EnviroLink Forum

I am the unfortunate owner of a car that is burning a lot of oil. I have to add a quart of oil around every 700-800 miles. (It does NOT leak)
I know this is not normal, as I have had other cars which use ZERO oil between oil changes.

I have complained to the dealer multiple times, but the company line is 'this is normal for a turbo charged engine.'

Its not that I cant affort to add a quart of oil every month, but I am wondering what this extra pollution is doing to the environment. My state does not have the tail pipe sniffer test, so I have no leverage or evidence from an emissions test.

How can I force the dealer to fix this problem?

According to this service bulletin there may not be much which can be done for a turbocharged engine using this amount of oil because it may be normal.

Oil Consumption
Technical Service SI B11 03 13
This Service Information bulletin replaces SI B11 05 84 dated March 1985.

MODEL: All

Information
All engines normally consume a certain amount of engine oil. This is necessary in order to properly lubricate the cylinder walls, pistons, piston rings, valves and turbocharger(s), if equipped. In addition, engines with less than 6,000 miles will generally consume additional engine oil because the internal engine components are not fully seated (break-in). Therefore, engine oil consumption complaints received prior to 6,000 miles cannot be considered.

Once a new or remanufactured engine has accumulated 6,000 miles, oil consumption can be considered if there is a drastic change in the engine oil consumption rate (e.g., the engine oil consumption rate triples) under similar driving conditions.

Engines equipped with a turbocharger(s) will consume more engine oil than normally aspirated engines (non-turbocharged). The additional oil that is consumed in a turbocharged engine is mainly due to the turbocharger lubrication requirements. Some of the engine oil normally migrates past the turbocharger turbine bearing seals and will enter the intake tract of the engine.

All turbocharged engines also require a complex crankcase ventilation system. The crankcase ventilation system needs to maintain a small vacuum on the crankcase and not allow the crankcase to be pressurized. Pressurizing the engine crankcase can lead to external engine oil leaks and increased engine oil consumption via the piston rings and valve seals. When the load and the boost level of a turbocharged engine is varied, the path of the crankcase pressure is changed. During the crankcase ventilation path transition, a small amount of engine oil will pass through the crankcase ventilation system and is additionally consumed. The additional engine oil consumption of a turbocharged engine, as compared to a normally aspirated engine, is normal and not a defect.

Oil Consumption specification:
- All BMW engines (excluding Motorsport) can consume up to 1 quart of engine oil per 750 miles at any time.
- Due to the increased engine power, all Motorsport engines can consume up to 2.5 quarts of engine oil per 1,000 miles at any time.

<snip>

Turbocharged Engines:
Engines that are fitted with a turbocharger(s) will consume more engine oil than naturally aspirated engines (non-turbocharged engines). In this case, a turbocharged engine could require topping of engine oil more frequently. For vehicles with N63 and N63T engines, refer to SI B11 01 13 for additional details.

_________________
With friends like Guido, you will not have enemies for long.

“Intellect is invisible to the man who has none”
Arthur Schopenhauer

"The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits."
Albert Einstein

Wayne,
Yes, that is the document the dealer is referring to when he tells me my consumption is normal. I call BS.
Other car makers have cars with turbochargers and they do not have the problem that BMW has. My brother has 2 different Subaru's with turbos. Neither use any oil in over 5000 miles between oil changes.

And I would ask where is the oil going??? Turbo or no turbo the engine should be a closed loop, except what goes out the tail pipe. A turbo needs oil for Lubrication, yes, but it should not BURN the oil.

Surely this excess oil consumption violates some sort of EPA regulations or other emissions standards, no ???

_________________
With friends like Guido, you will not have enemies for long.

“Intellect is invisible to the man who has none”
Arthur Schopenhauer

"The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits."
Albert Einstein

This is one specific reference I found.

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 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder and 3.0-liter V6, BMW’s 4.8-liter V8 and twin-­turbocharged 4.4-liter V8, and to a lesser extent Subaru’s 3.6-liter six-cylinder and 2.0- and 2.5-liter four-cylinders.

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.

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.

_________________
With friends like Guido, you will not have enemies for long.

“Intellect is invisible to the man who has none”
Arthur Schopenhauer

"The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits."
Albert Einstein

My car isn't turbocharged, but it does use oil, doesn't leak, and doesn't smoke. Runs like a champ at 120k miles. However, poor engine design causes it to suffer from blow-by. Sustained highway speeds cause it to eat oil at a rate of a quart every 400-500 miles. That's high mileage full synthetic too. If I use regular oil, it eats it even faster.

_________________
TANG SOO!