2011 Oil Burn, need HELP!!!

Jhenry

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I have a 2011 QX56 2WD with 65K miles on it. I am currently following the Schedule 2 in the maintenance manual which recommends the oil be changed every 7,500 miles. I mostly (90% of the time) drive long distances and I am rarely in stop and go traffic or do short trips. I just brought my vehicle in for an oil change at 6,000 miles from the last oil change and it only had 4 quarts of oil left. Now the dealership is trying to tell me that it is “normal” for the engine to burn this much oil and that it can use up to .8 quarts per thousand miles… I am sorry but I call bull on that, the QX takes almost 7 quarts of oil and if I went the full 7,500 miles I could use up to 6 quarts and it would still be “normal”. I am just lost as to what to do that this point. The dealership wants me to do another oil consumption test. I did one after my last oil changes because I was concerned with the oil burn at that time. When I brought it in at 1,100 miles the oil level was about 1/3 of an inch down on the dipstick and it was “Normal” so they said I didn’t have to come back. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated!!!
 
let the dealer change the oil per their schedule. you have a paper trail should things go wrong.

the dealer i go to recommends 3500 but i do every 3k. i use conventional oil.
 
let the dealer change the oil per their schedule. you have a paper trail should things go wrong.

the dealer i go to recommends 3500 but i do every 3k. i use conventional oil.

I agree....let them tell you what interval they want to use...this is the first I've heard of an oil burning issue with this motor.

I get mine change every 3,750 and bring my own oil...Pennzoil Ultra Platinum...just a lil paranoid about this damn oil jet issue...cheap insurance and I drive my QX hard...got to stretch those legs...lol
 
good to hear/see someone putting their foot in the tank like i do! this car SCREAMMSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!! love driving this thing!!!!
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Same here. I drive mine hard. Really hard because it's fun!

I also have mine serviced at the recommended intervals (3750) so I also have a paper trail should any issues arise with the oil jets.
I was told by the general manager of the dealership where I get mine serviced that they have never had an engine go bad that was serviced on the recommended schedule. I asked him if I had anything to worry about and he told me no that in the event I had an engine failure he would take care of it even if it was out of warranty because I could show I had followed recommended maintenance procedures. Fwiw.
 
NICE @Kcrebel !!! That is my rationale in doing as much maintenance as i can from the dealer.. the paper trail....
 
NICE @Kcrebel !!! That is my rationale in doing as much maintenance as i can from the dealer.. the paper trail....

I agree...this advantage it underrated by many...paper trail has helped me before. A lot of dealerships base their goodwill off of that.
 
You guys are missing the bigger picture here. Isn't it sad that we are having to keep this level of documentation in order to insure that when the oil jets and timing chain and engine fail that we have this documentation to try and get the dealer to pay for the repairs as we know the manufacturer will not. I guess it would be better if I did the oil change myself but that was why I bought this very expensive luxury SUV.
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You guys are missing the bigger picture here. Isn't it sad that we are having to keep this level of documentation in order to insure that when the oil jets and timing chain and engine fail that we have this documentation to try and get the dealer to pay for the repairs as we know the manufacturer will not. I guess it would be better if I did the oil change myself but that was why I bought this very expensive luxury SUV.

You are right...I have always serviced my vehicles at the dealer and followed the severe maintenance schedule....i just like to be proactive. I bought this over the LX570 because I liked the sportiness and power...also hate the 3rd row in the LX and didn't want or need the headache of 4WD. I always heard good things about the Infiniti line and the dealer where I get my Acura serviced also owns the Infiniti dealership next door...so it became a no brainer...but I'm starting to get a little worried myself. I swore I heard a whistling noise when I started the truck yesterday...I had just washed it so I chalked it up to water but I definitely have my ears open for that noise...
 
having a paper trail on anything purchased is a wise thing to do. not just with cars.

anything man made will break down. teslas, rolls, etc. some people never have issues and some do. best to do is keep records so you are covered.

i dont think thats sad at all.
 
I can relate to many of your replies, I do love my QX. But I guess the question I really have is has anyone else experienced any oil burn? It is very frustrating to be told that burning 3 quarts of oil is "normal", because in normal people land it is NOT! I also believe that a 3750 mile oil change interval is complete bulls**it.. If a $20k Mazda can go 6500 miles, please tell me why my $73k Infiniti is not as advanced.. Hell, my last vehicle was a Range Rover Sport and I had a 15,000 mile oil change interval.
 
I can relate to many of your replies, I do love my QX. But I guess the question I really have is has anyone else experienced any oil burn? It is very frustrating to be told that burning 3 quarts of oil is "normal", because in normal people land it is NOT! I also believe that a 3750 mile oil change interval is complete bulls**it.. If a $20k Mazda can go 6500 miles, please tell me why my $73k Infiniti is not as advanced.. Hell, my last vehicle was a Range Rover Sport and I had a 15,000 mile oil change interval.

