SWMBO has a September '04 1.8 Almera automatic. Whilst filling up the washer fluid bottle tonight, I thought I'd check the oil level. It was well below the lower limit on the dipstick. As the car has only done around 6,000 miles since new, I was rather surprised.
Of course we'll take it to the local dealer tomorrow to have it taken care of but I was surprised that it has used so much oil. In fairness, I didn't check the oil level when she took delivery of the car, but is the 1.8 Nissan engine noted for its oil lust?
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It should not use any. As the car is so new and only done 6,000 miles it may be down to the engine running in and using more oil during this period. It should be settled down now to zero oil use. Hope you have got away with it being so low. Ideally it should be checked every week along with the other things like water level and tyre pressures so you can spot anything amiss early rather than later. I would just top it up with good quality oil to the max level and keep an eye on it each week.
These engines are very well made and can last a long time if looked after.
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Did you check the procedure in the owner;s manual?
Oil checking procedures seem to be becoming more and more complicated, ie temperatures and timings.
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Thank you everyone for your feedback and advice. We tried to get the local Nissan dealership to sort the problem out this morning, but as it's a Motability car, they "would have had to get authorisation to work on the car" and doubted that there'd be anyone there on a Saturday morning. Therefore I topped it up with some Castrol GTX I had lying around and we'll take it from there. I'll keep an eye on the level regularly now. The car's due for it's annual service in September so a top up with the correct oil is not too far away.
Incidentally, I'm surprised that these days the 1,000/1,500 mile service has been abolished. I remember back into the 70's and 80's when Dad and I would compile a list of problems (sometimes running into two pages of A4!) with his latest company car ready for this early service. Now it can be a year before some cars see the dealer again.
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1,000/1,500 mile services were required in the days before stretch bolts were fitted to cylinder heads, rendering the re-torqueing of head bolts after a few hundred miles unnecessary. Plus there are fewer problems with modern cars than there used to be!
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Mike Farrow
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I don't think you should tell Nissan that the level was below minimum as the responsibility for checking fluid levels is with yourself. If any damage has occured they may say you should have spotted the oil level going down previously and made them aware at this stage.
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I don't think you should tell Nissan that the level was below minimum
Quite! Especially if the oil level hadn't been checked in 6000 miles - which is how I've interpreted CM's post to suggest.
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Remember that the car in question is a Motability car. The owner relies on the car to get her from A to B. She has no understanding of the workings of internal combustion engines, filling washer bottles, checking tyre pressures, or checking oil levels. She has no need to. Her disability allowance pays for leasing the car each month.
It shouldn't matter at all that the oil has never been checked. Nissan have 12 month/x thousand mile service intervals. The oil level should have been correct when the car was delivered, or the oil light should have come on to alert her/us that there was a problem.
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The oil level should have been correct when the car was delivered,
It probably was, but cars, both modern and old can use oil. There is probably some statement in the handbook that say something like the oil consumption can be up to 1 litre per 1000 miles. With modern cars the engine tollerances are that much tighter which can lead to engine oil being used. Once the engine has loosened up after several 1000 miles, then the oil consumption could be a lot better than it currently is. The best thing to do is top it back up to the max mark and check it again in 500 mile intervals and see if it's dropped at all again.
the oil light should have come on to alert her/us that there was a problem.
The oil level would have to be extremely low for the oil pressure light to come on.
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the oil light should have come on to alert her/us that there was a problem.
The oil light only rerefers to oil pressure as opposed to oil level, which is why the oil level should be checked regularly. By the time the oil pressure light illuminates, its too late and the damage is done.
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DD, Roberson,
Thanks for your replies. I hadn't realised that the oil light monitors oil pressure and not level.
I think it's about time that I taught SWMBO's eldest how to open a car's bonnet and check the oil, the water level, the washer fluid level, the tyre pressures etc...
All the best,
CM
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