Here is a quick Land Rover Oil Change Quiz.
- How often should you check the oil level on a 2016 Land Rover, Range Rover, or Sport?
- Where is the oil level dipstick?
- How do you check the oil level?
Every Land Rover or other European car owner should know the answer to these three questions!
I’ll share the answers with you later on in this blog, but first I want to share a story that underscores why you need to know this information.
Recently a customer came in with a 2016 Land Rover for its first 15,000-mile service. I was at the counter, so I went through the new customer consultation form. This form allows us to set up a service schedule that matches the customer’s use of the vehicle. I found out that this was the first oil change service ever performed on this Land Rover. I was surprised because 15,000 miles is a long time between vehicle maintenance services. A car’s oil starts to lose a lot of its protective qualities after about 7,500 miles. Also, Land Rover engines use about 1 quart of oil every 2-3000 miles. If the oil is not checked regularly then the engine could easily be permanently damaged.
The lead technician that performed the 15,000-mile service shared with me that there was less than a quart of oil left in the engine! This is terrible! The engine could be permanently damaged or destroyed. The price tag for engine replacement is a whopping $30,000!
How could a 2016 high tech vehicle not have a low oil level warning system?
Why are dealers selling cars and not telling their customers to check the oil level if not weekly at least every month?
When I discussed this with the customer, he told me, “I am 43 years old and have owned new vehicles for over 20 years, mostly Japanese vehicles and a Jeep. I have NEVER check the oil level.”
This issue came up not long after a late model Jaguar came into our shop with a check engine light on. When we road tested that vehicle, the car stalled and made a noise. We found a dramatic coolant leak, but the biggest issue ended up being the same as for the Land Rover! It had been over 12,000 miles since an oil change, and the car had only about a quart of oil left. The result was that the engine was permanently damaged!
So what’s going on here? First and foremost European vehicles use oil. As a result, the oil level should be checked at least monthly. A 2014 Audi Q5 manual says the engine could consume one quart every 1200 miles. It also says that it could consume even more oil if the vehicle is driven to the performance limit!
In conclusion, if you own a Land Rover, Jaguar, Audi, VW, BMW, Mini Cooper you should check the oil at least monthly!
And so, the quiz answers:
- The manual recommends weekly checks.
- The 2016 Land Rover, Range Rover or Sport do not have a dip sticks.
- Use the dash panel display to check the oil.
Here is a page from the manual showing how to check the oil using the dash panel display.