I have an 01 TT fully stock with 68k miles and it is eating 1qt every 500 miles. The dealer is making me run a consumption test (basically bring the car back every time it needs oil). The car is CPO so want to ask you:
1-What do you think are potential fixes/issues with the engine.
2-Any suggestions on how to negotiate with the dealer.
I have a good relationship with the service manager and so far he has been helpful but he indicated that at the end it is Porsche's decision if they take corrective action or not.
Would appreciate your thoughts.

 

this is pretty normal 1qt every 500-1000 miles

 

I go through 1/4 of a quart every 2000 miles and then I change the oil.

 

issues want to make sure it is fixed before CPO runs out. Dealer has indicated that on average he sees ~1500 mi per quart for Turbos. I have gone as low as 300 mi for a quart but in the measured test after a brand new oil change, I am averaging 500.

 

When on a long trip I burn almost none, around town, 500 to 700 mi.

tw

 

I moved to delvac 5w-40 m1 oil....not sure why, but it is now over 1000 mi/qt....probably 1200. I have heard 5w-50 M1 slows oil consumption via the web. NO HARD DATA.

I had been about 1 per 850 pre the delvac on 0w-40.

On the delvac bottles it says "for 15w40 applications" and I am sure that is a diesel engine note to buyers...but it is gas powered car "ok" too.


Just fyi all. I have no idea if this is just a random thing....based on under 5k miles of it.

JB

 

1 quart every 500 sounds high to me. I have 1/2 quart every 3 thousand.

 

want to do anything, what would you do? The CPO warranty runs out in Feb 09 and dont want to have to pay for major engine work after it runs out. Are there any specific tests that they can run to assess the condition of the engine?

 

check the plugs to see if you are burning oil (put new plugs in). Change the oil every 2000 miles over the next 6 months and check the plugs again.

 

Over the few years I've been on 6speed I've heard many people talk of turbo's consuming 1qt per 500 miles.

The owners manual suggests that lots of city driving could add fuel and moisture to your engine oil making it look like it's not consuming oil and then a good run on the freeway will burn off the moisture and fuel and give them impression it's consuming lots of oil.

I know my Ferrari did this when I first got it, it had been standing for quiet some time and had an oil moisture problem that appeared to be consuming oil. It's just fine now though.

 

The down side is that I guarantee Porsche will say that is normal. The up side is that so long as the motor is running strong put the oil in and who cares.

 

and on the specs of this engine it lists that the "maximum allowable oil consumption is 600 mi per 1 qt" Porsche being an engineering company MUST have standards that can indicate if something is wrong or off specs. I have no problem adding 1qt every 400-500 mi but at what point is this simply a symptom for a larger engine issue? For example, what if it consumes 1qt every 400 mi? every 300 mi? I hope porsche comes through for me on this one.

 

I add a qt of Mobil-1 each 1200-1500 miles; depending on driving type. This is normal for my 01 tt with 38k miles which my dealer has confirmed. Try "cool down" idle after driving; it may lower the consumption at the turbos.

 

There must be a 'spec' that will trigger action on the part of Porsche. In the E39M5 it was 1 liter per 1000km.. apprx a quart per 600miles.

Has it always done this?? If it has been getting worse, that is clearly a concern.

But even if it is "OK" and not, in and of itself, a sign of a potential problem- with 67k it would be nice to have a new motor.

How hard do you drive it? If you are not really wringing it out, I wonder what the consumption would be if you did. I see a significant difference in consumption rate based on how hard I drive.

Lucky you left it stock.....


A

PS I don't recall seeing any TSBs over on renntech about oil consumption... you may want to check. Always better to have a Porsche document with the numbers!

 

Consider having a leak-down done on the car. I personally run through 1 quart every 1K miles or less and depending on the driving, it goes up or down. when I did my leakdown I was AVERAGE of just 2.5% across all cylinders, perhaps less. That's something that approximates what you see on a NEW CAR so lucky me! The 24K miles on my car appear to have me in EXCELLENT shape. Oil consumption does not mean you have a bad engine. Get the leak-down numbers to know if you have a weak cylinder. PLUGS are just as expensive since they require dropping the engine on a turbo. While you're at it, get the leak-down test done. You combine this with your 30K service (I did mine way, way early) and the total Porsche Tax is around $1,700.00.

Yes a brand new motor will usually use less oil. Yes there are guys with high-HP 3.8 Turbo kits that will tell you that they use less oil. Different design. Oil consumption is part of the Porsche design. Get a leak-down done and you will know for absolute certain.

SY