I Learned Something Today about Cars

[retiredguy123]

I am definitely not a car guy. But I thought I knew how to check the oil level in my car. The last oil change, I used synthetic oil because the mechanic said it would last 7,500 miles. Yesterday, after about 6,800 miles, the "check engine" light and the oil light came on in my car. I checked the oil level and it looked fine. There has never been any oil on my garage floor, but my car was almost totally out of oil. I took the car to Firestone, the guy changed the oil, and he said I only had about one quart of oil in the car. There was no indication of a leak. It is interesting that the low oil light never came on before yesterday. Apparently, when checking the oil, you need to look at both sides of the dipstick. I was only looking at one side. I was also surprised that a car with only 65,000 miles could burn off that much oil with no indication that the car was using any oil. In the future, I will be changing my oil much more often.

[villagetinker]

I have seen some articles recently that automotive manufacturers consider 1 quart every 1000 miles to be acceptable. Now I would ask the dealer or look at the owners manual to see when the oil light is supposed to come on. Since you do not have any indication of a leak, you are probably burning the oil, you could have someone follow you and see if they see any smoke from the tail pipe.

[Toymeister]

Changing the oil at 5k miles will always work in your favor.

Btw what brand of car do you own?

[retiredguy123]

I have seen some articles recently that automotive manufacturers consider 1 quart every 1000 miles to be acceptable. Now I would ask the dealer or look at the owners manual to see when the oil light is supposed to come on. Since you do not have any indication of a leak, you are probably burning the oil, you could have someone follow you and see if they see any smoke from the tail pipe.
Thanks. If one quart every 1000 miles is acceptable, then my car is acceptable because I had gone 6,800 miles and the car only holds 6.5 quarts. It seems like a lot of oil to burn. I had no idea that cars burned that much oil. I will need to check the oil more often.

[tophcfa]

I am definitely not a car guy. But I thought I knew how to check the oil level in my car. The last oil change, I used synthetic oil because the mechanic said it would last 7,500 miles. Yesterday, after about 6,800 miles, the "check engine" light and the oil light came on in my car. I checked the oil level and it looked fine. There has never been any oil on my garage floor, but my car was almost totally out of oil. I took the car to Firestone, the guy changed the oil, and he said I only had about one quart of oil in the car. There was no indication of a leak. It is interesting that the low oil light never came on before yesterday. Apparently, when checking the oil, you need to look at both sides of the dipstick. I was only looking at one side. I was also surprised that a car with only 65,000 miles could burn off that much oil with no indication that the car was using any oil. In the future, I will be changing my oil much more often.

Hard to explain? My truck (Nissan Frontier) is approaching a couple hundred thousand miles. I have changed the oil since it was brand new. I only use Amsoil Signature Series oil and a Wix XP oil filter. The oil and filter are rated for 12K miles, but I change it every 9K. When I change the oil it is typically only down less than 1/4 quart. I do the same with my wife’s Honda HRV, which has about 102K miles, and it doesn’t seem to burn more than a couple ounces. I guess every car is different?

[Stu from NYC]

I am definitely not a car guy. But I thought I knew how to check the oil level in my car. The last oil change, I used synthetic oil because the mechanic said it would last 7,500 miles. Yesterday, after about 6,800 miles, the "check engine" light and the oil light came on in my car. I checked the oil level and it looked fine. There has never been any oil on my garage floor, but my car was almost totally out of oil. I took the car to Firestone, the guy changed the oil, and he said I only had about one quart of oil in the car. There was no indication of a leak. It is interesting that the low oil light never came on before yesterday. Apparently, when checking the oil, you need to look at both sides of the dipstick. I was only looking at one side. I was also surprised that a car with only 65,000 miles could burn off that much oil with no indication that the car was using any oil. In the future, I will be changing my oil much more often.

Do not think you should be burning so much oil thinking something is going on with your engine.

[retiredguy123]

Changing the oil at 5k miles will always work in your favor.

Btw what brand of car do you own?
2017 Ford Escape. I have been changing the oil every 5K miles, until I used a synthetic oil, which is not required for my vehicle. But, honestly, I didn't expect it to burn oil, so I haven't checked the level very often. I tend to be lax about maintenance because I consider vehicles to be disposable items. I would never keep a vehicle for more than about 80K miles. I know that many people don't like Fords, but they seem to be the best value today as compared to Toyotas and Hondas, especially if you are not keeping the vehicle very long.

I recently tried to buy a Toyota using the Costco free buying service, but the price the dealer wanted was outrageous. The RAV4 was about 10K higher than the Ford Escape.

[retiredguy123]

Do not think you should be burning so much oil thinking something is going on with your engine.
The Firestone mechanic said the same thing that VT said. It is acceptable to burn one quart every 1000 miles. Apparently, newer cars burn more oil than older cars.

[tophcfa]

2017 Ford Escape. I have been changing the oil every 5K miles, until I used a synthetic oil, which is not required for my vehicle. But, honestly, I didn't expect it to burn oil, so I haven't checked the level very often. I tend to be lax about maintenance because I consider vehicles to be disposable items. I would never keep a vehicle for more than about 80K miles. I know that many people don't like Fords, but they seem to be the best value today as compared to Toyotas and Hondas, especially if you are not keeping the vehicle very long.

I recently tried to buy a Toyota using the Costco free buying service, but the price the dealer wanted was outrageous. The RAV4 was about 10K higher than the Ford Escape.
I agree that a Ford (or Jeep) is a good value if you’re not planning on keeping it over 80K. If you want a car that will last a very long time you’re better off buying a Japanese rice burner (Honda, Toyota, Nissan, or Subaru). And if it’s a golf cart, a Yamaha.

[biggamefish1]

Buy an electric vehicle and you will have 0 worries about the oil level or changes

[PilotAlan]

Burning that much oil is totally unacceptable.
The language about "1 quart every 1000 miles" being acceptable is there to limit warranty claims. What it really means is "we won't fix anything until it burns more than 1 qt every 1000 miles".

The Firestone mechanic said the same thing that VT said. It is acceptable to burn one quart every 1000 miles. Apparently, newer cars burn more oil than older cars.

