Excess Oil Usage ??

[PaulBelsham]

Hi All
Had my S3 now for just over a year and have covered nearly 12,000 miles.
After about 10,000 miles I started to notice a drop in performance then not long after, when I was driving down the M1 the low oil warning light came on (I normally check the oil ever time I clean the car, but had neglected it a bit what with the cold weather)
I was 100 miles away from home so had to drive that with the low oil light on, when I got back the car took an extra litre of oil before it was back to normal again, then the performance got better and all was fine.

The question I have is that on Sunday I decided to check it again as I was cleaning it and noticed that the oil was again very low (near the bottom of the oil line on the dipstick but not as low as before) it needed an extra 500ml to get the level ok again. Is this normal ? the dealer told me that in extreme cases that car could burn a litre every 1000 miles until run in, however I've covered 12K so it should be run in by now surely.
Any help/advice appreciated

Paul

 

[danh]

Likewise, although I've only had it for 1k miles. It needed about 50ml to top it up.

 

[danh]

I was always told to keep it close to the Max line and that below it can cause excessive wear. Not sure if it's true though /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[danh]

Found this on an AA website. American, but you get the jist..basically between Min and Max is the way forward.

To operate an engine safely, the oil level must be maintained between the ADD and the FULL marks on the dipstick. Add just enough oil to bring the level to the FULL mark. Do not overfill the engine oil pan.

Obviously, if the oil level is low-below the dipstick ADD mark-the oil's lubricating and cooling protection for the engine will be reduced. If the oil level is quite low, serious engine damage may result. It is just as important, however, not to overfill the engine with oil. An overfull oil pan may lead to oil leakage through the pan gaskets and seals. Excess oil also can contribute to higher pressures and excessive vapors in the engine crankcase. If the oil level is extremely high, the rotating crankshaft may strike the oil and cause the engine to labor harder.

 

[Foggy]

Anywhere in the hashed area is fine but the top of the hashing isn't full. The manual says in hot weather or if the car is working harder than normal such as pulling a something ( I could say caravan, but for **** sake who would pull a caravan with an S3 so I'll say something cooler like a jet ski /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif ), it should be full.

But a word of warning as per the above DO NOT over fill it, it can **** the cat if oil gets to it