Subaru Forester oil consumption

[SubaruWTF]

Apparently, some of the new Subaru Forester 2013 and 2014 non-turbo models, consume quite a lot of 0w20 oil. According to the Owner's Manual, Subaru considers up to 1 litre per 2,000 kilometres to be normal.

Here is a quote from page 446 of the manual, which can be found on subaru.ca under Owner Resources:

"If the oil consumption rate seems abnormally high after the break-in period, for example more than 1 quart per 1,200 miles or 1 liter per 2,000 kilometers, contact your SUBARU dealer."

I think this is outrageous. This is not 1970's anymore. The fact that Subaru put that as a statement in the manual, does not make it right. What if they stated that a head gasket replacement is required every 50,000 kilometres? Would that be OK too?

I am wondering how does that measure up against other brand new vehicles? Do they also need top ups between oil changes?

In the 2014 Forester, Subaru added a low oil warning light to the dashboard. How many other cars have low oil lights?

[Tik-Tok]

Originally posted by SubaruWTF

Subaru added a low oil warning light to the dashboard. How many other cars have low oil lights?

Pretty much all of them.

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

Our 2013 XV Crosstrek will consume 1L every 1000km when driven hard, it's partially due to the boxer engine design. Most manufactures find 1L every 1000km to be where they consider a problem.

[R-Audi]

I dont see the issue. The last thing the dealer wants is a bunch of morons complaining that they lost 200ml of oil over the last 20,000km. They set a standard so people dont waste their time. If you lose more oil than what the manual states? Yeah, go in for service.

Nice first post btw...setting yourself up for success.

[DeleriousZ]

Lots of modern cars have this same sort of spec on them from the factory. It is kind of silly, but I'm not privy to the reasoning behind the allowance of large amounts of oil consumption.

[bourge73]

Mazda RX-8 owners would know all about oil consumption. Then again they are probably on their 2nd or 3rd engine...:rofl:

[FraserB]

Thats in line with Chrysler as well.

[rage2]

Mercedes is worse. From the manual:


Depending on the driving style, the vehicle consumes up to 0.9 US qts. (0.8 l) of oil over a distance of 600 miles (1000 km). The oil consumption may be higher than this when the vehicle is new or if you frequently drive at high engine speeds.
Almost 1L/1000km lol. A hard break-in usually means lower oil consumption, at least from my experience. There are tons of MB owners bitching about how often they're topping off oil, I've seen as high as 8L/20,000km posted, and they're all ppl that break 'em in nicely and drive the car easy.

[JRSC00LUDE]

That was within factory tolerance on my prelude I am pretty sure as well.

[Tik-Tok]

Audi considers 1 quart per 1000kms to be acceptable as well.

DON'T THEY ALL KNOW THIS IS 2013!!1!!1! HOW DARE THEY MAKE ME ADD OIL TO MY CARZ!!!!!!!!!!!

[gretz]

1999.5 - 2003 2.0L VW... 1L / 1000km.

OP, here's what you do >

-Empty washer fluid reservoir
-fill with 0W20
-Tap a hole and put a barbed fitting on your oil cap
-Disconnect wiper hose from sprayers and run it to barbed fitting.

Next time your low oil light comes on, just hold your wiper sprayer for a bit until the light goes out. Problem solved
:thumbsup:

[Boosted131]

Why do they use so much oil? After 8000 km in my truck it's still on full on the dipstick

[Hallowed_point]

I burn a ton of oil with my manual transmission equipped camaro..but that is due to the tach seeing north of 5 K rpm often. I'd say I go through ~ 1- 2 L in between changes in the summer. A lot gets pulled past the pcv with high rpm driving, throw a catch can in line to trap the oil vapor.

[Canmorite]

My STi consumes about that much as well. Carry some spare oil.

[rage2]

Originally posted by Boosted131
Why do they use so much oil? After 8000 km in my truck it's still on full on the dipstick
Rings not seating properly, blow-by.

