What Can I Do to Reduce Oil Consumption in a Car Engine that has Nothing Wrong With It?

Published on May 14, 2024 by Joseph Feghali, Authorized Amsoil Dealer.

I am going to give you a simple and quick way to help cut down or reduce oil consumption in any vehicle. I see this issue mentioned on car forums and even Reddit. People scratch their heads about why the engine is guzzling oil every few weeks or so when the engine has no leak. Many years ago, I had this problem in a vehicle that was fairly new. While checking the oil level before heading off to meet some friends, the dipstick revealed the level was a bit low, and I had just changed the oil three weeks ago at a quick lube place. I shrugged it off and just topped it off with a quart, and hit the road, figuring it was just one of those things.

But then it happened again, a month later and another quart gone. This time, I took a closer look under the hood and around the driveway, and there was no sign of a leak. There were no drips, no puddles, no smoke out of the exhaust. My engine seemed to be running just fine, nothing out of the ordinary. I decided to seek out my longtime mechanic to find out what was behind this mysterious oil consumption. I explained the situation, and he said I should come back later in the afternoon because he needed some time to check the engine out. When I returned he said, “You just have a thirsty engine.” and smiled.

He started taking me through the possible causes, but he shrugged and said nothing was wrong with it. I did research on my own and learned that if you drive it a bit harsh such as hard acceleration, high RPMs, and high speed then this may cause an engine to consume oil.

After my visit, I mentioned the situation to my friend Robert, who’s super knowledgeable about cars ever since he was a kid. This was way before all the information we have today online, so he was going by experience. ” I had the same issue with my Mustang consuming oil. Switched my oil to a better brand, and that fixed the problem.” My reaction was, “that is it??” and he said “yep.”

So I listened to my friend  and I switched to a better oil. Over the next few months, I was amazed to see my oil consumption levels drop dramatically. No more mysterious quart disappearances! Yea, I had to top it off a bit every 2 to 3 months or so since the oil was made to last a year, but that sure was an upgrade from every 3 to 4 weeks!

From that day on, I became a huge fan of the oil. And whenever someone asks me about their own oil consumption issues, I share my story. Not only did I become a huge fan of Amsoil, I eventually became an authorized dealer with Robert’s help, which is another story. I have used Amsoil in other vehicles that I have owned and it continues to help cut down on oil consumption and my engines really don’t need huge repairs as time goes by. (It’s other stuff that goes wrong like the A/C, yikes, very expensive.)

So yes, an engine that has nothing wrong with it can consume oil, don’t want to say that is normal, but some engines just do. Subaru considers a quart burned every 1,000 to 1,200 miles acceptable. Some Audi and BMW cars’ standards state that a quart burned every 600 to 700 miles is reasonable. Upgrade your oil, and this may help remedy the issue. I am not saying it is going to be a 100% fix because some engines are just like that, but it is worth a try to reduce the oil consumption. Either way, you will be getting a better oil and protecting your engine.  Check out this video where I explain the reduced oil consumption in a 2013 Chevrolet Malibu. Hope I gave you a solution if you have had your engine checked out and there was nothing to fix but you still have this oil consumption issue.