Consumer Reports surveyed owners of over 1 million vehicles and found that some models from Audi, BMW, and Subaru frequently require owners to add a quart of oil every month, which is considered excessive. While automakers say a certain amount of oil consumption is normal, Consumer Reports believes nearly new cars should not require so much extra oil. The article examines specific engine models from these manufacturers that are prone to burning oil, and discusses class action lawsuits and actions some automakers are taking to address the issue. However, many owners say they would not have bought their vehicles if they knew about the excessive oil use.

1. 3/4/2016 Excessive Oil Consumption Isn't Normal ­ Consumer Reports
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2015/06/excessive­oil­consumption/index.htm 1/8
BURNING OIL
Excessive oil consumption isn't normal
Automakers say adding oil between scheduled changes is
acceptable. It's not.
Published: June 30, 2015 06:00 AM
Photo: Sam Kaplan
How much is too much? | What carmakers are doing about excessive oil consumption | The thirsty 30
| Can't get no satisfaction?
Cars under warranty shouldn’t burn oil. And most don’t.
But Consumer Reports’ 2014 Annual Auto Survey found that several auto manufacturers are building engines
—available in a number of widely sold models—that require frequently topping off the oil reservoir between
recommended oil changes. That’s a worry and cost that a new­car owner shouldn’t have.
The oil­change industry has long prescribed changing your oil every 3,000 miles. In recent years, most
automakers have stretched that to 7,500 or even 10,000 miles because refinements in engine manufacturing
and oil technology purportedly allow engine oil to last longer.
For some automakers, though, that appears to be an optimistic claim. In our survey of owners of about 1 million
vehicles stretching back 10 years, we found that for certain models, significant numbers of consumers have to
add a quart of oil to their engines as frequently as every month.
It’s normal for cars to burn a little oil as they age toward 100,000 miles and beyond. But Consumer Reports
believes that for an almost new car to burn that excessive amount of oil is unacceptable.
Does your car suffer from excessive oil consumption? Tell us about it by leaving a comment below.
We focused on 498,900 vehicles from the 2010 to 2014 model years, many of which are still under their
powertrain warranty. Several engines emerged as the main offenders: Audi’s 2.0­liter turbocharged four­
cylinder and 3.0­liter V6, BMW’s 4.8­liter V8 and twin­​turbocharged 4.4­liter V8, and to a lesser extent Subaru’s
3.6­liter six­cylinder and 2.0­ and 2.5­liter four­cylinders.
Those engines are in models such as the Audi A3, Audi A4, Audi A5, Audi A6, and Audi Q5; BMW 5, BMW 6,
and BMW 7 series, and BMW X5; and Subaru Forester, Subaru Impreza, Subaru Legacy, and Subaru Outback.
C Hi ­ Communications Donate

