brsox88 Posted May 17, 2019 Share Posted May 17, 2019 I did a search but nothing came up for this topic for my year or close to it. My 2014 legacy 2.5i has be consuming a lot of oil. I was also aware of the oil consumption TSB but wasn't sure if my VIN applied to it. When it was at the dealer for the airbag recall I went ahead with them doing a oil consumption test which checks how much oil is used from a fresh oil change to 1200 miles. They overfilled the oil by a half inch from the max fill (cold) and when I brought it back in at 1200 it was about 1/4 of an inch from the min fill with a cold engine. They said this was normal and Subaru considers 2qt's of oil consumption in a 6000 mile oil service interval to be normal. My jaw dropped, how is 2qts of oil consumption normal? How can I find the most recent TSB on this and if my VIN applies? My engine number is #193829 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moral hazard Posted May 17, 2019 Share Posted May 17, 2019 I'm at 175000 miles in my 2010 GT, I would estimate it uses that amount of oil. But I change the oil every 3000miles myself. I would say that what's normal for one car is not normal for another. Yours being 4 years younger and NA, you would not expect that amount of oil being lost. Maybe half that amount. Maybe you should call Subaru for the information you seek, they are likely to be more helpful than a dealership. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
awfulwaffle Posted May 17, 2019 Share Posted May 17, 2019 1-2 quarts every 3000 in a 165k mile 05 GT for me. My 100k mile 2.5i Impreza was at about 1 qt every 3k at 110k miles. It's what makes a Subaru, a Subaru Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ripstik Posted May 17, 2019 Share Posted May 17, 2019 at 95k of hard driven miles, 75K of them tuned and I consume about 1 qt per 5k mile change running castrol full syn 5w-30. I've been doing blackstone labs tests every change for the last 2 years, and they say i could go further per change, not that I'm interested. i'd personally consider 2 quarts a little high, might be worth sending off for a test to see if the oil is degrading as what really matters is that you engine has oil and that that oil is still in good enough condition to provide protection. what type of oil do you use? how many miles on the car? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrD123 Posted May 17, 2019 Share Posted May 17, 2019 In the owners manual for the 2012, Subaru notes that excessive oil consumption is more than 1 quart every 1200 miles, so 2 quarts in 6000 miles is definitely below that threshold. (their line is drawn at 5 quarts every 6000 miles, which seems absurd, but that's what is in the owners manual - most manufacturers seem to state something around 1 quart every 1000 miles as the high end of normal) I guess the difference is what is typical for an engine in good condition, and what is at some point in the distribution of what is possible - so if you plot the range of oil consumptions on a bell curve, some point far out in the distribution. . 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, we recommend that you contact your SUBARU dealer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrD123 Posted May 17, 2019 Share Posted May 17, 2019 They overfilled the oil by a half inch from the max fill (cold) and when I brought it back in at 1200 it was about 1/4 of an inch from the min fill with a cold engine. If they are doing an oil consumption study, I would check the oil level at the dealership before you leave - if it's way over the full line, have them note it in their records, or have them adjust the oil level (remove oil) until it's filled properly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brsox88 Posted May 17, 2019 Author Share Posted May 17, 2019 at 95k of hard driven miles, 75K of them tuned and I consume about 1 qt per 5k mile change running castrol full syn 5w-30. I've been doing blackstone labs tests every change for the last 2 years, and they say i could go further per change, not that I'm interested. i'd personally consider 2 quarts a little high, might be worth sending off for a test to see if the oil is degrading as what really matters is that you engine has oil and that that oil is still in good enough condition to provide protection. what type of oil do you use? how many miles on the car? The oil quality should be great since I am adding new oil all the time. I use Mobile 1 0w-20 full synthetic I believe. It only has 54k on it. In the owners manual for the 2012, Subaru notes that excessive oil consumption is more than 1 quart every 1200 miles, so 2 quarts in 6000 miles is definitely below that threshold. (their line is drawn at 5 quarts every 6000 miles, which seems absurd, but that's what is in the owners manual - most manufacturers seem to state something around 1 quart every 1000 miles as the high end of normal) I guess the difference is what is typical for an engine in good condition, and what is at some point in the distribution of what is possible - so if you plot the range of oil consumptions on a bell curve, some point far out in the distribution. They say 2qts of consumption is normal, but the car only takes 5qts. That seems insane to have to add that much unless the piston rings are letting a lot of oil by? In my 2014 Jeep I have never had to add oil in its recommended 10k service intervals, so this is why I am shocked Subaru thinks losing this much oil is normal. If they are doing an oil consumption study, I would check the oil level at the dealership before you leave - if it's way over the full line, have them note it in their records, or have them adjust the oil level (remove oil) until it's filled properly. Yeah, that is what I should have done. But sounds like it wouldn't have mattered in the outcome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrD123 Posted May 18, 2019 Share Posted May 18, 2019 They say 2qts of consumption is normal, but the car only takes 5qts. That seems insane to have to add that much unless the piston rings are letting a lot of oil by? In my 2014 Jeep I have never had to add oil in its recommended 10k service intervals, so this is why I am shocked Subaru thinks losing this much oil is normal.I am not saying it's ok or normal, but bottom line, the owners manual (pull yours out if you don't believe me) says 1 quart every 1200 miles. If you have a 6000 mile drain interval, the total loss over that time period is 6000/1200 = 5 quarts. You are correct - if you were losing that fast, and never checking your oil, you'd have a problem - however, you have an oil level warning light that lights up when you are a bit over a quart down. You are expected to regularly check and maintain fluids - you can't just treat the car as a black box and never pop the hood. For what they would consider an acceptable oil loss in the manual, you'd need to be adding oil pretty regularly (at least every 1k miles). Now the trigger point at the dealers may be less, and I agree that 2 qts in an NA car over 6000 miles is a lot, but if they want to be a stickler, they can just point you to the owners manual and say, Subaru indicates more than 1 quart every 1200 miles is not normal, and not act until then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timothy.B Posted May 21, 2019 Share Posted May 21, 2019 You can try changing your PCV valve? Not sure the mileage on your car. I was losing a lot through mine. Timothy.B's 2011 LEGACY 3.6R Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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