Confessions of an Oil user.

[Ally_bassman]

Ok, this will be my only oil thread. I know the MK2 Forum is crying out for another so here we go…….

 

The idea of this thread is to try and dispel some “Oil drinker” or “Oil burner” myths that I commonly read on this forum and think to myself ‘Hmmm I’m not sure I agree with that’. There are some brilliant contributors to this Forum and their willingness to help fellow users, answer questions and share their knowledge of this scary topic should be appreciated – I certainly do! But with that also comes a slight sense of scaremongery. It’s not intentional; it’s just what happens in the pressure cooker that is an internet Forum!

 

What gives me the right to write this?? - Good question! I’ve owned my car for 18 months and driven over 20,000 miles in it. My car, although an 11 plate, she was built in 2010 and is an early CAVE engine car. And you guessed it – it’s an oil user! (This is the politically correct term, oil burner is offensive)

My car can use up to 1L in 1500 - 2000 miles, which for some would be too much. For me is fine and now I want to share my experiences/thoughts on living with an oil user……

 

How do you check your oil? -  There are many different ways that people check their oil, cold/hot/warm/both/on a Wednesday. Not helped by the ever helpful owner’s handbook, it is a topic that is clear as…well…oil! Whatever you decide to do; keep it consistent! I check mine after my drive home from work, the car has got nice and hot and covered 25 miles. I park up on my flat driveway; go inside for 10 minutes thus giving the car time to cool slightly and the oil to return to the sump.  I pull the dipstick out, wipe it clean, and then dip. I then use this measurement to decide what my oil level is. I will do this every time I dip, so I am safe in the knowledge that some of the many variables that can alter a reading have been eliminated or at least limited.

 

When do you top up? – Everyone will have a different opinion on this. I think it is important to first understand the dipstick. There is a common myth that the top of the hatched area of the dipstick to the bottom of the hatched area equates to 1L of oil. This is very wrong!!! Measuring out the oil in a jug and then feeding It in slowly, I found that amount of oil needed to take the reading from the bottom to the top is in fact 650ml. Therefore I top of my oil up when it gets to the bottom of the hatched area on the dipstick. When you learn the characteristics of your car and how much oil it consumes you can then ‘trust’ it’s consumption habit and just check it when it will have used approx. 650ml! My car uses that 650ml over 1500-2000 miles, I therefore check my oil every 1000miles.

My personal opinion is that more issues are caused by people checking the dipstick, seeing that it’s dry on the hatched area and then throwing in 1L of oil, which is just overfilling!

 

But running with low oil is bad? – Good point! But what is classed as low?? We are talking about a mass produced engine used in a range of cars from warm hatches through to Seat's. It is not some highly strung V8 race engine that has to have the exact amount of oil to save from complete failure. My opinion is if the oil level is within that hatched area, either at the top or the bottom, you are A-OK! When running ‘low’ oil in my car I noticed no differences what so ever apart from a 1 degree higher running temp on the motorway.

 

As my signing off statement to my essay (thanks for reading by the way) My car, although an oil burner, runs sweet as a nut, pulls well and is running stage one power. My Spark plugs were changed at 29000 miles and were in good condition.

 

Have an oil burner too? Not to worry, its not all doom and gloom.......

 

Ally.

 

 

[Ootohere]

Great stuff.

 

One question,  (well in 2 parts.)

If you have had it serviced twice & Oil & Filter changes,

i assume that the place you count as where you want to see the Oil is where it showed after the journey home.

 

If you dip the oil you normally check with a hot check,

where is it when Stone Cold, parked in the same place?

[vrskeith]

Ok, this will be my only oil thread. I know the MK2 Forum is crying out for another so here we go…….

 

The idea of this thread is to try and dispel some “Oil drinker” or “Oil burner” myths that I commonly read on this forum and think to myself ‘Hmmm I’m not sure I agree with that’. There are some brilliant contributors to this Forum and their willingness to help fellow users, answer questions and share their knowledge of this scary topic should be appreciated – I certainly do! But with that also comes a slight sense of scaremongery. It’s not intentional; it’s just what happens in the pressure cooker that is an internet Forum!