[MrChip72]

There's a retired mechanic guy on YouTube that has a Dodge Caravan with over 400k miles on it which is extremely rare for a Dodge almost unheard of. (not unusual at all for a Toyota or Honda)

He claimed that to make up for the poorly made Chrysler engine he has changed the oil every 2000 miles and that is the main reason for reaching that level. Seems plausible. 200 oil changes seems a bit extreme though.

[NoMoSno]

Just sold my 2012 Escape. Never burned oil. Always use synthetic, especially with the water-thin oil 5-20 they use nowadays.
Bought a Rav4 that was 4k less than a new Escape.
Look at Toyota of Clermont. Family run, no pressure sales. Not loaded up with dealer add-ons you don't want.

[Altavia]

Highly unusual. Any possibility the previous fill was short?

What model and make?

Royalty Auto puts out some interesting, real world videos.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3MXfuHS52H4

[jimmy o]

I am definitely not a car guy. But I thought I knew how to check the oil level in my car. The last oil change, I used synthetic oil because the mechanic said it would last 7,500 miles. Yesterday, after about 6,800 miles, the "check engine" light and the oil light came on in my car. I checked the oil level and it looked fine. There has never been any oil on my garage floor, but my car was almost totally out of oil. I took the car to Firestone, the guy changed the oil, and he said I only had about one quart of oil in the car. There was no indication of a leak. It is interesting that the low oil light never came on before yesterday. Apparently, when checking the oil, you need to look at both sides of the dipstick. I was only looking at one side. I was also surprised that a car with only 65,000 miles could burn off that much oil with no indication that the car was using any oil. In the future, I will be changing my oil much more often.
I learned long ago that all new cars should be driven gently for the first 1000 miles, then change the oil at that point. Then 4 thousand miles later at 5000 miles change the oil again, then every 5000 thereafter. I’ve purchased many new cars over the years and followed this procedure and none of my cars have ever burned more than a few ounces of oil before my next 5000 mile oil change. Years ago I used 500/3000 miles as oil change rule, but 1000/5000 is appropriate these days. BTW driving a 2017 Mazda CX5 with 85000 miles on it. Just changed the oil, was down about 3oz.

[Mrmean58]

Thanks. If one quart every 1000 miles is acceptable, then my car is acceptable because I had gone 6,800 miles and the car only holds 6.5 quarts. It seems like a lot of oil to burn. I had no idea that cars burned that much oil. I will need to check the oil more often.

Your car should never burn that much oil with the number of miles on it. My wife put on 35-40k mikes per year selling real estate and I drove 30k miles per year commuting for each of the 30 years working. I changed oil on all of our cars and never had any burn off. If you are losing a quart every 1k, you would notice.

[maggie1]

The Firestone mechanic said the same thing that VT said. It is acceptable to burn one quart every 1000 miles. Apparently, newer cars burn more oil than older cars.

This whole issue of burning oil has me wondering if it is being "burned"? It sounds more like a leak than anything, or perhaps it needs a ring job. Whenever my car's closed in on the 5,000 mile change period, the oil measured pretty close to full, but was very dirty. Burning a quart of oil every 1,000 miles seems excessive. I'd be concerned that there was another problem consuming the oil.

[biker1]

A properly functioning engine with the correct weight of oil will not burn one quart per 1000 miles. That is an absurdly high bar set by the manufacturers to reduce warranty claims. Some oil consumption is typical in "newer" cars because of attempts to improve gas mileage. For example, the piston rings are under less tension than previously to reduce internal friction and this can increase oil consumption. You haven't said which engine you have in your Ford. Some of the Ford engines have developed a reputation for increased oil consumption because of some internal failures.

Did the mechanic put in the correct weight of oil during the previous oil change? Did he put in the correct amount of oil? Assuming these are both correct and without an obvious sign of external leakage (which can typically be fixed), I suspect you have something going on internally. Since you stated you have 64K miles and don't typically like to keep cars more than 80K miles, I would be looking at replacing the car now.

As a point on the curve, I had a 2011 Honda that received only the Honda recommended 0W-20 oil (a synthetic) that I changed religiously every 5000 miles (about twice the recommended rate from the maintenance minder) and it consumed about 8 ounces of oil every 5000 miles. I sold it at 125K miles.

The Firestone mechanic said the same thing that VT said. It is acceptable to burn one quart every 1000 miles. Apparently, newer cars burn more oil than older cars.

[retiredguy123]

This whole issue of burning oil has me wondering if it is being "burned"? It sounds more like a leak than anything, or perhaps it needs a ring job. Whenever my car's closed in on the 5,000 mile change period, the oil measured pretty close to full, but was very dirty. Burning a quart of oil every 1,000 miles seems excessive. I'd be concerned that there was another problem consuming the oil.
I doubt that my car needs a ring job, there is no smoke streaming out of the exhaust, and there is no evidence of a leak. The car runs fine. The mechanic who changed my oil was not at all surprised that a car would using that much oil. I thought that I didn't need to pay much attention to the oil level as long as I had regular oil changes and the oil light didn't come on. Apparently, this is no longer true. In the past, I have rarely added much oil to my vehicles, maybe one quart between oil changes.

[Friendlyvillager]

That's excessive oil consumption, check your car's PCV valve for failure. Always check your cars oil after a quick start up due to all the oil from the top of the engine drains back to the oil pan overnight and will give you a false overfull reading.

[sianagers@att.net]

Thanks. If one quart every 1000 miles is acceptable, then my car is acceptable because I had gone 6,800 miles and the car only holds 6.5 quarts. It seems like a lot of oil to burn. I had no idea that cars burned that much oil. I will need to check the oil more often.

Do you have a Volkswagen ?

[mrf6969]

2017 Ford Escape. I have been changing the oil every 5K miles, until I used a synthetic oil, which is not required for my vehicle. But, honestly, I didn't expect it to burn oil, so I haven't checked the level very often. I tend to be lax about maintenance because I consider vehicles to be disposable items. I would never keep a vehicle for more than about 80K miles. I know that many people don't like Fords, but they seem to be the best value today as compared to Toyotas and Hondas, especially if you are not keeping the vehicle very long.

I recently tried to buy a Toyota using the Costco free buying service, but the price the dealer wanted was outrageous. The RAV4 was about 10K higher than the Ford Escape.

