How much oil do you use ?

[shudman]

I have had an SEL 170 for about 6 months now, and have done about 14000 miles. I seem to be using about ½ litre every 1000 miles - is this right ? It's costing me a fortune :mad:
I certainly isn't "dropping" it on the floor....it is definitely eating it.

[mobitune]

Just because there are no visible signs of it dropping it on the floor dosen't necessaraly mean it isn't leaking. It could be leaking at the crankshaft oil seal behind the flywheel, saw this before... 1st thing you know is when it begins dripping from the bell-housing by which time it is usually all over the flywheel and clutch.

I would doubt this is the case with your new car though, but worth getting to the bottom of before the warranty runs out.

Good luck and hope you get it sorted soon :)

Pete

[Quatrelle]

If you'd got a leaking crankshaft oil seal I think that some of the 6 or 7 (?) litres of oil that you have added would have found their way out of the bell housing by now.

How much oil a car uses can be a reflection of how the car was run in, is now driven and the sort of use it gets. According to VW, "oil consumption can be up to 1 litre per 1000km" (=600 miles) thus approx. 350 miles per pint !!! (Driver's handbook section 3.2 page 52), so it seems you're doing ok! Not in my book, however - I'd be very unhappy with your figures.

With respect, are you sure you're not overfilling it? The dipstick was designed by a dipstick, and is almost impossible to read.

As a result of your post I've just been out and checked mine - I had four attempts and am still not absolutely sure (there was oil on the dipstick each time, and that's about as near as I can get...). VW really do need their knuckles rapped over this.

I'm at the equivalent of about 4,500 miles now and still have half of the litre I was given with the car - not that that will make you feel any better, I'm afraid. I think I'll go and check it again.

Next time you go down a hill (a long one, if possible, engine hot), hold your speed down by using a lower gear and don't touch the accelerator until you get to the bottom and then floor it. Have a look in your mirror at the same time (dont have an accident), and if you see a lot of blue smoke the oil is going up past the rings. The other test is to let it idle for a few minutes and floor it, again looking for blue smoke, which will indicate that the oil is going down the valve stems.

If it does either of these I would definitely see the dealer.

Got any ideas on how to make the dipstick more readable?

[shudman]

I am definetly NOT overfilling it, I know that much !
I am ashamed to say that I have been told, on a few occasions" that I am low on oil due to the light in the MFD shaking its fist at me saying "YOU BAD PERSON for not checking my oil.....now you have to pay the extortionate price of VW504 00" :Blush2:
I have got better now, knowing that it eats this stuff for breakfast, and although the dumb design, you can actually see the oil on the crosshatch markers on the dipstick as a good indicator. I used to have a Vectra diesel before the B6 and that only took 1 litres in 60,000 miles (there were two full services during that period).
So, I may check the blue smoke tests.....easy to do, but I *think* that this is the way it is. I did run it in "nicely" for the first 1000 miles, but it does actually get driven quite hard :drive:

[a8 tech]

I have had an SEL 170 for about 6 months now, and have done about 14000 miles. I seem to be using about ½ litre every 1000 miles - is this right ? It's costing me a fortune :mad:
I certainly isn't "dropping" it on the floor....it is definitely eating it.thats within spec and not a problem,these engines are designed to last for 500,000 miles so you have barely run it in.Did you get a top up pack when you bought it and did the sales man explain the oil consumption and have you looked in your owners handbook for the manifacturers explanation.Sorry to sound off but i have to answer this query on a daily basis and have carried out oil consumption tests and have yey to find a pd to fail it:beerchug:

[carl s]

I take it that the oil consumption is on the diesels ? My petrol FSI has done around 7,000 miles now and the dipstick is still at the halfway mark.
Just out of curiosity what oil does it take?

[PNS2007]

You got me thinking with this so I checked my oil today and I'm relieved to say that it is ok. I have a 56 plate 170 HP TDI with 12000 miles. I bought some oil today just in case as we go on holiday tomorrow near Brighton (300 mile trip pulling a caravan). Its the castrol edge (VW504 00) @ £13 a litre!! I have done 4000 miles in it and I was told it was serviced prior to my purchase.

[Quatrelle]

Shudman - "...the crosshatch markers on the dipstick..."? Can you enlarge on that, please? Mine's got assorted useless lumps, but I've never noticed crosshatching, and I've looked at it often enough.

