2015 2.5i Oil Consumption

First off, I have already read on this forum and on the internet at large about Subaru oil consumption issue.

 

That being said, my low oil level light came on today. I went straight to the dealership.

 

It seems my car burnt 1.4 litres of oil (approx 1.5 quarts), for a span of about 7300km (approx 4500 miles).

 

Dealer says I must burn more than 1 litre ever 6000KM for repairs to be covered under warranty.

 

What do you guys think? I will follow up on this forum for fellow users, regardless of the outcome.

 

Thanks,

 

PS: 2015 2.5i with approx 75 000KM (45 000 miles)

He is correct. Have the dealership do an oil change and make it known you are/ they should monitor the consumption.

 

Laughing at oneself and with others is good for the Soul![emoji2]

Edited January 20, 2019 by Yoda_One

My advice, since I went through this on my 2013 (and ended up getting a replacement short block under that lawsuit letter)

When the dealership does the oil change for the oil consumption test, walk out to your car, pop the hood and check the oil level yourself on the stick. (make sure the car has been sitting for a few mins, and is parked on a level surface, etc)

VERIFY FOR YOURSELF that the oil level is 100% even on the top F mark, and NOT OVERFILLED.

 

The dealership that I went to for this oil consumption test OVERFILLED the oil like an extra 1/2 a quart or more. Like almost a 1/2" over on the stick! And they did this TWICE - I caught them both times and the Service Manager made them drain it and HE checked it with me.

 

You would think that the dealership would WANT the short block replacement warranty work...

 

Either the guy changing and filling the oil was simply told to do an oil change (and he normally overfilled every car) because of many cars burning a little, and the dealership doesn't want to deal with complaints from customers, or they are just idiots.

 

So again, my advice is, in addition to having the dealership monitor the oil consumption, YOU should also be accurately and regularly doing the same.

 

 

For any more advice/questions on this, please let me know

My advice, since I went through this on my 2013 (and ended up getting a replacement short block under that lawsuit letter)

When the dealership does the oil change for the oil consumption test, walk out to your car, pop the hood and check the oil level yourself on the stick. (make sure the car has been sitting for a few mins, and is parked on a level surface, etc)

VERIFY FOR YOURSELF that the oil level is 100% even on the top F mark, and NOT OVERFILLED.

 

The dealership that I went to for this oil consumption test OVERFILLED the oil like an extra 1/2 a quart or more. Like almost a 1/2" over on the stick! And they did this TWICE - I caught them both times and the Service Manager made them drain it and HE checked it with me.

 

You would think that the dealership would WANT the short block replacement warranty work...

 

Either the guy changing and filling the oil was simply told to do an oil change (and he normally overfilled every car) because of many cars burning a little, and the dealership doesn't want to deal with complaints from customers, or they are just idiots.

 

So again, my advice is, in addition to having the dealership monitor the oil consumption, YOU should also be accurately and regularly doing the same.

 

 

For any more advice/questions on this, please let me know

Well, that's a fairly crazy story...

 

I was already planning to monitor my car's oil consumption myself. Your post just makes sure that I will do so even more thoroughly.

 

My main gripe is with the fact that the car is still under warranty until December 2019. If it doesn't burn "enough" oil until then, here I am stuck with an engine burning excessive oil out of warranty.

 

Thanks for your insight

 

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if you do have an issue, you will see the interval between the oil lighting up to shorten. I went from 8000km, then 7000km, and eventually 6000km. All monitored by my dealer. Do not add oil in between, as it will ''cheat'' the results.

My advice, since I went through this on my 2013 (and ended up getting a replacement short block under that lawsuit letter)

When the dealership does the oil change for the oil consumption test, walk out to your car, pop the hood and check the oil level yourself on the stick. (make sure the car has been sitting for a few mins, and is parked on a level surface, etc)

VERIFY FOR YOURSELF that the oil level is 100% even on the top F mark, and NOT OVERFILLED.

 

The dealership that I went to for this oil consumption test OVERFILLED the oil like an extra 1/2 a quart or more. Like almost a 1/2" over on the stick! And they did this TWICE - I caught them both times and the Service Manager made them drain it and HE checked it with me.

 

You would think that the dealership would WANT the short block replacement warranty work...

 

Either the guy changing and filling the oil was simply told to do an oil change (and he normally overfilled every car) because of many cars burning a little, and the dealership doesn't want to deal with complaints from customers, or they are just idiots.

