I took my MPV (2003, 3.0 V6) to the dealer yesterday to fix a rough shift problem and to find out why I am hearing valve tick (it's only got 38K miles). The service guy called back and said it was 2qts low on oil and that the oil was pretty dirty. He mentioned that it's not all that uncommon to have to put a quart of oil in between changes. I was floored. I've changed the oil regularly at 3-4K mile intervals. If someone told me their car was burning a quart between changes, I'd think their engine was worn out.

Should I really have to check the oil in between changes on a car with this few miles? It's a simple thing to check, but in this day and age of computerized engines I rarely pop the hood. I bought it new, so I know it was never abused.

Thanks!

 

a car that ne should not have an oil burning problem. is the engine dry outside?