[bluedaisy]

Hey guys,
I'm back with a new question
I recently took my bug in for a tune up and the mechanic told me that my oil pan is likely cracked and that my oil must be leaking. He said there wasn't much or any oil in the pan, I can't remember which but that's the general idea. I checked my usual parking spot at home and there were oil stains on the ground, they weren't too many and I don't always park there, other cars park there frequently.
The mechanic thinks the oil pan is leaking because a couple of months prior, he replaced the a/c fan control module that stopped working when I drove over badly uneven pavement at moderate speed. So I believe he made that deduction considering that incident and the low amount of oil at the time of the tune up.
I've become somewhat proficient when it comes issues with my car :lol: . I like to inform myself and learn about the problems before taking it in for a repair. It is, to some extent, normal for my car to use up oil faster (than any other car I've had). That, I have not looked much into. I don't know if the fact that it has 127,770 miles (1999 model) could factor into that? Additionally, it had a faulty catalytic converter (another uneven pavement situation) and i read online that it could lead to faster/more oil consumption than ordinary, which I then had replaced. Later, I replaced a bad O2 sensor and a symptom of a failing O2 sensor is oil exhaustion. After fixing these two problems I did notice a less frequent need for adding oil to the engine. After that, the uneven pavement that damaged my a/c followed and if the oil pan is cracked, it happened then.
Sorry for the long story but I don't want to leave anything out
The tune up was done Sept 9th (oil was filled to maximum capacity) and three days ago I checked the oil level and it was on zero so I added two quarts of oil. I may have added a quart or two between then and now but don't recall the time. And now that I'm reading this I'm realizing how long it's been since the tune-up, it really felt like it was two months ago...
I'm not sure if this makes much difference but I always use synthetic high mileage oil in my car.
So my question is, how normal does the oil consumption sound to you? And does it sound like I need to replace the oil pan?
I'm shopping around to get it replaced and of course am looking to spend the least amount possible. The mechanic that has worked on it quoted me $180 for parts and labor.
I walked into Autozone today and asked for a price check on the oil pan and they told me $59.99 and as much as I wish that was the cost for the part, I'm not sure it's the correct one.
I pulled it up online and it is this one:
Pioneer/Oil Pan (501350) | 1999 Volkswagen Beetle 4 Cylinders C 2.0L SFI | AutoZone.com

I also found this:
Dorman/Oil Pan (264-701) | 1999 Volkswagen Beetle 4 Cylinders C 2.0L SFI | AutoZone.com

If anyone here understands the difference would you mind briefing me on this please

Additional and probably repetitive details:
-1999 VW Beetle 2.0L 4 Cyl
-Tune-up in September, filled with synthetic oil-->no oil three days ago. (kind of a duh moment, but a fact :eek13
-127,770 miles as of today. My registration from 8/5/12 says 123,970 but it was very likely a guesstimate. Very likely. I've probably driven it 3,000 miles at most from that date.

If there are any more details I should provide for a better evaluation, please let me know. Thanks in advance to all who take their time to read this

 

[red99]

That does sound like a lot of oil you have been putting in. The main thing to note is a change in the usage pattern. The oil pans in these cars are known to be vulnerable to road damage, so it could very well be the problem. One evening make sure the oil level is in the normal range and put a clean piece of cardboard under the oil pan. Weight it down so it will stay in place. In the morning see how much oil is there and note where it is coming from under the car.

It looks like there are hybrid aluminum/steel replacement pans available that are more rugged:

Volkswagen New Beetle 2.0 > Engine > Mechanical > Oil Pan > ES#2524965 Hybrid Oil Pan Assembly - 06A103601T

And you really should be checking your oil more often, especially after potentially having suffered road damage. Did you ever see your oil light come on? If not, your engine may not have suffered too much. It would be good to turn the key to the run position without starting the engine and verifying that the oil light does work.

 

[Smileybug]

I'd clean off the oil pan and see if you see a leak. With you losing that much oil, a leak in the pan would be obvious pretty quickly.

I think I paid around $100 to have my oil pan replaced, parts and labor. A known good fitment oil pan is $89. I've not had the best luck with big items like that from Autozone for VWs.
GermanAutoParts.com : Volkswagen New Beetle Engine

 

[jfoj]

Oil consumption that most will assume as acceptable can go as low as 500 miles per quart, however, 800-1000 per quart is more common. This is relative to the engine consuming the oil, not leaking the oil.

You really need to check your oil every 2nd-3rd fuel fill up. This typically equates to between 600-900 miles.

Oil leaks can be from the oil pan, crank & cam seals along with the valve cover.