 

What gives me the right to write this?? - Good question! I’ve owned my car for 18 months and driven over 20,000 miles in it. My car, although an 11 plate, she was built in 2010 and is an early CAVE engine car. And you guessed it – it’s an oil user! (This is the politically correct term, oil burner is offensive)

My car can use up to 1L in 1500 - 2000 miles, which for some would be too much. For me is fine and now I want to share my experiences/thoughts on living with an oil user……

 

How do you check your oil? -  There are many different ways that people check their oil, cold/hot/warm/both/on a Wednesday. Not helped by the ever helpful owner’s handbook, it is a topic that is clear as…well…oil! Whatever you decide to do; keep it consistent! I check mine after my drive home from work, the car has got nice and hot and covered 25 miles. I park up on my flat driveway; go inside for 10 minutes thus giving the car time to cool slightly and the oil to return to the sump.  I pull the dipstick out, wipe it clean, and then dip. I then use this measurement to decide what my oil level is. I will do this every time I dip, so I am safe in the knowledge that some of the many variables that can alter a reading have been eliminated or at least limited.

 

When do you top up? – Everyone will have a different opinion on this. I think it is important to first understand the dipstick. There is a common myth that the top of the hatched area of the dipstick to the bottom of the hatched area equates to 1L of oil. This is very wrong!!! Measuring out the oil in a jug and then feeding It in slowly, I found that amount of oil needed to take the reading from the bottom to the top is in fact 650ml. Therefore I top of my oil up when it gets to the bottom of the hatched area on the dipstick. When you learn the characteristics of your car and how much oil it consumes you can then ‘trust’ it’s consumption habit and just check it when it will have used approx. 650ml! My car uses that 650ml over 1500-2000 miles, I therefore check my oil every 1000miles.

My personal opinion is that more issues are caused by people checking the dipstick, seeing that it’s dry on the hatched area and then throwing in 1L of oil, which is just overfilling!

 

But running with low oil is bad? – Good point! But what is classed as low?? We are talking about a mass produced engine used in a range of cars from warm hatches through to Seat's. It is not some highly strung V8 race engine that has to have the exact amount of oil to save from complete failure. My opinion is if the oil level is within that hatched area, either at the top or the bottom, you are A-OK! When running ‘low’ oil in my car I noticed no differences what so ever apart from a 1 degree higher running temp on the motorway.

 

As my signing off statement to my essay (thanks for reading by the way) My car, although an oil burner, runs sweet as a nut, pulls well and is running stage one power. My Spark plugs were changed at 29000 miles and were in good condition.

 

Have an oil burner too? Not to worry, its not all doom and gloom.......

 

Ally.

Ally,

 

That's a great piece.

 

Cheers.

 

vrskeith

[Ally_bassman]

I've not done a stone cold check in a while, but if I remember correctly with the oil to the the top of the hatched area, a cold dip is just a little higher than that.

[Ootohere]

Thanks.

 

on your point about running with just less than 650 ml below the 3.6 litres, that is less than 25% lower than capacity. (900ml)

Not really an issue.

The engine has a very good cooling system.

 

Where some people have been 50 % low on Oil and no Warning Light or Message, 

the Engine still gets the Oil Cooled, it takes more energy to do that,

where the engine is not stressed it is not a issue, 

But where under load, is the reason for the Advice given in the Owners Manual about having the Oil in Area A.

Area A is above the Cross Hatch on the Smooth Area.

 

"We recommend maintaining the oil level within range 'A' if the engine has been operating at high loads, for example,

'Lengthy Motorways Trips during the Summer Months, Negotiating High Mountain Passes, Towing etc' " (Paraphrase there.)

 

But the Owners manual does cover many Engines Diesel & Petrol, 3 & 4 Cylinder and from 44 kw to 132 kw.

& says different things translated to English than the VW manual for the same engines.