 

So again, my advice is, in addition to having the dealership monitor the oil consumption, YOU should also be accurately and regularly doing the same.

 

 

For any more advice/questions on this, please let me know[/quote

 

 

The dealership I went to for my 2013 consumption test did the same thing and overfilled the oil by a 1/2 quart as well. I did 3 consumption tests and they all passed. That was when the car had 20k miles on it. The light has been coming on ever since, around every 3,500 or 4,000 miles. I just add a quart to get me to 6,000 miles and do an oil change. The car has over 105,000 miles on it now.

 

The dealership I went to for my 2013 consumption test did the same thing and overfilled the oil by a 1/2 quart as well. I did 3 consumption tests and they all passed. That was when the car had 20k miles on it. The light has been coming on ever since, around every 3,500 or 4,000 miles. I just add a quart to get me to 6,000 miles and do an oil change. The car has over 105,000 miles on it now.

 

 

I have been doing the same as you minus going to the dealer...I have 140,000 on my 2013 right now and do 7,500 mile oil/filter changes...I typically add 2 or 3 quarts within the 7,500 miles when the light pops (1 quart each time the light pops on)...I hate carrying 3 extra quarts of oil in my trunk all the time...at the rate it’s consuming oil I wonder why I even bother changing the oil and just swap out the filter every 7,500 miles and just keep adding oil each time the light pops on

 

 

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Common problem with 0-20 oil. I wouldn't trust a blue Subaru oil filter past 4,000 miles. If your adding 2-3 quarts between changes just do a oil change every 3,500miles.

I'd try 10W-40 - higher viscosity usually cuts consumption. I used 20W-50 when my '90 & '02 got to 100k.

Before the short block replacement, I was checking and adding oil several times a month. Everything ran great, and I was even contemplating NOT swapping out the engine, as I didn't want my car and engine butchered. I went to a specific dealer (recommended by a member of this site) and discussed my concerns with the Service Manager.

The tech did a nice job, and I inspected EVERYTHING.

 

But adding oil several times a month actually didn't bother me. I have a garage and take really good care of my cars. My concern was long term ownership, if sensors or other components would fail or have issues due to the high oil consumption.

From what I'm hearing, nobody seems to have those issues.

It wouldn’t surprise me if the Techs are being told to over fill, to help prevent oil lights and complaints.

First off, I have already read on this forum and on the internet at large about Subaru oil consumption issue.

 

That being said, my low oil level light came on today. I went straight to the dealership.

 

It seems my car burnt 1.4 litres of oil (approx 1.5 quarts), for a span of about 7300km (approx 4500 miles).

 

Dealer says I must burn more than 1 litre ever 6000KM for repairs to be covered under warranty.

 

What do you guys think? I will follow up on this forum for fellow users, regardless of the outcome.

 

Thanks,

 

PS: 2015 2.5i with approx 75 000KM (45 000 miles)

 

 

 

 

What brand oil are you using? I would get the low oil light at about 3000-3500miles every oil changes using the recommended Mobil 1, I finally switch to Napa, (which is really Valvoline) and haven't had the low oil light come in in the last 55k miles plus.

Common problem with 0-20 oil. I wouldn't trust a blue Subaru oil filter past 4,000 miles. If your adding 2-3 quarts between changes just do a oil change every 3,500miles.

 

 

I would trust the Subaru filter to the recommended interval of 6,000 miles. Interesting video

. Personally, I use Wix.

 

 

Nor would I change oil more often if I'm already adding new oil often. The more oil you add between changes, the more new oil is in the system on average!

 

 

However, if I face an oil consumption issue after warranty, my first move would be to the 5W-30 which the manual allows for, or try a different brand of oil as above.

A couple small things.. I know it shouldn't be necessary, but make sure you're correctly reading the dipstick. From the owners manual, page 11-12.

 

"5. 2.5L models: Check the oil levels on both sides of the level gauge. The engine oil level must be judged by the lowest of the two levels. If the oil level is below the low level mark, add oil so that the full level is reached."

 

Also, if the dealer does overfill, I know that's frustrating, but I wouldn't assume they're doing it on purpose. The technician could just be refilling using the amount of oil spec'ed in the manual, but since there's always going to be a little residual oil that doesn't drain out, it'll look a little overfilled.

