Polo GTI High Oil Usage - Discussion Thread

[RoknRob]

Agreed, JonW.

Yes, oil checks are most accurate when the engine is hot, then left to sit for a few minutes to let the oil dribble into the sump.

I check mine at the petrol station after filling. Nice flat surface there, free paper towels to wipe the dipstick.

[Xeon5]

Ok, well next time i use it i will let it get to operating temp and check after leaving to set, see if there is a difference.

If i leave the car to let me know when the oil is low and do the odd check in between would that cause any damage or is it best to top up sooner

[brad]

I believe in topping up sooner. They are called "idiot lights" for a reason.

VW says check the level when hot but I think that as long as

(a) You check it (that makes you better than 90% of owners)

(b) You are consistent in how you check it (I( always do mine cold, in my garage)

then you pretty well have it covered.

[Xeon5]

I believe in topping up sooner. They are called "idiot lights" for a reason.

VW says check the level when hot but I think that as long as

(a) You check it (that makes you better than 90% of owners)

(b) You are consistent in how you check it (I( always do mine cold, in my garage)

then you pretty well have it covered.

I agree, i always checked the oil at least once a month with my old cars but never have I had to check so often.

If I did let it go down to the idiot light would it cause any damage? It is just so I can see what the true mileage is between top ups as I am only going based on cold checks as mentioned previously.

I think this has been mentioned before many times but has anyone ever change the viscosity of the oil from 5w30 to 0w40 as I have heard that the later batches are now VW 502/ VW 505 compliant and is a lot thicker?

[Diesel_vert]

If I did let it go down to the idiot light would it cause any damage? It is just so I can see what the true mileage is between top ups as I am only going based on cold checks as mentioned previously.

The dipstick does not measure the total engine oil volume.

The difference between the MIN and MAX marking is about 1.0 l (or 500 ml, depending on which source you believe). However, there is a risk of damage if any engine is consistently run with the oil level below the MIN marking.

I think this has been mentioned before many times but has anyone ever change the viscosity of the oil from 5w30 to 0w40 as I have heard that the later batches are now VW 502/ VW 505 compliant and is a lot thicker?

Products that conform to VW oil standard 502.00/505.00 are available in several viscosity grades; 10W-40, 5W-40, 0W-40, 5W-30 and 0W-30.

Historically, the most common viscosity grade for such products was, and still is, 5W-40.

Replacing an engine lubricant with that of a heavier viscosity grade may help reduce oil consumption, but if the reduction is not meaningful or useful, it may be better to address the root cause - although that is highly dependent on the vehicle's TCO (total cost of ownership). Influencing factors include warranty, length of ownership, cost of consumables, and so forth.

Essentially, you are looking to apply the least costly solution - either top up oil for the life of the car, have the engine repaired, or replace the vehicle.

Note that vehicles in Europe and the UK that are on the "LongLife" service regime (variable service intervals) should be reverted to the "Time and Distance" service regime (fixed service intervals of 10 000 mi. or 12 months) if VW 502.00/505.00 oil is used.

[Xeon5]

I probably wont let it get to the warning so once it has got to about a 1/4 i will top up.

What i want to do really is get the root cause of it fixed and avoid the "this may fix it" fixes.

Most people who have had it done belive the oil jets and updated ecu software is the best and reducing the consumption to an acceptable level.

[JonW]

VW and Audi both tell you that letting it run down to the light isnt a problem and that you can also complete your journey (within reason) before looking for more oil. On old cars the light came on at the same time the big ends rattled out their last, but thats not so on our cars. One tech actually stated to me that 'there is plenty of oil in there when the light comes on' when I queried this with him. While I dont think you should drive round not caring, I wouldnt worry about letting the level drop to the light, its not catastrophic. And if it worries you just carry a bottle of oil in the boot, back in the early 00's Audi cars (and maybe even VWs?) came with a special bag that velcro'd in the boot to hold a liter of oil.

You can also hear when the oil is getting low, the car sounds more clattery on startup... yeah I went through a lot of oil before my engine was fixed and know that sound well... LOL.

For those that worry about this, it is possible to have a car that uses very little or no oil with the fixes, squirters and pistons and rings (on early cars), mine is testament to that as its using pretty much nothing now when it was using a liter at 600kms at its worst.

That said, I hated the experience of having mine done, the back n forths between VWA and the dealer were a huge waste of my time and it took a month to complete, and during that time they dented my car (most likely with a leg of a lift in the workshop). They fixed the dents using a paintless guy and apologised for the delay, citing VWA approvals and parts supply, but its left a sour taste and I wont be going back there again.

All in all it took too long overall to fix a well known problem, but it is now fixed...

[brad]

I agree, i always checked the oil at least once a month with my old cars but never have I had to check so often.

If I did let it go down to the idiot light would it cause any damage? It is just so I can see what the true mileage is between top ups as I am only going based on cold checks as mentioned previously.

In the short term I doubt you'd do any damage but I feel if you repeatedly drove until the light came on & didn't top-up within a reasonable distance then it wouldn't be good.

I would be inclined to drive until the light came on at least once & then check the dipstick so that you know what the trigger point is.

