These is no excuse for not checking your oil level…Running the engine down to one or 2 quarts makes the oil degrade very fast and engine damage starts…I have my 89 Mustang GT 5.0 since new and even though it has a “CHECK OIL LEVEL LIGHT” if it drops about 3/4 of a quart low, I check it every 2 weeks even though the car is not driven that much and garaged…112k in 24 years and had it since new. All cars should have this type of light when you get down a quart…This is different from the low oil pressure light although many people here continue to drive with the low oil pressure warning light on. JUST PLAIN IGNORANT…it means shut the engine off and find the problem when safe to do so. Once that light comes on you have about a minute before severe damage occurs to bearings rings etc.
Oil is cheap, and if you have to add a quart every 1000 miles its cheaper than a new engine or overhaul… When you have to add a quart every 400-500 miles then it time to make a decision.
My dad had a 61 chevy wagon with a 6 cylinder and a whopping 110 hp ( what a slug with power glide ), we had trucks passing us up on the mountain passes in Eastern PA…
It got so bad he would have to add a quart every 200 miles and fouled plugs every 500 miles. The smoke was visible all the time…He went and bought a 67 Chevy ( 283 V8 ) and the dealer went to check the 61 out as a trade in and came back and said it was scrap.! When the salesman started it up tons of smoke and it ended going to the junk yard. They did not want it. he ended up getting a few more $$$ as junk than what the dealer offered him. I was there and 16 years old at the time when they told him this so now you know how old I am…LOL My dad did not believe the power the small 283 had after driving a sick oil burning 110 hp 6 cylinder for a few years in a 4000 lb car.
I remember going up a mile and half 13% grade, my dad had it in “L” and we slowed down to 30 mph. Embarrassing and blue smoke out the back. Hope my dad can read this ( rest his soul ) as we always talked about that 61 lemon he bought…
Wow. I can not believe how rude some of you guys are. Shame on ALL OF YOU.
@Rod_Knox your first post is the worst of them all. This guy was coming here for some support and some explanation as to why he can’t find why his car burns oil.
But, nooooooo. Everybody gangs up and starts a lynch mob to hang the “idiot who doesn’t check his oil every 6 miles”
I pose a question: Go out and take a survey.
I would make a sure bet that over 70% of individuals (especially women) never check their oil after getting it changed (or they check it once right after it is changed).
And everybody here just gangs up on anyone who doesn’t follow your “perfect method of car maintenance”.
Get off your high horses and try using your thick brains. Stop lynching posters, especially first time posters.
You guys every wonder why they never respond again? I didn’t think so.
No one has ever said check the oil every 6 miles. Every 500 miles or few weeks is adviseable. What’s wrong with making sure the tool one uses every day is full of life blood? Is a driver’s life so hectic they can’t spend 2 minutes checking the fluids rather than spend 2 minutes sending another pointless text message or forwarding another email joke?
That 70% number I think is a bit low and is not gender specific.
There is a certain percentage of car owners who want to place blame for every car problem on someone else. Some talk to other shops, people they know, and even go to the internet not looking for advice so much as they are ammunition to back their point of view up that it was somebody else’s fault.
Is that the case here? I do not know, although I’m willing to give the OP the benefit of the doubt and say no.
The poster who mentioned a Volvo dealer having 20 oil consumers in means nothing statistically One could go into any dealer on the planet and find 20 oil consumption complaints (and usually more) about any make of car.
@BillyC,
Even if 90% rarely if ever checked their oil, does that mean, NOT checking the oil is the right thing to do. I don’t think so. I’d even bet that 99% of vehicle owners do not read their owners manuals, maybe NOT reading it is the thing to do. But then again ignorance is bliss, and it is always better to blame someone other than yourself, is’nt it?
I believe its the cars owners responsibility to perform the most simplest task of checking the oil level. However I also believe that automotive manufactures are irresponsible by not installing an oil level switch to indicate when the oil level is low. What if road debris punchers a hole the oil filter? Wouldn’t you want an oil level indicator to warn you that the oil level is low before all the oil leaks out and pump runs dry?
We are living in a time when car manufactures are required to put tire pressure monitoring systems in car because people weren’t checking tire pressures and driving with dangerously low tires. I think car manufactures should install an inexpensive oil level indicator.
@americar, If you want an oil level sensor, there are many car models that feature one. But, I’ve driven and owed cars from the '60’s to today, and have yet to need an oil level sensor. It is simply not on my list of needed features and berating car companies for not making it standard seems like a very weak argument. Every one of these cars has a dipstick, and they are much more reliable.Now, let’s discuss the removal of TRANSMISSION dipsticks and the lack of oil level sensors in these cars and trucks. There, you have a much stronger argument.
Yes, this thread was sound asleep and forgotten, until @MReif revived it
And then @BillyC showed up, with his usual routine . . .
BTW . . . If anyone slams me for this comment, or my reply to @BillyC . . . I WILL be asking them to explain themselves. I fully well realize I may not get an explanation.
