hi there, my parents have a 2006 plate skoda octavia 140bhp 2 litre tdi engine and it seems to be using oil.

every car they have previously owned never needed the oil topping up in between services but this one seems to.

have checked the tray below engine and no signs of it leaking, is this just a common problem with this engine?

Yes, there was a long thread on here documenting whose 2.0 PD TDi's used oil.

Some used a litre every 1,000 miles, some never used a drop!

Incidentally, my 2008 Scout has never needed topping up - yet!

I'll try and find it...

I have a 1.9 TDI, but I thought it was normal for you to need to top up.

Mine is on variable servicing, so can do 18k (?) between services. When it gets near to needing a service, the oil light on mine comes on wanting a top up. It's not really something to be concerned about. I think mine wanted topping up about 3k before the service was due, but didn't keep nagging me, and it didn't use too much. I have a little oil bottle in the boot, it fits in one of the side panels.

That is reassuring to hear that it is not only their car!

Just after putting in a litre of oil and will record how long it goes before needing a top up.

My fabia vrs never uses a drop between services, touchwood!

Both quality cars and engines, love them!

My PD140 also used oil between services, perhaps maybe a couple of litres between its variable services. Its rate of consumption dropped off as the mileage went up.

I made a slight error in topping up with 1l when I got the warning light. 1/2l would have been more like it. Level is still slightly too high and has not dropped visibly in the last 1000 miles. I'm still puzzled by the original warning.

Edited 5 January, 201115 yr by gregoir

i was told when the warning level light comes on it requires exactly 1litre, mines uses a litre every 6-8k, but i do drive it hard.

When my warning light came on unexpectedly I indeed put in 1l. However this has overfilled it a little so I'd try 1/2l if it happened again.

I do check regularly and was upset when this happened while trickling along in heavy M25 traffic.

We currently have two cars with this engine, both on variable servicing intervals since new (currently on 95k and 72k miles) and they have both needed a top up before the next service is due a couple of times but this does seem to have reduced since they got over 50k miles...

If you top the oil up, then drive the car until it's warmed up and give it a run, keeping the revs quite high this can sometimes help.

TBH I think 1L over almost 20k miles isn't bad.

If you think about it, oil changes used to be every 5-6k and you would find the oil sometimes moved down the dipstick between services. so for 4 of those services you probably put 1L in.

It's also worth checking the pipework is all clear, especially any breathers as if they are blocked they could pressurise the head and force small amounts of oil past the rings.

My current 2.0pd uses about 2 litres between services (19k), my last one never needed topping up between services - so they do vary from one to the next.

I just wish I could read the dipstick on mine!

Seriously there was a thread on it a while back, I honestly find it impossible to use, wheras previous cars have been as simple as you would expect!

Niall

My vrs PD used oil quite fast (in comparison to previous cars) at about 1 liter per 2-3k. Then I towed a tonne of wood in a 400kg trailer through mid wales including several hills where 2nd gear was required to maintain speed and really gave the car a good work out. Hardly used a drop since. Maybe the old adage of using some lower spec oil until the first oil change at a few thousand miles to "bed the engine in" might have something in it. Modern tdi's (140 and 170) are so under stressed even by people who drive briskly that they never properly run in? Just a thought.

I have a 2008 Octavia 2.0 TDI vRS and I use about 200ml a year on topping up the oil. I do around 14000 miles a year and I'm really impressed at how little it uses!

My Leon PD140 uses around a litre between 10k services. but I think this is reducing. It's done 54k now.

My old Petrol VRS Octavia used 2-3 Litres between services 1-2 and 2-3