Why don't you check the oil and see if it is low. If so, add a quart. Maybe your turbo started out a little low.

 

Check with your service center the Macan uses Mobile One synthetic 0W-40. I bought a few bottles just for this reason.

 

The sensor probably trips the dummy light when the car gets about 1/2 quart below full or so. Not really big deal. Just buy a quart of approved oil and add it. Some cars will consume a bit of oil, not a big deal.

 

That is correct.

 

The only way to check is with the sensor. Dealer said they may use a little oil during break-in. Will take a quart if light comes on is what I was told.

 

Oil consumption was more significant with earlier DFI engines . The important thing is NOT to overfill . It can really make a mess . Usually a low oil takes a quart but to play it safe I usually put half a quart and check it.

 

Are you telling us that you've never checked (or found out how to check) your oil level?????

And you're surprised/shocked/dumfounded that an oil warning light came on?




Anyone want to take a guess on how much an engine top-end rebuild costs on a Porsche motor that runs the oil dry?

And whether or not it's covered by warranty?


Oh boy. Newbie didn't read the manual.

 

Take a chill pill tt!
Check the juvinile spoiled kid attitude at the door.
The car has 3500 miles on it and oil warning light comes on..??! On my 2016 turbo it happened at 4300.)
That is not normally expected from a new and quality car! ....
Macan is not a race car.. Its a crossover Suv..
I have owned cars of many different makes and qualities .. Never seen oil consumption issues and concerns in 3500 miles .
The concern is legit... Why should this happen to a car of this caliber in such short period of time?
Lets explore more:
Why should the macan with AS not lower itself to normal height if offroad mode is turned off while standing still..? Why should i have to drive the car for it to lower itself..? It will lift while standing still when offroad is activated but wont lower if its not moving !
Why should park or proximity lights and alarm come on randomly even if one is nowhere near an obstical?
Why should the rear view camera display stay in rear view when i shift into drive and stay there for a good 15-20 seconds after i start driving forward . Or not turnoff at all if i dont move ?
Why should the fuel guage disappear on the mfd when in map mode and be replaced with useless empty blue color and total waste of screen real estate?
Why should the backup lights be so dim not to illuminate the road when backing up even in pitch dark envirnoments ?
... This is a close to 100k car..
My friends AWD turbo KIA Sportage..at a price tag of 31 k
Has none of those oversights or oil consumption issues.. None !

Given all the above your answer to a legit question and concern is " the newbe did not read the manual .." ???

Then what is your comment to Porsche engineers
who put out this most expensive car in its catagory with all the oversights and glitches?
What did they forget to read ?
Their job description ?
Man these upitty snob attitudes piss me off...

That said there is no denying that the macan is a fun and kickass car to drive..
But without stupid issues ..it is not !

 

Hold on.


Oil level sensors often fail and will thus go on for reasons other than being low on oil. The question is a good one and doesn't mean the OP is necessarily a newbie.


Ignoring the light would be an issue.

 

Look, there didn't appear to be an old fashioned way to test the oil, and I did read the manual. I was just surprised that after only 3500 miles the light came on and was wondering if anyone else had that issue. No need to criticize. Thank you for everyone who offered constructive help.

 

... there didn't appear to be an old fashioned way to test the oil, and I did read the manual.

Guess why there is no dipstick?

"... manufacturers claim, because most of us don't use it". Yup, years ago Porsche decided people were to lazy to look at their dipstick so they made it a simple thing, just push a button.

I was just surprised that after only 3500 miles the light came on

Outside of catastrophic failure, the light should never come on. There is only one common way that could happen.

Since you said you read the manual, then you read

"... check the oil level each time before refueling."

Since you read your manual, we'll rule that there wasn't a slow, gradual decline in oil level in the sense of the engine slowly burning oil. You would have noticed the green lights and the bars going down.

So one way is how you drive. If you have driven a bunch of short trips, never getting the oil really up to temp. Then got the oil hot, boiled away moisture and fuel, and bam, you are down a quart. That can happen.

If that's the case, then the answer is to crank that car up and get the oil hot every outing.

If its not a case of fuel and water in the oil being boiled off, then chalk it up to normal consumption but since you are checking the oil everytime you get gas, you should not see a yellow light because you would be anticipating the decline as you observed it and took precautions.

"The difference between the minimum and maximum marks on the segment display is approx. 1.06 quart "

So before it hits the fourth line, add 8 oz, check, if it needs more, add another 8 oz. Etc. Do not overfill.

good luck

 

Didn't mean to offend.

Turbos use oil and there will always be a point where the level (easily checked on the MFD in the new-fashioned way) drops enough for the light to go on. You've now added that you did notice there was no old fashioned way to check oil....so apparently it was on your mind to check, you just didn't.

Just sayin'....3,500 miles is a pretty nigh number to have never checked your oil. Suggest you get one of these and keep a bottle of Mobil1 in the spare tire cavity and check more often.