[clem24]

Originally posted by rage2
Mercedes is worse. From the manual:


Almost 1L/1000km lol. A hard break-in usually means lower oil consumption, at least from my experience. There are tons of MB owners bitching about how often they're topping off oil, I've seen as high as 8L/20,000km posted, and they're all ppl that break 'em in nicely and drive the car easy.

Haha yup, my 2011 C63 drinks quite a bit. The low oil light actually came on and I am not due for next service for another 2-3 months!

[G]

I bagged mine from day one and added oil once in the 3 years that I owned it.

[ExtremeSi]

Originally posted by gretz
1999.5 - 2003 2.0L VW... 1L / 1000km.

OP, here's what you do >

-Empty washer fluid reservoir
-fill with 0W20
-Tap a hole and put a barbed fitting on your oil cap
-Disconnect wiper hose from sprayers and run it to barbed fitting.

Next time your low oil light comes on, just hold your wiper sprayer for a bit until the light goes out. Problem solved
:thumbsup:

:rofl: DOI - direct oil injection

[gulfstorm]

Never mind fuel consumption...how about oil consumption....LOL

Most TFSI Audis are up to 1L/1000 km as was mentioned earlier.

[revelations]

Yea like RAGE mentioned, easy break-ins are usually the culprit when all other issues have been looked at (eg leaking seals, gaskets etc).

Also SOME cars come with a low oil LEVEL warning in ADDITION to the low oil PRESSURE light which is on 99.9% of vehicles. Subaru probably figured that its better to let people know about the situation BEFORE damage is done - which is what is happening to the engine when the oil PRESSURE light comes on.

Also OP, what about using 5w30 oil? Its a little thicker and could help a bit in the consumption department. I'd ask a Subie forum specific to your vehicle/engine first though.

For eg, my Civic came with 5w20 from the factory (helps with mileage) but owners were finding that the camshafts were wearing out rapidly with that thin of an oil so many switched to 5w30.

[Isaiah]

Originally posted by R-Audi

Nice first post btw...setting yourself up for success.
It's a car forum, and he posted in the correct sub-forum. He asked a simple question, wrote a comprehensive post, and provided The necessary information to what he perceived as a car-related issue.

What's the problem with his post?

[Xtrema]

Originally posted by Isaiah
What's the problem with his post?

Title and user name are the same and seems to points to a single purpose?


Originally posted by SubaruWTF
I am wondering how does that measure up against other brand new vehicles? Do they also need top ups between oil changes?

Every manufacturer has been switching to lower weight oil to get better fuel economy and power numbers.

[Redlined_8000]

Wow I never knew some of these manufactures thought it was ok to have that ridiculous amount of oil consumption! And i thought my vtak civic was bad but it only does 1L per 5000km lol.

[rage2]

Originally posted by Redlined_8000
Wow I never knew some of these manufactures thought it was ok to have that ridiculous amount of oil consumption! And i thought my vtak civic was bad but it only does 1L per 5000km lol.
That number is probably derived from the worst possible tolerances, along with a worst case scenario for ring seating, to make sure that they don't have to replace an engine. It doesn't happen much. I think I've only had 1 new car in the last 10 years that needed 1L of oil every 15000km's.

[R-Audi]

Originally posted by Isaiah

It's a car forum, and he posted in the correct sub-forum. He asked a simple question, wrote a comprehensive post, and provided The necessary information to what he perceived as a car-related issue.

What's the problem with his post?
Screen name = post title, and first and only post.. Sounds like a typical troll using Beyond as his podium, going out of his way to make something look like the sky is falling only to have it be 100% normal.

[Xtrema]

Originally posted by Redlined_8000
Wow I never knew some of these manufactures thought it was ok to have that ridiculous amount of oil consumption! And i thought my vtak civic was bad but it only does 1L per 5000km lol.