I understand your frustration but this is truly the first time I have heard of any oil consumption issues with this engine. I know that Infiniti had an oil consumption issue with the VQ35 engines. First I would make sure that they put that on paper that it's normal then ask them to show you documentation that is within this engines specs. For example, I have a Lexus GS350 and the GS 300 has been found to have and oil consumption problem. They have a spec sheet that they go by and if it exceeds that amount of oil then they either replace the block or rebuild it. If you can't get that dealership to act on this then I would definitely try another one. Request to have the regional service manager involved.

I know that 3750 is a bit extreme but I also believe 15,000 is a bit extreme unless you are all highway driving. In most cases it's not the oil that fails first, it's the filters. I have seen these engines at 100k with these long OCI and they are full of sludge and varnished. Idk what kind of car I have I'd never go longer than 7500. Call it cheap insurance or insanity but I've been behind many smoking high mileage Range Rovers and BMW.

I feel your pain and I hope that Infiniti steps up to the plate. Hell I have a 94 Legend that I've owned since new that doesn't burn any oil and I change the oil every 3750.
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I am having the same issue, Burning 4 quarts every 2000 to 3000 miles but no smoke out the tail pipe. This is a mystery to me. I am curious where the oil cooler is? Is there an oil cooler inside the radiator? I wonder if the oil is going into the cooling system. I am going to check this. I was also thinking about the PCV valves but that would be giving me smoke out the pipes and I have yet to see any smoke at all. My kid drives the vehicle and I have now found the vehicle in the last 6 moths twice where the oil was not on the stick at all and it took 4 quarts to get it on the stick. Imagine that!!! 4 quarts to get on the stick twice in the last 10,000 miles.
 
I'm no mechanic, but I can confidently say there is no oil cooler in your radiator :)

Do you park in a consistent place? There is no oil leak on the floor at all?? You didn't mention year/mileage of vehicle, but my only guess is what the previous poster eluded to - head gasket leak. But that's with a different engine...never seen that issue with the V8

Later,
pjdavep
 
Well this is scary!

When I started reading my wife's car was in the garage but she's gone to work now so I can't run out and check the oil level like I was planning to do and this afternoon when she gets home I will have forgotten to check the level, maybe!
 
I have a 2011 with 200K miles on it, in the last year or maybe longer I have now noticed it burning oil. I read some where about PCV value issues so I replaced them, still burns oil. I put synthetic in it and change it very 10K. In between oil changes I just keep checking it and adding oil as needed. It doesn't smoke and there isn't any oil on the ground... to me it does seem strange. I might go get it looked at but to be honest not a big deal to check the oil every month or so or before big trips and just make sure it is at a good level.
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I have a 2011 with 200K miles on it, in the last year or maybe longer I have now noticed it burning oil. I read some where about PCV value issues so I replaced them, still burns oil. I put synthetic in it and change it very 10K. In between oil changes I just keep checking it and adding oil as needed. It doesn't smoke and there isn't any oil on the ground... to me it does seem strange. I might go get it looked at but to be honest not a big deal to check the oil every month or so or before big trips and just make sure it is at a good level.
I'm at 130K miles on my 2011 QX56. I just had my timing chain replaced a year ago, along with the oil jets, about $5,500. Not fun, but better than the $17K engine replacement the dealer recommended.

But the thing still burns oil. Not sure why, and it runs great. But I'm guessing it's mucking up my catalytic converter(s) as the CEL for the cats won't stay off whenever I clear the code.

I'd rather not replace the engine though if it's not mucking up the cats so much that it affects performance. I can deal with a CEL and adding a quart of oil every month or two, even though it's completely ridiculous that we should have to concern ourselves with this.
 
I have a 2011 QX56 2WD with 65K miles on it. I am currently following the Schedule 2 in the maintenance manual which recommends the oil be changed every 7,500 miles. I mostly (90% of the time) drive long distances and I am rarely in stop and go traffic or do short trips. I just brought my vehicle in for an oil change at 6,000 miles from the last oil change and it only had 4 quarts of oil left. Now the dealership is trying to tell me that it is “normal” for the engine to burn this much oil and that it can use up to .8 quarts per thousand miles… I am sorry but I call bull on that, the QX takes almost 7 quarts of oil and if I went the full 7,500 miles I could use up to 6 quarts and it would still be “normal”. I am just lost as to what to do that this point. The dealership wants me to do another oil consumption test. I did one after my last oil changes because I was concerned with the oil burn at that time. When I brought it in at 1,100 miles the oil level was about 1/3 of an inch down on the dipstick and it was “Normal” so they said I didn’t have to come back. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated!!!
I was told by the general manager of the dealership where I get mine serviced that they have never had an engine go bad that was serviced on the recommended schedule.
 
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