Dave from Slough

Hi all,
I am a new scooby owner and of course I love it....
I have a WRX sport wagon (51). I have done about 3k miles and have
just checed the oil and it's very low ? Is it normal to use this much oil ?
It was last serviced at Subaru about 4 months ago. I am not sure what
oil to top it up with. Can anyone help ?

Before I get a slaughtered for not checking the oil sooner, it won't
happen again.

richir rich

depends on how you drive it ?

TonyBurns

iTrader: (3)

Subaru UK recommend Shell helix 10w40 semi synthetic oil. Id use this to top up your oil

Tony

Jiggerypokery

Phone the garage and ask them, or the oil type may be listed on your last service bill. Best to use the same type. ... and as someone else has said, the usage depends on how you drive it. I normally check mine every other day / 100 miles if going for a blast. Less frequently if driven gently (every 500 miles on long runs).

TonyBurns

iTrader: (3)

I drive my STi hard (after she's warmed up ) but you can be a bit lazy with 331lbs of torque
Havnt had the need in 7k's worth of driving to top anything except the washer bottle and intercooler water spray tank up

Tony

andypugh2000

My 98 UK wagon will quite happily drink 750mls of shell helix every 6,000 miles, quite normal on most engines but mine is a 83k piston slapping 98

andy

Dave from Slough

well you say that..... but after I topped up using a semi synthetic I called
Subaru UK and was told to use fully synthetic. I told them what I had topped
up with 5W30 and was told to book in for an oil change. Oh and I do drive the
car hardish.... you know.

TonyBurns

iTrader: (3)

5w30 is too thin for the impreza (turbocharged versions), it even states in the handbook that it should only be used in very cold climates and your not suppose to over rev your engine whilst its in there. The standard oil for the impreza is 10w40 semi synthetic, ALL dealers should put this viscosity of oil in your car on a service unless otherwise stated by the cars owner (and then only within the terms of what oils can be used).
Whoever gave you that info needs shooting, just check your handbook out.

Tony

Dave from Slough

So should I get an oil change a bit sharpish. The level was low, I'm not sure how
much oil went in.

TonyBurns

iTrader: (3)

Yup id recommend that you change the oil to a 10w40 semi synthetic, you do have some other options though, a 15w50 fully synthetic is also available for you (Mobil 1 Motorsport and Motul 300v) which are in the range stated by subaru

Tony

Dave from Slough

Thanks for your advice. I will drive like a good boy until I can get it sorted
on Monday.


DFS.

andypugh2000

I thought shell helix was fully synthetic, that what it says on my can

SC008Y_MAD

iTrader: (5)

My dads does not really what the dealer to put in 10w40 semi synthetic oil, he would rather they just put in normal oil for his 03 WRX at the next service 20K one. Can, if my dad buys enough oil for the car, would they change it to None synthetic oil in the service??

coolhands

Most garages will use your own parts (such as oil) if you supply them and ask them to use them. Just leave it in the boot come service time and let the receptionist know that you want the mechanic to use your oil, they should make a note of it on the service sheet and thats it.

TonyBurns

iTrader: (3)

A non synthetic oil wont stand up to the rigours of a turbocharged engine (it breaks down too easily), a semi synthetic will, a fully synthetic is even better, but you have to use the right viscosity.
10w40 semi synthetic is the norm that subaru dealers put in, unless otherwise stated by the cars owner at service time (i have Motul 300v 15w50 fully synthetic oil in my scoob from the 10w40 i had in for the first 5k of the engines life).

Tony

pbee

Tony, are you not concerned about using a 15w anything over the winter periods. cold starts ect. The oil cold take an age to get to working temperature and may not ever on shorter journeys. From memory you have a spec c so it is probably different to the majority of UK cars If it was mine i would be using a different oil over winter.

Dave, if you topped up with 5w-30 fully synthetic, i cannot understand why you should need a oil change as this is the oil recomended in the handbook, If the dealer used semi sythetic than mixing them is not a great idea. How much oild di you put in ?. there should be a marker on the side of the can which shows how much oil has been used.

Mobil 1 supply an OEM oil to subaru UK which is a 5w - 50 fully synth, its freely available in europe in consumer pots put only in quantity (barrels) in the UK. its upto the Dealer to use this or to buy in from outside. i rang around my local delaers to find out which oil they use One was BP Visco 5000 (5w-40) fully synth, Shell helix ultra (5w-40), and the other was a "special oil from mobil 1 made for subaru", You should of seen the service managers face when I said ah thats just the 5w-50 they sell in Europe ill bring my own in.