I lose around average of 3/4L per 8000km. I lose nothing in summer, it's the extra idling in winter that really accelerate the loss.

[Tik-Tok]

Originally posted by Xtrema


I lose around average of 3/4L per 8000km. I lose nothing in summer, it's the extra idling in winter that really accelerate the loss.

That's why they have such a high allowance. They don't know how you drive, so if you're in L.A. traffic, all day every day, you'll be idling your oil away. If you're always on the highway, you'll barely lose any.

[luxor]

Originally posted by SubaruWTF
How many other cars have low oil lights?

:facepalm:

What are you even complaining about? Does your imaginary Subaru actually consume 1L per 2000km or something? If not then calm down and remember you always have the option of not buying a Subaru if you're that anal.



Originally posted by R-Audi
I dont see the issue. The last thing the dealer wants is a bunch of morons complaining that they lost 200ml of oil over the last 20,000km. They set a standard so people dont waste their time. If you lose more oil than what the manual states? Yeah, go in for service.

Nice first post btw...setting yourself up for success.


:werd:

[JZS_147]

All Subaru's have oil consumption issues, their PCV systems are terrible. Best solution is installing an air oil separator.

[OneGreasyHobo]

1989 oldsmobile, uses less oil then what you guys are saying... I'm about 5-6k without even losing any.

[Tik-Tok]

Originally posted by OneGreasyHobo
1989 oldsmobile, uses less oil then what you guys are saying... I'm about 5-6k without even losing any.

It's just the allowable limits, not what most people actually get.

I go 10,000kms between oil changes on my Audi 2.7 twin turbo, and only ever have to add maybe 1/2 litre.

[revelations]

Originally posted by OneGreasyHobo
1989 oldsmobile, uses less oil then what you guys are saying... I'm about 5-6k without even losing any.

What does that have to do with anything? Some old engines burn more oil than gas.

[rx7_turbo2]

Originally posted by revelations


What does that have to do with anything? Some old engines burn more oil than gas.

:werd: I'd rather drive around in a new Suburu that's on the upper limit of oil consumption, than I would an 1989 Oldsmobile of any condition.

[SubaruWTF]

Apologies about the poor choice of my user name.

I do own a brand new Subaru Forester that has been burning oil from day one. At the current consumption rate, it will require two litres of extra oil between the scheduled changes. According to Subaru Canada, that is well within the specs and nothing can or needs to be done :banghead:

Lately, this has been a hit-and-miss issue with other car manufacturers too. Here is the interesting link to Consumer Reports:

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2013/07/consumer-reports-sees-oil-vanish-from-some-test-cars/index.htm

[TimH]

I don't know if this has been covered but can't someone just idle their vehicle for an extended amount of time during the oil consumption test, burn up more oil than they normally would and then get another engine through warranty when it fails the oil consumption test? All these tests seem to be based on a distance driven but wouldn't a car burn more oil driving 1000 km in 50 hours versus a car driving 1000 km in 10?

[clem24]

Originally posted by SubaruWTF
Apologies about the poor choice of my user name.

I do own a brand new Subaru Forester that has been burning oil from day one. At the current consumption rate, it will require two litres of extra oil between the scheduled changes. According to Subaru Canada, that is well within the specs and nothing can or needs to be done :banghead:

Lately, this has been a hit-and-miss issue with other car manufacturers too. Here is the interesting link to Consumer Reports:

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2013/07/consumer-reports-sees-oil-vanish-from-some-test-cars/index.htm

Obviously you didn't break it in properly.. Should be flooring it and revving the snot out of it at every opportunity. /seriouspost.

