Any GM Experts Here? Service Manager Says Quart of Oil Every 1000 Miles Normal

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Posted: 4/29/2015 5:32:27 PM EDT

I have a 2011 Equinox with another year or 18,000 miles on full power train warranty that burns oil like a madman. It burns about a quart every 1000 miles to which the Service Manager called and said that GM says is normal. Supposedly this vehicle is supposed to be filled with DEXOS oil so it costs me about $11/quart which at this pace is once a month.

This seems absurd to me. Anyone verify what he said? What's my next step from here?

Posted: 4/29/2015 5:34:16 PM EDT

[#1]

LOL....maybe for a (post bankrupt) GM product. Then again......maybe they also made that claim pre-bankruptcy? Anyway........I'd be concerned.

Aloha, Mark

Posted: 4/29/2015 5:34:48 PM EDT

[#2]

1-quart consumption per 1000 is the upper limit of normal, but is still considered acceptable and normal.

Consider getting the Dexos approved oil from Walmart, and extend your drain interval to 10000 miles.

Posted: 4/29/2015 5:34:58 PM EDT

[#3]

BMW says the same thing

Posted: 4/29/2015 5:36:13 PM EDT

[#4]

Sounds like complete bullshit to me. Contact the regional GM manager and have your attorney ready to write a letter.

Good luck, please keep us updated.

Posted: 4/29/2015 5:36:31 PM EDT

[#5]

Engine replacement.

Posted: 4/29/2015 5:37:40 PM EDT

[#6]

That's gotta be bullshit. So if you go the entire cycle in between oil changes without topping off, you'd be down to 2/5 capacity if you changed oil at 3000 miles? Something's fucky.

Posted: 4/29/2015 5:38:19 PM EDT

[#7]

Damn, thats more then it should..has it done this since new? has it been better or worse? You start by documenting its actual use over time..so write down milage, check oil level, make sure it starts right on the full mark..check often, document, when it hits the add mark, add 1 qt, and document..do this over the next 3 qts used and verify the milage ..next, take to a quality private shop and have them run wet and dry compression check and leak down test as well as inspect for any signs of external oil leakage..document everything.. then go review your state laws on lemon law, and get an attorney, have attorney write GM and demand repair/replace based on said test determinations..

Posted: 4/29/2015 5:38:28 PM EDT

[#8]

Did you get that shit in writing?

Posted: 4/29/2015 5:38:34 PM EDT

[#9]

1qt per 1000/miles??? Bullshit thats normal. I've never lost 1qt between oil changes which is 3-5kmiles unless the engine was toast.

Posted: 4/29/2015 5:39:01 PM EDT

[#10]

your getting fucked if you are paying $11 a quart for dexos rated oil. I buy mobil1 for $26 for 5 quarts $21 for 5 quarts of quaker state you can get the semi syn dexos for as cheap as $17. Have a few friends with Equinox and non of theirs burn more than a quart per oil change which is around 7k miles

Posted: 4/29/2015 5:39:13 PM EDT

[#11]

i would be very concerned if i had an engine that new straight up burning that much oil. are you positive it isn't leaking? do you have any fouled plugs?

Posted: 4/29/2015 5:40:00 PM EDT

[#12]

Quote History

Quoted:
1-quart consumption per 1000 is the upper limit of normal, but is still considered acceptable and normal.

Consider getting the Dexos approved oil from Walmart, and extend your drain interval to 10000 miles.

View Quote

No, keep all maintenance on factory schedule, if he has to sue he needs to document that all work was done as scheduled....

Posted: 4/29/2015 5:40:03 PM EDT

[#13]

Did you go with the 2-cycle option on the engine?

Posted: 4/29/2015 5:40:24 PM EDT

[#14]

I've never had a car burn anywhere near that. Foreign or domestic.

Posted: 4/29/2015 5:42:07 PM EDT

[#15]

I would raise a stink on that one. Quart per K may have been "normal" 30 years ago

but with a modern engine I have to raise the BS flag.