So my 3 local delears all use 5w-40/50 fully synthetic. If anyone has topped up with a multigrade cast oil or semi syth, you are a dumbass in my opinion. and depending how much you have put in you should ask if a oil change is required. Please also bear in mind that the actual amount between the 2 marks on the dipstick is not full and empty, and from memory only equates to about 300ml, be careful not to fill right to the top or over, aim for just below the full mark. if you need to top up I would call your delaer find out what oil is in it and use the same type, as a minimum found out what the rating is and go with the same.

It is normal for modern high performance cars using fully synthetic oil to consume a small amount, even more so if it is modified or driven hard Im told this proves the oil is working and reaching all the places it should, I would be more concerned if you are not using any oil at all. More the reason to check the oil on a regular basis.

Subaru japan only allow 5w-** and 10w ** oils as that is all that has been factory tested. Mobil 1 and others say a 0w-40 provides much better usage range protection than 5w/10w /15w anything, but Subaru and others are not interested in testing new oil technology. If your car is modified and during the warmer months. i would probably go for Silkolene pro s 10w 50. Or try and get the Mobil 1 5w 50, as this gives you a good working temperature from cold too extremes.

Interestingly the mobil 1 5w-50 is the only oil recomended for maclaren mercedes cars.

The impreza Manual states a 5w30 is a basis to work from as there is a temperature chart to factor either way in extereme temperatures. Which is probably why the dealers seem to be using 5w-40 FS. Anyone supplying there own oil I would use one of the fully synthtics 5w-40 shell helix ultra is good, I dont know anything about the BP visco 5000 and both should be easily available, If you want to use a 15w - 50 I would check with your dealer first, as you may find that you will not be able to claim on warranty if you engine fails as you are not using an approved grade of oil.

When you say Motul 300v is approved which ones as i believe there are 6 variants from 0w-20 to 20w-60. I would imagine only the 5w-40 and 5w-30 are approved by subaru.

VW are known for re-evalluationg oils on a regular basis and stipulating exact codes of oil to use with each model of engine. With all their high performance engines (225-250 and the rs audi series) they stipulate 503.01 which suprise suprise is a 0w-30/40 depending on manufacturer. As VW test each of their engines and then approve certain types of oil you can see the advantages over the years from vw 500.00 501.00 ect ect. Using the correct engine oil in a car improves economy and has been dyno proven to supply more power.

See mum i was listening at that seminar you blagged me into at Brands Hatch last year I wasnt just there for the racing .

oilman

iTrader: (9)

Use a fully synthetic 5w-40, 10w-40 or 10w-50 would be my advice.

Tech info on plenty here: http://www.opieoils.co.uk/lubricants.htm

Cheers
Simon

oilman

iTrader: (9)

pbee,

Very good post and understanding. The book recommendation for most later Scoobs is indeed around the 5w-40 viscosity and as long as it's a decent true synthetic one then this is a good all year round oil which will give far better "cold start" protection than 15w.

However, there does seem to be an obsession on here with thicker oils which I fail to understand but then again it's not my car or my money.

Cheers
Simon

pbee

Oilman

yeah my mum used to work for mobil and she snuck me in through a backdoor to endure an oil seminar to a load of oil resellers, then there was some track events in TT's ect in the afternoon, i was only interested in the free food and racing but the seminar was very interesting to my suprise.

The problem i see it lots or "motorsport preperation" people use thicker oils to withstand extreme long usage of oil, hence the motul 300v 15w-50 being the le-mans or competition branded one, but people seem to ignore that professional motosports people warm the oil before the car is started anyway. I know people with rally cars who do this everytime. not exactly practical for everyday use.

Im using 5w-50 mobil 1 in mine, I bought a few cans from France a while ago, problem is its now all gone. And i cant buy any here. Will have to sort something out for the next service.

oilman

iTrader: (9)

What people seem to miss particularly with high powered cars is that thicker is not always better and that modern turbocharged engines require thinner oils. These oils protect just as well as long as they are good proper synthetic ones and give benefits on power output, fuel economy and emissions and that's why the VW 503.01 is a 0w-30 or 0w-40 only. We have many rally and competition cars running on 5w-40 ester based race oils as these oils are incredibly thermally stable but, unless you have a major problem with temperatures say 140 degC plus then a thicker oil will only create more oil drag and poorer cold start protection.

This may be of interest:

Surely the thicker the oil the better!

This isn't always true - even when using a petroleum based oil.

Although it is true that heavier viscosity oils (which are generally thought of as being thicker) will hold up better under heavy loads and high temperatures, this doesn't necessarily make them a better choice for all applications.

On many newer vehicles only 0w-40, 5w40 or 10w40 engine oils are recommended by the manufacturer.

If you choose to use a higher viscosity oil than what is recommended, at the very least you are likely to reduce performance of the engine. Fuel economy will likely go down and engine performance will drop.

In the winter months it is highly recommended that you not use a heavier grade oil than what is recommended by the manufacturer. In cold start conditions you could very well be causing more engine wear than when using a lighter viscosity oil.

