2005 V6 SRX Oil Consumption

[warren Voth]

Originally Posted by algiorda

I notified my dealer of my abnormal oil consumption and they immediately told me to start logging my oil usage. I have to do the 1000 mile oil burn test 3 TIMES before they rule on the nature of the problem. I had they change the oil Saturday, so let's see how this progresses.

Good luck algiorda, I am on the same program. I will update all with the outcome. Stay tuned.

[conedoctor]

I feel lucky, I just checked my oil after reading this and it is still full with 21% left on the oil meter.

[Vassellpv]

I’m experiencing this now and finished the oil consumption test. The dealer informed me that adding 1qt every 1500 – 1600 miles IS acceptable. Like others there are no visible leaks or smoke blowing. The only way I know things are low is a bit of noise from the engine and slight hesitation. The dealer does not want to budge on fixing this as they claim its within the standards.

I’m also told the correct way to test the oil is to leave the engine off for 15 minutes before checking? Can someone validate that? If this really is the case it would appear I’d have to stack up on oil and perform oil tests at home not at the pump.

Is there anything the poor consumer can do other than complain to the local dealer? Perhaps an action suit against GM? This seems ridiculous. I’m sure I would be SOL if the engine ceased because I wasn’t aware of this issue and then that wouldn’t be covered under my current warrantee.

Any advise greatly appreciated.

[Sonogirl]

I have just boiught a 2006 SRX with 45000 KM (Canada) about 25K mile - still has 4 year warranty on it. It burns oil like crazy! I have gone to the local Cadillac dealer who pushed back right at the beginning saying that since I didn't own it from the start, who knows how it was looked after and it could be wear and tear and not a problem with a warranty. It burns the most on highway driving. Drove from Ontario to PA, (8 hours) and went through 1 quart of oil!!I am doing the oil consumption test - have to go to the dealer every week to record it -- so far after 3 weeks it has averaged about 1 liter per 1000 km. The service manager says that amount is within "NORMAL" according to cadillac. He says I should trade it in because no matter what the outcome of the oil consumption test, he can twist the results to prove that the consumption is NORMAL for the SRX. It is like Cadillac knows there is a problem and know has written a standard to fit the problem. The service manager said he did try and fix another customer's oil consumption problem by doing a ring job, and Cadillac still hasn't reimbursed him; so it make sense he is trying to get rid of me as a customer -- I called the Cadillac customer service at the head office in Oshawa Canada, and they coudn't have been less interested, stating that "some cars just burn more oil than others" - I presently own a F150, Camry XLE, Expedition and Saturn -- none of which go through oil at this rate. The customer service person spoke to me like I was a 12 year old --- Any advise? Know why GM is going bankrupt!!! Great customer service -- just push back until the warranty runs out or blame the person's driving habits.

[Professor Wizard]

Intersting...

I'm an old car guy - into cars since I was 13 (Ouch - that makes it over 40 years!) I guess the rules changed over the years - - Unless you have a 2 stroke engine, you should never lose more then 1/2 a quart in 6 months. and then only in a very hot engine that has been modified. Today's standard engines run such tight tolerances that with proper maintenance, there should never be any oil loss unless there is something wrong, or the engine has extreme mileage or wear and tear.

Mind you - if you never change the oil, or you go off-roading a lot, or drive constantly in the desert with sand blowing around - then you will have a car that will burn oil after a while!

I only owned 2 cars in my lifetime that burned oil... My first car - a 64' Rambler Classic which was a retired Southwestern Bell Telephone car with 280,000 miles on it and was obviously badly maintained - used a quart every tankful of gas. And I had a 2001 Audi Allroad with 290,000 miles on it which used a quart every 5,000 miles. All the rest of my cars (21) never used a noticeable amount of oil between changes.

"A quart in 1000miles is "normal"? My A$$! THAT is just a skirt around to avoid the cost rebuilding the engine. Unless it is a safety issue causing law suits which cost more then the repair the Big 3 are going to avoid the pay out. Mind you if enough of the engines do this to cause a class action then GM will recall them to avoid paying on the class action.

The true bad news is - it seems that these oil problems show up after the warranty runs out!

The good news is - it seems a hand full of SRX Owners did manage to slip theirs in under warranty and have the issue worked on... and, the 08's and 09's aren't showing signs of the Oil Use problems.

and that is my 2 cents!

