Check your oil!

About 0.35 Liters low ~5000 miles into this oil (first oil change at ~10k, ~15k miles on it when I checked). I did the change myself, and it definitely lost the oil. Well, part of that may have filled space in the filter canister, but I had ran it for a while before the final check when I changed it. No big deal-topped it off with the same Mobil 1 ESP.

This is nothing new to me. My 2010 TDI sportwagen did this too, in fact, my '03 ALH did it as well.

But just a heads up. Easy thing to keep track of, if you remember.

Maybe you failed to tighten everything and it drained out? Or not the correct amount added?

Just put in 5 quarts (not liters) after you have completely drained the engine of the old oil. You will be fine. 59K miles and I've had no problems...

No oil loss yet in my first 3 changes.

No leaks whatsoever. NONE. I'll check it after a couple of days of driving next time. Maybe there were pockets unfilled after running for a few minutes in the garage.

Mine was on full when new, but is slightly above full now at 8,500 miles

Want to have some fun?

Try this and tell us what you find. YMMV.

In the morning with a cold unstarted engine, check the oil and record the level. Leave the hood up, you are about to check it again.

Then start the engine and let it run between 30 and 45 seconds only. Turn it off and quickly check the oil and record the level.

Start the engine yet again and drive the car until it is fully warmed up. Turn it off and check the oil and record the level.

Report back with your findings, please... and have fun!

Bill

engine oil should always be checked on a cold engine on level ground with the exception of some dry sump Japanese bikes and quads that require being checked exactly 5 minutes after shutdown, otherwise the readings will be off as oil has not drained back into the pan.

jrm said:

engine oil should always be checked on a cold engine on level ground with the exception of some dry sump Japanese bikes and quads that require being checked exactly 5 minutes after shutdown, otherwise the readings will be off as oil has not drained back into the pan.

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Does the owner's manual actually state this? This would be a deviation from previous generations of VWs and other European cars as they are designed to be checked after each fuel fill-up. [this is also usually stated in the manual]

I don't understand the point of this thread. .35 liter consumption in 5k miles? IMHO, while I wouldn't be real happy about it, it wouldn't keep me up at night, and I'm not sure ANYONE in this club needs to be reminded to check their oil.
Since the thread has wandered into the area of "how to check your oil", I'll add my own 2-cents, FWIW.
I think we all agree that oil level, as registered on the dipstick, varies widely. Cold--warm--hot--hot after rest 1 minute, hot after rest 5 minutes.
My system: When the car is new, take a reading at the dealer lot, regardless of oil temp, to assure there's actually oil in the sump (!). Drive home. Take an immediate hot reading. Take another reading after 5 minutes. Next morning, take a cold reading. This provides me with the range that I use to determine oil usage.
I'll do the same after the first oil change.
Then I'm done with guessing, as I know the range of readings.
Every car owner needs to learn what this range is for their vehicle (It's probably pretty close to ".35 liters"). I've been lucky, though, as I've never had a vehicle that has burned oil excessively, several none at all!
FYI, neither of my CR TDIs consumes oil. Perhaps the oil consumed is offset by whatever quantity of bio is getting into my oil? I don' know, but oil consumption doesn't worry me in the slightest.

Our Passat has about 7K, and I check the oil the way I always have on any of my vehicles (this is our first diesel) for 50 years, for which see "jrm"'s post. It started out near the top of the rather complex plastic thingamajig on the end, quickly settled at the top of the crosshatch right at the groove -the "full" indication, as far as I can tell- and it's stayed right there. Once I know what a vehicle registers, per "tdiatlast," I just check weekly, unless we're on a long trip, when I check when fueling.

I usually only "check" for oil maybe 1 or 2 times during the entire change interval. My new Passat is at nearly 6k miles and I have checked it twice.

pparks1 said:

I usually only "check" for oil maybe 1 or 2 times during the entire change interval. My new Passat is at nearly 6k miles and I have checked it twice.

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x2. If I wanted to check engine oil on the reg...I'd still be driving a 12 year old vehicle.

I think that break-in has something to do with oil consumption. My experience: In the first 10k miles I lost almost 3/4 liter. In my 2nd 10k miles I lost about 1/4 liter. In my third 10k miles I didn't add any oil. I am now at about 65k miles and it is still just as full as it was when I changed the oil at 60k. My oil consumption dropped as my engine aged. Probably some day it will go up again, but for now I am quite happy with the way things are.

Have Fun!

Don

tdiatlast said:

I don't understand the point of this thread. .35 liter consumption in 5k miles? IMHO, while I wouldn't be real happy about it, it wouldn't keep me up at night, and I'm not sure ANYONE in this club needs to be reminded to check their oil....

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Some might benefit from the reminder... that's all. Especially new owners that have owned cars that never lost a drop of oil (especially new ones). And x3 on checking at long intervals. You just need to become acquainted with the fairly predictable oil loss. 0.35 liters is no problem, but I am still glad I checked it.

JSWTDI09 said:

I think that break-in has something to do with oil consumption. My experience: In the first 10k miles I lost almost 3/4 liter. In my 2nd 10k miles I lost about 1/4 liter. In my third 10k miles I didn't add any oil. I am now at about 65k miles and it is still just as full as it was when I changed the oil at 60k. My oil consumption dropped as my engine aged. Probably some day it will go up again, but for now I am quite happy with the way things are.

Have Fun!

Don

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This is when I believe following the DBW break in is helpful. I followed it very strictly on both the golf and the passat and never burned a noticeable amount in between any oci's. Not that just driving it normally is bad but it may just take a bit longer for the rings to seat and use a bit of oil while breaking in slowly.

I check my oil every 10k when I pull the dipstick out to extract the oil. Sometimes it's close to full. Sometimes it's down to the add mark. You are not "low" on oil until it's under the "add" mark. Drive more, worry less.