Oil consumption 2.0 TDI FR

[umerb]

Hi everyone, I have recently bought a 2017 leon fr 2.0 tdi. The car is incredible and fun to drive. Have no issues with the car apart from dpf which has been sorted with a clean and new sensor but I am just wondering what your oil consumption is like as i have heard these do drink a fair bit of oil. My car is on 95k mileage so pretty good mileage and just wondering what to expect

 

[Mr Pig]

Hi there, we've had three diesels, two Leons and a Golf, and none of them consumed oil. The Golf was over 100K miles, my wife's Leon FR is about 60K and the first Leon was about 80K when we sold it. I fact it's not unusual to find that the level on the dipstick goes up slightly! Because of the high compression you can get crap blowing past the piston rings and into the oil.

 

[James_R]

I also had a 2.0TDI Leon for a couple of years. Tuned it, drove it to death, never lost a drop. It's not something that comes up regularly at work either

 

[Compo1]

If you have the 150bhp version they dont burn oil.

The 184 cuna engine will at some point start burning oil and at low mileage, 50000 onwards.

The oil control rings are responsible for this. They are specced to be on the loose side and they don't seal as older engines from the VW range do. Its said to be a emission control thing.

VW state its normal to burn up to 1000ml per 1000 miles.

Common complaint and well documented on the forum.

 

[James_R]

Mine was a 184, bought it at 55k, did another 20k on top of that. We also had an Octavia 184 that we bought at 40k and put 50k on, our Kodiaq and Karoq (190 and 150) never used any oil either.

We see cars from 0-150k miles through our workshop and rarely get any oil consumption complaints. I can't actually remember the last time I did a consumption test.

When we do delve into a diagnosis, the most common cause has been a defective turbo or external leak from the likes of the crank seals.

 

[Compo1]

Mine was a 184, bought it at 55k, did another 20k on top of that. We also had an Octavia 184 that we bought at 40k and put 50k on, our Kodiaq and Karoq (190 and 150) never used any oil either.

We see cars from 0-150k miles through our workshop and rarely get any oil consumption complaints. I can't actually remember the last time I did a consumption test.

When we do delve into a diagnosis, the most common cause has been a defective turbo or external leak from the likes of the crank seals.

So you work in the trade and you don't know of the oil consumption issue on the 184 that even VW state is normal ? Seriously, the issue is mentioned regarding the CUNA 184 on just about every VAG site on the internet. Its a running joke to carry 5 liters in the boot.

Its the rings and blow by.

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Hi all I got my 2014 Leon fr 184 diesel serviced oil change, 3 months ago and I’ve done about 2500 miles and the check oil warning light has just come on the dash. Just checked and it just below the quarter mark is this normal I’m not sure as I’ve not had the car long???

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2.0 TDI 184 Excessive Oil Consumption.

I have a 2015 Leon X-perience which has just ticked over 90,000 miles. It's using about 1 litre for every 1000 miles which seems extremely excessive. I've owned 2 x EA189 2.0 TDIs and 3 x EA288 TDIs. Some of them never needed topping up before servicing, and others maybe once in 8-9k but that's...

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There was also a thread on here for the 184 cuna listing what member cars used oil wise between services.

For some reason, i can not find that even looking through my posts.

 

[James_R]

As far as I'm aware, there is no official documentation from VWG stating that there is a known characteristic on the CUNA engine where it uses an amount of oil that is considered to be excessive, just speculation on the Internet.

The service bulletin about oil consumption and what is considered acceptable has been around since Moses wore short pants.

 

[Compo1]

This is the missing thread from my bookmark.

https://www.seatcupra.net/forums/threads/ea288-184hp-2-0-diesel-oil-burning-your-findings.478544/page-2

No idea where its gone.

 

[Compo1]

As far as I'm aware, there is no official documentation from VWG stating that there is a known characteristic on the CUNA engine where it uses an amount of oil that is considered to be excessive, just speculation on the Internet.

The service bulletin about oil consumption and what is considered acceptable has been around since Moses wore short pants.

Read this mate

 

[James_R]

Read this mate

View attachment 50088

That's an extract from the maintenance manual and also used in the owners manual, it's not a service bulletin.

 

[Mr Pig]

That's an extract from the maintenance manual and also used in the owners manual, it's not a service bulletin.

I imagine that every owners manual will say something like that as a get out of jail free card.

 

[James_R]

I imagine that every owners manual will say something like that as a get out of jail free card.

And a nice disclaimer stating that all info contained within is subject to change at any point...

 

[umerb]

If you have the 150bhp version they dont burn oil.

The 184 cuna engine will at some point start burning oil and at low mileage, 50000 onwards.

The oil control rings are responsible for this. They are specced to be on the loose side and they don't seal as older engines from the VW range do. Its said to be a emission control thing.

VW state its normal to burn up to 1000ml per 1000 miles.

Common complaint and well documented on the forum.

