Oil warning light

[Flintymutt]

Has anyone had their oil warning light come on yet? It's the first time on a new car it's ever happened. I've done 16000 miles. Checked the level when I got home and it's almost as dry as a nuns chuff.

[CraigW]

16000 miles seems a hell of a lot in under a year. I'm not surprised your oil light has come on. If your doing that many miles you should be checking your oil level regularly

[monkeyhanger]

I had a MK5 Golf (140TDI PD) that went through a litre of oil every 1000 miles because it wasn't run in right. The first 400 miles required a top up after an "amber" warning to top up. Took bang on a litre to get to the upper end of the dipstick following the warning. 16k miles to get through around a litre of oil isn't abnormal for any car, but at 7500 miles, my GTD doesn't appear to have used a drop. Was it run in on motorway miles?

[Gordor]

No issues with oil, but the coolant light (red) has been on for the last 2 mornings!

[Sootchucker]

Gordor, if the coolant level is fine, chances are it's a faulty level sensor on the coolant cap. On my MK5 I had 4 of them replaced under warranty and once on the Scirocco. Exactly the same symptoms you describe - coolant warning light on, but with mine, normally taking the cap off, putting it back on and re-starting, cured it for that cycle until I had it replaced.

[itavaltalainen]

16000 miles seems a hell of a lot in under a year. I'm not surprised your oil light has come on. If your doing that many miles you should be checking your oil level regularly

16k ain't that much in a year
Mine had that on the clock after ~5 months. Topped up oil after first 5k when it used bit under 1/2l, nothing after that.
I ran mine in according to a VW internal document (i.e. careful until engine warm, then 80% load up to 80% revs) - not 'careful' like it says in manual. Think this makes a bit difference.

[corgi]

A litre in 16K miles not an issue. I'm fairly sure VW wouldn't consider it an issue if it were a litre in 1600 miles.

The Ford Sierra Cosworth used to drink oil and Ford dealers were told not to worry unless consumption was more than 1.5 litres every thousand miles. 

[CraigW]

16000 miles seems a hell of a lot in under a year. I'm not surprised your oil light has come on. If your doing that many miles you should be checking your oil level regularly

16k ain't that much in a year
Mine had that on the clock after ~5 months. Topped up oil after first 5k when it used bit under 1/2l, nothing after that.
I ran mine in according to a VW internal document (i.e. careful until engine warm, then 80% load up to 80% revs) - not 'careful' like it says in manual. Think this makes a bit difference.

To me it seems high but then I only tend to do 8000 a year. So your doing close on 40,000 a year?   

[monkeyhanger]

VW weren't concerned when my MK5 drank a litre of oil every 1000 miles after run-in, 2 litres every 1000 miles would have been a trigger for them to act.

[itavaltalainen]

To me it seems high but then I only tend to do 8000 a year. So your doing close on 40,000 a year?  

Got car on 21st November 2013.... mileage as of today: 19000, with my summer holiday (continental road trip) I think I'll hit 40k around beginning of October 2014... might write a blog about road trip and the car 


Thought VW now 'only' allow 0.5l/1k miles, is that still at 1l???
Not got user manual to hand to check.