Oil pans are not hard to change on these cars. Usually only 4 bolt are a bit tricky. With a set of ramps and all the tools, 2-4 hours tops depending on your ability and how much clean up you really do.

 

[Jeff2]

You really need to check your oil every 2nd-3rd fuel fill up. This typically equates to between 600-900 miles.

My father taught me to check the oil every fuel fill-up. Why? Because if you don't do it every time, you could forget to do it on a regular basis. Getting into the habit of doing it every single time may seem a bit OCD, but it's better than accidentally running an engine on too little oil, which could lead to premature engine failure.

 

[IndyTom]

Hey guys,
I'm back with a new question
I recently took my bug in for a tune up and the mechanic told me that my oil pan is likely cracked and that my oil must be leaking. He said there wasn't much or any oil in the pan, I can't remember which but that's the general idea. I checked my usual parking spot at home and there were oil stains on the ground, they weren't too many and I don't always park there, other cars park there frequently.
The mechanic thinks the oil pan is leaking because a couple of months prior, he replaced the a/c fan control module that stopped working when I drove over badly uneven pavement at moderate speed. So I believe he made that deduction considering that incident and the low amount of oil at the time of the tune up.
I've become somewhat proficient when it comes issues with my car :lol: . I like to inform myself and learn about the problems before taking it in for a repair. It is, to some extent, normal for my car to use up oil faster (than any other car I've had). That, I have not looked much into. I don't know if the fact that it has 127,770 miles (1999 model) could factor into that? Additionally, it had a faulty catalytic converter (another uneven pavement situation) and i read online that it could lead to faster/more oil consumption than ordinary, which I then had replaced. Later, I replaced a bad O2 sensor and a symptom of a failing O2 sensor is oil exhaustion. After fixing these two problems I did notice a less frequent need for adding oil to the engine. After that, the uneven pavement that damaged my a/c followed and if the oil pan is cracked, it happened then.
Sorry for the long story but I don't want to leave anything out
The tune up was done Sept 9th (oil was filled to maximum capacity) and three days ago I checked the oil level and it was on zero so I added two quarts of oil. I may have added a quart or two between then and now but don't recall the time. And now that I'm reading this I'm realizing how long it's been since the tune-up, it really felt like it was two months ago...
I'm not sure if this makes much difference but I always use synthetic high mileage oil in my car.
So my question is, how normal does the oil consumption sound to you? And does it sound like I need to replace the oil pan?
I'm shopping around to get it replaced and of course am looking to spend the least amount possible. The mechanic that has worked on it quoted me $180 for parts and labor.
I walked into Autozone today and asked for a price check on the oil pan and they told me $59.99 and as much as I wish that was the cost for the part, I'm not sure it's the correct one.
I pulled it up online and it is this one:
Pioneer/Oil Pan (501350) | 1999 Volkswagen Beetle 4 Cylinders C 2.0L SFI | AutoZone.com

I also found this:
Dorman/Oil Pan (264-701) | 1999 Volkswagen Beetle 4 Cylinders C 2.0L SFI | AutoZone.com

If anyone here understands the difference would you mind briefing me on this please

Additional and probably repetitive details:
-1999 VW Beetle 2.0L 4 Cyl
-Tune-up in September, filled with synthetic oil-->no oil three days ago. (kind of a duh moment, but a fact :eek13
-127,770 miles as of today. My registration from 8/5/12 says 123,970 but it was very likely a guesstimate. Very likely. I've probably driven it 3,000 miles at most from that date.

If there are any more details I should provide for a better evaluation, please let me know. Thanks in advance to all who take their time to read this

So you knew the car was using or perhaps leaking oil and you didn't check your oil since September?

You really need to check it on a daily basis. Ignoring this simple task can and will destroy your engine. I doubt that you were totally out of oil or your engine would have super heated and seized. I wouldn't assume automatically that your oil pan is leaking. That type of leak would definitely be noticeable! I would perform a compression test to see if perhaps your head gasket or your rings are shot which wouldn't be far fetched given the engine was driven with low oil for a very long time.
BTW, my Beetle has 160+ k miles and doesn't loose any oil between oil changes but I still check my oil at least once a week just to make sure.
Good Luck and please keep us posted on what the actual cause or causes were of your oil consumption.

 

[Smileybug]

Good Luck and please keep us posted on what the actual cause or causes were of your oil consumption.

Its an AEG :lol:

Seriously though, these early 2.0's were known to drink oil. Its important to keep up with checking your oil level. Luckily, my '99 never drank a drop and my GTI doesn't either. But the oil still gets checked frequently. I usually check my GTI's when I wash it, which is every week or two ideally.