I feel my comments were not abusive
Furthermore, I feel they were appropriate and justified, given the circumstances
I feel it was correct to ask @BillyC to stop slamming guys that are giving good advice
Just because you don’t like the advice, or don’t agree with it, is not an acceptable reason to slam someone
Many cars have an oil level sensor. In fact, many European cars no longer have engine oil dipsticks. All the driver needs to do is turn the key on and press a button before starting the engine and get a readout of if/how low the engine oil is. No opening the hood, wiping anything with a rag or getting your fingers dirty. Do you think people check their oil with this simplest of procedures? Not nearly as often as you think…
The cut and paste below from the Volvo xc70 owners manual; and the first words to boot…
Owner maintenance
Periodic maintenance requirements and inter-
vals are described in your vehicle’s Warranty
and Service Records Information booklet.
The following points can be carried out
between the normally scheduled maintenance
services.
Each time the vehicle is refueled
Check the engine oil level.
Clean the windshield, windshield wipers,
headlights, and tail lights.
"If the car is telling the driver that the oil level is low, and they ignore it and cause damage, they have nobody to blame but themselves
It seems black and white to me"
I’ll go further than that…if a car is run low on oil–indicator or not–and it causes damage the driver has nobody to blame but himself. I suppose something like an oil filter falling off on the freeway is an exception, but that is virtually unheard of compared to the number of people who drive in with a clattering engine and a window sticker showing 12,000 miles since the last oil change.
I don’t care if I am the only person in the world that checks my oil, just don’t complain to me about a ruined engine unless the oil loss was sudden and catastrophic.
Um… everyone does know that this post was begun in April of 2012, right? @MReif: you may want to start a new post if you’re having problems. That said, the problem with an oil light is it’s calibrated to come on at a very low oil pressure, meaning the engine may have lousy oil pressure and be suffering damage, but still just enough pressure exists to turn off the oil light. Oil lights are like smoke alarms–useful, but by the time they speak up, you usually have a big problem.
1 qt./1,000 miles isn’t wonderful, but as others have said, this is considered acceptable by many manufacturers. The OP and MReif may want to try a different brand of oil too–I believe Mobil-1 is good oil, but my cars use a little oil with it in the crankcase. With Amsoil on board, they seem to use none. Different brands seem to “agree” with certain engines better. There will be peace on Earth before Volvo or any mfr will recall a car for using a quart of oil every 1K miles.
I have a 2012 Volvo xc70 and I have a disappearing oil problem and am looking for owners in the same boat. I have been fighting Volvo for over 2 years. I think Tillman is correct because the same thing has happened to me. I was in the last 1000 miles of an oil consumption test and on the road when the oil light went on. I call t he the dealer where the car is serviced and asked if I should add a quart. I was told to do so as soon as possible. I did so. They took the millage I supplied and concluded that since the oil; light came on indicating 1 quart low that the oil consumption test was complete and that the car was operating as designed. They would take no action. 1250 miles (approximately) later I checked the oil. It was low again, to make sure I right, I visited a local shop whose business is repairing Volvo cars. He confirmed my reading and said I was down 1 1/2 quarts. The 1 1/2 quarts were added and the oil level was still low. I added an additional 1/2 quart. Added together, this means the car had burned 3 quarts in some 1200 or so miles. Where does the oil go? Volvo still refuses to address this problem! Any idea where I can go from here?
First of all thanks for reviving an old thread. Second this will not help you find other Volvo owners with the same year and problem. You know you have an oil problem and you went 1250 miles without checking your oil level , why ? Also you are out of the warranty period by several years . Oil does not cost that much , just check it every week and you probably can drive for quite sometime.
That’s kind of a snarky reply. The problem began while the car was still under warranty and I do check the oil. The point is that when the oil light goes on it indicates 1 quart low. this according to the dealer that services the car. Volvo refuses to recognize the problem. If you have anything positive to say, I would like to hear it.
sounds like when the light went on that you were more than 1 quart low. Are you sure that is how it is set up to work?
After you added the single quart, did you check the oil level to verify that it was full? If what you say is accurate, by the time you stopped at the independent mechanic and added 2 quarts, you had been running with your low oil level light on for quite a while. I don’t think you got it full that first time, and I think you supplying the dealership with the “1 quart fixed my issue” during the consumption test gave a false reading on that test.
Not sure you can go after the dealer anymore, as their records will reflect your own input.
as stated above- oil is cheap. Do your own consumption test.
-Get an oil and filter change.
-Check the oil every week on the same day, and when the oil hits the ‘min’ mark, add until the full mark.
-Keep track of mileage and how much oil you add.
-Conduct this test for whatever your normal oil change interval is.
If your consumption is about 1 qt per 1,000 miles, don’t expect Volvo to do anything, as that is considered normal. If it is more than that, then I’d address it with the dealer again- showing them your records, and reminding them that this issue started when the vehicle was still under warranty and they didn’t fix it.