That Ford may seem like a better value at the time of purchase but at 80K miles and you want to sell or trade it; you will see that it was not that great of a deal. You have to consider that Toyota holds its value MUCH better than the Fords.

[Topspinmo]

That’s problem, most people don’t know where dips stick is till too late. My car has never used any oil between oil changes, but it’s rarely left unchanged over year with less than 5K miles. but I still check oil at least once month even though I don’t drive it that much any more. Any time I go for extended trip I check all the fluid levels and tire air pressure. No modern engine now days should be using quart of oil I 1000 miles.

If dealer told me that I would never buy that brand or take car there for service. Ford engines burn pretty clean. If car has used most oil up in 6K miles it should be evidence in tail pipe, spark plugs, and course catholic converter. When have your oil changed (NO MATTER Where you take it} should be following up on maintenance performed. When I had my oil changed at dealer they almost every time over filled it. Some times up to quart over filled cause they are too lazy to see how much oil the car actually holds and too lazy to pull the dipstick after completing oil change. Trust but verify is my motto. Another thing oil light come on when oil pressure affected that means it’s almost out of oil when pump starts pumping air.

[Topspinmo]

The Firestone mechanic said the same thing that VT said. It is acceptable to burn one quart every 1000 miles. Apparently, newer cars burn more oil than older cars.

IMO High pressure direct fuel injection washing cylinder walls. IMO HPF engines will be the new junk of the 80s. When engines was loaded down the smog junk that injected air into exhaust cheating tailpipe emissions pumping more air in exhaust.

[Polarlys]

One quart per 1000 mi in today's automobiles is unacceptable to me. Growing up in the 50's and 60's cars USED oil. By used I mean burned a little, seeped a little, leaked a little and blew some out the non existent and early PCV systems. So a quart / 100 mi might very well have been acceptable for that era. I have a '17 Lexus and a '15 F-350 diesel. I change my oil myself using the factory recommended oil weights in a synthetic oil. My car has 70k+ miles and my truck 130k+. Neither uses any oil between changes. In fact I've gotten so careless in checking that I almost never do check it. I know that might come back to bite me in the BUTT one day but that's the way it is.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

[Topspinmo]

I doubt that my car needs a ring job, there is no smoke streaming out of the exhaust, and there is no evidence of a leak. The car runs fine. The mechanic who changed my oil was not at all surprised that a car would using that much oil. I thought that I didn't need to pay much attention to the oil level as long as I had regular oil changes and the oil light didn't come on. Apparently, this is no longer true. In the past, I have rarely added much oil to my vehicles, maybe one quart between oil changes.

Friendlyvillager noted it could be PVC system, iF valve bad it can suck oil into intake and it will be burned. It should throw code

[oneclickplus]

I am definitely not a car guy. But I thought I knew how to check the oil level in my car. The last oil change, I used synthetic oil because the mechanic said it would last 7,500 miles. Yesterday, after about 6,800 miles, the "check engine" light and the oil light came on in my car. I checked the oil level and it looked fine. There has never been any oil on my garage floor, but my car was almost totally out of oil. I took the car to Firestone, the guy changed the oil, and he said I only had about one quart of oil in the car. There was no indication of a leak. It is interesting that the low oil light never came on before yesterday. Apparently, when checking the oil, you need to look at both sides of the dipstick. I was only looking at one side. I was also surprised that a car with only 65,000 miles could burn off that much oil with no indication that the car was using any oil. In the future, I will be changing my oil much more often.

The oil light is not an indication of oil level. It is an oil PRESSURE indicator. You can have a full oil pan but without oil pressure your engine will die.

[UpNorth]

Looks like you own a hybrid. Burns gas and oil. ;)

[oneclickplus]

Burning that much oil is totally unacceptable.
The language about "1 quart every 1000 miles" being acceptable is there to limit warranty claims. What it really means is "we won't fix anything until it burns more than 1 qt every 1000 miles".

Exactly correct. Burning 1 quart every 1000 miles is for 25 year old cars with visible smoke coming out of the tail pipe.

If the OP lost 5 quarts of oil, he has a serious problem to investigate.

[gorillarick]

Don't you ever check your oil ? Tire pressure ? Whoa.

Sounds like the mechanic got distracted. Cell call? Text?
1000 miles/quart? You'd have an oily bumper or under-bumper.

Just heard AAA no longer fixes flats. No spare? Sorry, have it towed to tire store or dealer.
Wow.
I will never buy a car with no spare. Went to a dealer recently. I said no spare, no way.
Somehow they figured-out how to put a spare and tools in car. No extra charge. Might seem that way, but
No, I'll pass on the principle of it. I might be keeping my car longer than ever; maybe forever for me.
fyi: I've had 4 flats in the past three years. One in TV, one in Bellevue, one in TN, one in VA fairly recently. None was a show-stopper; put the spare on in less than 5 minutes (TN had the flat repaired before returning home), VA filled the flat in the trunk about twice a day to make sure I got back home without a wrecker - didn't want to spend hours in a tire shop.).


btw: My ~80k car uses about 1/5 of a quart per oil change (every 5000 to 6000 miles). Never need to add oil between changes. I check the oil every few months, and tires, and before every trip of more than 100 miles.

[Rango]

I am definitely not a car guy. But I thought I knew how to check the oil level in my car. The last oil change, I used synthetic oil because the mechanic said it would last 7,500 miles. Yesterday, after about 6,800 miles, the "check engine" light and the oil light came on in my car. I checked the oil level and it looked fine. There has never been any oil on my garage floor, but my car was almost totally out of oil. I took the car to Firestone, the guy changed the oil, and he said I only had about one quart of oil in the car. There was no indication of a leak. It is interesting that the low oil light never came on before yesterday. Apparently, when checking the oil, you need to look at both sides of the dipstick. I was only looking at one side. I was also surprised that a car with only 65,000 miles could burn off that much oil with no indication that the car was using any oil. In the future, I will be changing my oil much more often.


Very few if any cars have a “low oil light”. They have a “low oil pressure” light

I was a Ford dealership technician. For warranty purposes 1qt/1000 miles was acceptable

In a modern car 1 qt/1000 miles is too high. You will get a plugged cat converter.

