My 05 TL is at 4000 miles after almost 6 months of mostly city driving. The MID is at 40% and I haven't had any service done yet.

I plan to take it in for my first oil change in the next few weeks.

I checked the oil to see what it looked like and I noticed that it's barely at the bottom of the dipstick! Is this due to oil burning and a potential issue or is this 'normal' as the car breaks in?

 

4000 miles of city driving might have something to do with it, but my TL
has used no oil at all in the first 3000 miles.

Something to keep an eye on...

Brett

 

like he said something to keep an eye out for.....I did my 1st oil change a few months back and replaced the exact amount back on the empty containers....have you been redlining?..lots?....I know hitting VTEC often burns some oil....

 

This is not right. Barely at the bottom of the dipstick is about two quarts low.

When I changed at 3200 miles, I was about a pint low.

You may consume a little oil in break in, but two quarts is more than I have heard before. If you're not ready for an oil change (I recommend you do it now), I would top off with Havoline 5W-20 which is nearly identical to the Acura break-in oil.

Your engine oil also acts as a coolant. It is not good to drive around that low.

I would also recommend sending a sample of your used oil out for analysis to see if something might be wrong internally. It only costs about $20. If you have the dealer change your oil, give him the sample cup so he can collect it for you.

There are a couple of places where you can order a UOA (used oil analysis) kit on line.

http://www.blackstone-labs.com/

http://www.butler-machinery.com/serv...upport_oil.asp

 

Get your oil changed and have Blackstone Lab's do an analysis. Over 2qts low isn't right...something is going on in the engine and the analysis will tell you the story. It's possible the engine was never filled to begin with, otherwise something isn't right inside the motor.

 

Its fine, most of the oil consumption probably occured during the first 1-2000 miles when the engine was breaking in.

I'd top it off immediately or get the oil changed.

Michael

 

Don't sweat it ! That is normal being you admitted to mostly city driving.....Both my new Acura's were similar......solution: CHANGE THE OIL IMMEDIATELY !

 

Also, how soon after running the car did you check the oil?

You may find that more drains into the pan if you checked it right after turning off the ignition. (ie it wasn't as low as you thought). But its probably still a quart low.

 

ALWAYS warm your engine to NORMAL temp before checking your oil....

 

Normal temp is ok, but if you cut off the ignition, and check the dipstick immediately, you aren't giving the oil a chance to drain back into the pan (which is where the level on the dipstick comes from).

Therefore you won't get an accurate reading. How long does it take to drain? depends on the car, probably less than 5 minutes, but that's longer than you think when you are waiting.

 

I took my TL to the dealer today for service. Unfortunately, the service guy that helped me wasn't into customer service: little to no eye contact, couldn't give-a-crap attittude, just cordial enough so you didn't have much to complain about to his boss.

I give you that context so you can consider the source of these comments:

"You need to measure your oil after the car has been sitting for at least six hours"
"TLs burn oil"
"It's normal to burn 1/2 qt. of oil for every 1000 miles of city driving"

Like I said, I didn't really think this guy was very helpful. My experience with cars over 20 years leads me to believe differently.

Either a) my car is an oil burner, b) I started out a quart low at the purchase, or c) the break-in combined with a lot of city driving caused 2 quarts to be comsumed in the first 4000 miles.

Over the next 3-6 months, I should be able to narrow down the answer.

Thanks, everyone, for your suggestions and comments!!!

 

Not required...

If you drove your car then shut it off etc., and you decided to check your oil in the morning after a "40 below" cold night,, you would still get an accurate reading.

Checking your automatic transmission fluid, then yes by all means check when at operating temp.