VW itself due to this.

Point one was a GT Sport with 2500km on it & pussy footed around since it was picked up.

Well that costed VW a fair bit of money, as this had block the oxy sensor, the exhaust temp sensor & the DPF had blocked up 25% requiring a very long drive in service mode to clear it out. (Depending on how blocked it is, can require very long drives. One I had to do not so long ago required a 90km round trip carrying the VAG on board for service mode!)

5K service's are way over kill on a daily driven car in my experience, but if your happy to pay for it. Then the choice is your's.

Even with all they punishment I put my car's through, I still only do it every 10K.

Track car, I can understand doing it more often.

[Preen59]

As usual, 5000kms since last time and my engine has used almost no oil whatsoever.

In referance to what you were saying Tim, I do mine every 5000 because oil and filters are cheap, and its much, MUCH better to do it too often rather than not often enough.

I know and understand why motorsport engines tend to consume oil and also why you should change the oil more frequently, but a road car engine consuming 1 litre of oil every 1000k's.. It seems rather excessive.

This means that between these stupid 15000km service intervals, you'll need to top your engine up with 15 litres of oil! That seems a little crazy to me...

[Oneofthegreats]

I know and understand why motorsport engines tend to consume oil and also why you should change the oil more frequently, but a road car engine consuming 1 litre of oil every 1000k's.. It seems rather excessive.

This means that between these stupid 15000km service intervals, you'll need to top your engine up with 15 litres of oil! That seems a little crazy to me...

I too reckon that 1L every 1000km is excessive, but...

There the spec's & that's what we have to go by.

Doesn't mean you have to like them or agree with them.

It's like compression & clearancing spec's. They can be upto stupid number's on even new engines!

You need to have some sort of tolerance's/guidlines to go off though.

Imagine what the car's would cost if they had a spec of 100-200ml every 1000km!

Would you pay 70K for a caddy & 100K for a GTI?

The car manufacturer's just couldn't afford to do it.

Remember that every car isn't the same. Especially the engine.

These thing's aren't like F1 car's were everything bit of combined material is measured to the enth degree, such as block & head material

Different batch's of aluminum, steel, plastic, composites component's etc.

Like I said, I reckon 5K interval's are excessive, but if your happy to pay for piece of mind, I'm not going to stand in your way.

[bluey]

[..]I also don't believe in these so called "running-in" procedure's either, as I've stated before, as I've seen the damage it can cause first hand & what it cost's VW itself due to this.[...]

Whose "running in" procedure is a problem?

Manufacturer?
The manufacturer one said not to run at top speed, which I interpret as stay off the Autobahn and 160km/h.

The one in the forum?? http://vwwatercooled.org.au/newforum...hlight=running

[Buller_Scott]

i thrashed mine until first service at 18,000kms. i picked it up at 4,000km's old.

lots of hard driving, long trips down highways but also following the run-in guide as per this forum, and my oil warning light didnt come on until i was literally on my way to the dealer's to get its first service done.

wierd?

[gregozedobe]

Am I the only person in the world who regularly checks the engine oil level on his vehicles ? I would never let the oil get so low the oil warning light comes on, and yet it seems to happen to lots of people on these forums (and not always because their engine is consuming an excessive amount of oil, either).

[Oneofthegreats]

Whose "running in" procedure is a problem?

Manufacturer?
The manufacturer one said not to run at top speed, which I interpret as stay off the Autobahn and 160km/h.

The one in the forum?? http://vwwatercooled.org.au/newforum...hlight=running

I don't believe in any running-in procedure full stop!

The two thing's I do when I've built a brand new engine is to run the cam in for approx 20 min's @ 2000-2500rpm, as this is an absolute must with a new cam!

This process harden's the cam lobe surface. If it isn't done, then the cam will end up junk in no time at all.

Depending on the engine, I also run the engine on straight 30W oil. Common known as lawn mower oil.

I only use this oil for a short time, being maybe 200km, as this oil doesn't change in viscosity with temp. change & aid's in bedding in the ring's during the initial run.

My other thing, is just to drive it as "my" normal, which is just lean on it.

You only get one chance to bed the ring's in properly!

Also take into consideration that all the new car's/engine's have been run at the factory on their dyno's, testing engine, transmission & braking performance.