I wouldn't trust a blue Subaru oil filter past 4,000 miles.

Not sure where you are getting that from, but I've used it well past 8k miles and have not seen any signs of it not doing it's job even in the oil analysis report.

Subaru filters are just Fram extra guard filters that are blue. The black ones are the good ones made in japan. Edited January 23, 2019 by RumbleRumble

 

Nor would I change oil more often if I'm already adding new oil often. The more oil you add between changes, the more new oil is in the system on average!

 

 

If you have 4 quart capacity and you run 1 quart low(25%) 3 quarts of oil are doing the job required by 4. The more worn oil is the more prone it is to burning, wearing parts and the viscosity has decreased among other things.

 

Oil is cheap enough, filters are cheap enough. I have the luxury of being able to do it myself though. While some people have to pay a mechanic. I wouldn't run overused oil in my car and add 1/2 quart or so of new oil.

 

If you are only burning oil after 4,000 miles why wouldn't you just change it instead of letting all that carbon build up from the burned oil? Just because subaru suggests 7,500 doesn't mean you have to. Driving conditions and habits effect oil more than you think. I change my oil most of the time before 3000 miles because there are times were I do a lots of short trips around town. Start/Stop is considered a harsh driving condition.

Edited January 23, 2019 by RumbleRumble

Hey Guys!

 

I've got an update on the engine. After playing dumb for a while and saying that my car's oil consumption was normal, Subaru Canada changed their position and decided to replace my engine's short block.

 

Only took sending a cease and desist letter and threatening legal action when speaking to Subaru's lawyer.

 

As a sidenote, I,ve recently learned that 2012-2016 Legacy's were added to a class action for oil consumption (Province of Quebec).

 

Anyhow, it actually worked out really well for me I guess. Lesson to be learned here? Subaru is fully aware of the issue and will repair engines if pressed hard enough...

 

Thanks for the support guys.

 

Edit: They will also be checking all gaskets and piston rings when opening up the engine, replacing parts if necessary. Good news all around

Edited February 9, 2019 by plm42

2012 legacy is the older EJ engine, not known for oil consumption. is known for crap head gaskets

When folks say, just change the oil as oil is cheap, what kind of oil are you running?

 

My manual and dealer say for my 2017 Legacy, 2.5L I need to run full synthetic... which ain't cheap

 

Oil change/filter if I do it, $55.00, at a repair shop over $80.00

 

And at 4k miles means every 2 months, this really adds up

 

Rick

When folks say, just change the oil as oil is cheap, what kind of oil are you running?

 

 

 

My manual and dealer say for my 2017 Legacy, 2.5L I need to run full synthetic... which ain't cheap

 

 

 

Oil change/filter if I do it, $55.00, at a repair shop over $80.00

 

 

 

And at 4k miles means every 2 months, this really adds up

 

 

 

Rick

I've done synthetic oil changes.

 

When you reach viscosity grades like 0w20, synthetic oil really starts to be necessary, to avoid vaporisation as much as possible.

 

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Oil change/filter if I do it, $55.00 ...

Such drama! By planning ahead and taking advantage of rebates, etc. my oil DIY changes typically cost less than $25, even using Mobil 1 oil and Subaru filters. Without any rebates it would still be less than $35 per oil/filter change.

 

And at 4k miles means every 2 months, this really adds up

The Subaru-specified oil change interval is 6 months or 6,000 miles, whichever comes first. You would have similar maintenance costs with any vehicle you choose (except pure electrics). You can change oil more frequently if you choose, but don't blame Subaru. Edited February 10, 2019 by ammcinnis

Drama, no. I priced it last week at O'Rileys, $55.00. Now if it can be had on coupon/sale then great

 

Just checked Costco they have Mobile 1 online for $28.00 for 6 qts, now that is much better. In store last week it wasn't on sale and it was $39

 

Re: changing it at 4k miles, I was basing that off of a previous post that said to change it at 4k, it's cheap

 

Rick

I priced it last week at O'Rileys, $55.00.

...

Re: changing it at 4k miles, I was basing that off of a previous post that said to change it at 4k, it's cheap

Your choice, but don't blame Subaru.

Where in my post did I blame Subaru?

 

I asked, what kinda of oil are you running that is cheap to change out

 

So far I have heard Mobile 1

 

Rick