Audi/VW/Porsche/BMW/MB all require the expensive stuff. ‘Regular’ full synthetic doesn’t meet their specs.
The cost
"But a quart of $9 oil every 750-1000 miles? If that’s not troubling on a brand new car, what is? I’d be pissed, regardless of car price."
Exactly!
The mess
And I check oil without even having to remove the dipstick - no mess. But adding oil is messy when you’re wearing nice clothes.
The worry
Besides, like I say, what happens if you let another family member use the car or you go out of town? Does that driver know the proper care and feeding of an OIL BURNER ? The spouse? In-law?
The embarrassment
Hey, How come you’re always pouring oil into that thing? I thought you said it was a new car?
Mind you that some people buy a new car NEVER expecting it to consume excessive amounts of oil. I, too, would be extremely disappointed as are the class-action suit owners…
CSA
“I would have several bottles of Thunderbird or Ripple on hand.”
Does anybody know if they still make Ripple? I keep hearing Fred Sanford singing its praises in reruns, and it’s become a bucket-list item for me. I don’t suspect it’d be much different from other fortified wines I’ve tried (Wild Irish Rose tastes like a mix of Grape Kool-Aid and rubbing alcohol) but who knows?
The cost of the oil is a non-issue. I can’t get lunch at Wendy’s for the price of a quart of Mobil 1. A quart of oil costs less than a pack of cigarettes or a 6-pack of beer. The price argument doesn’t hold water with me.
I do agree that cars may burn more oil than they did 20 years ago, but oil consumption is a fact of life and is here to stay.
Carmakers are burdened by demands from the consumer, mandates from the government for mileage and safety, cars are bigger and heavier than they have been in recent memory and yet have smaller and smaller engines. Modern engines rev higher and require thinner oils to properly lubricate cylinder walls and piston rings and operate the variable valve timing mechanisms. They require thinner oils to maintain low friction efficiency so we can drive around 2.0 liter engines that can bang us down the highway at 85mph without breaking a sweat. And sometimes these oils can burn off a little more quickly than the 10W30 of 20 years ago.
Some of the cars in the article make it incredibly easy to know when the oil is low. Some have a low oil warning that tells you when the engine needs a quart. Others allow you to check the oil level from the driver’s seat with the push of a button.
I’m sure every new car out there has an owner’s manual that states to check the oil level at every fill-up, or every week, or every month, or whatever. People who think they should be able to skate from oil change to oil change without performing the most basic of maintenance are disregarding the instructions given them when they bought the car and are now looking to avoid the responsibility.
What’s next? Complaining that the washer fluid goes low before 10,000 miles is up?
People simply need to stop viewing vehicles as Appliances that require nothing in the way of maintenance. They need to start seeing them for all they do for us…they reliably (usually) start and take us any old place we want to go…Always… Cars are awesome Machines…and as machines need mechanical care and followup. Imagine if all of us owned and operated a locomotive…a STEAM locomotive at that. Then maintenance would be as intertwined as operation…Neither would exist without the other. Pretty simple concept here. You cannot operate a steam loco without maintenance…it just doesnt work.
Give modern cars a break man…they really dont ask for much.
I’ve always said this…and I will say it again. The worst thing a car can do is be rock solid reliable…they do themselves a Dis-Service in doing so… because then they get ignored and abused and looked down upon… Its the height of conceit I tell ya!
To some folks out there i would say…Get real man… Pull your head out of your Arse and realize that you are operating a Machine that needs looking after… If everyone just did the basic basics they would be WAY ahead of where they are now. Ive met people who never even drove a car they were about to purchase…nor asked to hear it run…and some who had no clue where the hood release was… Its inconceivable to me…it really is. Any and all problems experienced by such people I personally believe that they earned and fully deserve.
Blackbird
@asemaster I remember back in the late 1940s through the 1950s, having to add a quart of oil every 750 to 1000 miles was common. This oil was,often straight 30_weight. In the winter months 10_weight was used and it burned away even more quickly. Of course, the gas station attendant would check the oil and add a quart if necessary.
Some Of These New Cars Are Burning Oil At A Rate That Has Traditionally Been Considered Threshold Engine Rebuild Time Or Beyond!
For people who don’t mind buying extra oil and dumping it in their new car then I suppose it’s ideal.
For me, If I owned a new or used car that used the amounts of oil that some of the manufacturers cited considered normal, I’d sell it and replace it!
If CR is giving me an indication of which cars the buyers are unhappy with for that reason, I appreciate and strongly consider the warning. I’d probably buy something else.
Again, I think that’s the gist, not that oil is cheap or that modern cars do heavy lifting, people not checking oil, or whatever.
I don’t mind checking oil religiously to discover that all is good. Adding it religiously is a whole different ball game.
CSA
Back in the good old days, meaning the 1940s and 1950s, if an engine started using more than a quart every 400 miles or so, it was time for new piston rings. New piston rings and a valve job would, get you another 40,000 from the engine. When the short stroke V-8 became more common in the mid 1950s, the engines went farther between ring and valve jobs.