[tn6020]

I got my 05s SRX V6 AWD w/ rear A/C and 3rd row, 75kmi on Jun 09 and had NO OIL BURNING like I saw a lot of yours were
Maybe I am lucky, maybe the previous owner has done a treatment, I couldn' t know but when looking into the engine found no sign that the engine was replaced or re-installed

[mthake]

figured I'd post an update here. Been dealing with the oil consumption for the past few months. read all the good information in regards to the northstar engine oil consumptions and took some great advice. Engine was babied all of its life, and still is when my wife is driving it. However, when I'm behind the wheel, its manual shifting and pedal to the floor any chance i get I've even got the v6 to squeal the tires a bit on take off now. Good news, it worked, oil consumption has stabalized to maybe 1 quart every 3k.

[warren Voth]

Originally Posted by Sonogirl

I have just boiught a 2006 SRX with 45000 KM (Canada) about 25K mile - still has 4 year warranty on it. It burns oil like crazy! I have gone to the local Cadillac dealer who pushed back right at the beginning saying that since I didn't own it from the start, who knows how it was looked after and it could be wear and tear and not a problem with a warranty. It burns the most on highway driving. Drove from Ontario to PA, (8 hours) and went through 1 quart of oil!!I am doing the oil consumption test - have to go to the dealer every week to record it -- so far after 3 weeks it has averaged about 1 liter per 1000 km. The service manager says that amount is within "NORMAL" according to cadillac. He says I should trade it in because no matter what the outcome of the oil consumption test, he can twist the results to prove that the consumption is NORMAL for the SRX. It is like Cadillac knows there is a problem and know has written a standard to fit the problem. The service manager said he did try and fix another customer's oil consumption problem by doing a ring job, and Cadillac still hasn't reimbursed him; so it make sense he is trying to get rid of me as a customer -- I called the Cadillac customer service at the head office in Oshawa Canada, and they coudn't have been less interested, stating that "some cars just burn more oil than others" - I presently own a F150, Camry XLE, Expedition and Saturn -- none of which go through oil at this rate. The customer service person spoke to me like I was a 12 year old --- Any advise? Know why GM is going bankrupt!!! Great customer service -- just push back until the warranty runs out or blame the person's driving habits.

Hey Sonogirl, I have a 2005 SRX with similar oil consumption. Cadillac Canada considers .968 litres of oil for every 2800kms to be acceptable. anything above this requires investigation. because your car is still under manufactures warranty, this is something that needs to be looked into, regardless of how it was previously driven. I have documentation from Cadillac canada as to what steps should be taken, and you can be sure that my dealer will do the correct repairs, or there are other steps that can be taken and they will not look good for the dealer or Cadillac. you need to kick the dealers a$$ if he is not going to do anything about this problem.

[Sonogirl]

Just had the rings, bearings replaced and a valve job done on my SRX under warranty to fix the oil consumption problem that the local cadillac dealership was NORMAL --- THe push back from the local dealerships is terrible -- I had to go higher in the GM corportation to get satisfaction. They took it away and had field engineers look at it and did a week worth of work on it... all under warranty. Just keep pushing. J

[iaJim]

I have a 2005 SRX too. I've had it less than a month, and it has 52,000 miles on it. Since I've never owned a modern car that used oil, I had not yet checked the oil. I have an oil change scheduled in two days; I have put just 3,500 miles on the car. I got the same symptoms others have stated-no smoke, no oil light, all just fine until the check engine light started to blink and then I got a sort of growl from the engine. I stopped to check the oil, and found no oil on the dipstick. I was fortunate enough to find a great service station a block away, and they had to add four quarts of oil. A GALLON OF OIL in 3,500 miles. How did those of you who got on this program do it? I bought the car used from a non Cadillac dealer. I'm thinking of just going back and trading for something else, but I LOVE driving this car. I would appreciate any advice on this.

[raysirx]

Just to update my 2004 V6 had the rings / oil seals replaced by Gold Coast Cadillac in NJ.
Job was performed at 98,000 miles

I have just changed my oil today after 6200 miles, My oil was still full on the dipstick.

I am using Mobil1 0w30.

Prior to the dealer overhaul I was averaging 1 qt consumed every 1000-1500 miles

Try changing dealers, my old dealer (Clairmont) refused, they are now closed by GM

[iaJim]

I just picked up my SRX from my dealer. They found that a hose connecting to the PCV valve had collapsed and was holding the PCV valve in one position or the other. I have read that can be one of the causes of oil consumption. I'm very hopeful that this will be a good fix. They replaced all of the components, and I'm going to keep my fingers crossed.