[nn0wheremann]

I have seen some articles recently that automotive manufacturers consider 1 quart every 1000 miles to be acceptable. Now I would ask the dealer or look at the owners manual to see when the oil light is supposed to come on. Since you do not have any indication of a leak, you are probably burning the oil, you could have someone follow you and see if they see any smoke from the tail pipe.
Wipe the inside of your tailpipe with your finger. Use a paper towel or kleenex if you have delicate fingers. If it comes out with a thick coat of black carbon, your car is burning oil. It should come out fairly clean. When checking oil, park the car on a level surface, remove the dipstick and wipe it clean. Reinsert it, then remove and read the level. Cars back in the old days routinely threw off the top quart in the first 500 miles, but that was then. No car in good running order should use a quart every thousand miles. As new cars age, with the extremely light viscosity oil we use nowadays there will be oil consumption, so ditch the 0-15 or 5-20 for 10-30 after 75,000 or 100,000 miles.
Also, check your oil immediately after an oil change. Some technicians are not careful. I have found oil under-filled by a quart, or over-filled the same amount. A tech at Walmart once lost the crush washer from the drain plug on my Subaru, and used a plastic garden hose washer. The bottom cover under the engine caught the leaking oil for a thousnd miles before it overflowed onto my driveway.

[Tomptomp]

If the PCV (positive crankshaft ventilation) valve is clogged then pressure can build in the crankshaft forcing oil past the rings and into the cylinder. It’s an easy check but unusual problem.

[Rocksnap]

Change out the PVC valve. They are relatively cheap, and are known to fail. What is a PCV valve and how does it work? (https://carphrases.com/all-about-engine-pcv-valve/)

[Bwanajim]

I completely restored a 66 Corvette, including pulling the engine and everything else. I don't think I could find a dipstick on my car today!🙄

[Josephjmarchese]

Perhaps, and I hate to say it, but maybe the mechanic who changed the oil before you big loss, didn’t fill it

[Topspinmo]

There's a retired mechanic guy on YouTube that has a Dodge Caravan with over 400k miles on it which is extremely rare for a Dodge almost unheard of. (not unusual at all for a Toyota or Honda)

He claimed that to make up for the poorly made Chrysler engine he has changed the oil every 2000 miles and that is the main reason for reaching that level. Seems plausible. 200 oil changes seems a bit extreme though.

I could still be driving my 56 Chevy I brought at 16, most anything can be fixed or repaired it person motivated enough. Not so much with newer electronic controlled vehicles, once rhe miles of wiring get corroded then headed for smasher. In rust belt that’s about 6 years. We see how electric vehicles fair in the rust belt?

[Topspinmo]

Perhaps, and I hate to say it, but maybe the mechanic who changed the oil before you big loss, didn’t fill it

See I would have known that cause I follow up on anything done to my vehicle other than me.

[Topspinmo]

I completely restored a 66 Corvette, including pulling the engine and everything else. I don't think I could find a dipstick on my car today!🙄

If you’re taking about transmission dipstick you could be right, some models don’t have transmission dipsticks.

[sowilts]

I completely restored a 66 Corvette, including pulling the engine and everything else. I don't think I could find a dipstick on my car today!🙄
My new GLS 450 does not have a dipstick and has a plastic drain plug. Can check the oil level from the computer. S Series has a dipstick. 95k on the 2019 and is the same level when I check.

[retiredguy123]

Perhaps, and I hate to say it, but maybe the mechanic who changed the oil before you big loss, didn’t fill it
That is possible.

[NoMoSno]

I would take it to a trusted mechanic and hook it up to the OBD scanner.
See if any obvious codes could be causing the issue. It should show if a PCV valve may need replacing.
Burning that much oil will clog the Cat in no time.

[retiredguy123]

I would take it to a trusted mechanic and hook it up to the OBD scanner.
See if any obvious codes could be causing the issue. It should show if a PCV valve may need replacing.
Burning that much oil will clog the Cat in no time.
If that is the plug-in connection under the steering wheel, it was done, but no indication of a PCV problem. The mechanic who did the computer check said that it could be one of 3 problems costing between $400 and $2000 and that he needed to keep the vehicle for an entire day. It seems to me that the fancy computer gizmo would have suggested that the oil level be checked or that the mechanic could have figured that out himself. It wasn't until he reset the check engine light and I drove away that the red oil pressure light came on. At that point, I checked the oil level, but I only looked at one side of the dipstick, which indicated that there was plenty of oil. So, I took the car to Firestone and the guy knew immediately that the oil level was low, he changed the oil, and the problem was solved. Go figure. What I learned is that you need to check the oil often and you need to examine both sides of the dipstick. I do not know how the oil level got so low, but I have never had this issue with any vehicle I have owned.

[Worldseries27]

2017 ford escape. I have been changing the oil every 5k miles, until i used a synthetic oil, which is not required for my vehicle. But, honestly, i didn't expect it to burn oil, so i haven't checked the level very often. I tend to be lax about maintenance because i consider vehicles to be disposable items. I would never keep a vehicle for more than about 80k miles. I know that many people don't like fords, but they seem to be the best value today as compared to toyotas and hondas, especially if you are not keeping the vehicle very long.

I recently tried to buy a toyota using the costco free buying service, but the price the dealer wanted was outrageous. The rav4 was about 10k higher than the ford escape.
i know a guy who returned his 2017 ford escape and got a new engine block from key scales ford leesburg. it was covered under a recall. It was running rough and burning oil. Suggest you let them look at it. You got nothing to lose. If it's not covered under a recall you can always walk out. No harm in asking.

[NoMoSno]

If that is the plug-in connection under the steering wheel, it was done, but no indication of a PVC problem.
Yes.
Keep an eye on the oil level.
It could be just a fluke (last oil change wasn't filled properly)?

[Babbs1957]

Drips and smoke are not the only signs of oil leak. Current autos:

2003 Chrys TC minivan - 204352 mileage, no oil drips on floor, but minor drops from seal that burns off within seconds of squeezing out of engine periodically, change every 7k and never seen a loss on stick.

2010 Mercedes 350 - 289458 mileage, oil drips constant, change every 7k and always see a loss on stick. Oil burns off on back of engine from seal, what does not burn off, works it's way along the undercarriage shield and collects dirt until it's almost a solid in the rear of the shield back by rear tires. Usually drops off in big chunks when we hit a large bump like a cow patty if I don't get to it during a lift inspection.

