I guess based on current standards, the consumption is reasonable but I will drive it a bit hard and push the dealer for warranty work. Now, are we sure new rings & pistons are going to fix this? Do they re-bore the cylinders and also re-seat the valves?
Sincere thanks for the update. Itās rare to get one, and it really is appreciated. Weāre a bit ornery at times, but we really do care. 
Galant, as far as I know the fix is pistons and rings with an improved wear coating. I donāt know the details. This article has a little more detail. http://sandyblogs.com/techlink/?p=2204
I will be sure to bring up your points about cylinder re-boring and reseating the valves to the service department. Excuse my ignorance, but why would the valves need re-seating after a piston and ring replacement? Iāve never worn out an engine before.
A Piston and ring replacement almost seems to be a quick cheap fix. If the oil consumption was stable I would live with it rather than having the engine torn apart. Iām curious to see if consumption will drop with the GM Dexos semi-synthetic oil used this time.
Mountainbike, thanks for the comment, I was wondering if I was boring all of you to death.
Ed
Iām curious to see if consumption will drop with the GM Dexos semi-synthetic oil used this time.
Sorry if I missed this, as I havenāt gone back and read the entire thread, but what do you mean this time. This car required dexos from day one. Has the engine been getting something other than dexos?
Asemaster, I have only used 5w-30 Dexos approved oil. The last oil change before I took it to dealer was Pennzoil Platinum full synthetic and the oil consumption was over 2 quarts. The 2 prior oil changes were Quaker State and Castrol semi-synthetic oil, oil consumption was much lower (less than 3/4 qt.) over the same interval of 4500 miles.
Iām curious to see if the oil consumption will continue to increase regardless of the type of oil or if going back to semi-synthetic will lower the oil consumption. If oil consumption is the same or increases then itās an engine issue.
I hope this answers your question.
Ed B.
If you can get the repair ā whatever that would be ā done for free, maybe itās worth a shot. But I wouldnāt spend my own money on it. 1/2 quart per thousand miles isnāt something Iād worry about. Iād just check the dipstick frequently and top off between changes as required. Some caution is in order. An attempt to repair this problem might have unintended consequences which are worse than the current symptom.
The engine WILL have to be pretty much torn apart to do the ring and piston replacement. This isnāt a minor repair. I would at least hope for a re-hone too so the new rings seat in well. If they bore, larger rings and pistons will be required. You would basically have a rebuilt engine after this.
As far as why I think the cylinders need to be re-bored and the valves re-seated, to me this is an engine overhaul and doing it half way is not smart since they are already tearing in the engine. It has been more than 20 years since I did any major engine work. It seems like @cwatkin also agree with me, but would be curious what everybody else thinks.
If they do repair the engine, is there any extended warranty offered on it? I wouldnāt expect the warranty extension to apply to anything else but you might try to get a longer warranty on the engine.
Yes, to fix this right the engine will need to be essentially rebuilt, especially the bottom end. I donāt know if the valves/head will need any service but I am sure it will be inspected as that must come off for this work. You might offer to pay for a new head or a rework of this head if that isnāt included. That may be overkill though as this isnāt really the issue with your car. On the other hand, the oil burning may have gummed up the valves.
The important thing is that you are keeping an eye on the oil level. The engine can go a lot longer with an owner like yourself vs. some that just run them low until they lock up hard. I have known people who use the low oil pressure light as an indicator to add oil and this usually doesnāt end well for them. One guy would carry a quart with him and pull over and add the quart when the oil light came on. He never even checked the level but would only add a quart but I am sure he was still low at this point.
Update: On 12/29/15 I took it to the dealer for an oil consumption test, i.e. an oil change where I monitor the oil level and take it to the dealer to be topped off. I took it in yesterday at 3250 miles as the oil level was ~1/8" from the tip of the dipstick. I thought I was only a 1 quart down and oil consumption was lower with the GM Dexos 1 oil than the full synthetic I used in the previous oil change.
I was surprised when the service manager said it took two quarts. I checked it the next morning and itās at most a 1/2 qt overfilled. But at the same level after the oil change back in December. The dealer has ordered the parts (pistons and rings) and is going to do the repair since oil consumption is greater than 1 qt/2000 miles.
Ed B.
Sounds like they add oil only in full quart increments.
1/2 qt over is of no consequence, especially since the engine is going to be torn down soon.
Hopefully they wonāt find any top end issues to charge out of pocket for.
Itās nice when people post back with updates 
The parts came in and I dropped it off at the dealer tonight. Iāll post back when itās done.
Ed B.
Best of luck to you OP. Thanks for posting back.
It is nice to have updates and even nicer to see the dealer is owning up and trying to fix the engine.
It is nice to have updates and even nicer to see the dealer is owning up and trying to fix the engine.
It is the manufacturer that provides the oil consumption repair programs, the dealer profits from this. It is up to the dealer to prove to the manufacture that the vehicle qualifies for the repair, this requires some effort from the dealer.
Since the engine is well past the break in phaseā¦ It may be advantageous to go up in viscosity a bit. Some of the new oils are literally thinner than water. This has its place butā¦it lends itself to consumption in engines that are known offendersā¦perhaps even ones that arent. Using or burning some oil is perfectly normal. Where do we draw the line ? My line between normal and excessive is about 1 quart per oil change addedā¦beyond adding one quart in one interval and I would label it excessiveā¦or heading there anyway.
My VW uses 0-20W and that is pretty THINā¦ She uses about 3/4 of a quart in 7000 miles. Not too shabby for a Turbo Charged 4 cylinder.
Blackbird
It took longer than expected but I picked up the Equinox at lunch today. After the pistons and rings were replaced and the engine reassembled the computer was unable to set/sync the timing(?) because the timing chain was stretched. The engine had to be torn down again to replace the timing chain.
I asked if the rings needed to be seated, but I was told to drive it normally and not to worry. The oil and coolant levels are full and I will continue to monitor them. I have not noticed any difference in performance or driveability before and after the repairā¦ The engine compartment is clean and appears to be in order.
I will change the oil after 1k miles to be safe. After that, Iām going back to 4k oil changes. It appears the dealership did a good job but time will tell. Iām hoping to be the first person on the net to have a happy ending with this repair.
Ed B.
Or didnāt do any job at all besides the T-chainā¦
When it comes to lubrication and wear issues in an engine very, very seldom does it affect only one part. It affects them all.