[Sparkly]

Good, but not quite as good as that video when you were a window cleaner Ally.

[Ootohere]

Is the Video available for public viewing?

[Ally_bassman]

Good, but not quite as good as that video when you were a window cleaner Ally.

A window cleaner?!?! Now my mind is in definite need of a reboot on that one! :-)

[Sittingbull]

Good piece Ally.

 

I know I've contributed a few times on another thread about oil consumption as our wee car is also an oil user, albeit a bit more than yours seems to be to be fair. Despite contributing to that thread, and indeed to this one, there is one thing I may have been remiss in not saying before now.

 

We love our wee car. It pulls strongly, runs really smoothly and is a treat for us to drive. I'm trying hard not to be too despondent about the discovery early doors in our ownership that the car uses a bit of oil, my outlook is to prefer to try to get the car the way it should be, and indeed the way the vast majority of vrs owners cars are already, including the majority of cave engined ones. I'm trying hard to work with Skoda rather than against them in order to get our car the way it should be, its just that processes take a while to engage and follow it seems.

 

I too have learned to be consistent in approach when dipping, and have learned roughly how many miles to expect between top ups. I've never let it go to a warning light as I would rather not take chances, however I am content to know that it doesn't have to be full to the gunnels to drive safely.

 

So I agree, owning one of these is not all doom and gloom.

 

ps. I reserve the right to change this outlook once I've had more dealings with Skoda Lol.

[Furbytom]

Great post Ally. Touch wood I've never had any significant oil issues. Oil is relatively cheap so I think I would also just keep topping up and enjoy the car rather than battle skoda and faff around with breather mods and replacement engines.

[andy3270]

Very good post I think by the nature of the car itself ie 1.4 engine with twin chargers is unusual in design and the vast majority of owners are interested in the mechanics and will check tyres/oil regularly it is not the type car to buy and put fuel in untill the next service . There must be a payback for the performance you get from a tiny engine and paying an extra few quid at the pumps and 5 litres of oil now and again isn't much for the grin you get when you floor it. I have had vrs octavia, subaru and even a old 911 in the past and for such a small engine nothing comes anywhere near.

[Ally_bassman]

Thank you for taking the time to read it guys! It's easy to focus on the negatives, but I think it's important to think that if your car runs well and it's using a lot more petrol than oil, just enjoy it!

[shoveitpusher]

Ours uses a similar amount of oil and it does concern me a wee bit. Especially as it is swmbo's car.

As an individual I don't know what is normal usage so this sort of thread just settles the mind. I tend to refill when the level is on the bottom of the hatching when cold just for consistency

[vxh26]

Great post!  Should be of use and reassurance to any Skoda vRS owner and not a single word of criticism of Skoda UK, dealers or grease monkeys - WELL DONE

[MartynVRS]

Thank you for taking the time to read it guys! It's easy to focus on the negatives, but I think it's important to think that if your car runs well and it's using a lot more petrol than oil, just enjoy it!

Exactly. A far more positive thread than the usual oil scaremongering ones

[sharkrider]

excellent post Ally I take an even more laid back approach (although I have a CTHE) I only tend to check the oil if I know I'm going on a long run, like to the track, or next weekend down to the new forest ect ... (I always dip cold, again, agree with the "consistancy" approach ), and if its near the bottom of the hatch, put in 500mill, I also agree this ternds to fill it up!) then otherwise I just forget it, until the orange light comes on! (*runs from trolls) then I promtly put a litre of 5/40 in it runs perfectly, as quick as my cave with a TMC on, and uses about a litre every 5,000 miles ....

 

I'm totally happy

[Ootohere]

Good post.

 

 So how many times have you had an Orange Light on, and how much oil was needed then to fill it up,

 was it just the 1 litre each time ?

[Ally_bassman]

I'm glad I'm not the only one! It's so easy to worry about it, when I first realised my car was using oil I did panic a little, but reading the information and posts from other members I drew my own conclusions and now monitor and look after the car in my own way.