In the summer months, going to a heavier grade is less of an issue, but there are still some things to be aware of.

Moving one grade up from the recommended viscosity is not likely to cause any problems (say from a 10w40 to a 10w50 oil). The differences in pumping and flow resitance will be slight. Although, efficiency of the engine will decrease, the oil will likely still flow adequately through the engine to maintain proper protection. However, it will not likely protect any better than the lighter weight oil recommended by the manufacturer.

Moving two grades up from the recommended viscosity (say 10w40 to 10w-60) is a little more extreme and could cause long term engine damage if not short term. Although the oil will still probably flow ok through the engine, it is a heavier visocosity oil. As such it will be more difficult to pump the oil through the engine.

More friction will be present than with a lighter viscosity oil. More friction means more heat. In other words, by going to a thicker oil in the summer months, you may actually be causing more heat build-up within the engine. You'll still be providing adequate protection from metal to metal contact in the engine by going with a high viscosity, but the higher viscosity will raise engine temperatures.

In the short run, this is no big deal. However, over the long term, when engine components are run at higher temperatures, they WILL wear out more quickly. As such, if you intend on keeping the vehicle for awhile, keep this in mind if you're considering using a heavier weight oil than the manufacturer recommends.
The best advice is to is to stay away from viscosity grades that are not mentioned in your owner's manual.

Cheers
Simon

pbee

in my Owners manual for 03 wrx it mentions 3 oils

5w-30 for <-30 to 40 degrees C
10w-30 and 10w-40 for -15 40+ degrees C,

below the diagram it has a asterix with 5w-30 is preferred. does anyone have any different to this in their manual.

it then has some details for other oils for towing conditions.

It doesnt mention semi or fully synthetic just oil Grade marks which seem a bit Americanised.

oilman

iTrader: (9)

You can use, 5w-30, 5w-40, 10w-30 or 10w-40 in a standard road car but bear in mind 5w-40 and 10w-40 are more readily available in Europe. In the US there tend to be more 5w-30's and 10w-30's available.

If you want a fully synthetic oil, which I would recommend then use a good fully synthetic 5w-40 or 10w-40.

Cheers
Simon

craigdmcd

iTrader: (2)

Oilman, just out of interest, with relation to your previous thread, why do BMW specify 10w-60 TWS or 10w-60 Castrol RS for all M sport cars, if as you say, it isn't as good at protecting the engine as the other grades that you advise?

oilman

iTrader: (9)

Not all, only specific models and specific years (and this was a change from the handbook recommendation) which is due to some problems that BMW have had with these engines which is apparantly now sorted according to BMW's bulletins.

It was put down by BMW as an oil consumption problem (LOL).

If you have an M5 or M3 then check carefully with BMW first. There is some interesting stuff on the subject on BMW Club GB.

Cheers
Simon

PS. With regards to Scoobs, check your handbook and you'll find 5w-30, 5w-40, 10w-30 and 10w-40 mentioned but then you can prove me wrong?

pmarch

Dear Oilman,
You or your brother may remember I dropped in at Redruth last week and purchased 5litres of Silkolene Pro S 5W40. I am going to ask my local dealer to use this when the car is in service - this will save me about £30 in dealer mark-up on the oil plus VAT.

Dear Others,
My 2001 Bugeye WRX seems to use little or no oil - I check level on dipstick and it's still the same after six months. No oil drips on the driveway. Then again, I am light on the revs. 'most of the time'. Before you berate me for being too soft with the car and it needs to be used etc. etc., I hasten to add that I don't know how much longer I can remain this sensible! I think my wife drives it faster than me on the quiet!!

Vegescoob

One day you will find me in the local psychiatric hospital wandering the corridors and mumbling to myself "what oil what oil what grade what grade".

pmarch

Yeah, I sometime's stop and think it's become an obsession - my son said the other day "why does it have to be Shell Optimax" - I think it is even sadder that I find myself planning my holiday itinery around finding a Shell garage.

Vegescoob

[QUOTE=pmarch]Yeah, I sometime's stop and think it's become an obsession - my son said the other day "why does it have to be Shell Optimax" - I think it is even sadder that I find myself planning my holiday itinery around finding a Shell garage.[/QUOT
Yes but at least petrol choice is pretty obvious although I too get worried about finding Optimax in areas I don't know. Are we all sad?

craigdmcd

iTrader: (2)

All M-power engines (and a few others) must be filled at BMW approved garages with Castrol 10w-60 oil (or BMW get rather upset), I should know, I'm a Merc mechanic that jumped ship and now fix BM's
Craig

s70rjw

iTrader: (2)

I changed to 10/60 Castrol RS in a T5 Volvo. It caused the tappets to knock when cold. Changing back to a 10/40 semi stopped this.