Oil Consumption

[Billecartz]

Up to 1L every 15,000klms is normal oil consumption.

Some cars may use a little more within the first 15,000klms, but most will consume a lot less after the first oil/filter change.

Being an ex VW mechanic, I agree with this. All my cars when new I have taken the attitude of "drive them like you stole them", this beds in all the critical engine components and I find the car performs better throughout its life.

I would recommend a good quality synthetic oil, most reputable brands are ok as it is not as if you have bought a race car and needs and special treatment due to excessive RPM or heat. Changing oil regularily is good but really not that necessary as engine and oil technology are very good. I have used Mobil One for over 15 years, but that is just personal preference based on my experience.

I did over 160,000kms in 3 years in my MKIV R32 and it did not use a drop of oil, it also felt no different to drive even after all those kms.

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Every 5000k for VW turbo engines is NOT ideal. 15,000k or 12 months is fine on 502 oils, and could be considered to be too frequent if you use Longlife oil such as Enviro+ 5W30.

To the OP - do not be talked into 5000k oil changes. That's only required for ancient, dirty diesel truck/4WD engines.

Do me a favor... check your oil every 5,000km and see how much of the amber synthetic color is left after each interval.

You'll find your oil is very dark after only 5,000km of combined daily use with some full throttle 'fun' driving, regardless of the brand of oil.

So, by all means change every 15k if you drive it like you wear a cardigan, or are so tight you can't afford the $100 in parts to do the oil change. I (and the rest of the informed turbo community) will continue to change our oils in the 5k to 7.5k zone and enjoy reliable turbo motoring.

[seangti]

I change mine after 7500kms, which is usually 3-4 track days inclusive. Jimmy has done the changes and has made a point of saying that its still clean as. In saying that though, I very rarely do typical commuter style driving which may help that.

The polo, or my sooby didn't use a drop from the track time they've done. But some oil consumption I wouldn't be worried about when running in an engine. 1l per 15,000km I wouldn't be concerned. 1l/1000km I would be...

[Brian916]

As a long term motorcyle rider, I've found that the bike industry does one thing better than the car side. All new bikes specify synthetic oil for regular use, however most will have a mineral oil for run in periods that are changed at 1200km as a 'first service'. Reason? Simple - synthetic oils are so good at stopping wear that they can take 10 - 15k to run in an engine.

There are many theories about running in, from baby it to pretend you stole it. For best engine performance and best (read less) oil usage, you need to get the best possible ring/bore seal. This can only be done by pressure. So, a few runs in 3rd gear to red line AFTER the engine has been fully warmed up will achieve this, then you must drive for long enough to let the temps stabilise before shutting down. On a bike, this is when I change the oil the first time. All my bikes have had a few more HP at the wheel than those of people who do it 'by the book' - I always fit a power commander to the bikes and have them 'before' and 'after' run so I can see the difference, and the tuner lets me see what other 'before' bikes have done so I've got a some validity to the statements.

The other thing is that engines are DESIGNED to use oil. I don't know jack about the VW engines, however most high performance engines these days will use oil as a major part of the cooling system, not just lubrication. To this end, there are jets (holes) in the rods/crank that allow high pressure oil to spray the underside of pistons and/or the bore. This film of oil on the bore is mostly removed by the oil scraper ring, however a film is left to assist with the compression ring sealing/lubrication - this is source of 90% of the sooty deposits in an engine. It's designed to burn off in the combustion proccess.

Now, one of the reasons oil consumption is more noticeable in modern engines is the closed loop polution gear. In the 'bad old days', open to the atmosphere meant you got condensation in the oil, as well as the fuel from the carby getting into the bore and leaking past the rings. In cases of people doing very short runs and not getting the oil up to enough temp to burn this stuff off, you could see and INCREASE in the oil level over time.

Closed loop systems and EFI don't allow as much condensation and NO fuel (well almost none) to get into the oil, so the designed in consumption is more obvious.

Now, this is a VERY simplistic version of a complicated proccess, and any good engineer could explain far far better than I can. The biggest problem is getting the oil consumption rate allowed from the manufacturer to see if you're above the reccomended consumption.