 

Looked all over the Suncoast website, TTCarrera, and can't find that oil storage bag. Any idea what it would be called? Thanks!

 

Some modern cars don't give you a dip stick to check your oil level, I GET paranoid about having to add oil. VW engines including Audi have this issue. They say between 2_3k plus consider normal consumption. Had this issue in my Audi until they changed the pistons(Had to add one litre per 2k km or less). Never had this issue in bmw. check with your sa about the acceptable oil consumption rate. Do you drive hard on your car?

 

Anyone know if that electronic graphic shows actual level, or does it show "full" until it's "low", i.e. a quart or half-quart drop? Mine has read exactly the same (@ top level) after 4K miles.

 

It's variable. Not an On/Off switch.

 

Thanks all. I gave it a 1/3 of a quart yesterday and the reading is back up inside the green. I'll continue to monitor it more carefully. I generally use the car for commuting, which is about 20-30 minutes each way; I'm not a super aggressive driver, but I usually do drive in sport mode.

 

Just curious, what brand and grade of oil did you use?

 

My Macan Turbo does not have a 4 bar gauge, only two bars one at the top for full and one at the bottom for low. Our '13 Pcars both have the 4 bar gauge so maybe the two bar one is new for '15 or just for the Macan. The actual oil level is shown in green between the two bars so its not hard to imagine whether it is 3/4, 1/2 etc.

 

Thanks! And thanks for not sending me a "Let me google that for you"...

 

ROFL, no, takes two seconds

 

So I got this ambiguous alert earlier this week:

Macan Oil Warning by TheTimeBetweenTheNotes, on Flickr

I pulled over and dug out the owners manual. Apparently the car can tell you not only if it's short on oil, but also how much you need to add. I've never had a car that smart before.

I added a quart and the message disappeared. I then checked the oil level and it said it was correct.

Pretty cool engineering feat. I wonder if I should be worried that I'm down one quart in less than a year, though. I haven't yet had any oil changes, so the oil must've burnt off.

 

How many miles have you driven the Macan to get to this point? I changed my oil at around 3400 miles and it was not low at that time.

 

This is normal. Before my first oil change I needed 1L , I have also needed a second 1L and I am at 25,000km now.

Everything is good. Service shop gave me the first container for free. Charge on the second one.

 

FYI TT Carrera's post was from October 2014 and he is now in Panamera GTS land . He took a chill pill ....nah, he didn't but, he was a good contributor to the forum whilst he had his Macan. Now check you oil !


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?.. I did thats why i ended up in this thread..
Now i have to go top off the oil and buy a few extra quarts to have as reserve.
More items to secure in the trunk ?.. Given the irresistible kick butt handeling of the Macan..

 

This thread is like a zombie on the Walking Dead...just when you think it's down, it gets back up again...

Needs a head shot, evidently...

 

Lol..
well...some headshot equivalents would be:

1: Porsche solve the issue.
2: put a giant note on all macans .. This car consumes oil more than you would expect.. So buyer beware.
3: Stop selling Macans .. SO there wont be any new owners trying to find answers to some of these issues.

 

I too am new to Porsche macan ownership
And as many have stated here it is good to check the level at least IMHO every 1K
In my entire car owning life never had a vehicle that needed to add oil so it's something new that we must get used to.
Add the quart and keep smiling and driving

 

Welcome to the world of high performance and exotic cars. A lot of the Macan's on this forum use oil. Good luck with a 911, they drink it like an alcoholic staring at a cold case of Budweiser.

If you want good old reliable, then yes - get the Kia Sorento. Remember, it took Acura in the 1990's to encourage Ferrari to finally build a reliable car.


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My SA told me today that anything more frequent than having to add a litre of oil every 1,500kms (932 miles) is considered abnormal. But anything above is within the normal operating range.

 

I had the Yellow warning 2 weeks ago and I added the oil and the warning disappeared. Well, I had a RED do not drive - Add Maximum 1.2L warning on the weekend on the highway. Rang Porsche Roadside Assist and they decided to tow it back to the dealer as it is unusual to go straight to a red warning.

Anyway, the dealer rang today and asked me why the car was sent back as they couldn't see anything wrong. Looks like they might not be able to figure out whats wrong.

 

Hope they can get it sorted for you, @sparoz. I noticed my oil warning (yellow) came on when it was a really hot day in stop-start driving. Disappeared for a few days and then came back a week or so later on another stinking hot Melbourne day. Wondered if the sensor was influenced by these factors also.

 

I have a question about mixing different grades of oil. I discovered that I was a quart low on my Macan, and the only Mobile1 grade that was available was 5–30. Is that something I should be concerned about? Obviously, for the future, I will buy a quart of 0–40 to keep in the car.

 

Nothing to be concerned about (but do as you say going forward).