What are the solutions for a car burning engine oil?

[DonovanDella]

Solutions for cars burning engine oil: 1. If the car burns oil when cold but returns to normal after warming up, this phenomenon is caused by aging valve stem seals. Solution: Remove the engine cylinder head and replace the valve stem seals. 2. If the car burns oil when hot (after reaching normal operating temperature) and blue smoke continues to come from the exhaust pipe, this indicates poor sealing of the piston rings. Solution: Remove the oil pan and replace the piston rings. Here are the functions of engine oil: 1. Alleviates friction and high temperatures. 2. Reduces gas leakage and prevents contamination from external pollutants. 3. Prevents contact between water, air, acidic harmful gases and engine components. 4. Buffers pressure rise at the engine cylinder ports. 5. Flushes away dirt generated on component surfaces.

[BrandonAnn]

Last time I drove an old Passat, I also encountered oil burning with very noticeable blue smoke from the exhaust pipe. The repair shop found that it was mainly due to worn piston rings causing oil to enter the combustion chamber. The mechanic said this situation required an engine overhaul or just endure it by adding oil frequently. Replacing the valve stem seals and piston rings cost over 5,000 RMB, but oil consumption dropped from 1 liter per 1,000 km to 0.2 liters. I suggest you first measure your oil consumption—if it exceeds 0.5 liters per 1,000 km, don’t push it. Nowadays, the non-dismantling oil seal replacement technology is quite mature and costs half as much as an overhaul.

[DeHarper]

My decade-old Audi Q5 has been burning oil for two years, and the repair shop said the main cause is the aging turbocharger seals. Not wanting a major overhaul for now, I tried two methods: first, switching to a 5W-40 high-viscosity full synthetic oil reduced consumption by one-third; second, pouring a bottle of piston ring release agent before each refueling, and after three consecutive tanks, the blue smoke from the exhaust pipe did decrease a bit. However, the mechanic privately told me that these are just delaying tactics, and once the mileage exceeds 150,000 kilometers, I should consider replacing the valve stem seals.

[Chiron]

If the oil light on the dashboard frequently comes on, you should be alert. During one of my maintenance sessions, I had a cylinder pressure test done incidentally, and two out of the four cylinders showed insufficient pressure, indicating poor piston ring sealing. The mechanic taught me a simple diagnostic method: after the engine is warm, stomp on the accelerator and observe the exhaust pipe. If blue smoke appears, it means the engine is burning oil; if black smoke appears, it's burning gasoline. For minor oil burning like mine, switching to a high-quality oil that meets the 502 specification and shortening the maintenance interval to 7,000 kilometers can basically control the oil consumption.

[SanJoanna]

Don't ignore burning oil! My neighbor's German car kept burning oil without treatment, and eventually the catalytic converter got completely clogged, doubling the repair cost. An auto repair expert taught me three self-inspection steps: observe the exhaust color during cold starts in the morning; check if there's oil residue on the spark plugs; and regularly monitor the oil dipstick level changes. Nowadays, new-generation repair additives work much better than before. For example, additives containing PESA can soften aged oil seal rubber. After using it, my Skoda's oil consumption decreased by 400ml per 1,000 kilometers.