2015 2.5L Camry Oil Consumption Question

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Some of you think I'm overreacting. Guilty as charged. I flew my own single engine plane for years. I always checked my oil and thoroughly checked out the plane before flying. I checked the weather in route. I kept up with all maintenance. I fixed little things so they wouldn't become big things. I've had two close friends who did all that and one lost his oil pump at 5,000 feet. The other had his windshield covered with oil as his engine seized which resulted in an emergency landing in a cow pasture. I've known pilots that died. I flew defensively around airports because I didn't want to be "dead right." Planes taught me to plan ahead. Planes taught me to pay close attention to little things. A quart of oil in 4,000 is a little thing. I've piloted my plane at 11,500 feet up when it filled with smoke, and the three of us (Anna was there) worked through it and kept flying to our destination 500 miles away. I am guilty of having different attitude about little things.
 
Originally Posted By: garyb80

Is there anything you can do? Doesn't seem like it.



Could switch to 5W-20 or 5W-30 or even 10W-30 for summer driving.
 
Originally Posted By: Shrubitup
Originally Posted By: garyb80

Is there anything you can do? Doesn't seem like it.



Could switch to 5W-20 or 5W-30 or even 10W-30 for summer driving.

The last thing I would do is give them a reason to void the warranty. That would do it.
 
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Originally Posted By: garyb80
Originally Posted By: Shrubitup
Originally Posted By: garyb80

Is there anything you can do? Doesn't seem like it.



Could switch to 5W-20 or 5W-30 or even 10W-30 for summer driving.

The last thing I would do is give them a reason to void the warranty. That would do it.


Good point. Would wait for warranty to expire then make switch if necessary/interested.
 
Don't know why they told you they use M1 from factory, I would almost swear they use TGMO for the FF. The 2.5 used in the 15' Camry is not new, it has been around for a little bit, so if there were any issues we would have seen it by now. If it were me I'd not bat an eye at it. If our Camry (2015 as well) used that much I would wait till a couple K past the first free oil change to get worried, but that's just me. We only have 350mi on ours, so I haven't checked the oil yet, it gets a free checkup and tire rotation at 5K, yours should too.
 
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Originally Posted By: WayneandAnna
Some of you think I'm overreacting. Guilty as charged. I flew my own single engine plane for years. I always checked my oil and thoroughly checked out the plane before flying. I checked the weather in route. I kept up with all maintenance. I fixed little things so they wouldn't become big things. I've had two close friends who did all that and one lost his oil pump at 5,000 feet. The other had his windshield covered with oil as his engine seized which resulted in an emergency landing in a cow pasture. I've known pilots that died. I flew defensively around airports because I didn't want to be "dead right." Planes taught me to plan ahead. Planes taught me to pay close attention to little things. A quart of oil in 4,000 is a little thing. I've piloted my plane at 11,500 feet up when it filled with smoke, and the three of us (Anna was there) worked through it and kept flying to our destination 500 miles away. I am guilty of having different attitude about little things.


Not to take anything away from caution and watching small problems, but the consequences of small problems turning big are very different in aviation vs automobiles. Taking that analogy further, typical light aircraft oil consumption is what - 1 quart/10 hours or so? This 10x or more than your Camry's rate of consumption, so keeping on top of it just as you would in a light aircraft should keep you safe. Which is not say any oil consumption isn't disappointing and annoying...
 
Originally Posted By: garyb80
Probably the reason you are using more oil is that Toyota is now using lower tensile strength piston rings to accomodate the thinner oils.
http://partsblog.olathetoyota.com/4573/new-toyota-car-losing-oil/


you have it backwards. low tension rings are to improve fuel efficiency. Same for 0W20. other than than that there is no correlation of low tension rings and thin oil.
the article you quoted is OK, but it fails to mention that toyota actually went to 600 miles/1 qt new "normal".
 
Here's an idea! Switch to 10W-30 conventional oil and watch the oil consumption stop.

Ah but that would be breaking the rules.
grin2.gif
 
Update: I finished the 1,200 mile test for my Toyota Dealership. Actual mileage was 1,400 miles, new oil, and consumption as measured by the dealership was half a quart. I was allowed to be there when the vehicle was filled and sealed; I was the last one to read the dipstick and then the seals were put on. The service manager now wants me to keep an oil log; he said Toyota doesn't have a lot of data on "this new version of the 2.5L engine in my 2015 Camry." Does anyone know what they changed?

If the data supports it, the service manager will present his recommendations to the Toyota Representative and fight for those recommendations. We've patched up our rough patch when he told me "You talk to much" on the phone. We've agreed with smiles that I'm allowed 15,000 words. He now realizes I live 53 miles from the dealership and will ask a few questions before deciding to bring in my vehicle.