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The worst case showed that, overall, owners of BMW 5 Series vehicles with V8 engines were 27 times as likely
to suffer excessive oil consumption as owners of an average vehicle.
Already, some manufacturers are facing off against angry consumers who are finding that carmakers aren’t
backing up their products.
How much is too much?
Audi, BMW, and Subaru stick firmly to the statement that oil consumption is a normal part of a car’s operation.
Subaru considers a quart burned every 1,000 to 1,200 miles to be acceptable. Certain Audi and BMW cars’
standards state that a quart burned every 600 to 700 miles is reasonable.
If a driver has to add a quart of oil once per month, that can mean adding up to 7 to 9 quarts of oil between oil
changes. Those costs due to excessive oil consumption can add up because automakers more frequently
require synthetic oils that can cost upwards of $9 per quart—in addition to the expense of the routine oil
changes.
Consumer Reports data does not show a direct connection between increased oil consumption and other
engine problems. But our survey data concerning 10 model years shows that if a car burns oil early in its life, it
will burn even more as it ages. In tracking oil consumption by model year, engine families show increased
consumption with each successive year on the road.
Having to add oil isn’t a problem that will necessarily strand you by the side of the road if you are vigilant about
monitoring your oil levels. But we think it’s a serious problem that automakers should address.
Not all engines suffer from this problem. In fact, our data shows that owners of 98 percent of 2010 to 2014 cars
did not have to add oil between changes. But the cars that do burn oil do so furiously. Even if only 2 percent of
vehicles sold since 2010 have this problem, that still represents about 1.5 million vehicles on the road.
Consumer Reports believes that any engine that burns oil between changes should be repaired under the
powertrain warranty. But automakers often shield themselves in the fine print of their owners’ manuals.
What carmakers are doing about excessive oil consumption
In some cases, when confronted by a customer complaint, the
manufacturer has authorized a dealer to repair, rebuild, or
replace the engine under warranty. In other cases, though,
some manufacturers are defending the oil consumption as
falling within the car’s technical specifications—or they blame
the car’s owner for his or her driving habits.
Shelly Shugars, a training director from Tivoli, N.Y., bought a
new 2012 Subaru Impreza Sport hatchback and had her first
oil change done on schedule when it hit its first 3,000 miles.
But since that oil change, she says she has been adding a
quart of oil every 800 to 1,000 miles. Shugars says her Subaru
dealer told her that her car’s oil consumption is normal,
although the automaker offered her $500 for her trouble. Rebuilding the engine to fix the problem would cost
far more.
Shugars is far from alone. Subaru and Audi are in the midst of class­action lawsuits regarding the problem.
Subaru’s director of corporate commu­​nications, Michael McHale, said in an e­mailed statement, “The rate of
consumption can be affected by such factors as transmission type, driving style, terrain, and temperature.”
For consumers who complain about excessive oil consumption, Subaru has authorized its dealers to perform
oil­​consumption tests to determine whether the vehicle is performing outside of manufacturer specifications.
Subaru began modifying its engines on certain models starting in 2010 but took until 2014 to modify others.
Meanwhile, a settlement to a class­action lawsuit against Audi would extend the power​train warranty on its
2009 to 2011 model­year CAEB 2.0­liter turbo engines to eight years or 80,000 miles. Audi declined to
comment on the litigation or oil­​consumption problems in general. Our data shows that newer Audi 2.0­liter
turbos and V6 engines are also burning oil.
In a recent technical service bulletin, Audi recommended that “the customer always have a spare quart of
engine oil in case the engine oil needs topping off while on the road.”
BMW outlines such consumption as part of its manufacturer specifications. You can even purchase a traveling
case for oil, to affix in the car’s trunk.
“Oil consumption is normal on all engines,” BMW spokesman Hector Arellano­Belloc said in an e­mailed
statement. “BMW vehicles have long intervals between oil changes (10,000 miles). BMW engines (excluding
the BMW M) may consume up to one quart of engine oil per 750 miles under certain driving conditions.” He
added that BMW’s M performance models may consume even more oil than that.
Other manufacturers that have shown instances of oil consumption are taking corrective action.
Honda recently issued a warranty extension to eight years or 125,000 miles for 2008 to 2011 Accord and 2010
to 2011 CR­V four­cylinder engines. Honda said it had found that sticking piston rings could lead to higher oil
consumption if the engine is revved hard when cold, when combined with prolonged usage of low­quality
gasoline.

3. 3/4/2016 Excessive Oil Consumption Isn't Normal ­ Consumer Reports
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And following the filing of a class­action lawsuit in California regarding its four­​cylinder 2AZ­FE engines sold in
some 2007 to 2011 models, Toyota amended its powertrain warranty on those engines to 10 years or 150,000
miles. A Toyota representative said, “This program provides complete relief to owners who are currently
affected, as well as those who have previously paid for repairs.”
Automakers are facing a dilemma: They want to reduce ownership costs and the ecological impact of their cars.
Used engine oil can pose an hazard if not properly discarded, and internal combustion engines rely on routine
changes. But wait too long to change your oil and it can foul—turning to sludge and damaging your engine.
Some consumers we followed up with told us they would not have bought their oil­burning cars had they
known they would be checking their oil so often. A recent CR national survey of 542 American owners of a
2000 to 2016 model­year vehicle showed that 39 percent either never check their oil or only have it checked
when taken in for service.
If consumers are being denied repairs and rebuilds on engines that consume too much oil, those cars could
end up unloaded onto used­car lots by folks sick of adding oil. That just passes the problem on to the next
owner.
If a car does consume oil under warranty, Consumer Reports believes the automaker should cover the repair
costs for current owners and pay to top off the oil in between changes—and not just improve the engine’s
design for future buyers.
Burning up
The chart shows the percentages of surveyed vehicles that needed at least a quart of oil added between oil
changes, sorted by model year. The chart does not include vehicles that leaked oil.
The thirsty 30
According to data from Consumer Reports’ 2014 Annual Auto Survey of owners of 498,900 vehicles from 2010
to 2014 model years, these 30 models have much higher rates of oil consumption overall than the average for
their model years.

