Anan1 Posted May 30, 2007 Report Share Posted May 30, 2007 My car uses a lot of oil, perhaps a litre every 1,000kms. I bought it from my brother, who has had it for the past two years. The previous (first) owner told him this before he bought the car, apparently it has always been like this. The car has 56,000 miles, and has always been properly maintained. The engine is smooth, quiet and powerful, and emissions are perfect. It has never been allowed to run low on oil. The car has always been run on 5w-30 fully synthetic. The mechanic who maintains the car reckons there's no problem, and has been constantly trying to buy it for the past two years. He says it's in extraordinarily good condition, both mechanically and otherwise. Any ideas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ska Posted May 30, 2007 Report Share Posted May 30, 2007 Thats about rightish, it says in the owners manual that it consumes about a litre for 1000MILES I think so a little thirsty but nothing to worry about if all your gaskets are intact and the coolant levels are in good order Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickGUK Posted May 30, 2007 Report Share Posted May 30, 2007 Ska has given you the facts, the other important factor to realize is, Although you are technically getting superior engine wear protection from the 5w 30 oil, what you have to remember is that the oil is very thin, so you are bound to consume "atleast" what the book says, but possibly and most likely a little more. Obviously its more expensive as you have to top up between services, but oil is cheaper than a worn engine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atomic Posted May 30, 2007 Report Share Posted May 30, 2007 They are 2 strokes really... I know the manual says it's normal but you have to wonder. I'm surprised you can see a blue haze behind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nikw Posted May 30, 2007 Report Share Posted May 30, 2007 Maybe a 10w/40 or 10w/60 would be better? The ABZ (32v) engines don't seem to like the thinner fully synthetics either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anan1 Posted May 30, 2007 Author Report Share Posted May 30, 2007 I don't really mind having to top up, as long as there is no downside to the engine using that much oil. Assuming engine health to be more important than anything else, should I keep using 5w-30 fully synthetic? I'm assuming it will lubricate a cold engine better than a heavier oil? Unfortunately the car gets used on quite a few relatively short runs, ie less than 10 miles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atomic Posted May 30, 2007 Report Share Posted May 30, 2007 Daft question I guess but have you checked for leaks? These days, they dont always leave a puddle on the floor with all the undertrays etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anan1 Posted May 30, 2007 Author Report Share Posted May 30, 2007 As far as I can see, the entire engine bay and underside of the car is clean and dry. The car had a cambelt service at the beginning of the year, so I assume the mechanic would have spotted any leaks, particularly as he was trying to convince my brother to sell him the car at the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atomic Posted May 30, 2007 Report Share Posted May 30, 2007 Then just buy a big can of the stuff and fit a feeder Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fudge Posted May 30, 2007 Report Share Posted May 30, 2007 They don't all use oil. I had a facelift S8, admittedly less than 50k miles when I sold it, but on the standard Audi 5w/30 stealer oil the consumption was negligible. That said, I would not be concerned by a litre in 1000kmsof 5w/30. I remember a discussion on this topic some time ago and people's reported consumption varied. I guess that the variation is at least partly due to manufacturing tolerances. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S4_Dan Posted May 31, 2007 Report Share Posted May 31, 2007 [ QUOTE ] Maybe a 10w/40 or 10w/60 would be better? The ABZ (32v) engines don't seem to like the thinner fully synthetics either. [/ QUOTE ] 10w/60? Isn't that a bit thick though? I need to change my oil very soon, definately before the Billing Meet anyway. But going to do it myself. Normally I'd use 10w/40 Magnatec. Oh, I have the ABZ lump in my motor. But what other good semi synthetics are out there? Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nikw Posted May 31, 2007 Report Share Posted May 31, 2007 [ QUOTE ] 10w/60? Isn't that a bit thick though? [/ QUOTE ] Once upon a time I would have thought so too, but had 10w/60 (Millers Competition Fully Synthetic) recommended for use in my 300ZX a few years ago by Abbey Motorsport who also put it in Skyline GTRs and Sunny/Pulsar GTI-Rs. It certainly does the trick when driving hard in hot weather (e.g. to/from the Sarthe region of France ). The pressure is maintained noticeably better at idle according to the oil pressure guage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
996Dean Posted May 31, 2007 Report Share Posted May 31, 2007 My 3.7 40v uses a lot (probably a litre every 1000 kms). It doesn't have any leaks so I've assumed it is either normal or because it has done 118k miles. Perhaps it is normal afterall...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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