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My 2003 Jetta is consuming oil
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Comments
that's bad, because the lower engine is splash lubricated in all engines I know about. that means crank, rods, pins.
if you didn't have noise, you probably didn't have damage... but it's a good thing you're only going through another cycle of this.
I would suspect that since they have to disassemble the lower engine to get the pistons out and change rings that they will gauge the crank bearings anyway, and it's hard to avoid seeing the wrist pins when they come out. if additional damage is caused by their sealed testing, they should be on the hook for it.
disclaimer: but they don't ask me for my advice.
It seems to me they should have to provide a loaner car once they have seen that there is most likely a problem that will require warranty repair.
swschrad/other knowledgeable parties: if you had to do one or the other (gun to your head or whatever) would you overfill the oil half a quart, or let the oil level fall a half quart below the ADD line on the dipstick?
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Every manual I've ever seen says you should check your oil every time you fill up with gas.
What year and model is your VW?
I don't know where folks get the idea that they don't have to check levels and pressures any more. if anything, you have to rigorously check them more often yourself, because the old-time full-service attendants who filled your tank, washed the windows, checked the oil, tested the tires, and accidentally let the lapdog out have been gone for 20 years and longer.
it's all on your shoulders, now. "no scheduled maintenance for 100,000 miles" has an asterisk next to it in the ads. when you read the fine print, it says, "HAH! caught you!"
I've said it before and will say it again until somebody finally laughs... if you get your auto maintenance advice from The Onion ("Oil is a valuable resource. Don't add any more until you are out.") you belong in the mansion with the nutty publisher emeritus Zweibel.
I know you are supposed to be checking your oil very regularly (and I do) but if the car is pretty new and you have been doing the oil changes at the recommended intervals, you might be able to make a case that the car shouldn't have been that low in normal useage...myself, I'd be pretty ticked if my car used even one quart of oil between changes before it turned over 50K miles.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
They are thoroughly insulted when something breaks, thinking a vehicle should be perfect.
If vehicles were perfect, over a million ASE-certified technicians would be out of work.
If you are upset about burning a quart of oil in say 3,000 to 5,000 miles, you are upset about nothing, quite frankly. It's a self-created worry with no actual bad consequences.
Even consumption greater than this only indicates that you raise your level of attention. When it drops to the quart every 1,500 or 1,000 miles, then you go to "orange alert". Even then, if the car has lotsa miles, you may not have a real worry.
Bottom Line: "oil burning may or may not be a symptom of a a disease".
I just can't fathom somebody spending tens of thousands of dollars for a box of bolts and not read the (fine) manual that says how the features work, and how to keep any part of it working longer than a few months.
it's just foreign to every fiber of my being that it's not read.
now I need therapy...
Note I said SOME.
You may be upset, but for people to tell you that cars don't burn oil is ridiculous - you've gotten some bad information and are reacting to it quite badly.
Get the single espresso instead of the triple, buy some oil, check it like you should, and enjoy your car.
A quart of oil every 2,000 miles is okay, and pretty normal for high speed driving, not saying it's great for a new car but not a sign of disaster coming either.
That's their standards, both mechanically and legally - I deal with VW's standards and warranties every day.
You're irritated, as I would be, but there is no legal recourse.
Is it agreed that the groove in the dipstick is a quart not a half quart?
How can it be legally acceptable to burn a quart in 1000 miles?
The question is one of degree therefore. I don't think there is an automaker in the world who will give you a new engine based on consumption of a quart of oil every 2,000 miles.
Now a quart every 1,000, I think we all agree is NOT acceptable in a new car.
VW says its OK, and the courts stand behind them on it.
Like it or not, if you build an engine and warranty it, you get to set the standards - period.
I didn't say it was right, just telling you how it is.
Also an interesting wrinkle---now that California is requiring rolling dyno smog tests (smog test at higher rpm under load), it is conceivable therefore that a brand new VW burning a quart of oil every 1,000 miles would be unsmoggable in California. I'd like to see VW get THAT past the courts in the near future.
Is this the same process you have gone through? What can I expect next?
It sounds like the same service department here in Westoborough, Massachusetts; Colonial VW. The saga will continue.
Have they put new rings in yet?
They will call you and tell you they have to do more tests or they will tell you that they will replace the rings, which won't work.
What rings are you talking about? I wanted to be prepared for whatever the service dept comes back at me with.
What rings are you talking about? I wanted to be prepared for whatever the service dept comes back at me with.
Some of the items were:
brake shoes --$50
brake socks -- $25
gas $20
electric $15
water $12
hem piston skirts $400
turn signal fluid - $15
turn signal fluid flush procedure - $60
blow static out of radio -- $85
mechanic waste disposal fee -- $25
baldface lies -- $12
shim bill -- $10
grease brake pedal -- $17.50
(check red boxes until boat payment is met)
They have everything from a budget lowering kit (nails) to the "air-filter bypass kit". They even offer the hard to find " cross-drilled brake lines" 8-)
I stopped using petroleum-based oil about 18 years ago and love it. I've only read one post recommending synthetic oil (Havoline). I use Castrol Syntec or Red Line and just change the oil every 5000 mi. Yes, it's more expensive, but 25 bucks for a six-pack of Syntec, or any other synthetic, every few months is a heck of a lot cheaper than a new engine (regardless of who is paying for it).
My truck (98 RAM) and my girl's 95 Jetta (2 liter gas engine) get the same oil at the same interval and we both have over 120,000 miles on our vehicles.
Synthetics will also offer some additional protection when running low, BUT THE OIL LEVEL MUST BE CHECKED OFTEN. If it needs some add it. Just do it - and take comfort in knowing that the "blood" of your engine is healthy.
P.S. No, I don't work for Castrol. I've also used Mobil 1, Royal Purple, Red Line, and Amsoil. My local wholesale club stocks Syntec, so that's what I use now.