[Allegiance]

I don't mind changing the oil and filter, two questions though:

1) Where is the sump bolt actually located? I have this huge plastic cover (which I assume is to stop the underside of the engine from getting damaged) but it's a real pain in the ass to get on or off, especially when I don't have a proper jack or ramps.

2) Does anyone know the correct torque settings for the sump bolt?

Thanks for all the advice so far!

[Transporter]

1) at the bottom of the sump, you need 19mm (or 18mm) ring spanner or socket.
2) 25-30 Nm (don't over tighten it)

A set of safety stands is not expensive and worthwhile investment.

[brad]

Most turbo 4cyl motors will use ~1L of oil every 1000km. To only fill up 700mL after 10k is very little usage (although my question for you would be why on earth are you leaving servicing that late?! Every 5,000km for turbo cars is ideal.... but even 7,500km can be stretched if you drive it quite sedately. I certainly wouldn't be leaving them the 15,000km that VW recommend)

Owners manual says every 15,000km/12 months - but i guess you have done a lot more research than VW has.

I was dubious about 15,000km changes & had my oil tested. Contaminants were almost zero; Additive pack was still going strong; viscosity had varied <1%; TBN was up near 10.

[Mountainman]

Up to 1L every 15,000klms is normal oil consumption.

Some cars may use a little more within the first 15,000klms, but most will consume a lot less after the first oil/filter change.

Yeah, that's what has happened with mine. 4L in the first 15,000km and really nothing since then. I wonder why?

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Owners manual says every 15,000km/12 months - but i guess you have done a lot more research than VW has.

I'd love to see how your engine responds on a dyno in 3-5 years with changes that infrequent. I think you'll find the turbo's bearing well and truly stuffed with oil like that over that extended period.

As much as VW do their research... they do it to balance reliability for the warranty period against the cost of servicing for their customers. They certainly don't set those intervals based on what's best for the motor.

[Umai Naa!!]

Of course not, but they have oils to suit.

It's when people start putting any old oil in them that gives them problems. Not just with engine internals like bearings and rings, but with ancilaries like EGR valves and intake flaps getting jammed up with excess carbon, and blocked Catalytic convertors and DPFs.

[Transporter]

I 100% agree. Just to make it more clearer, Umai Naa!! meant "old specification oils", that means any other specs than the latest.
It is logical that when you follow the car manufacturer's recommendations about servicing your brand new car, you should also follow their's suggestion when you should replace your car (buy a new one) ?

[jaedencook]

"Owners manual says every 15,000km/12 months"

I and everyone else I've spoken to thinks this is completely stupid especially on a turbo car, this forum only further confirms that for me.. but whats the best way to confront VW and get an oil change at say the 5-8k mark?

Also I'm waiting for my dealership to get back from christmas break as my Polo seems to have gone through most its oil since its 1500k checkup (sitting on 3000k now), its only just above the bottom of the studded line (best way to describe it) which i take it is the 1 qtr mark.
I seem to have lost power and it will on occasion stall, not sitting in a gear and not even using the clutch.. once it did it while i was out opening my garage door.

[Transporter]

You shouldn't have any problems when asking VW dealer to change oil at 7,500 km intervals.

As for the oil consumption, they should do the oil consumption test on your engine. The oil consumption can still settle after 15,000km

Sent from my HTC Desire using Tapatalk

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I and everyone else I've spoken to thinks this is completely stupid especially on a turbo car, this forum only further confirms that for me.. but whats the best way to confront VW and get an oil change at say the 5-8k mark?

Take the car to a registered mechanic that can do log book servicing at a fraction of the cost, without voiding your warranty.

Jmac at Alba European would be the guy I recommend, but any registered mechanic can do log book servicing (ie. they won't void the warranty by doing a service).

[Hail22]

Take the car to a registered mechanic that can do log book servicing at a fraction of the cost, without voiding your warranty.

Jmac at Alba European would be the guy I recommend, but any registered mechanic can do log book servicing (ie. they won't void the warranty by doing a service).

Yeah i got a Mechanic who we have known for over 15 years, he works on every single Ferrari you could imagine and also normal everyday cars.

CMN Next to hunter holden.