I think it's important that we have some positive oil usage threads. Of course not every car is the same, but if we can get some more stories of owners that just enjoy the car and top them up it might help reassure some owners that are worrying about their own cars. Especially now as early cars are out of warranty and may be being bought privately.

Let's try and rebuild some of the MK2's rep!!!

[Sparkly]

Especially now as early cars are out of warranty and may be being bought privately.

 

But surely only an idiot would do something like that 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12 months since I had to worry about anything silly like warranty

[Ally_bassman]

Haha exactly! But people will and could come here looking for answers, at least now they might get a balanced response that yes some use oil but it's not all bad news.

[Ootohere]

The postive is great, i have a non oil user 2010 June car that is thrashed.  

I know others of them.

 

Using oil is just a symptom of what might be going on, if it only keeps using oil, then good.

If it has plugs fouling and Misfires and EPC or Exhaust Control Lights coming on & Limp Mode with the Turbo Shut Down

then Not so good.

& that can be the story in the Long or not so long run.

 

*If that is considered Scaremongering, then sorry, but that is the Real World.*

 

So you can not hide the ones among the 1,808 sold in the UK 2010-2012 that have failed, and had Breather Pipe & Valve Mods & then Replacement engines,& replacement CAVE engines again failed.

(The Hybrid CAVE Replacement with Uprated parts fiited as Replacements have been good to my knowledge.)

 

Just today a Member here that requires a New DSG box has Oil Use Issues and is being told he will have to pay for the Consumption Test.

Still Owners are being treated like there are no major issues,

& buyers of cars out of Warranty face a £4,000 plus bill.

 

So lets be all smiley and happy and if you use 650 ml in every 1000 miles and are fine with that good.

But when someone has Cylinder 3 Spark Plug or Valves burn out, or the Coil fail, 

or Compression lost on 2 cylinders, 

The Happy Owners are little help to them.

 

Some of the 1.4 TSI CAVE Engines were poorly Built, have Quality Control Issues & Engine Management Issues.

The Majority are good, 

& do not have these issues.   Many cars use very little oil and do not need constant checks or top ups.

 

But it is Buyer Beware, and some knowledge of the cars is important.

It is not hard used cars that fail IME, it is easy run ones, ones run on 95 ron fuel and driven hard as well while using 95 ron,

& then the badly built engines,

But by 25,000 miles that should be easy to know if it is a good or bad one.

There are some that have Bought what they thought was good, and then found it should have been Tested & likely had a new engine,

but instead was Traded in, put in the Car Trade and now part of Pass the Parcel.

[SeaGoat]

At last - someone with a positive attitude to my car.

I'm fed up with the endless doom-mongers.

Thank you good sir.

[Ootohere]

?

What is your car,

a 2010-2012 CAVE engined vRS

or the CTHE that came from Late 2012 after Volkswagen knew the engine required revising due to the failure rate since 2009 of the 

1.4 TSI Twincharger 180 ps  ?

 

Happy with the car with the Updated Engine & Engine Management is lovely and nice, very happy slappy & lovely

but little help to those that have drawn the Short Straw & got the ones that went before and had the issues..

Many were just buying a car and looking forward to fun, and most have had that, it is a shame for those that have not.

So helping to stop others buying a used Lemon surely must have some value, even to those that are, 'i am alright Jack'.

 

http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/294051-cave-cthe-14tsi-just-reply-please-if-you-have-had-an-engine-replaced

[sharkrider]

Good post.

 

 So how many times have you had an Orange Light on, and how much oil was needed then to fill it up,

 was it just the 1 litre each time ?

for me, I have seen the orange light once in 22,000 miles.... I normally get to topping up for a long run before then! lol... about 5 track days this year!

[Ootohere]

Just to be clear, that is with a CTHE from later on in 2013,  not a CAVE or one of the first CTHE , is it not?

 

I have not heard of later CTHE using Oil, only the earliest built cars, so no surprises there really.

& your CAVE was one of the majority that was not a Oil User.

But then thats what using them as intended for does.