I bought my (PETROL) 55 plate octy mk2 VRs 31000 miles, 2 months ago from a local skoda dealer. I got home yesterday and as i pulled up my oil warning light illuminated orange. I checked my oil level today once engine was cooled and on a level surface and there was the slightest trace of oil at the very tip of the dipstick well below the min level. now i'm concerned over 2 things. first if this would have done any damage to my engine and secondly i've only done 800 miles in 2 months since buying the car, now either the dealer has not checked the oil before handing the car over (which i cannot prove) or the car is using serious amounts of oil. I dont have an oil leak as i would have seen it on my drive as the car sits there most days and doesn't move as i dont use it for work. Anyone have any ideas on what could cause excessive oil usage like this and if lack of oil could damage the DMF as i'e been concerned over the noise produced when pulling away from a standstill in 1st gear. The dealer says its normal as its the design of the DMF, he did start up another VRs he had on the forecourt and this appeared to make the same noise however he did not let me get behind the wheel or drive it to compare.

Edited 1 January, 200917 yr by Pozza
missed out important info

The diesels do use a fair amount of oil in the first 10 or 20k miles but yours sounds like it's used a lot more than anyone else's normally does.

There is an official guideline to how much is acceptable which might be 1 litre every 1000 miles (someone who knows for sure will be along soon) , but that's a good bit higher than they normally do as well.

Best thing I can say is to put some in and keep an eye on it. You won't have done any damage IMHO, it's a low level indication rather than low pressure.

Don't fill it to the top but maintain it at around the mid point on the stick.

The 2.0L TFSI engine is known to use a fair bit of oil, which is a tad worrying if you are used to a car that doesn't use any between services.

As VRStu suggests, top it up with around 1 litre, and then see how you go; check it regularly. IIRC the handbook suggests an acceptable level of consumption.

A common issue and been covered quite a few times before, a quick search should put your mind at rest.

Its also possible that the oil was not upto the max line when you purchased the car, as already suggested topup to the max line and check the level regularly and see how it goes.

I would fill it to the MID point and not the MAX, and then monitor it. For some reason, the more you top them up the more oil they seem to use.

I carry a litre in the boot for this very reason.

Agree with Jonno VRs there

Whenever I pick up a new car or get it back from service, I always check the oil level, tyre pressures etc. not that I don't trust the garage, but errors can be made. I also check the oil and water in both our cars every week, so I can soon notice a sudden drop in any levels.

....now either the dealer has not checked the oil before handing the car over (which i cannot prove)

Most likely it was low when you got the car - from what you have said I'm guessing you didn't bother to check it yourself either and are trying to blame the dealer for your feelings of guilt . AFAIK there are two warnings for oil - Orange is just telling you to add some more oil ASAP, and no damage is likely. Red means stop now and don't drive until you fix the problem as damage is likely. Yours will be OK If you do as mentioned above - add oil (the right VW spec oil), and keep an eye on the level in future .

In some vehicles that are driven regularly for short journeys you can get a significant build up of condensates in the engine oil, this gives a false indication of the actual oil level (and there will often be creamy emulsion on the oil filler cap). If you then go for a reasonably fast highway drive for an hour or more these condensates can be burnt off and suddenly the engine oil level is much lower.

In your owner's manual it will tell you about checking things like engine oil levels, coolant levels, brake/clutch fluid levels and tyre pressures - these are all good things to check on a regular basis (eg each time you fill with petrol), and could save you from expensive (or dangerous) problems further down the track.

....and if lack of oil could damage the DMF as i'e been concerned over the noise produced when pulling away from a standstill in 1st gear. The dealer says its normal as its the design of the DMF, he did start up another VRs he had on the forecourt and this appeared to make the same noise however he did not let me get behind the wheel or drive it to compare.

My 2.0 TFSI "grumbles" if i pull away with low revs (below 1,400), especially if it is cold, but if I keep the revs above 1,500 it sounds much happier. I think there was a thread about this on this forum recently.

Hope that helps allay your fears - enjoy your Octy, they are a great car

My TFSI is a bit of an iol-aholic too. At the moment it goes from the full mark to the min mark within 2500-3000 miles or less!

My TFSI is a bit of an iol-aholic too. At the moment it goes from the full mark to the min mark within 2500-3000 miles or less!

That sounds about the same as mine. Thought that was ok as it only equates to about half a litre! I had a 16v MkII Golf GTI from new and it could use up to a litre of Mobil 1 every 1,000 miles & that was ok as far as VAG manufacturers tollerance:P

My TFSI is a bit of an iol-aholic too. At the moment it goes from the full mark to the min mark within 2500-3000 miles or less!

Bloody hell:eek: mine doesnt get anywhere near that bad using the mid stick method.

Ive done around 34k in mine and put in around 5l of oil in that time and my car is in a similar state to yours.

Carl:thumbup:

That sounds about the same as mine. Thought that was ok as it only equates to about half a litre! I had a 16v MkII Golf GTI from new and it could use up to a litre of Mobil 1 every 1,000 miles & that was ok as far as VAG manufacturers tollerance:P

Is this true? I got an oil and filter change yesterday at kwik-fit using mobil 1 fully synthetic.

I drove the car 20 miles and after cooling the engine off I checked the dipstick, it was halfway between the max and min levels, on this note I was back at their door at 8 sharp this morning asking them to top it up to the max.

I honestly thought they had ripped me off for about 2 litres of oil...lol

anyway they topped it up and even gave me a 2/3 full litre bottle of the oil for a top up when required.

great service imo:), never expected this from kwik-fit as they have disappointed me in the past.

My TFSI is fairly good on oil, maybe half a litre every 3000 miles - but I did have a clio 172 that would take a litre every 500-600 miles!

Is this true?

It was according to two VW Main Dealers back in 1986 :P! Very early Mk II 16V Golfs had a bit of a reputation for oil usage, but I was always lead to belive that this was rapily rectified, so in reality only a small percentage were affected! As mine was one of the first ones in the country, then it was going to be a drinker!

Anyway, they were designed to be "driven" & mine certainly was! 33,000 in the first year, including entering the Beaujolais Wine Run!

Good Fun!

It was according to two VW Main Dealers back in 1986 :P! Very early Mk II 16V Golfs had a bit of a reputation for oil usage, but I was always lead to belive that this was rapily rectified, so in reality only a small percentage were affected! As mine was one of the first ones in the country, then it was going to be a drinker!

Anyway, they were designed to be "driven" & mine certainly was! 33,000 in the first year, including entering the Beaujolais Wine Run!

Good Fun!

Good show, wish I had the oppurtunity to go for a good Euro road trip. sample some of the Euro higher octane petrol too....

So just to turn it around a bit - does anyone actually use LESS than me? Ive just finished the 1 litre top up bottle in the boot and I have 13k on the clock?! I guess I shouldnt complain but I worry that mine is different to the majority!!

Ive stated on other similar threads that I believe a proper 'hardish' run in when new will condition the engine better for lower oil usage - a lot of people say that the seals/rings dont bed in as well when the car is panda'd around. In fact thinking about it, the last three cars I owned from new didnt need any more than the slightest of top ups between servicing.

Lee

Mine is easing up now and not as bad. For a while i by 3500 miles it would be gone from full to the min mark.

ive had my car since new and have topped it up with 2 or 3 litres in 26k plus one service at 19k

So far I haven't used hardly any oil at all, the level on the dipstick may have dropped 1-2mm, but only 8,000Km so far. The Octy is the "town car", my Transporter does almost all my highway driving.

I do run in all my new cars with some "vigour" (once they are properly warmed up).