Does the EA888 engine consume oil?
2 Answers
EA888 engine consumes oil. The most important aspect of maintaining the EA888 engine is to find the right engine oil suitable for this engine: 1. Choose a fully synthetic oil with a viscosity of 5W40. 2. Select engine oil with a higher Total Base Number (TBN) to neutralize the acidic components in gasoline and slow down oil degradation. 3. Opt for engine oil that meets the ACEA (European Automobile Manufacturers' Association) standards. The reason is simple: many of the oil standards in ACEA are proposed by one of its members, the Volkswagen Group. 4. Choose engine oil with an HTHS (High-Temperature High-Shear) viscosity higher than 3.5. Similarly, the ACEA A3/B4 standard requires HTHS > 3.5, which is also proposed by Volkswagen.
I've driven a Volkswagen with the EA888 engine for eight years and have truly experienced the oil burning issue. My second-generation EA888 Golf GTI would always have the oil level drop to the minimum mark on the dipstick after just 5,000 kilometers post-maintenance, forcing me to keep a 1L bottle of oil in the trunk at all times. The master technician at the dealership explained that the main culprits were design flaws in the piston rings, poor performance of the oil separator, carbon buildup jamming the rings, and leaking valve stem seals as contributing factors. The third generation showed significant improvements, with the piston rings upgraded to a wave design and the separator also enhanced, but my neighbor's 2018 Tiguan L still experiences minor oil consumption. Handling it is straightforward: regularly check the dipstick, switch to 502-certified full synthetic oil, periodically clean carbon deposits, and you can easily last 150,000 kilometers. If consumption exceeds 0.5L per 1,000 kilometers, it's time to replace the piston rings with the improved version.
