Polo GTI High Oil Usage - Discussion Thread

[Xeon5]

Ah! Same year as mine then. Mine was out of warranty when they did the latest work (goodwill) , but it has had a 4 year history of using oil.

If you have an extended warranty, should be no problem.


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I am hoping that they will do a goodwill gesture if anything is found but I won't get my hopes up. I asked if they had any history on their system about the vehicle and they didn't say anything was logged so I am guessing that the previous owner didn't raise the issue.

Is yours still going ok?

Update:

Just for visual reference:

Before at 26162 miles after top up (14/04):


After at 26582 today (20/05):

[Rubbadub]

That would be about 250-300ml down from where it was.

[RoknRob]

Yep, 250-300 ml over 380 MILES. Is that right? Miles, not km? So close to 400km... Similar to mine. I used to top up with about 250 ml at every petrol fill, once it dropped down to half the dipstick..

[JonW]

Bear in mind that dealers do not share service info with eachother, not even to VWA. If you buy a used car and want its history you have to ask for printouts from the dealer who did the work... and they may not give the info to you, citing data protection. Also bear in mind that its not like oil consumption tests are recorded anywhere other than on the dealers system and VWA will/can not tell you what warranty work they have lodged about the car.

I should add the TLA 'IME' at this point as I'm sure someone will advise that I'm wrong and they got info from a dealer and VWA, but Ive been down this route and been denied info at both sources. VWA even asked me to provide scans of my own copies of dealer service sheets as they said the dealer does not send the info on what work is asked for, or completed, to VWA.

[Xeon5]

Yep, 250-300 ml over 380 MILES. Is that right? Miles, not km? So close to 400km... Similar to mine. I used to top up with about 250 ml at every petrol fill, once it dropped down to half the dipstick..

I worked out its about 420 miles since topping up. What im gonna do is keep driving as normal and buy a litre of oil to put in the boot. When the light comes on i will see its true useage.

Is it worth doing a check after its hot?

[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.