No zed content VW Polo 1.2 advise needed

[Brian H]

We have just bought a VW polo 1.2 for my son as his first car, great wee car but it using oil at a rate that I have not seen before, the capacity of the engine is only 2.9l but we need to top up the oil every 500 miles. This is the bottom of the dip stick back to the top. The engine is a 1.2 3cylinder petrol. The car does not puff any blue smoke whatsoever on start up or over run, the oil just disappears. Reading online I see this is quite a common complaint with suggestions of worn piston rings and valve stem oil seals which with my limited knowledge would mean I am burning oil and therefore creating blue smoke out of the rear, I cannot help think that there is a breather pipe valve blocked somewhere. Before I pull all the hoses off the engine or start doing compression tests etc., does anyone on here have experience of these cars/engines?

TIA

 

[Jack Ratt]

Might sound a daft question, but are you losing oil from the sump gasket, or some other gasket ? Is there any oil under the underside of the car or spots of oil under the car ?

 

[t-tony]

What age is the car Brian, the older Polo was renowned for breather problems. It had a breather which was an interference push fit into the rear of the cyl. block.

Tony.

 

[Brian H]

Might sound a daft question, but are you losing oil from the sump gasket, or some other gasket ? Is there any oil under the underside of the car or spots of oil under the car ?

Nothing under the car, no fresh oil in the engine bay no puddles etc.

 

[Brian H]

What age is the car Brian, the older Polo was renowned for breather problems. It had a breather which was an interference push fit into the rear of the cyl. block.

Tony.

2004 @t-tony, there is a breather pipe on top of the engine with a one way valve which allows the engine to draw in air in from the air intake system but not expel any air back in to the air system.

 

[Althulas]

My wife has a 2010 version of this and never experienced any problems with oil consumption.