Concerned!!

[fishingbuk]

I started thinking there was a problem after had my second oil change done. I went to sythetic at 7500 miles and after about 3000 miles I checked the oil and it was down a quart. I told the dealer of the situation when I had the oil changed again the other day and they said if it contuniues there may be a problem. I just checked the oil again after the first fuel up since the latest change and the oil is fine level wize but it is already dark in color. This worries me because every other car I have owned the oil (especially mobil 1) usually stays caramel colored well into the duration of an oil change. In fact my old saab aero's oil was still caramel colored after 3000 miles. My leggy's oil is already dark after only 300 miles.

 

A little background info that I must share. I bought the car and it had 230 miles on it. 125 of those miles were because the dealer had to bring the vehicle up from Massachusetts because they did not have one in the color I wanted. The other miles on the car were obviosly hard test drive miles and combined with the highway trip up from Mass. has me concerned that the car was not properly broken in and hence the oil issues I'm currently having. Should I be worried about this? Take it back to the dealer? Appreciate everyone's help with regard to this.

 

BUK

[hondas123]

I wouldn't be too concerned with the dark oil color. From what I've read, that's fairly common on Turbo powertrains. I would continue to keep an eye on the oil level. At minimum each time you fill the car with gas check it. I've also read several times on this forum that Mobil 1 synthetic does burn about 1-1.5 quarts in between changes on these engines. I don't know if there's a lot of truth to it or not. You can also send your a portion of your used oil out for an analysis when you drain it. I believe it's like $15 - $20 for a detailed report. Try searching using keywords like "Synthetic Oil" and "Oil Consumption". You should find some pretty interesting threads. Best of luck.

[mwiener2]

I personally don't burn any oil. But ALOT of people here report a quart bewteen changes and that is typical of a turbo car to burn some. The darker color of the oil is from the higher pressures and temperatures of the turbo engine. DOn't worry about that unless it starts to look like black sludge with crap in it/

[D-2.5-GT]

Mobil 1 is a little thin compared to other oils of its same weight. I use it. I did notice a little loss of oil in between changes at first. That will go away, at least it has with me. I wouldn't be too worried.

[Ed_T]

M1 5w-30 can blow by the rings pretty fast. Don't sweat it - just keep an eye on it.

 

As far as worrying about break-in, your motor is likely just fine. I picked up my car with 5,400 miles on it (the "sales mgr's car" = "demo"), the engine is fine and I'm sure it had been pushed mercilessly at times.

 

You might find that Subies like a thicker oil vs. a thinner. I switched to a 5w-40 full synth which quieted it down a bit, and it just feels a lot better too, with no discernible fuel mileage penalty. Strangely, it used more oil this cycle (1 full qt. in ~6,500 miles) than the last cycle using M1 10w-30 (1/2 qt).

 

Don't sweat the breakin, it was made to take a beating and will continue to do so with proper maintenance. A nice high speed run from MA to ME probably helped it if anything.

[mccorry]

I have 30K miles and still use a little oil (1/2 quart) between changes. Don't worry about it.

[fishingbuk]

Appreciatet your help

[melayout]

Keep an eye on the oil level.

 

Check it frequently and if it starts to disappear even before it exceeds Subaru's 1qt/1K miles take it to the dealer asap, have them start an oil consumption test to confirm and go from there.

 

I can't go into the details of my case now, but if you drive hard(15-17MPG on the display) I would highly discourage you from going with Mobil 1 30 weights. Try some other brand e.g. Pennzoil, Castrol, Amsoil and a heavier weight e.g. 40.