Troubleshooter: Stuck with an oil burner? Listen up.

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Nothing can sour a relationship with a motor vehicle like engine oil consumption. Having to regularly monitor and top off engine oil is not only inconvenient, but it’s a constant reminder that you bought a lemon. The problem — particularly with some of today’s absurd extended oil change intervals — is that even the most meagre rate of use can potentially deplete an engine’s supply of oil between services (unless of course someone tops up this vital lubricant when needed).

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All carmakers have clauses in their warranty documents and service department manuals that deal with engine oil consumption (regardless of their own history with such a condition). Varying between average rates of 1200-1800 km per litre (and depending on accumulated mileage), t hese references include what the auto execs consider acceptable rates of consumption. They’ve been in writing for years and few have received any updates.

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Troubleshooter: Stuck with an oil burner? Listen up. Back to video

Before anyone asserts that an engine consuming oil is normal, consider that dozens of carmakers around the globe are able to produce millions of engines each year that hardly use a drop of oil between oil changes. Vehicle engines can consume oil for a variety of reasons, but most of the ones you’ll run into these days are related to piston and piston ring clearance problems with the cylinder walls. Years ago, techs would commonly install new rings (and pistons occasionally) and repair the cylinder wall surfaces) to cure a burner, but with more modern engines, a complete replacement is often the only permanent cure.

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If you’re stuck with an oil-burner that’s still within the carmaker’s powertrain warranty, contact your dealership. You’ll likely have to bring it in for an inspection for leaks, and if none are found the next step will be a consumption test. The vehicle will first get an oil change (at your expense) and the dipstick and oil-pan drain-plug will be marked to indicate any tampering that might occur. Then you’ll be instructed to drive a specific distance (at least 1,000 km) and return to the service department for a check on the oil level to determine any rate of consumption. If their staff determines the rate is acceptable, and you don’t agree, you’ll have to bump your complaint up the food-chain through the service manager, dealership owner, and eventually the manufacturer’s consumer affairs office.

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It can be a process that will try the patience of a saint. If you hit a brick wall, you won’t find much help from regulators and you may be stuck with keeping a few bottles of oil in the trunk with a funnel. Some auto companies such as Subaru have extended engine warranties, but keep in mind, there are differences between how U.S. and Canadian customers are treated, so someone south of the border might get better coverage than us.

If you’re shopping for a ride and want to avoid oil-burners, America’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has a handy recall search site that also includes technical service bulletins and consumer complaints based on year, make, and model. You don’t necessarily need a vehicle identification number to do a search, and you may find newer model years have less information than previous ones as it can take time for a problem to become common enough to populate this site.