While I was at it I would have an oil analysis done (around $50) before the warranty

runs out. This can tell you if there are major problems with the engine, and allow you

to put in a claim now while it's still under warranty.

Blackstone Labs - Oil Analysis

You mail them a small jar of oil, and they send you back a spectral analysis of

the stuff in the oil. If the bears are fried or rings or whatever the test will pop high for the stuff

those parts are made from.

Posted: 4/29/2015 5:42:35 PM EDT

[#16]

Decades ago a Chevy dealership tried to feed me that exact same BS about my Vega with 12,000 miles on it. He actually claimed a quart every 800 miles to be normal. I traded that POS in on a Datsun Pickup and have never owned anything but vehicles from Japanese companies since then. I've never had to add oil between changes since then either. I guess those GM assholes will never learn.

Posted: 4/29/2015 5:42:38 PM EDT

[#17]

Go into a new dealer and get an oil change from them with date/time/mileage clearly recorded. Note that you are doing this to establish a clear record of an oil consumption complaint. Request that they put a dye in or whatever if they need to.

Go back 1000 miles later ~1.5 quarts down. Get that documented as well.

Get support or escalate your claim.

Read that 2nd line carefully and repeat it until what I am saying makes sense.

Posted: 4/29/2015 5:43:00 PM EDT

[#18]

Quote History

Quoted:
Engine replacement.

View Quote

Doubtfull, could be damaged valve stem seals, rings that haven't seated in, ring gaps lined up, a porous spot in the castings allowing oil seepage into a port...a seal/gasket leak .. doesn't mean the motor needs replaced...but it could make a fitted or partial block needed..(I used to fix the problem childs for a GM dealer...)

Posted: 4/29/2015 5:43:31 PM EDT

[#19]

So at that rate at your 5 or 7 thousand mile oil change, there would be nothing to change.

Posted: 4/29/2015 5:43:56 PM EDT

[#20]

A lot of manufacturers say this. Keep an eye on it, dont let it get low and youll be fine.

Start saving to fix whatever is wrong.

Posted: 4/29/2015 5:43:59 PM EDT

[#21]

Shit- at that rate, you'd never need to change oil. It changes itself...

Posted: 4/29/2015 5:44:04 PM EDT

[#22]

For the past 16 years, I've owned a series of four 2500HD GMC pickups. Buy 'em new, sell 'em at ~100K miles, get another one.

I always get the oil changed as specified.

I have, through these four 3/4 ton pickups, NEVER added a single quart of oil.

I don't recall, the few times I've actually checked the dipstick before a long haul ever even seeing it show anything but full.

YMMV

A quart every 1,000 miles? In my experience, something is very wrong.

This is my latest, and at ~75,000 miles on a 2010, I just checked (2,800 miles since the last oil change) the dipstick and it says full.

Posted: 4/29/2015 5:44:06 PM EDT

[#23]

Just don't drain a bit out, go back in a few weeks, and show them that it's now burning a quart every 300-400 miles. Because that would be dishonest.

Posted: 4/29/2015 5:44:58 PM EDT

[#24]

Bullshit

I was under full warranty. Rear main seal leaking. Fixed. Valve seals leaking. Fixed. Both I had to self diagnose and tell them to do the repair under warranty because "1 quart per 1000 miles is normal". Maybe they teach that line to them in school for warranty cars.

On the unhappy side, they broke a couple spark plugs and a plug wire due to their not giving a shit. Next I made a corporate claim and a buick dealer had my GMC for a month and I drove the balls off a fairly new loaner car. When I got it back it still stumbled off idle badly. I should have lemon law-ed that truck, but it was a lease and was easily traded for a different brand. Competent and conscientious mechanics could have fixed it easily. They were lacking.

1989 GMC Sierra 2500HD.

Posted: 4/29/2015 5:46:56 PM EDT

[#25]

Holy fuck!

According to what I'm seeing, the thing only holds 5 quarts of oil. It burns 20% of it's engine oil every 1,000 miles?