2019 Hyund Sonata - 125234 mileage, no constant oil drips, but minor drops burn off on engine, change every 7k and never seen a loss on stick.

A quart of oil every 1k is unacceptable, every 5,000 or 10k is unacceptable for any engine that you would consider reliable.

[MicRoDrafting]

I know that many people don't like Fords, but they seem to be the best value today as compared to Toyotas and Hondas, especially if you are not keeping the vehicle very long.

NOTICED that you
Failed to Mention “SUBARU”

Typically the HIGHEST RATING in
Consumer Reports year after year,

and also Known to be Driven the
LONGEST with the MOST MILEAGE

and RECENTLY LEARNED that
the SUBARU Company Maintains
Superior Safety Standards over the
other Automotive Manufacturers.

[Topspinmo]

Here’s pretty basic information on how to check oil, when check oil, and oil change intervals.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9-YT9RiM84

[Topspinmo]

NOTICED that you
Failed to Mention “SUBARU”

Typically the HIGHEST RATING in
Consumer Reports year after year,

and also Known to be Driven the
LONGEST with the MOST MILEAGE

and RECENTLY LEARNED that
the SUBARU Company Maintains
Superior Safety Standards over the
other Automotive Manufacturers.

Subaru’s have had engine problems in pass just like other brands boxer engines are extremely hard to work on when the do have problems.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMJMu2S9NMc&t=646s

[jimjamuser]

Florida has such great humidity and that humid, water filled air can get into a cars crankcase where it has an ADVERSE effect on the oil. The oil and water mix and then the combustion process in the cylinders causes both OIL and WATER to end up going out of the exhaust system. A person that starts and stops driving after a short distance would intensify this water in the oil problem.

[NoMoSno]

Florida has such great humidity and that humid, water filled air can get into a cars crankcase where it has an ADVERSE effect on the oil. The oil and water mix and then the combustion process in the cylinders causes both OIL and WATER to end up going out of the exhaust system. A person that starts and stops driving after a short distance would intensify this water in the oil problem.
If your mechanic told you that, you'd better find a new one.

[MrFlorida]

None of my cars ever used that much oil between oil changes, something is seriously wrong here.

[jimjamuser]

The Firestone mechanic said the same thing that VT said. It is acceptable to burn one quart every 1000 miles. Apparently, newer cars burn more oil than older cars.
That is STRANGE. As a general rule, newer cars should burn less oil than older cars. You could look on the internet for people with your same year and model of vehicle and see what they are saying about oil consumption. Also remember that stop traffic is hard on a car because idling is harder on a car than long distance driving. So, there are a lot of variables including drivers - some are fond of heavy accelerating from a stop light. Others slowly move up to the speed limit. So, driver individuality can affect oil burning.

[almondz]

I used to have a Ford station wagon. I finally just had to get rid of it because the headliner fell apart. It had 234,000 miles and just wouldn't die.

[jimjamuser]

Wipe the inside of your tailpipe with your finger. Use a paper towel or kleenex if you have delicate fingers. If it comes out with a thick coat of black carbon, your car is burning oil. It should come out fairly clean. When checking oil, park the car on a level surface, remove the dipstick and wipe it clean. Reinsert it, then remove and read the level. Cars back in the old days routinely threw off the top quart in the first 500 miles, but that was then. No car in good running order should use a quart every thousand miles. As new cars age, with the extremely light viscosity oil we use nowadays there will be oil consumption, so ditch the 0-15 or 5-20 for 10-30 after 75,000 or 100,000 miles.
Also, check your oil immediately after an oil change. Some technicians are not careful. I have found oil under-filled by a quart, or over-filled the same amount. A tech at Walmart once lost the crush washer from the drain plug on my Subaru, and used a plastic garden hose washer. The bottom cover under the engine caught the leaking oil for a thousnd miles before it overflowed onto my driveway.
I agree with everything that you said, especially the idea of checking the tailpipe for excessive oil burning. My humble opinion is that in Florida, I am not sold on multiple weight oils. They are fine for up North, but in Florida I prefer a straight weight 30W oil.

[CarlR33]

If not already said, did you check the oil after the oil change or trust the mechanic? I would refill to full and recheck often until you know the true baseline.

[jimjamuser]

If your mechanic told you that, you'd better find a new one.
Ok, now I am curious. Instead of just an overall criticism of my post. Please go further and dissect (preferably sentence by sentence) what you believe to be incorrect statements.

[retiredguy123]

If not already said, did you check the oil after the oil change or trust the mechanic? I would refill to full and recheck often until you know the true baseline.
I usually do, but I cannot say for sure. It is possible that he didn't fill it properly.

[J1ceasar]

Another possible explanation is that it was never filled properly or full to begin with

If you think about it you should be checking it once a month for the next few months to see how it is filled up.

And honestly both sides of the stick should show the same exact amount. You're supposed to wipe off the stick first and put it back in
Before you actually check it.

I am definitely not a car guy. But I thought I knew how to check the oil level in my car. The last oil change, I used synthetic oil because the mechanic said it would last 7,500 miles. Yesterday, after about 6,800 miles, the "check engine" light and the oil light came on in my car. I checked the oil level and it looked fine. There has never been any oil on my garage floor, but my car was almost totally out of oil. I took the car to Firestone, the guy changed the oil, and he said I only had about one quart of oil in the car. There was no indication of a leak. It is interesting that the low oil light never came on before yesterday. Apparently, when checking the oil, you need to look at both sides of the dipstick. I was only looking at one side. I was also surprised that a car with only 65,000 miles could burn off that much oil with no indication that the car was using any oil. In the future, I will be changing my oil much more often.

[retiredguy123]

I always wipe off the dipstick completely. But apparently, sometimes you will get some oil on one side of the stick when you slide it in. That is why, you need to look at both sides of the stick.

