Have my RS 18 months now. Only 10,000 miles done !!

Last august I got her serviced as the car was a year old.

There was only 5000 miles up, but the garage did the

10,000 mile service for me and told me to come back at

15,000 for another service. They said they put in synthetic

oil.

Checked the oil the other day and I noticed the oil comes

up to the centre mark in the dipstick. According to

the manual this means I can top up.

Is this normal to have used this much oil after only

5000 miles ?

What oil would you recommend to top up with ? Can I buy off the shelf synthectic oil or should I go the dealer for a top up.

Or should I just wait until 15k (about another 6 months) and get

the car serviced then ?

thanks

Well the garage says the dipstick is misleading and has invited me to drop by and they will top it up.

On the question of service intervals my garage says 1 year or 10k miles, even with long life oil. Now I'm only doing 5k miles a year, so it will always be an annual sevice for me regarless of mileage. So since it will be 1 year since the last service at the end of this month, would you recommend getting the full 20k mile service done ?

Hi Flanno, Longlife oil is Castrol SLX 11 Longlife. Dealer was charging

I allways keep the oil topped up to the maximum mark... I check mine every week.....

I thought if on variable servicing it was every two years or when the computer tells you if you don't get to the required mileage.

1/2 litre in 5000miles is ok...

cheers

Dazz

I normally check engine oil level when my car has been standing overnight and is on a level surface. Circulating oil will have drained into the sump by then and there is less risk of overfilling and putting the catalytic converter at risk.

I was surprised to see from the Octavia's manual that my method is wrong for that car (and maybe the majority of others too). The relevant advice is:

'.........The engine oil level should therefore be checked at regular intervals. This is best done each time you refuel and before a long journey.

...........

The car should be standing horizontally when checking the oil level. Wait a few minutes after switching off the engine to allow oil to flow back into the sump.

.............'

So the oil level should be checked when warm/hot and before all the oil will have had time to drain back into the sump. I will be interested to see what the difference in oil level reading is using my method and then the correct one. Watch this space. :eek:

Yes I always check mine when engine on a level and as been switched off for at least a couple of hours......

Denis, I think they are just trying to catch drivers at the moment they are most likely to think about their oil. "When refuelling" is that time, for most of us, especially those who live on steep hills and who both leave home and return after dark at this time of year. They do say wait a few minutes for the oil to drain back, which it will do pretty quickly when hot, and they also say "before a long journey". Sounds fine to me.

So the oil level should be checked when warm/hot and before all the oil will have had time to drain back into the sump. I will be interested to see what the difference in oil level reading is using my method and then the correct one. Watch this space. :eek:

Checked today before and after a 25 mile drive. The oil level when hot was exactly the same as when cold! I checked the level 1, 2 and 3 minutes after switching off - it was the same each time.

I suppose the oil once warmed is fairly thin and so will run quite quickly back to the low point in the system - the sump. I bet you'd see a difference if you did the same when the engine was cold or if you used a 15w50 oil!

Steve

I bet you'd see a difference if you did the same when the engine was cold or if you used a 15w50 oil!

Steve

I could have mentioned that I use a fully synthetic 0W-30 oil to spec VW 503 00, hence the fast draining properties. Having done that little exercise, I will continue to check the oil level when the car has been standing overnight and the oil is cold. But as you say, Steve, it will be possible to get the range of readings on the dipstick depending on how and when you check the oil level.

I do check mine regularly but haven't had to top up yet (26k miles, fixed servicing). It has dropped slightly since it was last refilled 4,000 miles ago (sump replaced) but is still well within the upper area of the stick

WEll donkey-boy here hadn't checked his since the service back in august.............

All this talk of checking gave me a nudge, but i didn't do it till now......about an hour after the damn oil pressure warning light flickered at me. :eek:

It didn't stay on or anything, which as I read the manual would have meant serious problem. However, having just checked the oil, nothing on the stick, so after a blind panic and desperate checking of bank balance to see if it can stomach an engine rebuild (it can't!!! :eek: ) I've filled it up to a decent level and hope it survives. No idea how long it's been like that though. :(

is it just me, or is that level of oil consumption in six months seem about right? (assuming the garage really did do the oil as per service schedule)

WEll donkey-boy here hadn't checked his since the service back in august.............

All this talk of checking gave me a nudge' date=' but i didn't do it till now......about an hour after the damn oil pressure warning light flickered at me. :eek:

It didn't stay on or anything, which as I read the manual would have meant serious problem. However, having just checked the oil, nothing on the stick, so after a blind panic and desperate checking of bank balance to see if it can stomach an engine rebuild (it can't!!! :eek: ) I've filled it up to a decent level and hope it survives. No idea how long it's been like that though. :(

is it just me, or is that level of oil consumption in six months seem about right? (assuming the garage really did do the oil as per service schedule)[/quote']

Seems excessive to me, but then again mine hasnt needed topping up in 8500 miles..

Wasn't the 2.0 engine prone to heavy oil consumption?

well, it wouldn't surpise me if the 2.0 lump was prone to heavy oil drinking - it's the stock 2.0 lump that saw years of service in the Mk3 GTI Golfs IIRC.....

I've never had clouds of blue smoke or massive patches of oil under it, so it must be a secret drinker.......

But as long as it's not going to have caused any real problems, then I'll check it more often from now one (i think every two weeks so i can monitor it should be ok)