# My TB is a bit oil thirsty. is this normal or an issue ?



## PLATA (Mar 15, 2013)

My TB has a tad over 6K miles, I check the oil level this morning, it is just at the minimum mark on the oil stick , when she had a tad around 4,500 miles the level was at the middle mark between the min and full indicator. Is this OK


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## Anthony_A (Feb 1, 2013)

PLATA said:


> My TB has a tad over 6K miles, I check the oil level this morning, it is just at the minimum mark on the oil stick , when she had a tad around 4,500 miles the level was at the middle mark between the min and full indicator. Is this OK


 How are your driving habits? Do you drive it like you stole it? =)


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## PLATA (Mar 15, 2013)

Anthony_A said:


> How are your driving habits? Do you drive it like you stole it? =)


 On occasion yes, but not as hard as my LS1 240Z,, The TB is my DD, I don't like what I just read ........ the 2.0 TSI does drink oil


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## qawsed (Sep 15, 2006)

The 2.0T engine tends to use up oil. I've never had any problems because of it, other than keeping a few quarts of oil around to top off between changes.


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## Chrisho (Dec 1, 2012)

engine brake much?


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## PLATA (Mar 15, 2013)

Chrisho said:


> engine brake much?


 On occasion , never over revving at down shifting , I do find myself at highway speed to ignore the 6th gear due to that she feels relaxed and no cabin noise :facepalm:


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## bren737 (Apr 2, 2013)

Dunno... My wife's previous Passat (B6 with 2.0T) burned oil like crazy. She put about 30K miles a year on it but most city driving and babied it (aka drove like a little old lady). My 2013 TB has almost 5K on it now, mostly highway, play with it a good bit but never abusive, and it's hardly burned a drop.


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## KNEWBUG (Sep 13, 2011)

*OIL????*

Just got back from 2055 mile trip from California to Roswell New Mexico and back. The oil was changed at 9437 miles on April 4, 2013. It is still at the same level on the dipstick as when it came from the dealer on April 4th. The speed ranged from 65 to 80MPH and the outside temp got up to 110 degrees in Arizona and New Mexico. No problem, 2012 Launch Edition. 

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup: 




KNEWBUG


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## PLATA (Mar 15, 2013)

KNEWBUG said:


> Just got back from 2055 mile trip from California to Roswell New Mexico and back. The oil was changed at 9437 miles on April 4, 2013. It is still at the same level on the dipstick as when it came from the dealer on April 4th. The speed ranged from 65 to 80MPH and the outside temp got up to 110 degrees in Arizona and New Mexico. No problem, 2012 Launch Edition.
> 
> :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:
> 
> ...


 So, is this thirst for oil an issue or not >>>>>>


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## IndyTTom (Oct 23, 2007)

PLATA said:


> My TB has a tad over 6K miles, I check the oil level this morning, it is just at the minimum mark on the oil stick , when she had a tad around 4,500 miles the level was at the middle mark between the min and full indicator. Is this OK


 Did you change the oil yet? Any reason you didn't top off the Oil at 4500 miles when you realized that the oil level was a bit low? I changed my oil at 3k miles and I check my oil level at least once a week. So far no noticeable loss or usage of oil. Did you check for any small leaks?


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## IndyTTom (Oct 23, 2007)

PLATA said:


> So, is this thirst for oil an issue or not >>>>>>


 I guess it all depends. Every car is different. Some do use a bit of oil and others don't. My advice is check your plugs and see if they are oily. Could be an issue with a faulty valve cover gasket. You wouldn't think so with such a new car but stranger things have happened. 

Do you smell any oil burning at all? Any noticeable exhaust smoke during hard excelleration?


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## PLATA (Mar 15, 2013)

IndyTTom said:


> Did you change the oil yet? Any reason you didn't top off the Oil at 4500 miles when you realized that the oil level was a bit low? I changed my oil at 3k miles and I check my oil level at least once a week. So far no noticeable loss or usage of oil. Did you check for any small leaks?


 No oil change yet , at 4500 mi the oil level was at the mid point on the deep stick marker, so reason to top off. I will do my first oil/filter in the next day or so and will make sure that the dealer/service dpt document the oil consumption, NOT HAPPY with this


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## PLATA (Mar 15, 2013)

IndyTTom said:


> I guess it all depends. Every car is different. Some do use a bit of oil and others don't. My advice is check your plugs and see if they are oily. Could be an issue with a faulty valve cover gasket. You wouldn't think so with such a new car but stranger things have happened.
> 
> Do you smell any oil burning at all? Any noticeable exhaust smoke during hard excelleration?


