Hi all,
So I have a 2008 Lancer ES, and its almost hitting 200,000 km's, and is only worth $5,000 used, or if I sold it while admitting it burns oil, it would probably go for only $3000.

When I first bought it at 130,000 km's for $12,000 CAD, they never told me it had a burning oil problem. I found out when the car ran out of oil completely and brought it into the shop.

They said there is no way of knowing why the engine is burning oil until you open it up. But every mechanic I've talked to has said that "the seals could be going". They said an engine rebuild would be necessary to fix it most likely. Ive been quoted on another old car for an engine rebuild costing around $2500-$4000.

I could almost buy another used Lancer with no burning oil problems for $5000.

What do you guys think I should do?. I know very well that Lancers can go as far as 500,000 km's or even more if you really wanted to push it. So far the oil problem is the only problem and its very reliable otherwise. What should I do?, thanks.

 

Only you can decide. How KM's does it take to burn a liter of oil? Does it smoke? I would say that if it takes 1000 miles to burn a quart of oil, don't worry about it, just drive it.

 

if I drive about 5 hours its down to half on the dotted line. A friend who is a mechanic told me that cars like mine tend to burn oil like that. So if I drive 8 hours its usually down to less than a quarter. I noticed that when its that low, the car is harder to start, so adding more oil is required for the car to start.

 

The lines on the dipstick (in the US) represent one quart. So, It doesn't sound like you have super excessive consumption. Also, the hard starting has nothing to with the oil level being 1qt low. Keep it topped up and keep driving it, it's fine.

 

It also seems to be a common problem with older cars. I had an old Acura once that burned oil so badly, eventually the radiator hoses blew and I just donated the car towards a new vehicle through the old vehicle reimbursement program (because its older than 1996).

I met someone that had a different brand japanese hatchback which burns oil, he just tops it off all the time and thats been the way he drives.

I guess that is what i am going to have to do. Thanks for the tips.

 

I'm not sure if you're aware, but internal combustion engines burn oil. It's typically very little when they're new, and it tends to increase with mileage/use on the engine. I think you are concerned about a non-issue because a shop wants a big money engine rebuild job.

 

"seals"? valve seals? If so, that's a fairly simple job and wouldn't require a complete rebuild. IF you are feeling the need to fix it, that is.