CarComplaints.com Notes: Is burning a quart of oil every 1,000 miles normal? Depends on who you ask. While Subaru says it's within "normal specifications," owners wonder why they need to top off their oil reservoir 4 times between every 5,000 mile oil change.
Forester 2.5i Premium Sport Utility 4D 4-cyl, Pzev, 2.5L
Manual transmission
110,000 miles
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
I have always had problems with my Subaru burning oil at a ridiculous rate, but the rate at which it is consuming oil is now about a quart a month -- about every tank of gas -- which is ridiculous!
I had it taken to a reliable mechanic to have it checked out, and after steam-cleaning the engine and having me bring it back after 200 miles of regular driving, they couldn't find any oil leaks. There is no leakage of oil in my garage, etc. They couldn't find any actual leaks.
On a cold morning, the "check engine" light came on, indicating a problem with the emissions system. I went to get that checked out, (although by the time I took it in, that light had turned off) and it turns out the forward catalytic convertor threw a temperature code. $2800 to fix. I didn't want to fix it, as it ended up being an intermittent problem.
Long story short, it turns out that when my oil is topped off to the correct levels, so much oil leaks into the exhaust system, that the sensors go off. The "check engine" light is turning off when the oil level is about halfway of what it should normally be. When I top off the oil to the correct level, the "check engine"/emission system error code predictably comes on.
I am extremely frustrated that if I were to spend $2800 to replace the catalytic convertor, it would only be a drop in the bucket toward fixing this problem -- the root cause of the problem is that the car just burns oil.
Even replacing the engine itself is not a viable solution, since the 2014 engine is negligently designed. I am extremely unhappy with Subaru -- this is my first Subaru and may be my last.
Update from May 7, 2022: When you get the "check engine" message, the cruise control doesn't work. The indicator just flashes on and off. It feels like I am being nagged by my car to get it fixed, but replacing the catalytic convertor $2800 isn't going to fix the root cause of the problem.
The solution is to continue to drive around until it leaks away enough oil that the catalytic convertor no longer throws error codes. I drive around with 6 quarts of Costco 0W20 oil in my trunk at all times to keep the oil topped off. Feels sometimes like I'm driving a model T around town.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
I have always had problems with my Subaru burning oil at a ridiculous rate, but the rate at which it is consuming oil is now about a quart a month -- about every tank of gas -- which is ridiculous!
I had it taken to a reliable mechanic to have it checked out, and after steam-cleaning the engine and having me bring it back after 200 miles of regular driving, they couldn't find any oil leaks. There is no leakage of oil in my garage, etc. They couldn't find any actual leaks.
On a cold morning, the "check engine" light came on, indicating a problem with the emissions system. I went to get that checked out, (although by the time I took it in, that light had turned off) and it turns out the forward catalytic convertor threw a temperature code. $2800 to fix. I didn't want to fix it, as it ended up being an intermittent problem.
Long story short, it turns out that when my oil is topped off to the correct levels, so much oil leaks into the exhaust system, that the sensors go off. The "check engine" light is turning off when the oil level is about halfway of what it should normally be. When I top off the oil to the correct level, the "check engine"/emission system error code predictably comes on.
I am extremely frustrated that if I were to spend $2800 to replace the catalytic convertor, it would only be a drop in the bucket toward fixing this problem -- the root cause of the problem is that the car just burns oil.
Even replacing the engine itself is not a viable solution, since the 2014 engine is negligently designed. I am extremely unhappy with Subaru -- this is my first Subaru and may be my last.
Update from May 7, 2022: When you get the "check engine" message, the cruise control doesn't work. The indicator just flashes on and off. It feels like I am being nagged by my car to get it fixed, but replacing the catalytic convertor $2800 isn't going to fix the root cause of the problem.
The solution is to continue to drive around until it leaks away enough oil that the catalytic convertor no longer throws error codes. I drive around with 6 quarts of Costco 0W20 oil in my trunk at all times to keep the oil topped off. Feels sometimes like I'm driving a model T around town.
- Peter J., Littleton, US