I have the 184bhp, its on 96000 miles, I had an oil change done about 1k miles ago when i got the car. It was 3/4 full and ive checked today after posting this thread and now its about 1/4 full, so obviously now abit concerned. Car has full service history and on the book shows that it has been serviced between 5-10k miles. So hoping it is not piston rings but as you are saying its normal to burn oil? Anything i can do to slow the consumption?

 

[umerb]

Mine was a 184, bought it at 55k, did another 20k on top of that. We also had an Octavia 184 that we bought at 40k and put 50k on, our Kodiaq and Karoq (190 and 150) never used any oil either.

We see cars from 0-150k miles through our workshop and rarely get any oil consumption complaints. I can't actually remember the last time I did a consumption test.

When we do delve into a diagnosis, the most common cause has been a defective turbo or external leak from the likes of the crank seals.

Mines a 184 and ive just replied to someone else saying that mine has dropped 0.5l in 1000 miles, he’s explained that its normal after 50000 miles due to oil control rings being specced too loose, ive also heard the pcv is also another reason for some oil burning.
What other issues could it be? The car is on 96k and has full service history, been serviced between 5-10k miles every year according to the service books. The previous owner didnt drive the car much around 4-7k a year and he had it serviced in time also

 

[Compo1]

I have the 184bhp, its on 96000 miles, I had an oil change done about 1k miles ago when i got the car. It was 3/4 full and ive checked today after posting this thread and now its about 1/4 full, so obviously now abit concerned. Car has full service history and on the book shows that it has been serviced between 5-10k miles. So hoping it is not piston rings but as you are saying its normal to burn oil? Anything i can do to slow the consumption?

It is expected on the Cuna engine, just keep it topped up to the top mark. They all start to burn it and most owners do just that and not worry.

 

[Mr Pig]

I have the 184bhp, its on 96000 miles, I had an oil change done about 1k miles ago when i got the car. It was 3/4 full and ive checked today after posting this thread and now its about 1/4 full, so obviously now abit concerned. Car has full service history and on the book shows that it has been serviced between 5-10k miles. So hoping it is not piston rings but as you are saying its normal to burn oil? Anything i can do to slow the consumption?

Don't use thin oil. VW changed the spec years ago to 0W-40 but they've since gone back to 5W-40. I don't think oil starting with 0 is a good idea on older engines.

 

[umerb]

Don't use thin oil. VW changed the spec years ago to 0W-40 but they've since gone back to 5W-40. I don't think oil starting with 0 is a good idea on older engines.

The last one i used was 507 castrol edge 5w-30 so should go up to 5w-40?

 

[BillyCool]

I've got a 2014 184 CUPA engine on 152,000 miles. It's always used some oil and needed regular top ups (unlike my Mk1 Leon with PD engine).

Some of my observations:

• The oil level on the dipstick and trigger point for the low oil level light are pretty close. I can have 3/4 on the dipstick and suddenly it can be at a 1/4 and the light comes on. It just seems to be a bit sensitive and I now actaully top it up to full and it definitely reduces the low oil warnings. Only topping it up to 3/4 never seems to be enough.
• I had my cam cover replaced last year as it was the source of an oil leak. They are VAG plastic/chocolate and are prone to heat fatigue and can crack and leak oil. It was leaking down the back of the block so hard to see/trace to start with.
• I had the oil cooler/filter housing replaced a week ago due to excessive oil temp. The garage said that the seals were also failing and it had also developed an oil leak down the front of the block. The main filter housing body is also made from VAG brittle-sh!te and prone to failure.

My conclusion is that the car does use some oil, no doubt. I don't think it is excessive and with the cam cover and oil cooler both having oil leaks, I'm pretty sure that some of the long term oil "use" could just be oil leaks. I'm going to see how it goes for the next few thousand miles and whether the consumption has improved.

As long as you do not have milky oil or any reason to suspect head gasket etc or other oil loss and the car runs okay, I wouldn't worry to much. I use 5W-30 507.00 oil in mine and also change oil & filter every 5,000 miles. The car seems to like it and I plan to run it until it fails, so trying my best to look after it. If you think your consumption is super excessive, then have a good look around the engine for any signs of oil leaks.

 

[Mr Pig]

The last one i used was 507 castrol edge 5w-30 so should go up to 5w-40?

5W 30 will be fine although VW have now changed to 5w 40 apparently. Don't know why.

 

[Mr Pig]

• I had the oil cooler/filter housing replaced a week ago due to excessive oil temp. The garage said that the seals were also failing and it had also developed an oil leak down the front of the block. The main filter housing body is also made from VAG brittle-sh!te and prone to failure.

I was reading recently that oil getting onto that housing can cause leaks as the oil attacks the rubber seals. The increasing use of plastic is depressing. As long as the in warranty failures don't outweigh the savings manufacturers do not care that long term reliability is terrible. Virtually every manufacturer is effected as they're all doing it. If you're trying to run older cars you screwed and it's only going to get worse.