Macster

Finally with car trouble behind me, work schedule sort of cooperating, flu behind me, I made it out in my 03 Turbo on a road trip. (Sitting in a hotel room in Joplin MO as I type this.)

Had the oil/filter changed less than 1K miles before I left.

Checking the oil level every gas stop expecting it to drop a few bars by now, nearly 1500 miles from home, but it has not dropped at all.

I bought the car with around 9500 miles on it and assumed it was broken in. Engine of course felt ok from day one. In the last 25K or more miles I've put on it I've just driven the car like I always do.

But with this oil level remaining up instead of falling a few bars as my experience with this car was in the past I'm wondering if perhaps the engine was not fully broken in and it just took this long for the rings to develop their best seal?

Not complaining mind you. While the Turbo's oil consumption before this trip was not excessive -- quart every 5K miles -- it did use more oil per 5K miles than my 02 Boxster with 233K miles uses so it is kind of nice to have the newer and lower mileage car engine using less oil than the high miler car's engine.

(Oil: Castrol Syntec 5w-50 with a bottle of Swepco 502 oil treatment.)

Oh, and I'm sure the level's not remaining high due to the water and unburned gasoline replacing the oil consumed. It has been hot and I've been running the car at high (but legal) speeds for hours at a time.

No short trips this trip.

Might be a glimmer of hope for those with low miles cars that still have high oil consumption. Just drive it baby and eventually the rings will seal and oil consumption will decrease.

Heading out shortly. T-storms forecast today on route up to KC. Running into some tropical moisture and part of way across OK yesterday ran into heavy rain. Thank goodness had new rear tires installed before I left.

Sincerely,

Macster.

DaveK

Could this be the reason? I've seen a few guys in the UK post elsewhere that their oil consumption seems to drop to pretty much zero on long trips but the car consistently drinks oil when shorter trips are taking place.

Mine certainly does use it up on the shorter trips but I've not noticed yet whether it's better on a longer trip (planning to drive to Italy in September so guess I'll find out then).

kennyPride

Macster, you're the best. Your insights and wealth of info is one of the reason's Renns works. I have a '01 turbo and Castrol w/Swepco 502 is my play now. Enjoy your cross country adventure.

Land Jet

Enjoy your trip Mac. Watch out for the PoPo's.

Macster

When I typed that line it occurred to me that no short trips might be a key but the car at home doesn't see much short trip usage. Mostly I drive it back/forth to work -- 30 miles one way -- and most of those miles are freeway miles.

Still, this has been a particularly efficient road trip. Gas mileage the best ever. I haven't the receipts in front of me to tally the overall gas mileage but it is close to 25mph average. Using a portable Garmin NAV unit.

Was hungry for Italian food and while still a few miles outside of Tulsa had it find a nice place in downtown Tulsa. Got near restaurant and found the roads blocked due to fireworks display. Had the NAV unit find me another restaurant on the way east. In the past I would have spent an hour or more lost driving around but in 5 minutes I was back on the freeway and 10 minutes later I was at the fall back restaurant taking a sip of red wine and digging into the bread sticks.

Then after dinner my male direction finding instincts wanted me to turn the wrong way but resisted and instead I followed the NAV unit's directions and got back on the freeway in no time.

Anyhow, I've had the car out a few times in the past on long trips and oil consumption even then was higher than it is this time.

But the real test of oil consumption improvement -- if real or just an artifact of this trip -- will be when I return home and put the car back into its more routine service.

Sorry. No pics. Only time I stop is for gas, food, or the night.

Sincerely,

Macster.

Macster

Already got pulled over by AZ state police officer. V1 gave me big early warning even before I could see the cars and a mile or so later I passed two on shoulder tending to a broken down car.

3rd patrol car up ahead going under limit in slow lane. I passed it -- at 75mph (which is the limit) -- and V1 chirping like crazy. I was so tired I was just wanted to make the 1st William AZ exit to pull over in motel parking lot for a snooze and the officer pulled me over as I took the exit ramp off the freeway.

Said I failed to signal properly several times. Ok.

