vw jetta oil consumption

justin · November 2001

on new 2002 Jetta 1.8 Turbo's I hope.....

From what I have read, this is a problem on the 2.9 liter engines, right? I THINK the 1.8T's are made in Germany. Does that make a difference?

yupoldbull · November 2001

Sorry Mr. Shiftright, I have seen your comments concerning the oil burning problem, and I think you are dead wrong.

My son's new 2000 Jetta burns a quart every 1500 to 2000 miles. I complained at 10,000 miles and the dealership and VW tech. rep. said it should go away at 15,000 miles. (Bump and Stall) It is my understanding you can't file under the lemon-law after 15,000 miles. The VW tech. was about half my age and gave me a free lesson on how to read an oil dipstick. Little did he know, I was rebuilding engines in the 50's and 60's. I asked him if he knew what 327, 283, 318, 454, 289 were. He didn't, but I think he was thinking, "Lottery Numbers." Darn Kids, I should have told him....how they going to learn anyway.

I filed under the lemon law in June of 2000 and just received an out of court settlement from VWOA. My lawyers fee's were paid 100%, (win or lose), by VWOA and totaled nearly $2m. I received close to twice that amount. It took nearly a year and a half, but they didn't want to go in front of the arbitration hearing in the Court of Common Pleas and talk about what is normal oil burning. Why was that? My experience is that they will try to bump and stall you until you give up. And yes, I also have had most of all the other problems people complain about...window off of track, broken glove box door, engine light, temp. gauge, floor mats, rear defroster grid, etc. Mr. Shiftright it is easy to sit in a chair and read all about this...it is much harder to live through it, like us car owners have done. You try going out in 4 degree weather, every 3 weeks, to add a quart of oil to your son's new $20,000 car. Makes you reconsider what is normal. Darn kids.

My best advise is to quickly contact a lemon-law law firm and get an opinion from a lawyer. Win or lose, you will have no lawyer fee's. It worked for me.

If the Jetta engines leaked, (rather than burned), a quart every 1500 miles, would it be considered normal? Not hardly. So don't give me your reasons that burning oil is normal. Is VW going to give us all a new $600 Catalytic Converter that is being ruined by this oil blowing through the exhaust system? Where do you think this oil goes anyway? Will it get worse with higher mileage? Will my car flunk inspection? I paid good money for this car....why should I have to study automotive engineering and hire lawyers?

Mr. Shiftright, I had a Volvo 240dl with 309,000 miles on it. It lost (dripped) a quart of oil every 5,000 near the end. I considered that normal. What is my Jetta going to do with that kind of mileage? A new car that burns a quart every 1,500 miles isn't normal. You go spend $20,000 on a new car and see how you feel...and then be poorly treated by the dealership and mfg. Do you see any common threads here Mr. Shiftright? Do you need more than 100 people to tell you their story about oil problems, dearlerships, and VWOA? Why did my lawyer have a yellow VW on the homepage of his lemon-law website? Wanna see. Why is my other son's 1999 Honda Prelude not burning a drop of oil and holding together without a problem? Give me answers to these questions, and you will regain some of my lost respect. All I know is that talk is cheap.....I sued them and won and I'm still mad. Where are you in 4 degree weather?

Mr. Shiftright, I think you are going uphill in the wrong gear.....you are raising everyone's rpm's......oil pressure is OK, but your blowing smoke out the rear.....it's time to shift. Yup.
YupOldBull

overhang · November 2001

I had an 89 GTI 16V since it was new. The thing went through a quart and a half between oil changes since it was new. The first time I checked the oil at 4000 miles, I was shocked, there was none on the dipstick. So I re-checked it and sure enough no oil on the dipstick. I took it back to the dealer. The dealer, since out of business, told me that this was normal. Back then, being fresh out of high school, I believed them. So I religously checked the oil ever so often and bought cases of motor oil when they had the mail in rebates. After 198,000 miles, it finally died. The demise was not caused by then engine though. I just got sick of replacing all of those little parts that get worn after this kind of mileage. It was starting to get costly. I think the engine would have went another 30 to 40k. Maybe that slick 50 does work. Who knows. The little quirks in these cars are part of the VW ownership experience. Anyone interested in the list of things replaced or fallen off?

Mr_Shiftright · November 2001

Burning a quart of oil every 1,500 is normal if a) that level of consumption remains constant and b) if it is within the manufacturer's specs.

I don't think your legal ruling was correct, and the manufacturer should not have had to make good on an engine burning a quart every 1,500 miles. If I had personally rebuilt that engine, and it was running well and the oil consumption stayed at 1,500, I would not feel morally obligated to give you an engine either. Oil burning is not a defect per se, simple as that. I would have fought you in court as well.

You must not confuse court decisions with justice or auto science. Courts are about playing the game of outmaneuvering your opponent. Good points for your attorney, however. He knows exactly what his job is.

I never said that oil burning is fun and nice and that I wish it for everyone. The question came up because people worry that their car is going to blow up if it burns oil. Well, that is simply not true. Exotic cars burn oil, Ferraris burn oil, race car certainly burn oil (they have to). Oil burning can be very NORMAL, as long as you understand that constancy and reasonable levels of consumption are part of what NORMAL means.

