I have a new pontiac with only 4700 miles and it used 2 qts of oil already. The dealer says it is normal. I cant believe that. Is it normal?
Check your Owner’s manual. I can’t speak for Pontiac, but the manual for my wife’s Sienna considered 1 qt/1000 miles allowable during the first few thousand miles. I had a new Mustang GT (1983) that used a quart every 800 miles.
I would make a habit of checking the oil level on a regular basis.
Ed B.
ok TY I just never heard of new car using oil and is that just during break in or should I cary oil with me for life of car? And I will check manual to see if it should use any during break in. this is first new car I ever bought. All my other cars had 100K plus and didnt use that much
It may not have used that much oil. Did you actually check the oil the first day you bought it??? If not it could have just been it was low from the factory.
Some cars use more oil during break-in than others. I had a small block Chevy once that consumed 1 quart in the first 1000 miles, and two more before we got to 4000. Thereafter it consumed little or no oil.
My 2007 Totyota consumed 1/2 qt the first 1000 miles, very little after that. So your consumption is not unusual.
Keep an eye on it and if it does not stabilize later you should go back to the dealer. This type of thing is covered by warranty.
In any case the rings should seat properly after 5000-6000 miles, and oil consumption should be negligble then.
My theory is to change the oil in a new car at about 1,000 miles, then again at 5,000 and every 5,000 thereafter.
When the motor is new a lot of pieces in the motor are new and they shed tiny bits of metal as they wear in. I like to get rid of these “metal” shavings with the 1st oil change at 1,000. While the intial wearing in is occuring there is extra friction in the motor which means extra heat which means harder life for the oil.
In your case you used some oil and replenished it, but the other 4 qts in there were already “well cooked”. This means that oil burned off a little faster too. Now in 4,000 miles you are adding another quart. I’d change the oil soon. Then keep an eye on the oil level. In the next 2,000 - 2,500 after the oil change expect add another quart. At 10,000 miles on you’ll find out if you are using much oil. Adding a quart between oil changes every 5,000 miles is not bad at all. If you live in a hot climate and use AC a lot you’d be doing well to top off with a quart every 5,000.
no I didnt check it at first but it was down another qt when I was going to get it changed so it is using it Mike. I just hope it stops using it after breakin like some people are saying. My wife feels like she bought a peice of crap for $22K
I hope your right doc cause when I called dealer about it they said a car can use a qt every 1000 miles. That shocked me and I said" Come on now" well he hung up on me after that haha huh? Made a couple after that and they are being a little nicer to me now.
I thought first oil change was quick also Unc but the salesman told me not to. he said just wait til 5000 then change and I was gulible enough to listen to a salesman. Never again
It’s not unheard of, but keep an eye on the level and texture of it. Not sure if the brand new engines are plagued with the old head gasket problems of the older engines, but it’s a known issue with GM engines
Modern cars and oils do not call for oil changes nearly as often as in the old days. It has even been established that changing the oil too soon can increase overall wear, although the data I have seen has not been impressive in that the additional wear is really very very minor.
That said, I still tend to add in an addition early change on a new car, but only well past the break-in period.It’s all in the owner’s manual. Change the oil when the manufacturer tells you to.
“…Not sure if the brand new engines are plagued with the old head gasket problems of the older engines, but it’s a known issue with GM engines”
Darn! I’ve been waiting for that shoe to drop on my 1998 Regal with 120,000 miles and my 2003 Silhouette with 67,000 miles. Oh, when will it happen… 
GM engines don’t have an ongoing HEAD gasket problem. It’s the Intake Manifold Gasket that blows.
That was supposedly revised in Feb/'03.
jt,
If your '03 Silo hasn’t had any LIMG leak by now, it may have gotten the new ‘revised’ gasket in time.
Our daughter has an '03 Montana and with 64k miles on it hasn’t had any leak either.
If your Regal hasn’t calved by now, it likely won’t.
My 2000 Silo was done at 45k miles in Sept. 2004.
Now, after sending my class action repair records in, I’m just waiting for my refund of costs.
That would have been normal 50 years ago but the way engines are built these days, it ain’t normal. Get it documented in case things don’t get better.
ah. My mistake, intake manifold gasket. Maybe I was thinking of Subaru when I wrote that last post.
“GM engines don’t have an ongoing …”
That what I figured. I was just having a little fun. I don’t know anyone who experienced the dreaded gasket problem. But if the Toyotaphiles on the board insist it’s got to be true.
Please understand that every car uses some oil; a new Jaguar after breakin will use 1 qt every 1000 miles (by design). However, a North Americans car should use about 1 qt per 3000 miles max. approximately after breakin. My Toyota uses 1/2 qt every 5000 miles, and now has 17,000 miles on it.
I would also check for leaks; many Americans cars, which have much loser tolerances than Japanese cars, have small oil leaks that go undetected. In any case, your dealer IS NOT OFF THE HOOK.
I had a GM car (V8) with a head gasket problem. An independent garage fixed it before it could do any damage. I have owned 4 GM cars.