Oil light came on :(

[jessv3]

On my way home from work the picture of the oil canister and "check oil" came up on the MFD. My car is an 06 GTI and it was last serviced about 7500kms/ 8 months ago. It's actually booked in for a service with vw next week. I have heard that the 2.0tfsi drinks oil but this is the first time I have had the light come on in between services so I am a little nervous.

Anyway I went straight to a caltex service station and the only fully synthetic oil they had was 5-40w halvoline (a caltex brand) so I put about half a liter in. I know that my engine recommends 5-30w but do you think just topping up with 5-40w is an issue?

Also another concern I have is when I was putting the oil in, it started to bucket down with rain and I think 1 or 2 drops of rain may have got in the dipstick hole, could this cause any damage to the engine?

[Preen59]

Not a huge problem, mate. You addressed the issue as soon as the light came on, so I can't foresee any issues.

Water will evaporate. You will actually find condensation on the oil filler cap if your car sits around for a while and you start it, then let it warm up. Nothing to worry about. If you have a litre of water in the sump, that calls for attention.

Basically, you'll be fine.

[Rob Burns]

As long as you used the fully synthetic oil then you're okay. You'll probably be okay anyway if you only used 1/2 a litre and are about to get a service done anyway.

A few drops of rain will not do the engine any harm either. It will just evaporate.

[Maverick]

On my way home from work the picture of the oil canister and "check oil" came up on the MFD. My car is an 06 GTI and it was last serviced about 7500kms/ 8 months ago. It's actually booked in for a service with vw next week. I have heard that the 2.0tfsi drinks oil but this is the first time I have had the light come on in between services so I am a little nervous.

When was the last time you checked the oil? It takes a fair bit of oil loss before the light comes on.

[99_FGT]

Going by the OP, at the last service. I was guilty of this a few weeks back too (about 10k / 6 months since last service), and took over half a litre to get it back up. This was after some spirited driving though, but will be checking it a bit more regularly in future. Heads up guys.
Al..

[jessv3]

Thanks Preen & Rob, I will sleep easier tonight.

When was the last time you checked the oil? It takes a fair bit of oil loss before the light comes on.

Going by the OP, at the last service. I was guilty of this a few weeks back too (about 10k / 6 months since last service), and took over half a litre to get it back up. This was after some spirited driving though, but will be checking it a bit more regularly in future. Heads up guys.
Al..

Yep, Al is correct. I haven't checked the oil in 8 months I now know to check it more often and keep some oem 5-30w oil on hand.

I am still a little surprised that the vw service guide is every 12 months 15,000kms yet the engine cant quite make it to 12 months without needing a top up.

[brad]

depends on the individual engine. Mine doesn't use any oil between services

[Big Al]

I've found that mine chews through the oil and generally have to top up at least once if not twice between services.

[jessv3]

I've found that mine chews through the oil and generally have to top up at least once if not twice between services.

Big Al, what are the details of your car?

Mines an 06 GTI with 120k .. twice in between services seems pretty steep..

[TomC]

I've found that mine chews through the oil and generally have to top up at least once if not twice between services.

Ditto.

Big Al, what are the details of your car?

Mines an 06 GTI with 120k .. twice in between services seems pretty steep..

There are a few threads in the lubricants section about oil use. It is a bit steep but the manual does state up to 1L/1000km is possible with this engine. You can get your dealer/mechanic to log oil use to try and diagnose a problem if you are concerned enough. I've also been recommended the Liqui Moly engine cleaning products and I reckon I'll try their stop smoke product next oil change I have.

[Big Al]

Big Al, what are the details of your car?

Mines an 06 GTI with 120k .. twice in between services seems pretty steep..

I have a MY08 GTI with 47K on the clock. I've had the oil consumption test done and in those tests its shown that I use around 0.5L per 1000kms. Given that the car takes 4.7L of oil, it chews it up in about 9000kms. Service intervals are at 15000kms so I ALWAYS end up topping up at least once. If I've done quite a bit of spirited driving then I sometimes have to fill it up twice.

Dealer has said its fairly normal given their tolerance is 1L/1000kms

[iampivot]

As long as you used the fully synthetic oil then you're okay. You'll probably be okay anyway if you only used 1/2 a litre and are about to get a service done anyway.

Just out of curiosity, what happens if you drive with the wrong oil for a while; half synthetic, or magnetic oil etc?

[Maverick]

Just out of curiosity, what happens if you drive with the wrong oil for a while; half synthetic, or magnetic oil etc?

[jessv3]

I bought some 5-30w Castrol Sports Edge, just for emergencies. Will keep a 1ltr in the boot and a 4ltr in the garage.

[Fixxxer]

I just topped up mine (again) after its 30K service. So far I've tipped in 2L of oil for the 5500-6000km it's done. I'm not too worried, since VW says 1L/1000km is OK, although that'd be horribly expensive to keep topped up! I've noticed the engine starts and sounds rattly when it's near the MIN mark on the dipstick.

Fixxxer