Excessive Oil Consumption. What to do and How to Fix it!

 It takes great humility to admit when you're wrong. While we love Toyotas (I mean, how could we not?), it's no secret that our beloved make has its own share of issues here and there. Luckily, we're not alone. Every vehicle make out there has its own fair share of issues that plague their respective brands. But, we're more than willing to admit when we've goofed. 

A well-known issue that seems to plague Toyota models from around the 2010s is the overconsumption of motor oil. This auto service issue isn't all too common across the board and can be detrimental to the normal operation of your vehicle. If you happen to drive a Toyota from this time period and are suspicious that you have this ongoing issue, Toyota of Clermont is here to shed some light on what this auto service issue is and how you can get to a solution quickly. Check it out!

Guzzling vs Sipping

Before we get started, we all understand that cars use motor oil, right? Okay, good. Cars use motor oil for a variety of reasons, but namely, it's to keep your engine and all its intricate components lubricated as they operate. So, basically, no oil means no working engine. Pretty simple, right? 

As your motor oil is cycled throughout the engine, it's put through an oil filter that removed impurities as its cycled over and over. After about 5,000 - 10,000 miles, depending on the type of oil you used, your oil will then be flushed out and replaced. Such as the life cycle of your Clermont Toyota car. But, the auto service issue we're discussing today is the event in which the engine burns off and exhausts fuel rather than cycle it through like it's supposed to. 

This issue can actually lead to engine failure and it's important you catch and diagnose this early to avoid permanently dispatching your ride. 

Here are a few symptoms to watch out for in order to diagnose this auto service issue: 

• Your oil change/engine light could come on before you expect it to. Typically, after a reset, your oil change light won't come on until your odometer has reached 3,000 miles. If you used synthetic motor oil then you can figure about 5,000 miles before the light should come on. But, if your check engine light comes on well before either of those 2 numbers, then there's something definitely wrong. 
• You might also hear aggressive noises coming from the engine compartment if you're having this type of auto service issue. Listen for clanking, rattling, and grinding sounds. 
• Your dipstick tells you both the quality and amount of oil in your engine. If it's reading a low amount, then your engine might be burning your oil up. 

At the height of this issue, excessive oil consumption was reported in Toyota models like the RAV4, Solara, Camry, Matrix, and more from 2007 to 2011. If you still drive one of these cars, this could be affecting you. 

When it comes to soliving this issue, the more expensive route is to do a complete rework of the fueling system. Unfortunately, even during this time Toyota never formally filed the issue as a recall and your warranty is likely long done. The quick and least expensive fix is to simply continue to add oil as your engine burns it off, but this is both costly over the long term and requires a strict schedule and a lot of attention. 

If you want to avoid all that auto service issue hassle, you can always trade in your ride at Toyota of Clermont! Visit us at 16851 State Road 50 today.