My daughters leased 2012 VW Tiguans oil change schedule is every 10k miles. which I think is crazy. I had her change her reminder to every 5k miles to be on the safe side. I worry about her not checking her oil as much as she should because she works a lot of hours, gets home after dark and even works a lot of weekends. It is probably the last thing on her mind to do.
That’s true as now the dealer has agreed for me to come to them to top off oil.
But that is a pain as they are 11 miles away. I am surprised your older car goes
5000 miles between oil filling. I have had many older cars and the oil change
advise was always every 3,000 miles. That’s why I find the Hyundai 7,000 almost ridiculous!! Whenever I check it, it is down 3/4 quart. Dealer told me L
on the dipstick means there are 4 qts. still remaining in the crankcase.
I do check it weekly that’s why I found the level down so often.
No, because the owner’s manual also says to check your oil level whenever you get fuel, and add if necessary.
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Kona does not get that great of mileage…about 34 mpg overall when I drive
cruise control or 40 mph mostly. It’s all wheel drive which increases gas usage.
I don’t use the all wheel drive (no need yet) but it affects the mileage continuously from the undercarriage setup.
Very few cars in the last 20 years recommend 3000 mile oil changes. Oil change shops, sure, but not in the owners manual. 5000 or more, often 7500. Some have severe service at 3750.
3000 miles has not been the normal for years . Our 2010 Volvo is 7000 miles or 12 months . Click and Clack said 5000 miles many years ago .
My 1988 Accord called for 7500 mile oil changes.
Some car makers went beyond 3000 miles starting in the 1960s.
So you believe that technology can never improve over time?
And my response would be “GTFOH”. I have driven several cheap economy cars, some with over 200k miles on them, and none consumed anywhere near that much oil. Even the work trucks which I have been assigned, some with over 250k miles on them did not consume significant oil. The idea that an expensive luxury car should consume more oil than an economy car, or a well-used work truck is just absurd.
As absurd as it may seem, your opinion–or mine–doesn’t change what appears to be reality.
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Bcohen2010:
I’m 100% in agreement with you. And I’m sure most or all others are as well.
Unfortunately if you buy a new car today and it’s burning a quart of oil every 1K miles or so, many manufacturers will not do anything under warranty to address it. They define and document the consumption thresholds they’re willing to fix.
If I had a new car that burned a quart of oil every 1K miles, I too would be very upset.
Please check the end of the tailpipe for oily, sooty deposits.
I’m curious what this level of consumption produces.
A photo would be nice too.
Over the last 30+ years of buying used cars (and helping friends buy) I’ve managed to avoid oil burners by checking the tailpipe.
Dry soot is okay, especially these days with GDI.
Only if you fail to read the whole thing and make assumptions. Nowhere does it say you can go between oil changes without having to add oil. In fact, it is quite explicit in this regard. Here are excerpts from a 2020 Kona Owner’s Manual:
And here are the instructions for checking oil level. Note #7:
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It’s interesting how the Theta 2.4 engine is constantly in the news for all the wrong reasons.
A few years ago I took my ( at that time 100,000 mile ) 2007 Kia 2.4 L Rondo on a 9,000 mile cross country tour. It used 3/4 of a quart of 5w30 Mobil 1 (the engine calls for 5w20) for the whole trip.
Still doesn’t use oil between oil changes, now at 131,000 miles.
Just out of curiosity . . .
Is there any reason you used 5w30 instead of the 5w20 it calls for?
I’m not judging . . . I’m just curious 
Maybe around 70,000 -80,000 miles I started using oil. I was using cheap Walmart Dino 5w20. At that time I switched to 5w30 Walmart full synthetic and the oil usage stopped. I never switched back to 5w20 so I’ll never know if I just got some inferior oil or the 5w30 made a dramatic difference.
I’ve been using Walmart 5w30 synthetic ever since and changing it at 3,000 miles or so and never had to add oil again between changes. (usually down just a 1/3 of a qt.)
For the 9,000 mile cross country trip I gave it the good stuff (Mobil 1 oil and Mobil 1 filter) because I knew I wouldn’t be changing it. Since then switched back to Walmart synthetic.
Okay
Thanks for the explanation 
Also, right or wrong, I figured with high mileage on the engine 5w30 couldn’t hurt.
…….I use the hi mileage formula also.
You are not supposed to wait the 7000 miles between changes to check yoir oil level. You are supposed to check your oil regularly and add oil when needed.
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