Car looks/runs like new, so what’s the issue? Oil changed religiously every 5000 miles. 5-20 full synthetic as recommended. At every oil change car reads 1 quart low. I realize there will be some consumption but this seems a bit excessive. Anyone know if this is normal for the base 1600cc motor? I can just as easily keep it topped off, but just curious. It’s been like this since I got it. 35k miles now and 7 oil changes. I bought it new. No leaks. Thanks.
Components wear out. I would check your oil more often and drive on
Which is what you should have been doing from day 1. 1 quart in 5000 miles is not a major concern . Now start checking the oil level on a regular schedule , at least every 2 weeks in case the oil consumption increases.
ONE quart every 5000 miles !!! That is GREAT oil consumption. There is nothing wrong with your car. Even one quart every 1500- 2000 miles would still be good.
Which brings up another point. I suggest you check the oil yourself at least once a month. If it starts to use that one quart per 2000 miles, you will be 2.5 quarts low at your oil change and THAT may destroy your engine.
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I suggest checking oil by mileage, not time.
This accounts for different usage patterns.
So, check it every 1000 miles and top up if it needs 1/2qt.
That can take me from two months (I’m a weekend short tripper) to two days (road trip).
With a new-to-me vehicle I check the oil after every gas fill up until I’ve determined the consumption rate.
But never more than 1000 miles even if it doesn’t use oil.
I’ve been lucky to never own an oil consumer,
Many manufacturers consider one quart per thousand miles to be within the normal range. You’re still far from that.
First, there might be leaks you can’t see, so let’s not assume all the oil you’re losing is being burned.
Second, one quart per every 5,000 miles is not too bad on a seven year old car, so I wouldn’t worry about it. I’d get into the habit of checking the oil each time you buy gas, so you can spot when it gets worse and keep it topped off.
A small engine like yours has to work hard to move that car, and don’t be fooled by the low mileage; the age of the car is a factor.
One last thing to consider is that you average about one oil change a year, and if the oil is always a quart low when you change the oil, you should be topping off the oil between oil changes, which means checking it more often. Letting it get that low, especially on a small engine car that probably only holds 3-4 quarts of oil, can make it burn more oil.
Thanks for the reply. I too have never owned a car that consumed this much oil. Other responses say this is normal. I was more curious than anything else. I’m always under the hood when I wash the car so it’s never been a problem. Thanks again.
Thanks for the reply…I guess I have just been lucky with my other cars not being oil consumers…