 No smells , no smoke, but do see a bit off carbon on the exhaust tip , witch I understand is normal on this mill


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## PLATA (Mar 15, 2013)

PLATA said:


> No smells , no smoke, but do see a bit off carbon on the exhaust tip , witch I understand is normal on this mill


 ^^^^ BTW no leaks


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## BugzLife (Nov 20, 2012)

PLATA said:


> My TB has a tad over 6K miles, I check the oil level this morning, it is just at the minimum mark on the oil stick , when she had a tad around 4,500 miles the level was at the middle mark between the min and full indicator. Is this OK


 My 2012 TB is drinking 1quart every 1000 miles. VW has been doin an "oil consumption test" and and has come to that conclusion. The shop manager has already started a case with VOA to see what they say. My dealership is awesome. They have been volunteering everything that I was ready to raise hell about. Like you, there is no leakage, no smells, or anything. They have pulled the intercooler hoses to see if it was goin' there...but nuthin'.


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## misterwes (Feb 2, 2012)

2.0TSi engine is NOT an oil drinker. any oil will start to break down after 5k of use... its rated at 10k but even then you will burn a little. Also depends WHEN you check it... Fresh off not driven, the oil will appear higher due to no cycle. After a drive, it will appear a bit lower due to cycle. Besides, halfway between the marks is actually where it's supposed to be. My .02... But no, my TB with K04 doesn't burn oil either. And I drive it like I stole the bitch. Good luck. 

-Wes


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## PLATA (Mar 15, 2013)

On my way to the local VW Dealer , Ourisman in Laurel MD. My car was purchased at Darcars in Silver Spring Md, but do not like the idea of Mopar Service dpt working on a VW. Oursiman is a stand alone VW dealer, so lets see .......................


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## ridgemanron (Sep 27, 2011)

PLATA said:


> On my way to the local VW Dealer , Ourisman in Laurel MD. My car was purchased at Darcars in Silver Spring Md, but do not like the idea of Mopar Service dpt working on a VW. Oursiman is a stand alone VW dealer, so lets see .......................


 I remember 'The Car Doctor' on WOR Radio (Ron Ananian), who actually is a mechanic with his 
own shop in N.J., state that whereas he thought a new car shouldn't burn a quart of oil every 
thousand miles, the car companies consider it to be 'normal'. Being unable to fight them on this, 
you are relegated to watching your oil levels and topping off when necessary, I guess. 

P.S. - I remember some years back when I was at a Ray Catena Porsche dealership in Edison, 
N.J. and came upon a fellow who was picking up his new 911. As the salesman was explaining 
things about the car he handed the new owner a set of what looked to be 6 small packets of 
oil. He then told him, 'when you see the gauge needle on this section of the dash go down 1/4, 
be sure to add a packet of oil to bring it up. Was surprised that an expensive car like a 911 had 
its new owner watching oil levels in this way but perhaps Porsche engines are such that it must 
be done during break-in.


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## Cadenza_7o (Jan 23, 2001)

Air-cooled 911 engines are designed to leak oil. It's written in the German Constitution. No buts or ifs about it. 

If your 2.0T is burning/losing 1Qt every 1000mi, that ain't normal. For the dinosaur NA 2.0L that came in the Mk4 and earlier, 2Qt every 5000mi is about right.


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## PLATA (Mar 15, 2013)

Back from the VW service dpt, :banghead: the service mgr check the oil level and it was on the safe mark , I told him that it was on the low mark yesterday morning . He also mention that there was no need to change the oil/filter before the 10K intervals and that the "old 2.0T engine before 2009'' did consume some oil and that new version was design with proper oil go the extended intervals with no issues. So I will monitor this and cross my fingers in hopes that this will not develop in to a problem . P.S. I also ask about my CAI and as long as no CEL , it is not a concern to get service/warranty


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## BugzLife (Nov 20, 2012)

The first issue that I had with this car was every time I pulled outta my driveway it would spit and sputter and do a violent shake. That was in the first 2k miles. come to find out, there was about 1-2 quarts of oil in the engine total. After they topped it off, they decided to do an oil change at 5K just to keep an eye on it. At 5K, it was down about 1.5qts. So we checked it about once a week and it was still goin somewhere. After goin back and forth to the dealership having it topped off, they decided to do the consumption test and discovered how much it was actually drinking and they have now reported it to VOA to see what happens next.


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## IndyTTom (Oct 23, 2007)

BugzLife said:


> The first issue that I had with this car was every time I pulled outta my driveway it would spit and sputter and do a violent shake. That was in the first 2k miles. come to find out, there was about 1-2 quarts of oil in the engine total. After they topped it off, they decided to do an oil change at 5K just to keep an eye on it. At 5K, it was down about 1.5qts. So we checked it about once a week and it was still goin somewhere. After goin back and forth to the dealership having it topped off, they decided to do the consumption test and discovered how much it was actually drinking and they have now reported it to VOA to see what happens next.