Posted: 4/29/2015 5:47:08 PM EDT

[#26]

Hhmm...
I just sold a 1995 Yukon with 206,000+ miles on it.
Put a Whipple on it at 90,000 miles.

NEVER used a drop of oil

Posted: 4/29/2015 5:47:30 PM EDT

[#27]

My 99 F150 with 285K miles on it burnt less than that.

Posted: 4/29/2015 5:47:33 PM EDT

[#28]

My VW Golf TDI uses 1 pint between 10,000 mile oil changes

Posted: 4/29/2015 5:47:38 PM EDT

[#29]

Unacceptable on an old V-8. On a modern engine its total bs.

Posted: 4/29/2015 5:47:45 PM EDT

[#30]

As stated, its still within limit. Is it okay? Not to me but it is what it is. I know someone that has a car that burns the same, yet the motor feels really strong. Do you see any smoke while driving and giving it gas?

Posted: 4/29/2015 5:49:41 PM EDT

[#31]

Install an oil separator/catch can between the intake manifold and the PCV. Pour it back in when it fills up. See if it still loses a quart/1k miles.

Posted: 4/29/2015 5:50:09 PM EDT

[#32]

01-06-01-011H: Information on Engine Oil Consumption Guidelines - (Oct 29, 2013)

Oil Consumption

The accepted rate of oil consumption for engines used in the vehicles referenced is 0.946 liter (1 qt) in 3200 km (2000 mi).

Found this info in the above service bulletin. Search that bulletin # and see if your vehicle is included.

Posted: 4/29/2015 5:50:41 PM EDT

[#33]

He should have said 1 quart every 2000 miles. I am assuming you have the 2.4L
do a google search for gm bulletin 13-06-01-003G
enjoy

Posted: 4/29/2015 5:51:16 PM EDT

[#34]

Don't really need oil changes, you're doing them a qt. at a time. Just filters.

Anyway, never believed a qt every 1000 miles is normal. Even my 13000 rpm thumper doesn't use that?

Posted: 4/29/2015 5:52:26 PM EDT

[#35]

Quote History

Quoted:
BMW says the same thing

View Quote

So does Jeep.

Posted: 4/29/2015 5:52:37 PM EDT

[#36]

1 quart per thousand is becoming the new standard in the industry it seems. Honda says the same thing, as a technition I think it's the new 0w20 oils with Honda.

Posted: 4/29/2015 5:52:58 PM EDT

[#37]

I HAD a 2009 Traverse. Dealer tried to tell me the same thing, going so far as to act like I was irresponsible not to "have checking the oil as a normal Saturday morning routine". I told him if I wanted to do that I wouldn't have dropped the money on a brand new vehicle. I went through 4 timing chains, two A/C compressors, about every sensor, and had to get the carbon build up cleaned every 20k miles - all before I hit 62k miles on it!

The oil use is in fact not normal - the few times it ran well between timing chain replacements it did not use a drop. You have an issue somewhere, do not let them make you feel it is normal.

Ohh - and do not buy a GM product again.

I have a Toyota, Subaru, and KIa in my driveway - this after having nothing but GM's for over 20 years!

Posted: 4/29/2015 5:54:29 PM EDT

[#38]

My old Jeep doesn't even leak that much oil

Posted: 4/29/2015 5:55:52 PM EDT

[#39]

Quoted:
I have a 2011 Equinox with another year or 18,000 miles on full power train warranty that burns oil like a madman. It burns about a quart every 1000 miles to which the Service Manager called and said that GM says is normal. Supposedly this vehicle is supposed to be filled with DEXOS oil so it costs me about $11/quart which at this pace is once a month.

This seems absurd to me. Anyone verify what he said? What's my next step from here?

View Quote

1- Service Manager is full of shit

2- Like 99.999999% of motor oil sold already meets the Dexos requirements. Just check the label on the bottle. This will also include non-synthetic oils too.

Posted: 4/29/2015 5:56:45 PM EDT

[#40]

I hate to repeat what my friend, a GM service mechanic told me when I asked him what the deal was about all the Equinoxes running around. Now this is his opinion, not mine after a conversation about how I noticed that there's an Equinox in every garage around here like Harry Truman's "Chicken in every pot".