These super slippery thin oils, dictated by mileage requirements, will cause oil consumption more often than thicker varieties. A few years ago I rented a Toyota Matrix and the manual said that oil consumption of 1 quart per 1000 miles would be expected to be “normal”. I realize this was a CYA statement to avoid warranty claims, but the car used no oil during the trip.
So, some cars will use more oil than others, and if you insist on driving a $50,000 Audi and are to cheap to add some oil very now and then, that’s just too bad.
The Jaguar XK (120,140,150) models with the inline 6 used a quart every 700 miles according to many test reports. The owners never complained about it.
My 3600 pound Toyota Avalon Hybrid (2014) uses no measurable (less than a cup) 0w20 oil in 6000 miles.
I refer to many of these brands as “shop cars” – nice features, but they seem to be the shop frequently.
In fact just yesterday – on the 4th of July holiday mind you – I was driving past a shop that exclusively services one of those brands, and a flatbed truck was dropping one of them off.
“The Jaguar XK (120,140,150) models with the inline 6 used a quart every 700 miles according to many test reports. The owners never complained about it.”
I bet owners of current model Jaguars would complaint about that rate of oil consumption
Because people’s perception of cars, reliability, and maintenance has drastically changed
My wife’s 2013 Toyota uses 0-20w and uses no oil between oil changes which vary between 5k and 7500 miles depending on our attitude.
I won’t bring up Mazda RX7s & 8s. I promise.
IMHO promoting the idea that new cars should never need oil between changes is irresponsible… or ignorant (lacking knowledge). Engines are designed to allow a thin film of oil to remain after the wiper rings go down the cylinders to lubricate the compression rings. That oil gets burned. And a big V8 is likely to burn more than a small I4, simply because the surface area involved is much greater. When new, most don’t allow enough to require a quart to be added more than perhaps once every 6.000 miles. But manufacturers are recommending thinner oils and longer periods between oil changes now. So it becomes incumbent on the owner to check the oil occasionally… even on a new engine.
Parts aren’t perfect. And they aren’t all exactly the same. The statistical process called “normal variation” defines that perfectly with bell curves (beware the multimodal curve), 3 sigma, and other details of definition. And engines have lots of parts. The variations multiply exponentially. There will be resulting variation in how much oil a new engine uses. That’s just normal variation.
Class action lawsuits? Has the world gone so crazy that if we get something that isn’t perfect we sue? Does anybody even realize that the consumers end up paying for these lawsuits?
Personally, it sounds to me like the lawyers have spun the whole complaint out of control. In some individual cases I have no doubt that a lawsuit becomes appropriate… but class-action lawsuits because a small percentage of a manufacturer’s new engines need a quart or two of 0 weight oil between 10,000 mile oil changes? Sorry, I ain’t buyin’ it.
“So, some cars will use more oil than others, and if you insist on driving a $50,000 Audi and are to cheap to add some oil very now and then, that’s just too bad.”
That’s right. It’s too bad the engineering departments of these companies that make $50,000 oil-burners can’t evolve with the “super slippery thin oils, dictated by mileage requirements” brought on by new efficiency standards. I suppose someday soon they’ll get it, but I’d expect more from these products.
For me it’s not being too cheap, but rather expecting a car to have at least normal quality instead of a CYA statement to avoid warranty claims of a hoard of dissatisfied customers. Many of these customers are expecting outstanding engineering and innovation.
Again, I tip my hat to CR in at least trying to bring the shortcomings to light. Perhaps some potential customers can buy cars they would more thoroughly enjoy.
CSA
I have an issue with CR’s list not mentioning any Toyotas, Nissans, Mazdas, etc which have all had complaints lodged against them for the same oil consumption issues.
I also have an issue with CR’s methodogy as they have no way of knowing if the car being complained about is suffering because of owner neglect. Said owner of course will claim it has been “meticulously maintained” no matter what and that they “religiously” check the oil level weekly.
I’ll continue to drive my old quarter million miles vehicles that still do not require adding any oil between changes. There’s a spare quart stuffed into the spare tire well for emergencies and that quart has been there for over 5 years.
Certain brands of oil seem to fare better than others too when it comes to using oil between changes. My 2006 vehicle would use about a quart of oil between changes on Mobil-1, about half a quart if I chose Valvoline Synpower, and hardly any to none on Amsoil “OEM” synthetic. My old car used to use a little oil with Mobil-1 in the crankcase too. Not that Mobil-1 isn’t excellent oil. I think certain oils “agree” more with various engines than others. If you’re using oil, try a different brand.
I’ve never owned a vehicle that required me to add oil between oil changes. Cars will ALWAYS burn some oil. The question that CR brought up is - Is adding 1 or more quarts acceptable between oil changes. I’ve never seen the numbers of cars that require adding oil if they are more or less reliable. Personally - I wouldn’t like it.
Do you guys believe that no new engine should ever need oil between scheduled changes?
Do you guys support class action lawsuits against the manufacturers?
NOTE: in reality, these are different questions.