4. 3/4/2016 Excessive Oil Consumption Isn't Normal ­ Consumer Reports
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Can't get no satisfaction?
If your car requires frequent topping off of its oil due to
excessive oil consumption, you might have recourse from the
automaker.
Take your car to your dealer, along with receipts for oil
changes and oil purchased between oil­change intervals. Ask
whether your car is eligible for repairs under any customer­
satisfaction campaign or technical service bulletin.
Even then, the dealer may want to conduct an oil­consumption
test before offering to perform repairs under warranty.
The test measures how much oil you consume over several
weeks of driving. If your car’s oil consumption exceeds the
manufacturer specifications and it’s still under its original powertrain warranty, Consumer Reports believes the
dealer should repair or replace the engine free of charge. Some extended warranties will cover the problem.
However, if your car is consuming oil, but at a rate less than the manufacturer guidelines state is excessive, you
could be in for a legal battle.
If that is so, you may want to consult an attorney regarding lemon­law statutes. Also check to see whether your
car is a part of an excessive oil consumption class­action suit already in progress.
Editor's Note: This article also appeared in the August 2015 issue of Consumer Reports magazine.
346 Comments Sort by Oldest
Excessive oil consumption isn't normal

5. 3/4/2016 Excessive Oil Consumption Isn't Normal ­ Consumer Reports
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2015/06/excessive­oil­consumption/index.htm 5/8
Eliezer Colon Ruiz · University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus
vw jetta 2000 needed 4 quart of oil between changes
Like · Reply · 3 · Jun 30, 2015 8:46am
Dexter LaJock · Master of sex at Sex Palace
a quart every 1000­1200 miles? heh my 1988 ford 5.0 truck does much better than
that... i think you need to look at those piston rings.... for real.
Like · Reply · 1 · Jun 30, 2015 9:04am
Martha Hennigan · Assistant Director, Sales & Marketing Operations at Kubota
Tractor Corporation
2008 Honda Accord 6 cyl. Had excessive oil consumption after 24 months. Honda
corporate said that was normal to have to add oil every 1000 miles. Had to replace
spark plugs at 50000 miles. Indep mechanic told me oil was being blown onto spark
plugs. Honda again said not an issue.
Dealer finally handled under warranty after 18 months of me adding oil and
documenting.
Honda corporate (ALEX) refused any assistance, and said dealer did wrong thing.
Class action suit was filed for this exact thing, got some money back on repairs, but
not the oil.
Honda Accord
Like · Reply · 1 · Jun 30, 2015 10:08am
Travis SU · University of South Florida
Thats not true, I had a 2015 Accord before and I never add oil every
1000miles. Or maybe my car is too young to do that??
Like · Reply · Dec 26, 2015 11:12am
Alif Chowdhury
What makes you thinnk thats not true. Honda has issue...you are just lucky
u didnot have that issue. I am suffering from the same problem with honda
car
.
Like · Reply · Feb 13, 2016 3:14pm
Sean Hyma · Houston, Texas
Travis SU I have a 2015 Accord Coupe V6 . I just did my first oil change
with 50% oil life left and poured the used oil back into the 5 quart jug. Mine
had burned 2 quarts out of 5.3 quarts in only 4000 miles.
Like · Reply · Feb 28, 2016 11:30pm
Eric Hastings · Telstar High School
2008 VW Jetta S with 2.5 litre, 5 cylinder DOHC, runs through a quart of oil ever
1500 miles or so. Exhaust is fine and no oil leaks. I just don't know where all that
synthetic oil goes.
Like · Reply · Jun 30, 2015 10:20am
Michael Sotirake · Sr. Network Support Engineer at Omnyx
Burns on the valves...
Like · Reply · Jun 30, 2015 4:15pm
Aaron Hopkinson · BSA Analyst at OneforAll Alaska
The 2.5 5­cylinder engine is port injected...
Like · Reply · 1 · Jun 30, 2015 10:50pm
Luis Vazquez · Anaheim, California
i have a 2012 VW CC, 2.0 turbo that burns ALL of its oil before the oil change is
due, whether its before the mileage or months of the due date. The only thing the
say at the dealership is that its "normal" for CC's to burn oil, but i dont believe it
because it does not have 100,000 miles (exactly 37,000 miles) and should not burn
it! FYI, "I have 180,000 on my toyota tundra that maintains the oil clean and does
not burn a quart at all!!!" On the CC, I have to constatly monitor it, and add oil which
Add a comment...