He told me that it was the GM version of the old K Car from Chrysler when they almost folded. SUV's are the hot thing, so that's what they built and they loaded them up with cheap technology, made them look all pretty inside and blew them out at a super price. He said......."it worked. They needed a home run with a mid sized SUV for the craze and needed to load it up with enough junk for people to jump into because of the price. There's nothing that offers more for that price point, but there sure is a whole lot better out there.", and now he gets to deal with the aftermath.

Let's just say.....It's not one of his favorite vehicles to work on. And he works on a lot of them.

Posted: 4/29/2015 5:56:52 PM EDT

[#41]

Try driving a rotary sometimes.

Posted: 4/29/2015 5:58:15 PM EDT

[#42]

We were told tighter tolerances to meet emissions were why oil consumption is 1000 miles per quart.

Posted: 4/29/2015 5:58:34 PM EDT

[#43]

It does fall into normal usage but it's also BS. Factory oil change interval is what 6-9000 miles?

Couple seconds on google found GENERAL MOTORS REFERENCE PIP5025.

Posted: 4/29/2015 5:59:41 PM EDT

[#44]

By GM standards, it is in spec. It's icky, but it is not bad enough to warrant a repair yet by their standards.

You're not likely to get a lemon law case, as they have not tried to repair it, and it is operating within normal design parameters per GM.

You're best bet is to accurately document what it is doing, how much oil and when etc.

Get with the manager and the zone rep when he comes to town and state your case.

Your powertrain may be 5/100,000 warranty (I'm not 100% on that), so it might be a good idea to have them run a check while it's under warranty.

Your complaint ticket should read "having to add excessive oil". Let them figure out how much and document it. Let them do a diagnostic, and document their specs on your copy. That will get a dated complaint in the system. Even if it's a no problem found, they'll have to document it. They also have a procedure for oil consumption tests, in which they fill it, and you don't add oil, they do. They owe you this, you are close enough to 1 per 1000 to warrant it on a warranty ticket.

If you play your cards right, you should be able to get in the game and get them to fix it.

All that said, I did have one here we did a top engine service on and cut the oil consumption in half. I suspect sticking piston rings were the cause as the plugs were not ashy as if it had a faulty valve guide or seal.

Posted: 4/29/2015 6:01:38 PM EDT

[#45]

5 qt capacity, burns 1 qt every 1000 miles, 18,000 miles left under warranty.

According to my math you will burn the motor up while it is still under warranty.

Posted: 4/29/2015 6:01:57 PM EDT

[#46]

I run Mobil 1 and don't burn any noticeable oil in 5000 miles

Posted: 4/29/2015 6:02:43 PM EDT

[#47]

Only time I've heard of this is AFTER I bought a BMW M5. That car burns 1qt per thousand miles. Never heard this for a GM and I've owned 6 of them.

My cousin had a problem with a brand new Kia getting 8mpg. He complained and they eventually gave him a bunch of paperwork to record fill ups, mileage, mpg.
He said it would have been a 3 month process to convince Kia it was a problem. At 8mpg he told them to fix it or he's dropping it off at the bank, to hell with their 3 month test.

So he did. He surrendered it to the bank, they auction it off, then hit him with a $6500 difference between owed and auction price.

He got his lawyer after Kia. In the end Kia paid his loan difference and had the bank remove the negative marks from his credit.

Just expect some bs like this to prove your problem. Might be better to blow up the engine while it's under warranty.

Posted: 4/29/2015 6:04:14 PM EDT

[#48]

Quote History

Quoted:
BMW says the same thing

View Quote

Land Rover said the same about all fluids

Posted: 4/29/2015 6:04:31 PM EDT

[#49]

Quote History

Quoted:
1 quart per thousand is becoming the new standard in the industry it seems. Honda says the same thing, as a technition I think it's the new 0w20 oils with Honda.

View Quote

I wonder if the EPA has caught wind of these "standards" yet.