# Horrible Oil Consumption.



## vwlovers4u (Oct 22, 2009)

So....round and round we go with the dealerships and VW of America. They say that burning a quart every 1000 miles is "normal". I know this is NOT "normal". After a lot of time put into online research i have found that there are MANY other people with VW's that have this SAME problem. 
The problem seems to be getting worse. Now a follower has "disappeared" inside my motor. They are hopeing that once they pull the motor and oil pan that it will be found in the oil pan. They want to replace the followers A.K.A. lifters and the Cam-Shaft. They have no answers to how or why these parts have failed or how my lifter got "lost". 
They are completely ignoring the underlying oil consumption problem. Telling me that its normal. 
I wonder how many VW Votrex Guests have the same problem i have and how you guys have gone about fixing this.
Im open to suggestions and opinions.
I've contacted VW of America and opened a claim. I'm about to contact an attorney under Lemon Law of California. 
My car has been in the shop 14 times for oil problems. Totalling in over 30 days in the shop. The dealership mixed syntheic and conventional oil in my car. The dealership has treated me horribly. Im suprised with all of this because i thought Volkswagen was much better than American made cars. Im very disappointed.


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## Milk_Dud_79_Rabbit (Oct 22, 2009)

I'm not too experienced with VWs but I've worked on a few Toyotas. With Toyotas I've seen customers complain of horrible oil consumption. What happens on them is after quite a few miles the piston rings get junked up causing oil to leak past and burn off. It's possible VWs could have the same issue. Putting seafoam down into the spark plug holes and letting it soak 24 hours, adding more as it soaks past the rings, usually clears the issue up on Toyotas.


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## animaniac (May 26, 2005)

*Re: (Milk_Dud_79_Rabbit)*

I'm going with vw on this one it is normal!
Vw have spent millions designing engines, and there are many factors which contribute to oil consumption, tvrs drink oil, so do porsches, many cars are designed to allow oil passed the rings to protect against ring and bore wear as one engineer said!
Every engine is built with differences, it's theses differences which affect how much bhp the engine puts out and how much oil it uses!
Theres a bbc topgear vid on youtube from 1992 which tests 2 16v mk2 gti's one is brand new with 5k on the clock and the other is 6 years old and has 60k on the clock, side by side on a 2 mile straight guess with one has a 6 car lead???
And brian ricketts from BRmotorsport talks about oil burning when new but they don't burn oil with 80k on them!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...ex=21
My 211000 mile 8v would use half a litre in 180 mile







when driven hard


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## stratclub (Feb 3, 2007)

*Re: Horrible Oil Consumption. (vwlovers4u)*

Wow! How does a follower "disappear"? Are they talking cam follower? Something sure doesn't add up.
A quart every 1000 miles does seem excessive, unless it's leaking out somewhere. I have owned 5 dubs and have never had that kind of consumption unless it was leaking somewhere....................


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## DeepBlackB6 (Oct 23, 2007)

*Re: Horrible Oil Consumption. (stratclub)*

My dubs 2.0T, VR, 16v(small leaks) or 8v have never had 1 quart go missing after 1,000miles maybe 1 qt every 2-3,000miles depending on driving.


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## rickjaguar (Apr 23, 2009)

*Re: Horrible Oil Consumption. (DeepBlackB6)*

If you're using that dealership oil- then yes 1L/1000mi is very normal.
However, there are some oils that do much better than that Castrol Syntec.


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## dr.chop (Apr 8, 2009)

I can atest to the fact that all 4 of my wife's 2.0l 4cyl MKIV Jettas (2 Wagons, and 2 Sedans) all eat oil like Pacman to pellets. I was also told the same line of BS from all the dealers about 1 quart per 1,000 miles. That is garbage. I don't care which way you flip the coin, that is BS!!
My damn lawnmower, quad, kid's dirtbike, or any other internal combustion engine driven item I have ever had has burned that kind of oil. Now you are telling me that all the hundreds or thousands of hours that VW Engineers put into R&D will lead to that end result? Very much BS. Yamaha, Honda, Briggs & Stratton, and the likes can get theirs correct, why can't VW?
I think there was something that changed in the MKIII to the MKIV 2.0l and that was the coverup excuse. I am waiting for hers to POP and they will replace it for sure. Also, all 4 of them have averaged about 23-25mpg highway, and 19-22 city. That is terrible too, but they always say that is expected. My 1.8t gets about 24-27mpg highway, and 22-26mpg city and I drive it much harder. I know the gearing in the 2.0l both auto and manual is terrible as she raps around 4k rpm at 75mph. Yeah she can slow it down, but the RPM doesn't change much, and it would need to be around 2500rpm to make a dent in the economy. My old Jetta GT 1997 model got about 33mpg from day one and didn't burn 1 drop of oil. My 2 VR6's got between 27-33mpg and used zero oil too. All have had dealer oil in the beginning and moved on to Mobil 1 there after.
I feel for everyone who complains on the 2.0l MKIV engines. I really do.