The owners manual says that the lower mark on the dipstick is the "add mark" and the upper mark is the "excessive mark" and the middle between those marks is the "normal mark" recommended in the manual. The service manager is critical of those marks and has to use the upper mark so he can precisely measure the usage.

The manager said that Mobil 1 0W20 is very close to the oil Toyota uses. Toyota's oil is a slightly modified Mobil 1 according to the service manager.
 
To the OP:

1. Oil consumption of the type you pointed out, and especially fora new car IS NOT NORMAL.
2. Owners manuals will say that that type of consumption of oil is normal. THIS IS A LIE. They write this so their goof ups don't get brought in for repair.
3. I have owned 4 brand new Toyotas, and 3 brand new Hondas in my life, and THEY NEVER CONSUMED OIL LIKE THAT.
4. Posters here that tell you that your consumption issue is normal, have bought into that lie, and do not know what they are talking about.
5. I asked several other employees here at work about their new car experiences, and out of 9 people, 2 had such experiences. They both drove GM products. (Silverado & Chevy Spark).
6. Get rid of your car!!! Buy a new car. If I had your car, I would not be able to be happy and sleep at night knowing that it is new and has the symptoms of a car having 200,000 miles.
7. My daughter's 2007 Yaris has 164,000 miles and it never burned oil, not new, not now.
8. Get rid of your car.
9. Get rid of your car.
10. Get rid of your car.
 
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I would ask Toyota to supply me with makeup oil until consumption ceases (if) or provide a check to me to purchase the oil for 300K miles worth assuming consumption remains constant. Make the agreement open for renegotiation should consumption increase. Either that or lemon law it.
 
IMO, this is a solution is search of a problem. Some cars do consume a little oil, especially when new. I've seen it happen over my decades of driving. My 2005 Trailblazer with I6 engine used about a quart and a half in the first 5,000 miles. Never used ANY after that. I drove it another 70K miles or so. The wife's Camry with 2.4 engine used half a quart in the first 4K or 5K miles. Now at 120K plus miles it uses about 1/4 qt in 10K miles.

I'm surprised the dealership is even talking to you about this. One quart of oil in 4,000 miles is NOT going to foul the plugs or leave you stranded anywhere.
 
Originally Posted By: WayneandAnna
My 2015 Camry (2.5L 4Cyl 178 Hp) has used one quart of Mobil 1 0W-20 oil in the first 4,178 miles. I'm shocked. The salesman is surprised both at the oil usage and that anyone checks the oil anymore. I've spoken with the service department (the service manager told me I talk too much) who wants to meet with me next Tuesday to write the problem up for the Toyota engineers. My brother says this usage is fine, quit worrying, nothing will happen, the engine will last forever. Is he right? Am I overreacting? My son says this will foul the spark plugs, lower the full economy, and mess up the sensors. Is he right? I need advice? How should I handle the service meeting. Thank you so much for your help.


Emphasis mine. Who knows how many brand new Camrys burn a little oil? How can we possibly know when the vast majority of owners will never even open the hood themselves? A quart in 4000 miles is probably 2 quarts or less within the recommended OCI which is bad but probably not enough to cause an engine failure or other obvious service issue for a LONG time.

I had a Civic that burned a quart in 2k miles from very early on. I also had a friend that had bought essentially the same model about a year before I did, and I asked him whether his burned any oil. His answer was no, it didn't. However when pressed further I found that he'd literally never checked it. So who knows?

Owners manuals for all makes allow some amount oil oil usage as "normal" -- usually an amount that would anger any BITOGer (usually 1 qt per 1000 or 1200 miles). I've known new cars that burn noticeable amounts and ones that don't. A quart in 4k miles seems manageable and nothing to lose trust in the car over IMO. Count yourself lucky that none of your past fleet has lost any oil, and learn to live with it I'd say -- provided you can confirm there are no leaks to fix.
 
I remember my Mazda used something around 1qt of oil in the first 4 or so thousand miles. The oil consumption stopped sometime very short thereafter. Do you drive the car very lightly? Maybe you should try and drive it hard to seat the rings. I chirped the tires on my Mazda when I bought it and rode it hard when it was new. The car now requires about 1qt during a 10k OCI but then again it has 75k miles on it now and I still drive it hard sometimes.
 
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Originally Posted By: Stewie
1qt every 4k is alot for a new car.

I would definitely have them fix it.


And you decided to revitalize this thread because ______________?
grin2.gif
 
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