Oil Consumption

[threesalmons]

I drive a Touareg 2.5TDI. The PD engine is new to me although I do understand the theory well enough. having driven previous 4,5 and 6-cylinder VW and Audi I have found that a properly maintained engine will use barely any oil between changes. This was even the case for my previous car, a 6-cylinder 2.5 TDI Audi with over 100,000 miles to its name.

So, what consumtion should I expect from this new 2.5 TDI Touareg engine? After all, with variable servicing and mainly motorway driving, oil changes could be 20,000 mileas apart. At the moment i am measuuring the consumption but it seems like around 0.75 lites per 1,000 miles. And I am not happy with that. What have other Touareg owners experienced?

Regards,

Chris 03 Jun 08

[dickymint]

I have a 2004 2.5 Touareg. The handbook indicated some oil usage but how much mine uses I haven't monitored. I just check regularly as I am also on Longlife servicing. Try www.mytreg.com, a search there may be useful.

[threesalmons]

Thank you.................but what consumption of this (very expensive long-life) oil have other Forum members experienced?

Regards,
Chris 04 Jun 08

[TSAY]

Expect to top up the oil in first 5-12,000 miles prior to the service indicator coming on. All VAG PD engines will consume oil initialliy until the engine has "sealed" itself. Once it stops using oil then you'll find that it only needs to be changed at services as part of routine maintenance and the fuel consumption will also improve.

[threesalmons]

What you describe is what I would expect of any engine during those early mileages when surfaces mate together and the seal is thus improved.

Yet my Touareg engine has covered 35,000 miles by which time, in my book, oil consumption should have ceased.

In a petrol, or non-PD diesel, I would expect oil consumption to be due to premature wear in the bores, the turbo-charger or the bearings. Does anyone know if the PD engines are prone to any additional weaknesses in the oil-supply area?

Of course, if this resulted in the odd litre of cheap Halfords oil being required it would not be such an issue. But with long-life oil costing some £14 per litre it IS a key issue and argues against a long-life service regime.

Regards,

Chris 10 Jun 08

[netherfield]

My dad has run Mercs for many years,never used a drop of oil between services,then in the late seventies he bought one which needed topping up fortnightly,after chasing the Merc garage they told him"Mercedes had now decided to make engines to use a drop of oil,because people never check,they think Mercs don't use oil", I don't think that idea lasted long because I can't remember any later ones using oil.