Q: Having to add a ton of oil, what’s going on?

asked by on November 06, 2015

My 2008 Jeep Wrangler has been going through an unacceptable amount of oil lately. It isn’t leaking out anywhere that I can see and there are no oil marks on the driveway. The thing has under 50,000 miles on it and now it takes a quart of oil every thousand miles! This is not sustainable for me and I think something may really be wrong! What could be causing this?

The volume of oil you are using may actually be an acceptable amount in the eyes of the manufacturer. To find out the exact amount of oil your car is using, you would have to go through a oil consumption test through your dealership.

The test will determine if excessive oil is being used by measuring the depleted oil after a certain number of miles.

Before starting the test, the dealership mechanics will perform a through inspection for any needed replacements, like the air filter or any crankcase filters, that could alter oil usage test. Both the oil and filter would get changed and you would drive the car for 1,000 miles before returning to the dealership to determine your exact oil usage. If your oil consumption is deemed excessive, the dealer will suggest a course of action.

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