Kozmotoo

This is a story to help others NOT repeat my mistakes during the oil consumption test.

My 08 Wrangler Unlimited started burning oil badly at around 35,000 miles.
I took it into the Grapevine, TX Jeep dealer off William D Tate Ave when it had around 42000 miles.

Per the dealership (summarized by me): Oil consumption test starts with a fresh oil change and mileage documented. Customer returns 1000** miles later and oil is drained and captured oil volume is measured. If more than one quart of oil is 'missing', replace the motor. ** 750 miles if vehicle has over 50,000 miles- so take care of the problem ASAP.

CONSUMPTION TEST 1
They started an oil consumption test by changing the oil and filter. I checked the oil in their parking lot after it was driven out of the shop, and saw that it registered "one SAFE* zone" over-filled. Is the SAFE zone 1 quart's worth??? I don't know, but it was over-filled by one full SAFE zone amount (* on the dipstick, the SAFE zone is within the hatch markings). Rather than point it out to the dealership, I drove away. HINDSIGHT: Don't start an oil consumption test with the oil over-filled.

I returned today after 1,010 miles to have the status checked and because the oil level registered just under the middle of the SAFE zone, the dealership concluded I was nuts and that the vehicle didn't burn a drop of oil. They wouldn't believe me that they had overfilled the engine at the start of the test, and they saw no need to measure the oil remaining in the engine. I was pissed that they screwed up the initial oil fill amount, and pissed at myself for not pointing out that fact. I spoke with the service tech and he described how they execute the test (summarized above). He said I should bring it back after another 1000 miles and they will check the level again. If it is below the SAFE zone, they would drain the oil and measure the volume drained. <--That approach to this test is NOT correct. We have NO IDEA how much oil remains in my engine at this point! He was simply going to measure the remaining oil and subtract it from 6 quarts (engine capacity per the manual). For all I know - the engine might have had 5.5 quarts at that point and they believe it started with 6 (was probably 7). Reading dip stick levels ultimately doesn't indicate rate of oil burn - only measuring the oil after 1000 miles does.

Side note: Before I started the consumption test, the oil level was just under the middle of the SAFE zone, yet the dealership technician wrote up the paperwork to say that "the oil level was 2 quarts low"!!!!! How incompetent can they be that they can't read a dipstick??? I'm sure this was the same guy who over-filled my oil during the oil change.

CONSUMPTION TEST 2
After stewing at home for 20 minutes, I realized we have to do the test correctly - starting with an oil change and documenting the number of quarts filled. I drove it back up there, paid my $36 for the oil change, and waited. The job was done, and the paperwork stated they filled the engine with 6 quarts and I should return in 1000 months so the "OIL LEVEL WILL BE CHECKED" only by [tech's name]. The dipstick was sealed by using heat shrink wrap. Apparently I ticked them off - but it shouldn't matter. The engine burns significant amounts of oil; there's no doubt that when they DRAIN AND MEASURE the oil next time, it'll prove that point.

Notice the difference between their write-up and my expectations? They wrote they will "check the oil", yet I will insist they drain and measure the oil regardless of what the dipstick shows. We'll see if they'll comply.

OIL CONSUMPTION TEST LESSONS LEARNED:

1. Don't start the test with the oil over-filled
2. Have the dealership document how much oil was added
3. Take care of oil burning problems ASAP; WELL before 50,000 miles because the criteria gets harder to meet

I'll update this post as the saga plays out...