I'll wager your legal settlement was based on more than oil burning.

gsleve · November 2001

I have a friend have been servicing his 98 kia since new used amsoil synthetic his oil consumption has been 1/2qt every 13,000 miles or since we drain at end of yr and he is lazy and hardly ever checks his oil the dipstick registers oil between the add and maxium mark

Now this makes me wander why is it that kia (now hyundai)not a top tier car can make a engineer a motor with this level of oil consumption and vw can't and they have been around for years

Mr_Shiftright · November 2001

Well, it could be that his Kia engine will fail prematurely, low oil burning or not. Point is, oil burning is not a defect and no or low oil burning is not an asset. People simply put too much importance on either extreme and it really doesn't matter. You can give me the flexibility and power of a VW V6 over anything Kia makes, even if I have to add oil. Would you say the best mountain bike is the one that requires no adjustments? T Hey, buy a Huffy! The best boat the one that never needs paint? How about an inflatable then?

And tell your friend to stick his nose in that engine more often or he'll regret it. Have you ever seen how fast an engine can pump out 5 quarts of oil when there's a serious leak?

Would it be better if some VW engines burned a quart every 3,000 instead of 1,500? Sure, "better" for the owner, but not necessarily better for the engine one way or the other.

twouvakind · November 2001

It goes somewhere. Oil heaven? It contributes to the pollution of OUR environment. Responsible vehicle owners shouldn't want to pollute, no matter who the vehicle manufacturer.

gsleve · November 2001

the kia is basically a throwaway car not advocating its purchase, yet as a whole society has been led to believe over the years with the advent of new technology that oil burning or consumption tends to be taboo ie:not good and yet we have accepted this to be the norm or indicative of a good solid motor held very tight with years of good service in the future.

Now all of a sudden in this day and age and new engineering are we now to believe that oil consumption at a rate 1qt every 1500 mil is right from the factory is normal, now if half a dozen car manufacturers had this approximate rate of oil consumption in their cars i'd consider in this case (VW) it would be the norm.

I believe that (could be all wrong) that most car manufacturers in their final production do not expect their cars to consume a 1qt of oil every 1500 mil right from the the assembly line.

It's kind of hard to rationalize that this is an acceptable norm for any new car for that matter let alone VW, just seems a bit excessive for a new cars comming off the assembly line

Oh yeh I warn my friend all the time yet to quote an addage my mother use to say to us kids over the years "A hard head makes a soft behind"
He may have to experience the repurcussions for such negligence

joe3891 · November 2001

except for VW,just a lousy engine.

Mr_Shiftright · November 2001

In fact I think if we took the time to dig it out, I would bet you lunch that at least 6 auto manufacturers would list an oil consumption rate of 1,500 per quart as "normal". I'd bet it's in the owner's manuals of many new cars driving around today, as we speak.

The reason it is called "normal" is that the manufacturer has to allow for variances in consumption.

It's the same logic that gives you a "range" for anything. Are all 53K modems operating at that speed? Nope, some at 53, most at 48, some even at 42. Yet, all of these speeds are normal for the equipment. Do all new Honda Civics get the published fuel mileage? Nope. "Your results may vary".

Let's say you do everything WRONG with your VW.

dirty oil
wrong weight
drive on a cold engine
short trips
very high revs

Now, you are going to burn more oil than the average. You are going to be on the very low end of "normal".

And if you add to this that you have an engine that was built on the sloppy side of the tolerances to begin with, then it's even worse.

A manufacturer has to draw a line and say "this is acceptable, and this isn't".

The issue, then, is whether the manufacturer's "line" is reasonable or not.

I say 1,500 is a reasonable line and legally defensible, and others say no.

If you drew the line below 1,000, I'd also say NO.

That's essentially my argument on the matter at present.

justin · November 2001

I don't need to be checking my oil every week in my 2002 1.8T, right? These are other VW engine issues??

Mr_Shiftright · November 2001

You should check your engine oil at every fill up or at least every other fill up, regardless of the car you drive, Justin. And your other fluids, too. Also look at the hoses for leaks, tug on the drive belts....poke around in there and try to head trouble off before it wrecks something.

F'instance....I popped my hood the other day and noticed a broken battery hold down clamp. Possibly during hard braking it could have cut loose completely...stuff like that.

justin · November 2001

I tend to think that if I pop the hood, I will see something wrong. It is my luck - if I look for it - I find it. Hate the thought of checking my oil, though I guess I will since I have 2000 miles now and never have. Wish me luck! Do it when the engine is cold right, so all of the oil is in the oil storage area of the engine, right?

Mr_Shiftright · November 2001

It doesn't have to be cold, but it should be turned off for about 15 minutes at most. But even 5 minutes would be fine, really....close enough!

dndkk · December 2001

No mention on the TDI. Anyone with experience on this engine. Just got it a few weeks ago from a dealer (21000Kms) and I note the oil is quite black after 3500 kms of driving! Normal??
The good thing is the oil appears to be just below the full mark>

Mr_Shiftright · December 2001

Diesel oil turns black almost immediately. It is characteristic of all diesel engines, due to the enormous compression pressures and the nature of the fuel used.

The oil in my diesel is usually pitch black about 3-5 minutes after an oil change.

This is a classic example of why you cannot judge your oil's condition by the color.

vw jetta oil consumption

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