[manaboutown]

The OP brought back some memories. I bought a brand new 1979 L82 Corvette. For whatever reason, its dipstick never clearly showed the oil level in the engine. It would just come out with an indefinite coating of oil after I had extracted and wiped it, then reinserted it. Back then I changed the oil myself so I took care to measure how much oil I poured into the crankcase after draining it. As I changed the oil fairly frequently I never had a problem, accumulating many miles over seven years as I frequently drove it back and forth between Los Alamos and Albuquerque. I sold it for $600 less than I had paid for it at the dealer.

I bought a 2016 BMW X5 xDrive50i new and because it was serviced by the local dealer under warranty never paid much attention to checking the oil. After a few months I planned to take a long trip and thought I ought to check the oil. I looked under the hood but could not find a dipstick! So I went to the internet and found oil level was electronically monitored and used the instructions in the owner's manual to check the oil. I still own the vehicle and it has never needed oil added between 10,000 mile oil changes. My 2023 X5 M50i has no dipstick but at least I expected that. How does one check the oil level if the battery is dead? lol

A friend of mine had a 1964 Dodge Hemi back in the day. It went through a quart of oil every 500 miles.

[Number 10 GI]

I read a lot of automotive articles, and every auto manufacturer has a lemon model(s). A quick search shows that the 2017 Escape is known for using oil, sometimes a lot of oil. Before purchasing a new or used vehicle, spend some time doing internet searches and buy Consumer Reports annual buyers guide. Some models of cars have a few years where there were numerous problems and other years where they are quite reliable. The Ford Bronco Sport had a number of recalls in just it's first year of production. All the auto manufacturers have recalled thousands and thousands of cars in the last couple years.

[Larryandlinda]

Buy an electric vehicle and you will have 0 worries about the oil level or changes

That’s exactly why we are fully ev as of 2017
Rivian PU, bolt, Kona, and Ioniq in family .
Last straw was oil indicator on Benz Sprinter in 2018 said ‘one qt low’
It’s was a diesel w/14 qt sump capacity a
- one qt low 6 miles from hone no biggie.then 3 miles our 2 qt low, still no biggie.
200 yards away the freak show started with never-before-heard noise.
Next day on the same route I saw the trail of oil along the 7 mike route.
Turns out Sprinters ( likely others) only go up to 2 qt low force indicator.
$10k repair, and another $8k 6 mo later to fix first repair.
9 years old 38k miles.
My stinking John Deere tractor will not let you start with low oil or oil pressure.
Is MB that lame?
ICE no more.
Take your dead dinosaur burning vehicles and give us those free amperes which come right off our roofs in TV and back up north
Except for a cup holder and door pocket on Rivian and a free new battery on the bolt, no repairs ever in a combined 200k miles of abusive, neglectful use.

[Topspinmo]

Ok, now I am curious. Instead of just an overall criticism of my post. Please go further and dissect (preferably sentence by sentence) what you believe to be incorrect statements.

Only in cold weather pre 1960s vehicles.

wrong in warm climate , now if up north in zero degree weather and have vehicle that has crank case ventilation problems then yes condensation can build up. Not in Florida where temperatures are warm to hot year round. Not the big temperature swing like up north.

[Topspinmo]

That’s exactly why we are fully ev as of 2017
Rivian PU, bolt, Kona, and Ioniq in family .
Last straw was oil indicator on Benz Sprinter in 2018 said ‘one qt low’
It’s was a diesel w/14 qt sump capacity a
- one qt low 6 miles from hone no biggie.then 3 miles our 2 qt low, still no biggie.
200 yards away the freak show started with never-before-heard noise.
Next day on the same route I saw the trail of oil along the 7 mike route.
Turns out Sprinters ( likely others) only go up to 2 qt low force indicator.
$10k repair, and another $8k 6 mo later to fix first repair.
9 years old 38k miles.
My stinking John Deere tractor will not let you start with low oil or oil pressure.
Is MB that lame?
ICE no more.
Take your dead dinosaur burning vehicles and give us those free amperes which come right off our roofs in TV and back up north
Except for a cup holder and door pocket on Rivian and a free new battery on the bolt, no repairs ever in a combined 200k miles of abusive, neglectful use.

There not that old yet, but you’ll trade them long before they have real problems.

[Topspinmo]

The OP brought back some memories. I bought a brand new 1979 L82 Corvette. For whatever reason, its dipstick never clearly showed the oil level in the engine. It would just come out with an indefinite coating of oil after I had extracted and wiped it, then reinserted it. Back then I changed the oil myself so I took care to measure how much oil I poured into the crankcase after draining it. As I changed the oil fairly frequently I never had a problem, accumulating many miles over seven years as I frequently drove it back and forth between Los Alamos and Albuquerque. I sold it for $600 less than I had paid for it at the dealer.

I bought a 2016 BMW X5 xDrive50i new and because it was serviced by the local dealer under warranty never paid much attention to checking the oil. After a few months I planned to take a long trip and thought I ought to check the oil. I looked under the hood but could not find a dipstick! So I went to the internet and found oil level was electronically monitored and used the instructions in the owner's manual to check the oil. I still own the vehicle and it has never needed oil added between 10,000 mile oil changes. My 2023 X5 M50i has no dipstick but at least I expected that. How does one check the oil level if the battery is dead? lol

A friend of mine had a 1964 Dodge Hemi back in the day. It went through a quart of oil every 500 miles.

Unless your friend swapped in 426 street hemi it was 426 max wedge? Beside who has hemi or max wedge and don’t have their foot in it all time. My 69 GTX 440 didn’t fair as good, maybe 300 mile to quart. But the was ruff 300 miles.

[lawgolfer]

I have seen some articles recently that automotive manufacturers consider 1 quart every 1000 miles to be acceptable. Now I would ask the dealer or look at the owners manual to see when the oil light is supposed to come on. Since you do not have any indication of a leak, you are probably burning the oil, you could have someone follow you and see if they see any smoke from the tail pipe.

Because of the catalytic converter, it is not likely that the OP would see smoke in the exhaust if his engine is burning oil because of worn valve guides or piston rings.

I don't understand the OP's comment about checking "both sides" of the dipstick. What difference would this make?

If the OP notices his engine is down a quart after 1000 miles following the recent oil change, I would complain long and loudly to Ford.

Of interest, the car magazines are replete with complaints by Porsche owners about their cars using 1 quart/1000 miles and being told by the company that this is acceptable.

