Oil Usage

[spiker]

Apologies if this has been covered before , however I would appreciate some thoughts on oil usage

I bought a 17K mile Cayman S and have done 1500 miles since ( 2 months )

The oil level is already down 1 notch in the Display suggesting I have used 1-2 litres already

When I left the car for 1 week without use and started her up there was a large plume of smoke from the exhaust

The car itself drives perfectly otherwise - no loss of power

The car was purchased from a porsche dealer who suggested I should not have to top up between services ( however I am a little more realistic than that ) so I have just contacted them for comment but would appreciate anyones thoughts here on the forum

 

[tscaptain]

Having just looked in the Cayman manual it looks like each segment on the display is equivalent to 0.4L? "The difference between the minimum and maximum marks on the segment display is approx. 1.2 litres. Each segment of the display corresponds to approx. 0.4 litre." So if yours is down one "block" that would be .4L in 1500 miles which is not unusual for the flat six engines and neither is the puff of smoke on start up (as long as it goes after a short while!) Hope that helps

 

[spiker]

I am very relieved if this would seem to be normal usage Thanks for putting my mind at rest

 

[tscaptain]

My previous C2S used to use around 1L per 1500 miles and that was considered to be well within limits. I'm pretty sure it will be the same for your engine but maybe a Caymanite will be along soon to confirm![] When/if you top up make sure you don't overfill though.

 

[spiker]

Maybe I should read the manual again I didnt know if it was 'dealer speak trying to sell me a car' as in 'you wont need to top up' or whether this engine typically uses a certain amount Thanks

 

[tscaptain]

They do seem to vary tremendously. As I said the previous went through a fair bit but within limits. The present car has done 8500 without using a drop - apparently! Yes, have another peek in the owners manual.......[]

 

[John H]

The display is very sensitive, and the car may not have been totally full when you bought it anyway. You have to be parked on totally level ground for it to be accurate. Mine will also blow a cloud of smoke on start-up occasionally, especially if it has been parked less than level. For the moment just top it up and keep an eye on it over the coming miles. Oh, and no way have you used one or two litres, possibly as little as a few hundred cc's. Be careful not to overfill it, so just add a very small amount at a time until you get the right level.

 

[spiker]

Thanks again for the quick feedback

 

[GGodfrey]

My Cayman S suffered from a similar problem. However after it's last service (when it blew smoke all over the place when first started in the dealer) it has completely stopped doing it. I wondered if oil drains had blocked or the oil/air separator clogged up which was cured by the oil change.

 

[spiker]

Thanks Porsche are collecting the car to carry out a few warranty issues but I feel much happier having heard the feedback so far. I am just a little edgy with a new car

 

[uknick]

ORIGINAL: spiker Thanks Porsche are collecting the car to carry out a few warranty issues but I feel much happier having heard the feedback so far. I am just a little edgy with a new car

Don't worry about being edgy, most of us have been there. And, if nothing wrong is found, what's the downside? I have managed to drive most of the Porsche range now as loan cars.