2010 Oil Consumption Problem

[averytamp]

Hello, I have a 2010 that has 77K miles on it...I do all the regular maintenance, oil change when the maintence minder come on, etc. I went in to have the dealer to check my oil level with 30% oil life left, I was told that the car needed an additional 2.5 quarts of oil..for perspective, I went about 5K miles since my last oil change. In speaking with the dealer, they said that Honda believes that consuming 1Q of oil every 1K Miles is within their standards(which I think is way too much?). Anyway, I went in today and had they change my oil and perform an oil consumption test...they also said that they did and "oil consumption software update". They also looked for oil leaks, etc...nothing else going on.

So, my questions are:
2.5Q of oil seems excessive?
Would the software update fix this problem?
My car is just about out of warrenty and I am concerned that this could be a sign of a bigger problem?
Should I sell it before it becomes a bigger problem?

I have owned now 6 honda's and they have never needed this much oil, so I am looking for feedback...Thanks!

[1YESfan]

This is an on-going subject here. Personally I don't go by the long oil change m.m. and in the same vein I don't wait till the oil light comes on to let me know I'm low on oil. Whether you go by the m.m. or not, not a bad idea to check your oil level when you fill up with gas everytime.

Some Pilots ( the one's who's owners follow the m.m. to the t ) seem to burn oil more than those who prefer earlier oil changes but mostly it's dependent on your particular engine.

[whizmo]

A qt per 1K miles is more/less an industry guideline on what is "acceptable" oil consumption. This is a level that most owners, especially if the car is new, would find too high, but it is the level where the mfgs don't necessarily have to make warranty fixes. There have been reports of Honda fixing cars under the radar if the consumption is in the "gray zone", say between 1 qt and 0.5 qt per 1K miles.

I doubt you'll get far with Honda's warranty department with a consumption of 0.4 qts in 1K miles, but you can certainly ask.

All cars consume some oil and it is the owner's responsibility to make periodic checks so they're not driving a car more than a qt or so below full. So you deserve some chastising for letting it go for 5K miles w/o checking the oil. It takes literally less than a minute.

I'm guessing the "software update" is to modify the VCM operating parameters. I recall something to the effect that under certain operating conditions, VCM cycles on/off too often and/or overcools the cylinders which causes higher consumption. If the fix helps, then you may have your answer. I'd certainly drive it for awhile, closing monitoring consumption, both to assess whether the fix is helping and to get a handle on how much you need to add between changes.

- Mark

[xGS]

Originally Posted by averytamp

Hello, I have a 2010 that has 77K miles on it...I do all the regular maintenance, oil change when the maintence minder come on, etc. I went in to have the dealer to check my oil level with 30% oil life left, I was told that the car needed an additional 2.5 quarts of oil..for perspective, I went about 5K miles since my last oil change. In speaking with the dealer, they said that Honda believes that consuming 1Q of oil every 1K Miles is within their standards(which I think is way too much?).

Your vehicle is consuming oil at a rate less that half of what Honda begins to consider abnormal? What is the problem?
The owners manual says that you should be checking the oil level at every refueling stop.
Learn to do that yourself (instead of waiting to go to the dealer) and top off the oil level as necessary or use a full-service gas station.

[averytamp]

What I am struggling with is that 1Q of oil every 1K miles seems excessive. I am wondering from people who have some perspective, is oil consumption at about .5Q every 1K miles normal? Should I be worried about something else going on or that this could be an indication of future problems?

PS, yes - I deserve the chastising on not checking my oil more frequently - but I also own two other cars(Honda Accord and Mercedez) and they are on the same schedule - and when I go in to get their oil changed, there are either not down any oil at all or 1/2 Q. So, from my perspective, my Pilot is "burning" a lot of oil and not sure if I should be concerned or not??

[averytamp]

Thanks, I agree on checking the oil more often. And I appreciate your input.

