have a fabia with 38,000 miles is a 2001 model and bought it in february .. 2 days ago my oil light came on and i needed to put in 2.5 L of oil .... february it had full service seems a bit much to me anyone have any views on this ???

How many miles ago was it, I mean February is like 5 months ago, surely you have checked the oil since then?

1 litre per 600 miles is permissable.

If you had to put 2.5 litres in in one go thats nearly the whole capacity of the engine!!! Thats alarming.

The 16v has been known to blow its piston rings though - do a search for loads of info.

The engine holds 3.5 lites total so yes you didnt have a lot in there assuming its now not over filled.

Is it burning oil at all , blue smoke out of the exhaust? Threre is an issue with the piston rings on this engine , best get it looked at.

Yes, i just bought a used Fabia 1.4 2001 and it needed the piston rings replacing due to too great an oil consumption which is only meant to be up to 1ltr per 1000ml. It's a big job though, my car was in from Friday morn till Monday Morning.

did it cost alot for piston rings to be done mate ? :(

Yes, i just bought a used Fabia 1.4 2001 and it needed the piston rings replacing due to too great an oil consumption which is only meant to be up to 1ltr per 1000ml. It's a big job though, my car was in from Friday morn till Monday Morning.

Was that on a 16v or a 8v?

16v

Is there a DIY way to check the condition of the piston rings ?

How "bad" need the exhaust gas values to be to point towards worn piston rings (1.4 16V Fabia 05 reg)

oil consumption is ~1L / 1000 miles (mainly in short trips of 3-5 miles)

thanks in advance

Robert

A reliable source told me that using a good engine flush on this engine has been known to cure the problem. Haven't tried it myself.

Pete

I have an AUB engine with 70k +, I change oil + filter every 5k miles (car does mostly town driving), and use engine flush occasionally, even though Skoda do not recommend it. Oil consumption is about one pint between oil changes.

I've got a BBY engine with 47.5K and it uses 0.5 litre every 2k/2.5k it is mainly used on 10 mile runs (well its my wife's car actually). Also despite what is considered as "best practice" I add Comma easi flush roughly 100 miles before an oil change. The oil I currently use is Quantum Synta Gold but will change to Fuchs Titon Super Syn at next (every 10k/12Months) oil change.

have a fabia with 38,000 miles is a 2001 model and bought it in february .. 2 days ago my oil light came on and i needed to put in 2.5 L of oil .... february it had full service seems a bit much to me anyone have any views on this ???

I'd check the operator's manual and find out exactly all the levels/pressures etc that you should be checked frequently, your comment is very scary - should you actually be trusted to be out on the road? not meant as a smart comment - more like a statement of fact! even though this post is just a bit late!!

My Wifes in tears, she has just been told her car needs

My Wifes in tears, she has just been told her car needs

Hi ,

Its now done 37000 miles and average miles per trip is approx 15 !!

I'm not sure of the engine number and I'm putting in about a litre every 1600 miles, the reason for taking back to the dealers was the dreaded management light came on.

Error codes for oxygen heating circuit not working, exhaust gas recirculation flow incorrect, exhaust lambda probe reading error etc. etc.

Roger.

Hi ,

Its now done 37000 miles and average miles per trip is approx 15 !!

I'm not sure of the engine number and I'm putting in about a litre every 1600 miles, the reason for taking back to the dealers was the dreaded management light came on.

Error codes for oxygen heating circuit not working, exhaust gas recirculation flow incorrect, exhaust lambda probe reading error etc. etc. Roger.

The engine model (code) will be on the sticker in the spare wheel well and on the handbook/service book thing. The journey "use" seems normal enough as not to be the cause of the high oil usage - but as you are getting faults true or "ghost" thrown up then maybe this oil usage is part of the problem. Maybe you should quickly join "freedom" for a more in depth answer from a tec as they are bound to have seen many of these engines with suspect ring problems - doing this could save you some money and worry - either way life's a gamble!

When people have the pistion rings replaced is it normal to have the head block changed as well?

Roger.

Not usually, unless the head is cracked.

When people have the pistion rings replaced is it normal to have the head block changed as well? Roger.

I've no experience of this happening with a VAG engine, but the head would need to be removed - makes sense to check it for distortion and clean it up while its off - same for the block and the bores might need attention - if only to scuff them up a bit to aid bedding-in of the new rings, obviously the pistons would need to be lifted up (big ends off) and either cleaned up or in exteme situations maybe replaced with a new set of rings. I'd try "freedom" for access to "better" advice based on real experience of these engines - but you should quote the engine code to get the best advise quickly.

My car is a 2002 1.4 16v and the engine code is AUB. I think that the version in the automatics would be an AUA.

I recently had a similar problem where the oil light came on when going round a sharp corner. I topped up with 3 pints of oil 10/40 advised by an unsure mechanic. 3 days later my engine light has now turned on, after dropping it into the vw garage they said the reason for the light was the lambda sensor. The car was serviced back in September and we are assuming they only put the basic amount in the oil tank which was the reason for the lack of oil as I have no leaks and am not burning oil.

The car is a 1.4 16v 54 plate with only 20,000 miles on the clock, surely this is just a sensor problem rather than a major piston problem?...

I have topped the oil up and plan to check on a reasonably regular basis.

Any advice

Thanks

Would I be right in assuming that if I had piston problems I would hear some constant noise? I would notice other major problems and the piston problem would show on the computer when linked up?>>

Thanks again!

Three pints of oil needed since September - that is 1.7 litres of oil - how many extra miles had the car run in this time. The sump capacity is only about 4 litres I think, so you had been running at about half the correct oil capacity. You should really check the oil once a week and before a long journey. (oil sort of keeps the engine out of the scrap yard). Looks like you are "using" oil so keep an eye on it - also 3 pints of oil, are you sure that was right as most oil is sold in 1 litre or 5 litre containers (maybe your mechanic thought you were an imperial person so converted!) I'd be looking to top up oil in quantities of 0.5 litre with that sump capacity.

On a 54 plate, your car should have the BBZ engine, which doesn't usually suffer from piston ring problems. Having said that there have been one or two members on here who have had them go.

I have an 02 plate with the older AUB engine which is generally considered to be at risk for the piston ring problem. Touch wood, mine is OK so far and has 51000 miles on it. I may be wrong but it seems to be cars with well below average mileage which seem to be most vulnerable for some reason, possibly because they have only been used for short journeys?