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## VW Maverick (Jan 3, 2002)

*Re: (dr.chop)*

VW TSB 92-01 1/31/92
"Subject:
Oil Consumption
Model(s):
All Models
Supersedes Technical Bulletin 90-02 dated Oct. 31, 1990
The amount of oil an engine may use varies with the way the vehicle is driven. This is especially noticeable during the first 7,500 miles, (12,000 Km) while a new engine is being broken-in and internal components are seating. For this reason the oil level must be checked regularly.
Changing engine oil prior to the 7,500 mile (12,000 Km) maintenance could prolong the engine break-in period. For this reason, if the engine oil is changed before 7,500 miles, (12,000 Km) a non-detergent oil should be reinstalled to allow the engine to complete the break-in period.
Some factors affecting oil consumption are: ambient temperature, engine size, quality and viscosity of the oil and driving habits.
Engine oil serves many purposes in the internal combustion engine:
^ A dependable lubricant for all sliding and bearing surfaces
^ Dissipate heat
^ Ensure cleanliness
Even efficiently running engines will use some oil or they would quickly wear out. All friction surfaces are cushioned by a thin film of oil.
For example, to lubricate the upper piston ring (compression ring), a thin film of oil is deposited on the cylinder walls.
This thin film of oil is burned away during combustion. Although very little oil is consumed per stroke, over a long distance these small amounts may add up to whole quarts of oil. A vehicle driven for short trips with low engine temperatures or in cold weather may not appear to have consumed oil. Unburned fuel and condensation or other contaminants will mix with oil and appear to increase the engine oil level. When the vehicle travels at highway speeds the unburned fuel, condensation and contaminants evaporate through the crankcase vent system and are introduced into the combustion process.
To operate efficiently an engine consumes oil, although in very small quantities. During the break-in period, oil consumption may be high, approximately one quart of oil per 500 miles, or in Canada one liter of oil per 800 Km. After the initial break-in period, oil consumption should be 0.50 to 0.85 quarts maximum, per 1,000 miles. In Canada oil consumption should be 0.30 to 0.50 liters per 1,000 Km. maximum. This will vary depending on individual driving habits.
The best time to check oil level is with a warm engine on a level surface.
When checking oil level of a warm engine, it is recommended to allow the engine to sit for 5 to 10 minutes with the ignition off. This will permit the oil to drain back into the sump for an accurate reading.
Always use the correct API and SAE rated engine oils recommended in the Volkswagen Owner's Manual.
Always change the engine oil at the intervals specified in the Volkswagen Maintenance Schedule."


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## dr.chop (Apr 8, 2009)

while that tech bulletin is all well and good, it is still BS!!! No engine should use that much oil for day to day average driving. No towing, hill climbing, or RPMs in the 9k+ range, so no reason a VW 2.0l should be an oil pig. My wife's will literally burn the whole pan through in ane oil change cycle if you don't watch it. The stealership just keeps feeding that line of crap. Same with the fuel consumption. She gets worse mileage than any VR or turbo I have owned or own, and they have no reasoning. It is just a piss poor design for whatever they did to the base engine from MKIII to MKIV generations.


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## lizardgirl (Nov 5, 2009)

*Re: Horrible Oil Consumption. (vwlovers4u)*

I'm also having problems with oil consumption with my 08 passat 2.0t. It seems to have suddenly developed after 20k miles. 
I am curious what grade of gasoline people are using for both those that have an oil consumption issue and those that do not.


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## ajz9415 (Feb 7, 2005)

*Re: Horrible Oil Consumption. (lizardgirl)*

I was using 1 quart every 1000 miles on my o6 2.0t GTI, I actual changed to 5w40 Mobil Turbo Diesel and have gone down to about 1 quart in about 2200 miles also check you pcv as they are notorious for going bad. Do a search for desiel oils in 2.0t very interesting reading. The one thing to remember is I am out of warranty with 79k on my car so no bs warranty issues with vw


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## kylealmostvw (Nov 25, 2009)

that happened to be when i was running 5w-30 but i ended up switching to a 10w-30 and i havent lost any oil


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## vliou (Nov 22, 2009)

*Re: Horrible Oil Consumption. (kylealmostvw)*

It's based on the oil - some oils shear down quickly - I have posted a theory on here (just a theory), that if you have say, 5w40 Castrol Syntec, it shears to a low 30 quickly - maybe that's why it burns so much?
I recently swapped to German Castrol 0w30, it starts high 30 and stays high 30, so far, I've experienced no oil loss - but it's too early to say, but it makes sense. I'd also check your PCV valve....


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