[Battlebasset]

Buy an electric vehicle and you will have 0 worries about the oil level or changes

I'm a very practical guy. And also somewhat of a car guy. 2001 Z28 Camaro. Change the oil myself once a year with synthetic, needed or not. 30 minutes out of my retired day. Like I've got something else more important to do.

I have a lithium ion golf cart. Far better than gas. No maintenance. Charge at home on 110 outlet. Don't know why anyone would buy a gas cart anymore.

But EV for my primary/only car? Sorry. Too many issues with charging stations when away from home, and the value of the vehicle after a few years. I'm actually considering a used EV as a second car. Why? Only using locally and the residual value drops like a rock. I can pick up a Chevy Bolt crazy cheap. Because after five years, no one wants them.

Until I can charge my EV wherever I need in ten minutes, it goes 400 miles on a charge, and the battery is reliable to 20 years, I'm sticking with ICE for my primary vehicle.

No hate of EV. Just the right tool for the job.

[bark4me]

I am definitely not a car guy. But I thought I knew how to check the oil level in my car. The last oil change, I used synthetic oil because the mechanic said it would last 7,500 miles. Yesterday, after about 6,800 miles, the "check engine" light and the oil light came on in my car. I checked the oil level and it looked fine. There has never been any oil on my garage floor, but my car was almost totally out of oil. I took the car to Firestone, the guy changed the oil, and he said I only had about one quart of oil in the car. There was no indication of a leak. It is interesting that the low oil light never came on before yesterday. Apparently, when checking the oil, you need to look at both sides of the dipstick. I was only looking at one side. I was also surprised that a car with only 65,000 miles could burn off that much oil with no indication that the car was using any oil. In the future, I will be changing my oil much more often.
If your car is older, rule of thumb is the change the oil every 3k miles or 3 months

[CarlR33]

If your car is older, rule of thumb is the change the oil every 3k miles or 3 monthsUm, Heck no, even a cheap $50 oil change 4 times a year would be $200!

[rsmurano]

The OP is missing the point: you are using oil when you shouldn’t be, oil changes are the last thing you need to do, you need to find out why you are using all this oil.
Did somebody look at your spark plugs to see if they are coated with oil? Do a compression test! You can have piston rings that went bad, valve guides leaking, or a number of other issues.
Take your car in to a mechanic and have him look into this.

[Donegalkid]

I have seen some articles recently that automotive manufacturers consider 1 quart every 1000 miles to be acceptable. Now I would ask the dealer or look at the owners manual to see when the oil light is supposed to come on. Since you do not have any indication of a leak, you are probably burning the oil, you could have someone follow you and see if they see any smoke from the tail pipe.

Accurate. Some new engine designs by certain manufacturers result in higher oil consumption, as stated, up to a quart per 1K of miles. I’ll leave out the manufacturers and engine models but one can easily research your car. Ironically, some of these new engine designs are now “oil burners” in the pursuit of higher MPG and performance. Engine longevity can suffer, though, as can the life of key components, like catalytic converters. Good to know your car.

[Bruceg0028]

I would have the technician show you the dip stick after the next oil change. Perhaps you’re not getting the proper fill. Most cars have different capacities and the tech may not have changed the setting on his oil filling device after the last job they did. A quart every thousand miles seems excessive.

[Donegalkid]

I have seen some articles recently that automotive manufacturers consider 1 quart every 1000 miles to be acceptable. Now I would ask the dealer or look at the owners manual to see when the oil light is supposed to come on. Since you do not have any indication of a leak, you are probably burning the oil, you could have someone follow you and see if they see any smoke from the tail pipe.

Accurate. Some new engine designs by certain manufacturers result in higher oil consumption, as stated, up to a quart per 1K of miles. I’ll leave out the manufacturers and engine models but one can easily research your car. Ironically, some of these new engine designs are now “oil burners” in the pursuit of higher MPG and “performance”. Engine longevity can suffer, though, as can the life of key components, like catalytic converters.

[gorillarick]

Yes! It is not a low-oil light; it is a low oil pressure light.

Wonder how far you drove with the light ON ?
Lucky you didn't over-heat and seize your engine.

ps: I would drive about 100 feet before I investigated.

[LianneMigiano]

Changing the oil at 5k miles will always work in your favor.
Btw what brand of car do you own?
We will have had it for 6 years on 8/10/25. My husband has made me change the synthetic oil 3 times already. It is now our only car - but still has been driven less than 3,000 miles so far this year. We rarely drive anywhere outside of "the bubble". I thought that agreeing to the mechanic putting in synthetic oil I would need to change the oil fewer times - and after greater mileage had elapsed. What advice do some of you "experts" out there suggest?

[biker1]

What does your owner's manual say? I am guessing that is says to change the oil at least once a year. I generally prefer to follow the recommendations of the people who designed and built the car. Many cars have a oil weight recommendation, such as 0W-20, that essentially requires a synthetic.

We will have had it for 6 years on 8/10/25. My husband has made me change the synthetic oil 3 times already. It is now our only car - but still has been driven less than 3,000 miles so far this year. We rarely drive anywhere outside of "the bubble". I thought that agreeing to the mechanic putting in synthetic oil I would need to change the oil fewer times - and after greater mileage had elapsed. What advice do some of you "experts" out there suggest?

[Altavia]

What does your owner's manual say? I am guessing that is says to change the oil at least once a year. I generally prefer to follow the recommendations of the people who designed and built the car. Many cars have a oil weight recommendation, such as 0W-20, that essentially requires a synthetic.

The 10K, 1yr recommendation started when that was required for the mfg to get energy credits. The car is designed to survive a 3-4 yr warranty period running that oil change interval.

If you want to keep a car +80K mi, due to tighter tollarances and smaller oil passages, the experienced mechanics recommend not to go more than 5K mi without an oil change. Especially with the higher MPG 2L turbo engines.

[Altavia]

We will have had it for 6 years on 8/10/25. My husband has made me change the synthetic oil 3 times already. It is now our only car - but still has been driven less than 3,000 miles so far this year. We rarely drive anywhere outside of "the bubble". I thought that agreeing to the mechanic putting in synthetic oil I would need to change the oil fewer times - and after greater mileage had elapsed. What advice do some of you "experts" out there suggest?