Do you really think they take it easy?

[Pumpe-Düse]

Am I the only person in the world who regularly checks the engine oil level on his vehicles ? I would never let the oil get so low the oil warning light comes on, and yet it seems to happen to lots of people on these forums (and not always because their engine is consuming an excessive amount of oil, either).

Thing is - look at your cars, 2008 and 2006 models. New cars should not be using oil. If it has a 15,000km service interval like new VW's do; you should be able to do those 15,000km without checking anything at all or worrying about it. If not, its a manufacturer fault that they have to fix. If my new car was using so much oil that I was refilling it twice before the first service, I wouldn't be sitting here talking about it, I'd be yelling at <insert manufacturer here> about it and making them fix it and give me a free car to drive whilst they are fixing it.

[gldgti]

Thing is - look at your cars, 2008 and 2006 models. New cars should not be using oil. If it has a 15,000km service interval like new VW's do; you should be able to do those 15,000km without checking anything at all or worrying about it. If not, its a manufacturer fault that they have to fix. If my new car was using so much oil that I was refilling it twice before the first service, I wouldn't be sitting here talking about it, I'd be yelling at <insert manufacturer here> about it and making them fix it and give me a free car to drive whilst they are fixing it.

i see your point, but surely its less stressful just to check the oil?


greg, im with you. i check the oil level im my cars every day.

my mk3 still only uses about .5l oil every 6-7000kms.

my mk1 petrol doesnt use any oil at all..

i still check.

i always will.

[gerhard]

Besides, checking the oil on the GTI is a pleasure, not a chore.

You get to look at that beautiful engine bay every time you do it, and hear the nice solid "thunk of quality" when you drop the bonnet.

[Oneofthegreats]

Thing is - look at your cars, 2008 and 2006 models. New cars should not be using oil. If it has a 15,000km service interval like new VW's do; you should be able to do those 15,000km without checking anything at all or worrying about it. If not, its a manufacturer fault that they have to fix. If my new car was using so much oil that I was refilling it twice before the first service, I wouldn't be sitting here talking about it, I'd be yelling at <insert manufacturer here> about it and making them fix it and give me a free car to drive whilst they are fixing it.

Like it's been said before.

If it's using oil within spec, then you don't have a leg to stand on.

If your stubborn & don't want to check your oil, then you also don't have a leg to stand on, as it's stated in the owner's manual to regularly check your oil, tyre pressure, light's etc.

If you think 15K service's are long, go down to a local BMW dealer & tell them what you think of 25K service interval's!

Also one other thing

If an engine shouldn't & won't use oil, then that must mean my tyres, brake pad's & disc's, gearbox should also not wear then?

To any of you who have actually seen inside an engine or properly rebuilt an engine will know what I'm talking about.

A crankshaft & big end's run on a film of oil no more than 2.5thou! But not on initial cranking sometimes! Metal on metal.

Piston's & piston ring's (who have direct contact) run up & down the bores at speed's you couldn't even imagine! Metal on metal.

Valves slam shut at speed & pressure's you wouldn't think possible for such small item's! Metal on metal.

Camshaft's run directly on to? have a guess. Metal to Metal.

Am I getting my message across.

If all of this metal to metal contact doesn't have some wear property's to it at some time or another, I'll eat my car with a blunt knife & fork!!!

An engine is a wearing item, just like your tyres & brake pad's! Full stop.

This is the last I'm talking on this subject.

Had enough of it.

[mr_walker]

I'll eat my car with a blunt knife & fork!!!

That *definitely* sounds like metal on metal.

Just lightening the mood...

[gregozedobe]

Thing is - look at your cars, 2008 and 2006 models. New cars should not be using oil.

And in fact neither of mine use any oil . But then gain, neither does my 1990 Laser TX3 with 185,000Km on the clock. But I still check the oil levels regularly anyway. The Landcruiser 4.2 diesel I had used a small amount of oil if I did a lot of highway driving, particularly when towing a 2000Kg trailer.

BTW, IIRC VW state that oil usage of 1l per 1,000Km is "within spec". I think that is excessive by at least a factor of 4, but I don't get to make the rules on what is acceptable (but I do get to decide exactly how to run in the engine of any new vehicle I buy ).