Why is My Car Burning Oil?

Unfortunately for the planet, oil is still currently a major resource that keeps the wheels of society turning. Whether it’s fueling our cars directly or keeping the moving metal components in the engine lubricated and running smoothly, the black stuff is something we rely on – although hopefully, that will all change sooner rather than later.

So for the time being, and with prices of oil currently sky high, it’s a commodity that you’ll want to take care of as a driver. That means it’s both frustrating and worrying when you realise that your car is burning up its oil inexplicably. Scrap Car Comparison is here to offer you some explanations as to why it might be doing just that.

First of all, if your vehicle is burning up a lot of oil often, it could be a serious problem. If you’re not in a position to pay out huge repair bills, you might be better off cashing in on your car and selling it as scrap or salvage with Scrap Car Comparison. We’ll get you the best deal on your old vehicle and once you’ve settled on one of the offers from our trusted, local scrap dealers, we’ll even arrange for the car to be collected from you at no extra cost. Scrap Car Comparison will even buy your car if it’s a non-runner, but don’t wait for it to die on you mid-journey – find out how much it could be worth as scrap or salvage today!

What Does It Mean When a Car Burns Oil?

You may think that a car “burning oil” is totally normal, but what we’re talking about here can actually be a serious problem. If a car is burning oil, it means that it’s being burned up in areas of the car that it shouldn’t be getting into in the first place. It will sometimes be visible, perhaps even producing excessive smoke, or you could find yourself being tailed by a nasty aroma as you drive.

While this does mean that it could be fairly straightforward to locate the source of any damage that’s causing the burn-up, difficulty could arise when it’s time to fix said damage. You might find that something needs to be repaired in a very hard-to-reach place.

How To Get Rid Of Burning Oil Smell In a Car

The smell of burning oil is not pleasant, and certainly not something you want pedestrians and other drivers to be getting a whiff of as you sit at traffic lights with heads turning in your direction. Getting rid of this smell can only really be accomplished by solving the problem and then cleaning up the tarnished areas.

If you can smell burning oil in or around your car, there’s a very good chance that it’s because something is leaking. We’ve covered seven of the most common reasons that your vehicle could be leaking oil and how to deal with the problem in another blog post, but here’s a brief recap:

1. Oil Drain Plug
2. Oil Filter
3. Oil Pan
4. Valve Cover Gasket
5. Crankshaft/Camshaft Seals
6. Cylinder Head Gasket
7. Oil Pressure Sensor

Should any of the above suffer damage and fail, you might find that your car will start leaking oil. The best course of action would be to get it looked at by a professional as soon as possible. In doing so (and subsequently cleaning any oil from places it shouldn’t be) you should also rid yourself of that horrible smell that’s been following you around.

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How Much Oil Should My Car Burn?

All cars are different here, but there’s a figure that’s generally agreed to be acceptable by car manufacturers. One quart (roughly one litre) of oil can be burned by the car – when working as intended, that is – for every 1,500 to 3,000 miles covered.

Filling your car’s oil reserve is an easy task, but if you find that the vehicle is burning through oil at a faster rate, especially if it’s guzzling it with a quart every 1,000 miles, there might be a problem. Once you’ve identified this issue, check (or get the car checked) to see if any of the components from the list above are the source of the terrible oil efficiency.

How To Fix a Car That Burns Oil

While you may opt to try and fix any car problems that crop up yourself, the best option in this instance is to take the vehicle to a professional mechanic to be repaired. If you do indeed have an oil-related problem, it could be doing significant damage to internal parts of your car – including the engine. Therefore, it may not be worth poking around with a spanner and who knows what else; you could make things worse or think you’ve fixed the problem when in fact you haven’t, leaving it to get worse until the unthinkable happens…

Bear in mind though, that these kinds of repair jobs are rarely cheap. If you find that a fix is out of your budget, the next best thing could be to sell the car as scrap or salvage and put the cash you earn towards something new. Scrap Car Comparison will take your car off your hands, whether it’s got an oil leak, a broken engine or absolutely any other ailment, and pay you a lump sum of money in exchange. What’s more, we’ll even arrange for it to be picked up from you at no extra cost, from anywhere in the country! Find out now just how much you could make from selling your car with Scrap Car Comparison.

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