All paperwork in order -- big big fine in AZ if you don't have insurance -- but gave me a warning for failure to signal properly -- even went through the motions of having me show him I could operate the signal stalk properly -- and insisted I remove the V1 and the NAV unit from the top edge of the windshield. I protested a bit but he said AZ law forbids anything there. I didn't push it but could have pointed out that with the sun visor down it interfered with my vision more than the V1 and NAV unit but didn't feel like napping on jail cell cot so I complied.

Re-mounted NAV unit down in low left hand corner of windshield -- where teh officer said it was ok to mount it -- and left V1 on seat next to me until out of AZ then inside NM stopped for gas at exit 16 -- Gallup -- and replaced both units where they were before the AZ officer had me remove them.

Rest of way east V1 saved me a few times. Lots of bears out. Not that I run that fast but the car sticks out like you can't believe out here in middle America.

Oh, yesterday spotted a west bound speed yellow 996 Turbo on I-40 east of Amarillo. Anyone from here?

Sincerely,

Macster.

Edgy01

You passed a friend of mine coming west to SB. (But he's in an Infinity G37). He was in Williams last night.

I recall some time back a guy from Australia suggesting that the steel in many of today's modern engines is so hard that breakin mileage may be as long as 50,000 miles. I'll let you know if that is the case--I have about 48,000 on my 06 997S and the oil mileage has been about 1 quart per thousand miles from day one.

LVDell

Wow, who pissed in the Cops Cheerios that day you got pulled over! Glad it was just a warning.

Land Jet

Cops- great in an emergency, otherwise a meddlesome bunch of assh*les.

Dock

In terms of V1 laser detection, the lower on the windshield the better, so in the end he did you a favor.

Macster

I don't know about which location is better, all I know the V1 has been restored to its place up high just to left center of my line of sight straight ahead over the steering wheel. It is out of the way, readily visible, accessible, and where I feel most comfortable with it. I tried mounting it lower down but the AC on chills the cups and the thing falls off the glass onto the dash. So as I mentioned in a previous post as soon as I was out of AZ I put it back where I had it before the AZ state police officer had me remove it.

Went through at least one laser trap yesterday just a few miles from my destination. I was going over the limit, by at least 5mph, but didn't get pulled over. I touched the brakes as soon as the laser alarm sounded/LEDs lit up, but I don't think that mattered. Either I wasn't going fast enough or the cop didn't get a good reading. I think the latter, cause in Missouri, 5mph and a sports car will get one a ticket any day of the week. I don't have a front license plate and I just wonder how good the front of my bug crusted arctic silver Turbo reflects laser?

Sincerely,

Macster.

Dock

For laser, the lower the better. For radar, it just doesn't matter.
The officer targets one of the very best reflectors on your car...your headlight(s).

Last930

I remember reading a long-term test of a BMW car that stated the engine made it's best horsepower at over 20,000 miles; that's where the best tradeoff between compression and internal friction occured.

SnP

Cops- can't be bothered to help in an emergency, otherwise a meddlesome bunch of assho*les.

Fixed it for ya.

Macster

Not unusual. At least one car company did a field/lab test and found break in continues for some miles after the nominal break in period based on improving fuel economy (at least) which arises from decreasing internal engine (and drivetrain) friction.

Not unusual for the break in to run out over 10K miles.

When I bought my 02 VW Golf TDi other owners claimed the engine didn't loosen up until it had acquired 60K miles. A bit more miles than I would have guessed. But it depends too upon how the car is driven how fast break in progresses.

Anyhow, the Turbo's running very smooth and I'm looking at 3 gas slips with mpg numbers of 25, 24.3, and 24.3. Average speeds: 77mph, 74mph and 73mph. Distances: 183, 204 and 138 miles.

Best *estimated* range on a full tank of gas is 404 miles!

I wish.

Oh, oil level finally dropped a bar. Down 2 from max oil level.

Leave Flagstaff in a few minutes and should be into Livermore and home this evening, though late.

In case there is any doubt this 996 Turbo is one very nice road car.

Sincerely,

Macster.