 WOW, you were driving the car with only 1 - 2 Quarts of Oil  That shaking you heard was your engine tearing itself apart or at least causing some major wear and tear. If it didn't burn oil before I am sure it is burning oil now. I definitely check my oil at least once a week and I don't believe a car should go without an oil change for 10k+ miles. I have changed my oil every 5k miles in all my other cars and will continue to do so in this one.


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## ridgemanron (Sep 27, 2011)

I like getting my car on a lift every three months just for the close up inspection value 
it allows. Also, would never allow the car to exceed 5,000 miles or six-months, whatever 
comes first, in order to change oil and filter. I realize oil has improved vastly with synthetics 
but I wouldn't be able to sleep at night thinking my filter was allowing damaging particles to 
pass into the engine if left in the car over 5,000 miles. 

P.S. - A friend of mine had his wheels rotated but the mechanic didn't use a torque wrench 
for tightening the bolts, instead using a power-gun. When he had a flat and couldn't get the 
bolts off I'm sure he wishes he heeded my advice to have anyone tightening his wheel bolts 
to use a torque wrench.


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## Chrisho (Dec 1, 2012)

ridgemanron said:


> I like getting my car on a lift every three months just for the close up inspection value
> it allows. Also, would never allow the car to exceed 5,000 miles or six-months, whatever
> comes first, in order to change oil and filter. I realize oil has improved vastly with synthetics
> but I wouldn't be able to sleep at night thinking my filter was allowing damaging particles to
> pass into the engine if left in the car over 5,000 miles.


 I look at it this way, 5k to 10k, won't matter much. Its another arbitrary number. Some cars on board computers can determine when oil needs replacing, regardless the manufacturer is not going to set limits that will endanger the car.


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## Cadenza_7o (Jan 23, 2001)

Chrisho said:


> I look at it this way, 5k to 10k, won't matter much. Its another arbitrary number. *Some cars on board computers can determine when oil needs replacing, regardless the manufacturer is not going to set limits that will endanger the car.*


 Mini/BMW sets the Mini Cooper S change interval at 15k miles but can vary depending on the driving. So far, it looks like the next interval for mine will be around 18,250mi. I dumped the oil at 10k and had a sample analyzed by Blackstone. Results were good; wear numbers were lower than average for this motor. BTW, the oil was Mobil 1 5w30. 

I don't know what is it with VW engines but they're known to burn oil. My 2001 1.8T has always burned oil since new... roughly 3/4 Qt every 5k and now about 2 Qt at 7.5k (217k miles on the engine). The Mini burns no more than 1/2 Qt at 10k miles. My guess is the turbo in the 1.8T is hard on oil. I wonder if the 2.5L burns oil as well.


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## zsqure (May 1, 2012)

My '12 TB went through 2 qts of oil during the last 10k to 20k span. Will check it more often.


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## BugzLife (Nov 20, 2012)

IndyTTom said:


> WOW, you were driving the car with only 1 - 2 Quarts of Oil  That shaking you heard was your engine tearing itself apart or at least causing some major wear and tear. If it didn't burn oil before I am sure it is burning oil now. I definitely check my oil at least once a week and I don't believe a car should go without an oil change for 10k+ miles. I have changed my oil every 5k miles in all my other cars and will continue to do so in this one.


 Yeah, I know what the shaking was...the first time that it did that I checked the oil at about 2700 and discovered that there wasnt any to check. Under no circumstance should a car burn 3qts of oil in 2700 miles. That was over 4 months ago and the dealership has shown that it is now burning 1qt every thousand miles. Tom, please dont get offended by this because I mean NO disrespect, but since this issue was raised in another area, all people wanna do is give their resume on how they maintain their cars. Your car may have been right behind mine on the assembly line...but my car is a totally different car than yours no matter how it is maintained. The fact of the matter is "S**t happens, somebody's gotta clean it up, and who ya' gonna call?" :vampire:


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## misterwes (Feb 2, 2012)

You all need to realize. You are charged with maintaining the engine. However, VW rated the oil to last 10k intervals. Do it while it's in warranty. They owe you an engine as long as you keep it up and the company WILL look into engineering problems. If your dealer won't, do like we did with the window motor and hit up VWoA. 