6. 3/4/2016 Excessive Oil Consumption Isn't Normal ­ Consumer Reports
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not burn a quart at all!!!" On the CC, I have to constatly monitor it, and add oil which
is not cheap due to it using synthetic ($13­$15 a quart).
can we also have an article about replacing car batteries, i have gone through 3
factory car batteries, and , on the CC in the last 2 1/2 half years i own the car, and
they always blame me because i dont lock the car due to it being in the garage.
would that be true? i doubt it! anyone have this issue with their CC or VW in
general?
Like · Reply · 1 · Jun 30, 2015 10:58am
Michael Sotirake · Sr. Network Support Engineer at Omnyx
The DI vacuum issue is known and pretty bad on this engine... look up
Catch Can for your VW and see what others are doing. Battery issue is
totally different, although I've seen some pretty ridiculous implementations
in the past couple years.
Like · Reply · 1 · Jun 30, 2015 4:11pm
Claude C. Wills · Univerity of Georgia
I'm not an expert on VWs, but the reason the service advisor may want
your car locked if it is like some others is it immediately powers down all of
the electronic modules where if you don't lock it the modules stay active for
a while before they do shut down therefore a drain on the battery during
that period of time.
Like · Reply · 3 · Jun 30, 2015 9:05pm
Bruce Bruski Snave Evans
I was wondering why the VW 2.0 Turbo wasn't on the list ­virtually the
same motor as the Audis on the list. $13­$15 per quart is pricy ­have you
shopped around? The tip I have for you is to get your oil changed at Oil
Can Henry's as they top off for free between oil changes (although they
might insist on a 3000 mile interval ­not sure about that.) You should also
clarify with them that they will use the correct (VW spec) oil. As for your
battery issues ­1) no reason you need to replace with "factory" batteries. 2)
buy a battery conditioner and keep it plug in while in your garage. This will
keep your battery charged and desulfited (sp?) and increase the life of
your battery 3 fold ­you can find good ones (Battery Minder) at
Northerntool.com. Be sure to order with the ring terminal attachment so
you don't have to deal with battery terminal clips. Just as simple as
plugging in to the wall.
Like · Reply · 2 · Jul 1, 2015 2:04pm
Show 2 more replies in this thread
Barbara Gabbard Schmidt · YVCC, Yakima, WA
My 2003 Nissan Murano uses 1 quart every 1000 miles.
Like · Reply · Jun 30, 2015 10:58am
Bruce Lund · Princeton University
My 2003 Mercedes SL­500 has no oil dipstick, and no way to check the oil. This
drove me crazy for the first week until I called the dealer who confirmed it.
Like · Reply · Jun 30, 2015 10:59am
Richard Altman
I find it disappointing that CU can continue to recommend Subaru, BMW and any
automobile that suffers from a problems such as this and are subject to class action
lawsuits. At the very least, the reviews of all cars should note issues like this and
should also note that the manufacturer is being sued. It is an indictment of the
manufacturer that they deny this problem rather than fix it.
Like · Reply · 64 · Jun 30, 2015 11:04am
Marius Draganescu · Naperville, Illinois
Exactly! For Subaru, up to 2008 (or 2010) a lot of owners had to deal with
head gasket replacement, not a cheap repair, yet, CR has never stopped
recommending these cars.
Like · Reply · 35 · Jul 1, 2015 10:26am

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Long Doan
Only Subaru with manual­transmission have the excessive oil­
consumption. Anyway Subaru is a very reliable automobile brand. Most
main important components last when the engine exceed 200,000 miles. I
don't know why American's main issue with cars are their electronic system
and the body integrity; who cared about those things. The only thing you
should care about is the major system that make the car run and operate.
Like · Reply · 9 · Jul 1, 2015 1:40pm
John Cruet · Architect at Self­Employed
True, but I noted that Subarus prior to 2008 are not listed as Consumer
Reports recommended used cars.
Like · Reply · 4 · Jul 1, 2015 4:44pm
Show 10 more replies in this thread
Paul Wagenbreth · Urbana, Illinois
Any indication whether this is more of a problem with manuals rather than CVTs?
Like · Reply · Jun 30, 2015 11:31am
Harry Spatz · Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Subaru has been reported to have much more problem with manuals than
CVTs. My guess is letting up accelerator between shifts is culprit.
Like · Reply · Jun 30, 2015 5:16pm
Loren Robinson · Fremont High School Oakland Calif.
2002 Toyota Sienna, 70k miles, and 1997 Ford Explorer, 145k miles. Both use no
oil between changes, change oil every 5k miles. 1996 Chevrolet motor home
chassis with 454 ci engine, 147k miles has always used a quart of oil every 3,000
miles.
Like · Reply · 1 · Jun 30, 2015 12:06pm
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