[derbyboy]

I had the same problem on my 2010 Pilot. The Honda service seemed unconcerned since it was less than a quart in 1,000 miles. They did the oil consumption test and updated the software with no improvement. I had to add 2-3 quarts between oil changes. So I traded it back to them and got a 2013 EX-L Pilot. They seemed to have fixed the oil issue in 2011 and later. So they have it on their lot as a "Certified" vehicle. I get a call from the dealer today who has a friend that is interested in the 2010 I traded in. I reminded them of the issue but of course according to Honda it isn't an issue. I said it is up to you if you want to warn the buyer (IMHO there is no chance they will) of the oil issue. Honda will probably hide the issue and maybe like the rest of us they will have to live with it and keep a quart of oil handy. Honda should be ashamed of themselves.....

[mrcheap]

To the original poster, did u verify this consumption?

I think the dealer charged u 2.5 qts for the hell of it.

[whizmo]

Originally Posted by averytamp

I am wondering from people who have some perspective, is oil consumption at about .5Q every 1K miles normal?

It is certainly more than average and most cars consume less, but your usage rate is well within the range of normal variability. And there is no data that an engine that consumes this much oil is going to have a shorter service life.

Most of the mfgs have, somewhat arbitrarily, declared that 1-qt/1K miles is the dividing line that separates the upper limit of normal variability and excessive. Since your consumption is half of this, you're going to have a tough time convincing them to do anything. And I'm not sure you'd want to as the fix is involved and could cause new problems.

Honda could declare that the limit is 0.5-qt/1K miles and the net effect is that some percentage of their customers, including you, would get fixes and be happier, but their warranty costs would rise dramatically. It's really more of an economic decision on their part where to draw the line to balance customer satisfaction and warranty costs.

It's like asking whether a male height of 5'-6" is "normal".

The fact your other cars don't consume enough oil to have to add any between changes is completely irrelevent. It's like saying that because your wife and kids don't have high blood pressure, you don't need to monitor your own. No matter what the vehicle, you need to check oil levels now and then. You can slack off some if you realize that the car doesn't tend to use much, but going thousands and thousands of miles between oil changes never bothering to check oil because other cars you own haven't needed any doesn't make any sense.

As has been suggested, I think you need to get a lot more involved in finding out what the actual consumption is. I'd be checking it every fillup and keeping good notes.

- Mark

[rocky]

Originally Posted by averytamp

.I do all the regular maintenance, oil change when the maintence minder come on, etc. I went in to have the dealer to check my oil level with 30% oil life left, I was told that the car needed an additional 2.5 quarts of oil..for perspective, I
!

The part of this I don't get is that you do your own maintenance but asked the dealer to check the oil level.

[Yahooligan]

Wait, what low oil light? That would be the oil PRESSURE light, when that light comes on you are STARVING the engine if oil and the oil pump is sucking air. It's no wonder some people have oil-related problems. Eek!

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[DMG]

Originally Posted by Yahooligan

Wait, what low oil light? That would be the oil PRESSURE light, when that light comes on you are STARVING the engine if oil and the oil pump is sucking air. It's no wonder some people have oil-related problems. Eek!

Sent from my SCH-I535 using AutoGuide.Com Free App

That would be called an idiot light and only idiots use them.


Lift the hood up and check the oil! My 2012 used a quart in 3000 miles, I think it had something to do with the “break-in” oil. Since the first oil change it has not used any oil.

[Go Steelers]

Originally Posted by rocky

The part of this I don't get is that you do your own maintenance but asked the dealer to check the oil level.

I was thinking the same thing, but I'll bet in this case "I do my own maintenance" really means "I take the car in for service when the MM tells me to."

[BASISON]

I have an '09 Pilot Touring and it has not consumed a drop of oil since I've owned it. I have owned 8 Honda/Acura vehicles over the past 20 years and none of them have burned any oil whatsoever.

I do all my own maintenance as well and always check the oil level during fill ups. It's a habit that my father got me into when I first started driving and is pretty important. My wife on the other hand, doesn't even know how to open up the hood!

[Brolan]

One thing that I wonder about is why modern cars and trucks don't have a oil level light or gauge to tell you when your oil level is low? They could wire a sensor to the dipstick along with a thermocouple to test only when the engine is cold. Seems easy to me.