The reason for the 12 mo recommendation is that low miles and shorter drives increases oil contamination reducing lubrication effectiveness.

Especially for the newer high MPG turbo motors. The turbo gets very hot and the oil that remains in them continues to cook and degrade after the engine shuts down.

[Topspinmo]

The reason for the 12 mo recommendation is that low miles and shorter drives increases oil contamination reducing lubrication effectiveness.

Especially for the newer high MPG turbo motors. The turbo gets very hot and the oil that remains in them continues to cook and degrade after the engine shuts down.

Don’t forget about variable valve timing passages and piston rings carbon buildup. If I have turbo engine I would be changing oil more frequently due to turbo and coking. But, that’s me.

[Topspinmo]

Um, Heck no, even a cheap $50 oil change 4 times a year would be $200!


IMO with new oils formals that a bit much unless the engine on it’s last legs and need to get every mile out of it. Twice year or minimum once year if not driven much IMO. My car changes around year mark cause or sets most of time in garage.

[Topspinmo]

We will have had it for 6 years on 8/10/25. My husband has made me change the synthetic oil 3 times already. It is now our only car - but still has been driven less than 3,000 miles so far this year. We rarely drive anywhere outside of "the bubble". I thought that agreeing to the mechanic putting in synthetic oil I would need to change the oil fewer times - and after greater mileage had elapsed. What advice do some of you "experts" out there suggest?

You didn’t mention mileage? Three times in 6 years only once every two years average. When it was newer get away with that, but if you plan on keeping it IMO every 2 years to long as engine ages it cokes up more when oil left in longer. Most people don’t keep vehicles pass 3 or 4 years so they never experience engine oil related problems. It’s the second owner that discovers oil related problems from lack of changes. That’s why most want see service records on used car.

Plenty of utube videos on oil change intervals. Most recommend 5K or one year which ever comes first. If you drive over road majority to time long steady speed trips can go longer cause that don’t have same effect on oil as stop and go short trip driving.

[biker1]

They are changing the oil every two years and probably more than 6,000 miles. This is beyond what the manufacturer probably recommends. Yes, they should be changing it more frequently. Annually should be fine, instead of every two years, as it appears they aren't putting a lot of miles on the car.

The 10K, 1yr recommendation started when that was required for the mfg to get energy credits. The car is designed to survive a 3-4 yr warranty period running that oil change interval.

If you want to keep a car +80K mi, due to tighter tollarances and smaller oil passages, the experienced mechanics recommend not to go more than 5K mi without an oil change. Especially with the higher MPG 2L turbo engines.

[CoachKandSportsguy]

Wow! lots of great opinions here. . .

I have always changed my synthetic oil every 5K miles, and never had a problem. Always other parts of the car failed before the engine failed. I have never had a major engine failure since I started owning cars in 1980, with regular oil maintenance. With a low mileage use vehicle, a change every 6 months should keep the engine working well, as well as a brake check as high humidity / rain can cause rust on the rotors and increase brake wear and stopping distances. . .

A quick tip about checking oil using a dip stick:
pull the dipstick with a cold engine in the morning after sitting all night. The oil will have drained down into the pan, and the cool/cold nature of the oil will give an easier read on the dip stick as the oil is thicker and easier to see.

Regular maintenance on a large cost item will keep the large cost item from becoming future junk later rather than sooner, as all vehicles are future junk.

[Topspinmo]

I agree with everything that you said, especially the idea of checking the tailpipe for excessive oil burning. My humble opinion is that in Florida, I am not sold on multiple weight oils. They are fine for up North, but in Florida I prefer a straight weight 30W oil.

What? you still driving flat head ford?

You can’t use straight 30W oil in variable valve timing vehicles. Passages are too small some chain tensioners and other components use oil pressure to operate, then there heat factor that will slug/gum up 30W oil quicker. Most news vehicles use 0-15w oil now.

[Altavia]

What? you still driving flat head ford?

You can’t use straight 30W oil in variable valve timing vehicles. Passages are too small some chain tensioners and other components use oil pressure to operate, then there heat factor that will slug/gum up 30W oil quicker. Most news vehicles use 0-15w oil now.

Especially with newer direct injection turbo's, need to stick with Mfg recomendations - including the alphabet soup list of letters behind the oil type.

[MrFlorida]

I change my oil ( Mobile 1 ) once a year, but I only get about 4 k miles living in the bubble.

[Notsocrates]

a healthy engine does mot "burn" oil

[Topspinmo]

Accurate. Some new engine designs by certain manufacturers result in higher oil consumption, as stated, up to a quart per 1K of miles. I’ll leave out the manufacturers and engine models but one can easily research your car. Ironically, some of these new engine designs are now “oil burners” in the pursuit of higher MPG and “performance”. Engine longevity can suffer, though, as can the life of key components, like catalytic converters.

Why leave out who makes junk engines? IMO new engines should NOT be using quart oil in 1000 miles. They use that excess to get out of engine replacements under warranty which in most cases 3 years, most people replace vehicles after warranty runs out. The problem goes away for 1st owner and dealer.

Unless that engine is Hugh diesel that gets gallons of oil not few quarts should not be using quart in 1000 miles. Direct injected engines are IMO going to be new junk of 80’s. High pressure fuel directly injected into combustion chamber washes cycle walls of oil and bypass intake valves causing them to carbon up. So maybe better to buy EV than direct injected engine vehicles?

Another thing some manufacturers put water pump inside the timing chain cover. What idiot thought that and what idiots approved it? now when it goes bad or leaks got water in oil and have to tear whole front end of engine off to get to water pump or internal transfer tube leak.

[BrianL99]

Burning that much oil is totally unacceptable.
The language about "1 quart every 1000 miles" being acceptable is there to limit warranty claims. What it really means is "we won't fix anything until it burns more than 1 qt every 1000 miles".

You are exactly right.

That said, there are very few automobiles, where the burning of 1 quart of oil per 1000 miles is by design. As you said, it's warranty butt covering by manufacturers.

I can't imagine a vehicle burning a quart per 1000 miles, without the driving seeing smoke ... & I can't imagine leaking that much oil without someone noticing.

Even more unusual, is an oil light not illuminating if a vehicle was that low on oil.