oil & cover on exhaust

Asked by Getch357 Jun 15, 2010 at 10:58 AM about the 2001 Volkswagen Jetta

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

can anyone help me?? I have a 2001 v.w jetta bought it used 31,000 and since ive had it i have noticed it goes thru about 1/4 a quart of oil a month.... never any on ground cant see any spots where it can be leaking cannot see blue smoke??? could this be because of not using synthetic oil and using regular oil? also need to know there is a cover in the middle of the exhaust that just came off it is approximately half way under car in midle and has grooves in it . looks like it just bolts back on does any-one know if it needs to be welded back and approximately how much this costs........... all help appreciated THANKS..

5 Answers

2,125

switch to synthetic, especially if you have that low mileage. what motor do you have? i ran 15w50 in my vr6 and 0w40 in my 1.8t. it might not fix you problem but a car w/ 31k on it shouldn't be burning or leaking oil. a for the cover... its probably just a heat shield. like super thin metal? just leave it off. if it fell off it probably just bolts back on. leave it for some day when you feel like trying something new and jacking your car up but don't pay someone to do it. and try changing your oil yourself too. a synthetic change can cost you like $35 or so but going to a jiffylube or something will cost around $65.

1 people found this helpful.
Best Answer Mark helpful

David, thanks for replying........ the car is a 1.8 turbo and now has 75,000 miles on it . do u think that the synthetic would stop it from burning.in other words is it burning it because i'm not using the recommended synthetic oil? and yes it was just a heat sheild and it will have to have the old bolts drilled out in order to replace soo it can wait for now........... thanks for the reply

2,125

well, synthetic alone may not be the reason it is burning oil, but it isn't going to hurt. you may just have the wrong oil in it. those turbos run super hot, just take the car out one night for a "spirited" drive then open the hood in a dark place. you'll see that turbo glowing red. now figure when you shut the car off some of your oil is just sitting in that turbo getting pretty hot. so choosing the right oil might help you too. also switching to synthetic is going to reduce the likelihood of sludge formation in your motor. the 1.8t tend to be an engine that can produce sludge if not maintained properly. nothing to worry about, just keep it in mind in a couple years. you can prevent it with a product call motor x or something like it. oh, and if you haven't changed your timing belt... DO IT NOW. waiting too long cam be very bad. if your belt breaks you won't be driving your car for a while. you might as well use it as a paperweight and get on cars.com. the vw dealer is going to tell you not to worry until 100k or so but any vw enthusiast will say 60k on the 1.8t.

2,125

and i just realized you said "1/4 of a quart".. switch to synthetic and don't worry about the 1/4 quart. it's fairly normal.

115

Important info would include how far you drive per quart burned. 1/4 of a qt a month is nothing when you're driving 3k miles a month but if you're only driving 200 miles, that can be a problem. With a turbo car (especially that one), I would always us synthetic oil. As David said in his posts, that engine is known to sludge if not properly maintained regularly with the correct oil..........an oil that is VAG (Volkswagen/Audi Group) 502.00/505.00 approved.....it'll say on the bottle. Good luck with it!

Your Answer:

Jetta

Looking for a Used Jetta in your area?

CarGurus has 1,896 nationwide Jetta listings starting at $995.

Postal Code:

CarGurus Experts

  • #1
    Deathjam4
    Reputation
    12,620
  • #2
    Goodwrench707
    Reputation
    5,410
  • #3
    o_jayne
    Reputation
    2,680
View All

Find great deals from top-rated dealers

Search

Related Models For Sale

Used Volkswagen Jetta GLI
3 Great Deals out of 383 listings starting at $5,499
Used Volkswagen Passat
16 Great Deals out of 402 listings starting at $4,700
Used Honda Civic
180 Great Deals out of 3,705 listings starting at $1,995
Used Honda Accord
40 Great Deals out of 910 listings starting at $1,599
Used Toyota Camry
52 Great Deals out of 985 listings starting at $2,212
Used Toyota Corolla
108 Great Deals out of 2,035 listings starting at $2,795
Used Volkswagen Golf
26 Great Deals out of 444 listings starting at $3,987
Used Hyundai Elantra
163 Great Deals out of 3,544 listings starting at $2,995
Used Volkswagen Golf GTI
25 Great Deals out of 608 listings starting at $4,900
Used Nissan Altima
22 Great Deals out of 716 listings starting at $1,400
Used BMW 3 Series
71 Great Deals out of 1,176 listings starting at $1,995
Used Nissan Sentra
77 Great Deals out of 1,812 listings starting at $2,195
Used Audi A4
43 Great Deals out of 698 listings starting at $4,750

Content submitted by Users is not endorsed by CarGurus, does not express the opinions of CarGurus, and should not be considered reviewed, screened, or approved by CarGurus. Please refer to CarGurus Terms of Use. Content will be removed if CarGurus becomes aware that it violates our policies.