[SubaruWTF]

There are now enough people complaining that Subaru of America published an article stating that the high oil consumption is "normal":

Quote:

FACT: Engines consume some oil during normal operation. How much oil engines consume varies, based on manufacturing tolerances, wear, and usage. Usage includes driving patterns such as frequent engine braking (downshifting the transmission in order to decelerate the vehicle), engine operation at sustained high RPMs (i.e., sustained highway driving or driving in hilly terrain), frequent acceleration and deceleration (i.e., stop-and-go freeway traffic), severe thermal conditions (extreme heat or cold), idling for extended periods of time (i.e., frequent and sustained remote engine-start operation), and new-engine break-in period (up to the first 3,000 miles). All will result in increased engine oil consumption. However, the need to add oil should not be interpreted as a need for more frequent servicing.

Source:

http://drive.subaru.com/fall13_modes.aspx?s_emailid=insider|201309|tips_full&page=2

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

I really doubt Subaru is going to do any engine replacements or repairs unless its 1L every 1000km or less, whether you bitch about it or not.

[Tik-Tok]

Originally posted by SubaruWTF
There are now enough people complaining that Subaru of America published an article stating that the high oil consumption is "normal":


Well, if most people are getting high oil consumption, than it is normal isn't it?

I honestly don't see the issue myself. 2 litres of oil over 10,000 kms isn't bad at all. You likely have to open the hood more often than that to add windshield washer fluid anyways, are you going to start complaining about the wastage of that too, because the nozzles aren't as efficient as they could be?

[heavyfuel]

My '07 STi burned a lot of oil too and apparently that's normal for those cars. That's another reason I got rid of it- complete fuckin' bullshit to have to check your oil daily on any 5 year old vehicle.

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

Originally posted by heavyfuel
My '07 STi burned a lot of oil too and apparently that's normal for those cars. That's another reason I got rid of it- complete fuckin' bullshit to have to check your oil daily on any 5 year old vehicle.

Daily? How many km were you doing a day? I used to check mine every time I got gas and usually every few fill ups I would have to add a little.

[dexlargo]

I'm surprised that these new Foresters burn oil like that. It really feels like a step backwards in car development.

I still have an old '01 Forester that never used to have any problems with burning oil (did have a problem with head gaskets, but that's another story), but now it burns a couple of litres between oil changes and that makes me think it's got problems - but that's a 13 year old car. I expect problems like that.

When I replace my ancient Forester (soon) with something to drive for another 10 years, I don't want to have to pick up right where I left off with my old, falling apart car.

That said though, I really would appreciate a low oil level light.

[heavyfuel]

Originally posted by Twin_Cam_Turbo


Daily? How many km were you doing a day? I used to check mine every time I got gas and usually every few fill ups I would have to add a little.

Not much, this was just a toy for me I didn't drive it a whole lot. I just got annoyed real real fast with even having to check it so often to begin with. I added one litre every tank and a half or so. I switched to Rotella 15w40 and it seemed to help but it still burned more oil than what's acceptable in my mind. I'm a diesel guy, I never check my oil between changes and my trucks don't burn a drop. Cars, especially ones like these that you have to micro manage just annoy the shit outta me so that's why I traded it for a truck. Some kid who ended up with my car called me and my mechanic bitching about the clutch but said the engine was running great. Nothing great about 1L every 600ish kms if you ask me.

[luxor]

Originally posted by dexlargo
but now it burns a couple of litres between oil changes and that makes me think it's got problems - but that's a 13 year old car. I expect problems like that.


Do you visibly see blue smoke? Any leaks on the ground? A lot of the older Subaru leak oil through the oil pressure sender (switch/sensor) located just behind the power steering reservoir and alternator. It will leak oil and cover the whole top of the engine and make it's way down to the bottom where it accumulates more on the under body engine cover before it drips on the ground and become noticeable. By that time your dip stick will read half or less.

I have seen numerous Subarus leak oil through here but rarely see any oil burning ones from the N/A EJ engines, even high km ones. A replacement sender is only about $15 and takes like half and hour to change so check it out.

[dexlargo]

^Thanks, I'll have a look. I'm looking to replace it anyway, but that might help with whether or not someone wants to take it off my hands.