-Wes and his .02


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## PLATA (Mar 15, 2013)

*update on my TB oil thirst ............*

This morning, car dead cold, flat level ground >>>> I checked the oil level, twice and it was on the low side on the deep stick  . Added a half qtr oil and the level got to the correct/normal on the stick . No idea on how it was on the safe mark when it was checked at the dealer on Friday morning , so at 6K miles she drunk half a qtr . Debating if to take the advice on the service mgr and wait for the no charge oil/filter change at 10K or go ahead and pay for the an early oil change. I had a Mercedes with the Kompressor engine and did the oil service when it was indicated by its on board computer at intervals of over 12K miles but it never needed to be top off . So this is making the honey moon with my new TB a bit tart


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## Cadenza_7o (Jan 23, 2001)

Kompressor Mercs use superchargers. Normally, supercharged motors aren't as harsh on oil as turbo-charged motors as turbochargers share the motor oil and spin north of 100,000 RPM on daily basis. Not sure if your Merc has Direct Injection, which is what the VW 2.0T is. DI is known to beat up oil and can have carbon build-up behind the valves... this is true across all German brands. That's why the next crop of VW motors will have dual injection - direct and port. 

IMO, 1/2 Qt in 6k miles is normal for the 2.0T, assuming it was at the top mark when you bought it. Your Owner's Manual should tell you the amount between the top & bottom marks. Usually, it's 3/4 to 1 Qt. 

It's a VW, it's gonna drink some oil.


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## SaberOne (Apr 1, 2012)

My TDi oil was in the middle of the fill line right after the 300-mile trip home. It was all freeway at 75~80-mph but still.


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## IndyTTom (Oct 23, 2007)

SaberOne said:


> My TDi oil was in the middle of the fill line right after the 300-mile trip home. It was all freeway at 75~80-mph but still.


Diesel engines are Oil burners so you will see more of an oil consumption on a TDi than lets say a 
Tsi motor. I would top it off and keep an eye on it.


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## camptroll (Feb 22, 2013)

Same with mine. 6500 miles it was a quart low.


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## beataborg (Sep 4, 2013)

PLATA said:


> Back from the VW service dpt, :banghead: the service mgr check the oil level and it was on the safe mark , I told him that it was on the low mark yesterday morning . He also mention that there was no need to change the oil/filter before the 10K intervals and that the "old 2.0T engine before 2009'' did consume some oil and that new version was design with proper oil go the extended intervals with no issues. So I will monitor this and cross my fingers in hopes that this will not develop in to a problem . P.S. I also ask about my CAI and as long as no CEL , it is not a concern to get service/warranty


I added .5 Qts at 3k to keep it in the B area. Then I did an oil changed at 5k miles and added .5 at 8k at the B Area of the dipstick and it was at minimum (at the C area) at 10k. I have a leak between the trans and block. The valve cover has some seepage.The dealership performed the 10k and said that it's only engine residue. They're F kidding me right. :screwy:


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## IndyTTom (Oct 23, 2007)

beataborg said:


> I added .5 Qts at 3k to keep it in the B area. Then I did an oil changed at 5k miles and added .5 at 8k at the B Area of the dipstick and it was at minimum (at the C area) at 10k. I have a leak between the trans and block. The valve cover has some seepage.The dealership performed the 10k and said that it's only engine residue. They're F kidding me right. :screwy:


I would take it to a different dealership. Seems that they really don't want to mess with your car.
There could be seepage around the spark plugs as well where the valve cover encircles it. That was 
a major issue on the New Beetle. I would pull the spark plugs and see if the spark plug tube is oily and how the spark plugs look. Something doesn't seem right. I have done a couple of oil changes on mine and so far it didn't use a drop between changes.


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## beataborg (Sep 4, 2013)

IndyTTom said:


> I would take it to a different dealership. Seems that they really don't want to mess with your car.
> There could be seepage around the spark plugs as well where the valve cover encircles it. That was
> a major issue on the New Beetle. I would pull the spark plugs and see if the spark plug tube is oily and how the spark plugs look. Something doesn't seem right. I have done a couple of oil changes on mine and so far it didn't use a drop between changes.


I added oil dye in the engine. I've had my wife contact VW since this dealership doesn't want to handle this issue. It's my wife's car by the way and she knows I hate VW with a passion. :facepalm: I'm familiar with engine consumption engines since I work for another car manufacture that's having issues. :laugh: I read the VW manual and it says that every 1200 miles 1 qt is ok. What are the germans smoking. lol This engine takes 5 qts and it's a 10k service. How do you add pics on this site? I'm new to this site so... 
My next move is to check the crankcase system, check the spark plug and do a leakage test. VW might as well pay me for doing these test. I still think these engines are junk


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## beataborg (Sep 4, 2013)

Never mind I found out how to post pics.  So this is after the dealership cleaned it off which was 20 miles.


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## BugzLife (Nov 20, 2012)

beataborg said:


> Never mind I found out how to post pics.  So this is after the dealership cleaned it off which was 20 miles.


After the dealership did an oil consumption test on mine over a period of 3 or 4 months, they came to the conclusion that it was doing 1 qt every thousand miles. THATS 10 QTS BEFORE AN OIL CHANGE!
They have been volunteering everything that I was ready to raise hell about. My dealership has been awesome and is already talkin' about the "lemon law" with me.


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