[a8 tech]

if its at position a dont top up,also level a is normal engine temp and should be just below from cold

[Santana]

My oil low warning lamp went on at 2600 miles from new. I've stuck in another litre at £14.28!
I was told to expect to use oil when I bought the car, but it still came as a bit of a shock having had an old (petrol) B5 for years which used precisely zero oil.

[shudman]

A8-tech....I won't take it the wrong way, I just asked a simple question:
"I seem to be using about ½ litre every 1000 miles - is this right ?"

I am getting to the opinion that it is, as the manual says so ;)

Castrol Edge (I got Castrol SLX from VW themselves) is the stuff to use (but as long as it has VW 504 00 on the side), it seems to be the defacto now for most of the longlife service vehicles. I went through a lot of grief trying to understand the correct oil to put in my TT...but now I can use 504 00 for the TT and the B6.
Not that the TT uses any, or any chance of getting some, as the B6 gobbles it first. :biglaugh:

[a8 tech]

The oil consumption figure is correct and it will decrease eventualy(the engineering is in the oil).As for the tt use mobile 1 and convert back to time and distance(12 months 10,000 miles)it will reduce the chances of oil blockage in the strainer (oil warning light knocking from engine)

[Quatrelle]

if its at position a dont top up,also level a is normal engine temp and should be just below from cold

a8 tech - Thanks for the pic, but my dipstick doesn't resemble any of those. It looks more like: =====O=-=O (the bit between the two 'O's is the relevant bit - you have to use your imagination!). Pull it out, wipe it, put it back in, pull it out, and there is no clear line where it's dry and/or oily, it gradually gets oilier :(. It's the same if I leave it overnight, when it really should be easy to read. Fortunately I don't have 'shudman's' problem. I'm a reasonably competent mechanic, and this is the worse design I've ever come across.

[Santana]

"this is the worse design I've ever come across."

Couldn't agree more. Nigh on impossible to read the oil level on the design of dipstick I have.

[prolfe]

You got me thinking with this so I checked my oil today and I'm relieved to say that it is ok. I have a 56 plate 170 HP TDI with 12000 miles. I bought some oil today just in case as we go on holiday tomorrow near Brighton (300 mile trip pulling a caravan). Its the castrol edge (VW504 00) @ £13 a litre!! I have done 4000 miles in it and I was told it was serviced prior to my purchase.

With a 170 TDI I think you should be using a VW507.

As you can see from my signature I have a 170 A3 and I 'have' to use 507.

"only in exceptional circumstances" am I allowed to use another type. And even then only 0.5L

I bought some more today in fact. from VW SLX which has been replaced by GTX and was £12.99 as opposed to £14.99 for the GTX.

I used the topup oil Audi gave me at 7000 miles and it shocked me that i had used that amount in that many miles. At about 14000 I used another litre and today I had to top it up again !! at 17000 miles !!

I'm now quite glad I got the servicing maintenance which includes fluids at servicing. (£28 a month)

I was told once that when the oil warning light comes on that it needs to be topped up immediately and that it you should check it more often so that you can top it up before the light comes on.

[shudman]

Edge complies to 504 00 and 507 00

From Castrol's website (it actually has a cool "What oil do I use" applet)
http://www.castrol.com/castrol/productdetailmin.do?categoryId=9014072&contentId=7027058


Make VOLKSWAGEN (VAG)Model Passat 2.0 TDI, -DSG, -Sport (QG1 - 125kW)Engine DTYear 2005- ApplicationRecommendationCapacity (ltr)LinksEngine (DT) EDGE 5W-30 (javascript:lubeClick(5045182,'EDGE 5W-30');) (h) 4

[a8 tech]

a8 tech - Thanks for the pic, but my dipstick doesn't resemble any of those. It looks more like: =====O=-=O (the bit between the two 'O's is the relevant bit - you have to use your imagination!). Pull it out, wipe it, put it back in, pull it out, and there is no clear line where it's dry and/or oily, it gradually gets oilier :(. It's the same if I leave it overnight, when it really should be easy to read. Fortunately I don't have 'shudman's' problem. I'm a reasonably competent mechanic, and this is the worse design I've ever come across.Yes i agree stupid idea and best checked by placing dip stick on paper towel and looking at the oil print for the level,anyone would think the germans dont wont you to no how much oil your topping up with on a very regular basis:beerchug:

[akafudge]

Just a quick note to say that my 06 140 TDI has done 9k miles and no need for oil top up yet.

Why some use a lot an others hardly none is very strange!