I think this has been mentioned before many times but has anyone ever change the viscosity of the oil from 5w30 to 0w40 as I have heard that the later batches are now VW 502/ VW 505 compliant and is a lot thicker?

Diesel Verts answer pretty well covers it. Xw-40 in 502.00 has been available for ages.
I've run 502.00 spec oil in my 1.8tsi several times as a complete fill. The world didn't stop turning but the 507.00 is a superior specification. It leaves less piston deposits, less likely to sludge, has less wear and a lot better fuel economy.

I think you are better off looking at the tech spec of various 5w-30 504.00 oils and finding the one that has the highest flash point and the best retained viscosity at high temperatures.

[brad]

VW and Audi both tell you that letting it run down to the light isnt a problem and that you can also complete your journey (within reason) before looking for more oil. On old cars the light came on at the same time the big ends rattled out their last, but thats not so on our cars. .

The lights in old cars was the oil pressure, not oil level. You are right, if the oil pressure light cam on in a Falcadore then the engine was damaged.

The light we are talking about is the low oil level light. It's certainly not a new thing - 1950s Rovers had an oil level gauge - but VW have made it a common feature for he benefit of those that don't believe in lifting the bonnet.

[RoknRob]

Consider yourself lucky to have gotten the new pistons and rings - I don't think that is part of the experience anymore.

Like you, I'm glad the ordeal is over - even if it still uses a little oil - but it was all the to-ing and fro-ing that was a real pain. Plus that oil is expensive. I would buy a 5 litre bottle to top up the 1 litre bottle I kept in the passenger side drink bottle holder...

Sadly, it remains my most cost-effective vehicle, given it is worth very little, now, so I will keep it - as much as I would love to upgrade...

[RoknRob]

BTW, I will second the notion that Shell Helix Ultra Extra lasts longer than the others I've tried - VW Long Life (was Castrol at the time), Fuchs Titan something or other, and Castrol Edge something or other (whatever the 504-507 approved one is)....

[JonW]

On cars up to the MY13s (ish) the fix was new pistons, has that changed then? The thought was that the new version was much better. When I had mine done it was said that if I had the later pistons then they would pull the rings and clean them and the groves and refit them. Mine were the early units so got changed and new squirters fitted.

Im defo glad the ordeal is over, it really was an ORDEAL (yeah, in CAPS sadly). The dealer maintained that they had done quite a few cars (golfs and polos) with this work and yet still kept telling me it would be done 'in a few days', or 'by the end of the week' over and over again. Then they seemed perplexed why I would get annoyed when I turned up to collect my car when it was still in pieces. They also rarely returned my calls or kept me in the loop. My feeling was that they were overrun with the day to day stuff, but you dont keep customers by not communicating with them about big warranty jobs. Customer un-service.

However, the car now runs well and is great to drive, a sorted one can be a delight for sure and Ive not seen the dealer for almost a year, thats makes a huge change!

...but really no one should have this much trouble with a new car and the dealer has been terrible. Ive had quite big issues with brand new Mercs (unexpected) and Lotus (who knew LOL!) over the years, but both times the customer facing side of the dealer did it right.

All this hassle means that I wont be buying another VW, and that's a shame as Ive had 7 over the years ...but what it also means is that whoever gets my car when I sell it will have a great car that has all the fixes and will just drive and enjoy it, in fact just like the guy who bought my Lotus did, the dealer used to tell me over and over how much he loved the car and was having no problems when I would drop in for services on my next car.

I also remember that they used to tell you in the uk mags to always buy a used TVR, and never a new one. Citing that the original owner would have borne the pain of having all the warranty work done, and that seems to be the case with the 6R GTI as well. It sort of made sense with a hand built car, less so with something mass produced...

[Dan199]

I was talking to VW today about oil consumption on the new gti and they said they do use oil quicker than other engines. But they also said they will top up the oil for free anytime, not sure if this is a dealer or VW thing.
Also mentioned the light comes on after 1 litre of oil has been used and not to worry too much as there is 4 litres still in the sump.

[brad]

I was talking to VW today about oil consumption on the new gti and they said they do use oil quicker than other engines. But they also said they will top up the oil for free anytime, not sure if this is a dealer or VW thing.
Also mentioned the light comes on after 1 litre of oil has been used and not to worry too much as there is 4 litres still in the sump.

Plenty of dealers won't do oil top-ups and once you are out of warranty they won't want to know you.

Also, most people have to go out of their way to get to a dealer and then you have to wait around while they find an apprentice, etc. Dou you really want to waste that time every few weeks?

AFAIK they are a 4litre refill including oil filter. There would be ~400ml in the filter which leaves 3.6L in the sump, less 1 litre when the light comes on = 2.6 L.

Whoever you were talking to was gilding the lilly.

[JonW]

The dealer I was using was topping my oil up for free, and it was using it like it was going out of fashion of course. One day I had to deal with a guy who didnt know me, yeah kind of rare in their service bay, and he told me I needed to pay something like $26 for a litre 'as these cars do use a bit of oil...'. I basically uttered a huge WTF?! and someone else came over who quietly told him that I was 'ok not to pay'. So while it seems that for the first year or so they will help you out, that offer probably wears off and you need to start paying at some point unless your car uses enough to need its own supertanker and they are aware you have an issue and youve been oil testing etc.