Evening all. Sorry for what could be a confusing thread. I’ve just had my car up on the ramps as work was quiet tonight. Main reason was because it seems to be regenerating the DPF frequently, my MPG is below 45 even though >80% of my driving is motorway runs and I’m using roughly 800ml oil for every 4000 miles give or take. Total miles to a tank is anywhere between 400 and 450 at a push. Car has just ticked over 100k and is a 2014 184 TDI. 
 

I was hoping I might see something obvious that could attribute to an oil leak, but it was pretty clean underneath. Very slight bit of oil on the aux belt lower pulley but nothing to be worried about just yet. 
 

I then had a look at the engine with the cover off, had a bit of oil pooling in a screw well that I’m not sure how it would have got there or how long it’s been there (Left side of the engine as you look from the front, just up and left of the first injector). The injectors were quite moist/oily around where they enter the block but again I don’t think it explains how much oil it is going through. 
 

I then removed the breather from the turbo that enters the top of the rocker, and that had a bit of an oily film around the inside, I think this would be expected to a point?
 

Also whilst checking it there was a white Smokey sort of exhaust fume coming out of the pipe. Is this normal? Or could the turbo potentially be the source of my oil leak, which is then affecting the DPF? 
 

Hopefully someone has a previous experience I can lean on to try and get this fixed, thanks in advance ☺️

5 hours ago, RobMac1 said:

a white Smokey sort of exhaust fume coming out of the pipe.

Engine oil vapour. Now the engine sounds fairly normal even if it's smoking, so I think you may need a compression test.

3 hours ago, KenONeill said:

Engine oil vapour. Now the engine sounds fairly normal even if it's smoking, so I think you may need a compression test.

Thanks Ken, is that not normal from that pipe then? I’ll see about getting a garage to look at that this week if possible.

I don’t suppose you have any idea on repair costs if one of the piston rings is blowing? 

2 hours ago, RobMac1 said:

is that not normal from that pipe then?

Any colour smoke beyond a trace of oil mist from the filler on a hot engine is possibly an issue.