My 2016 Subaru Outback (4 cylinder 175-hp 2.5-liter engine, 50K miles) is burning about 1 qt of oil every 5000 miles, and the low engine oil light comes on. The dealer says, that’s unusual. Anyone else having this problem with 2016 Outback 4 cylinder engine?
One quart every 5000 miles is GREAT oil consumption. Quite low. If your low oil light is coming on, you are driving 1) too far between changes and 2) not checking your oil level nearly enough.
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The the dealer explain why they considered it “UNusual”? As Mustangman said this is excellent.
You would be wise to begin documenting the oil consumption and keep your dealer receipts. The dealer is right. There is nothing normal about any vehicle having the low oil light come on between scheduled oil changes. As you may know, the Outback up to M.Y. 2015 is covered under a class action lawsuit settlement related to excessive oil consumption. Personally, if I had any Subaru vehicle that was consuming oil, I trade it for a new vehicle or another pre-owned vehicle. More on the back story here.
It’s unusual because it isn’t burning more. My 2014 Legacy (98k) burns oil at about that rate and has since new. It burns a little more on road trips but all in all, that is not a problem.
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Are you saying the low oil engine oil light comes on, and you are just one quart low? I see nothing unusual, given that it’s only every 5000 miles. We need more information about why your dealer said that was unusual.
A quart per 5k miles is not that bad. However, you should get in the habit of actually checking the oil level every few tanks of gas and keep the oil level at the FULL mark.
Running an engine chronically low on motor oil can cause the rest of the motor oil to run hotter than normal. That in turn leads to oil sludging or coking which in turn can lead to oil consumption.