T6.1 Reduce oil level and Oil dilution

[Steve F]

I’ve got a December 2020 Vw t6.1 kombi. I purchased it when it was a year old so I don’t know what happened in its first year but I’ve had nothing but issues with the ‘reduce oil level, go to workshop’ warning for the past 2 years.

I have been to my local Vw dealership a number of times and I’ve had roadside assist out several times trying to sort the issue out to no avail. The warranty has now expired but the issue has happened again. It’s going back in on Thursday for more tests but I have little confidence they get to the bottom of it. I personally don’t think they know how to fix it.

When I first got the vehicle VW said it was a known issue and an update would come out soon to fix the problem….i was one of the first people in the uk to get this update. From what I’ve been told the update reduced the number of regens and made the sensor less sensitive to oil levels increasing. They also changed the oil and reduced the level to nearer minimum than halfway or nearer maximum level. This just meant that the warning light took longer to come on. When it eventually come on they said it wasn’t the same issue as the others I had read as the update had fixed that problem….i pointed out I was one of the first to get the update so surely I’d be one of the first to get the problem again….surely enough time hasn’t elapsed to make that statement!

In October 2020 (less than 4 months ago) it went in and a VW master technician took it apart and said there was nothing wrong with the vehicle. They then put it all back together and changed the oil. They said it was probably my driving style….i did too many short journeys and was too heavy on the accelerator and should accelerate as slowly as possible.

I highlighted that my driving style and trip journeys were not an issue with my t4 or my t5 previously or any other vehicle that had adblu technology. I also pointed out the vehicle was not sold with a warning that it was for long distances only.

Last night the reduce oil warning came on again…after 3.5 months since the master technician said it was fine. I have cut out non essential short journeys and I’ve been using cruise control a lot more on longer journeys.

This is really a warning to people…if you’ve got this issue get it registered before the warranty runs out and keep an eye on the oil levels to see if your oil is being diluted. Keep records of your conversations etc.

I have friends that have experienced this and read other threads where other owners have experienced the same.

I believe they have a major issue and are refusing to take responsibility. I was told by the local dealership that on the newer models you could have a button to do manual regens and that might be an option for mine to have it retro fitted.

Basically I’ve had nothing but issues and VW seem to be only doing things that increase the amount of time it takes for the warning light to come on.

Has anyone experienced similar? And has anyone actually had the problem fixed? Maybe it’s just a faulty engine I have and the only answer would for them to replace it…I don’t know but it’s been a nightmare!

 

[DaveD]

Welcome to the forum!
Sadly you are one of many who have experienced similar issues, but it is also an issue that affects other manufacturers too, some JLR diesels suffer with it too.
There are a number of similar threads on this forum;

Search results for query: dilution

www.t6forum.com

In my opinion the advice to not use the van for short journeys is a bit lame, you didn't pay a premium price for a van that can't cope with normal use.

 

[Drive Wayne]

I have the same age van, T6.1 Startline (April 2020 edition), blissfully unaware of any such issues until my solar panel packed up and had to drive it 180 miles oop North to get that replaced under warranty. On the way to sunny 'North of Bradford' the dreaded 'oil too high' warning came on so I pulled over at the next services to trawl the web and so discovered the plight of many a T6.1 owner with the same issue (there are so many threads on here about 'oil too high-ness' - have a search). It could well be oil expansion or diesel mixed with oil following incomplete regenerations, when I returned home I purchased a syringe kit and pulled out half a litre of oil through the dipstick tube.
The warning came up once more, but after that it was gone. (Open and close the bonnet to make the nasty yellow warning triangle disappear for 60 miles)
To be sure I booked the van in for an oil change, just to be on the safe side.
I make sure my oil level is at half mast now, and my next service I asked them to fill to half way up the 'cross hatch' section on the dipstick.
I have condition known as 'dealerphobia', a phobia of main dealers and refuse to take my van to them, for me my local Indy is the future.
Especially at this time of year we do too many short journeys (taking the dog for a walk 3 miles up the road), I do drive around on the way back to get the oil temperature up to around 90 degrees, and religiously the regen kicks in at around 130 miles at which point I zero the 'trip' so I know when to expect the next regen. I have even trained my wife to look out for the idling revs to increase to 1000 rpm with a change in engine note at which point she or I will continue to drive it until the idle revs are back to 900, usually 6 or 7 minutes worth of wasted fuel!
I found Carista to be a useful tool to keep your eye on the soot levels, and even force a regen if you so desire.
Basically watch out for the regens, keep your oil level half way, have an oil analysis carried out for your own peace of mind.
I've had no issues now for nearly a year by being mindful of the quirks of the T6.1 and its ways!
I can't remember what the wife and I used to talk about before the van and this forum life! It has certainly changed us, mostly for the better, I would like to believe.... she may disagree, she frequently does!

 

[TJH1985]

I had a JLR product that I had to service every 6 months because of oil dilution, so not just VW’s. We gave up in the end, and embraced 1 x dealer service and 1 x non dealer oil change a year.

Really hope I don’t run into this with the 6.1 as well!

 

[Steve F]

Welcome to the forum!
Sadly you are one of many who have experienced similar issues, but it is also an issue that affects other manufacturers too, some JLR diesels suffer with it too.
There are a number of similar threads on this forum;

Search results for query: dilution

www.t6forum.com

In my opinion the advice to not use the van for short journeys is a bit lame, you didn't pay a premium price for a van that can't cope with normal use.

Hopefully it’s not as bad as a JLR overall

I’ve seen the other threads on the same problem but my post is more a warning to others to register it especially if the warranty is about to run out.

My nearest dealership are taking it in on Thursday & Friday to test the oil and look at it again.

Completely agree about it being a lame excuse about short journeys…they should have advertised it as only suitable for long journeys and not short journeys if that was the case but the reality is they didn’t know they had this problem. I didn’t have it on my t5.1 and my usage is the same. If fact it’s quite insulting to be blamed…I’ve paid £50k for a van that gives me constant stress and anxiety! Suppose to be going around Europe in June but have zero confidence in this vehicle.

 

[Steve F]

I have the same age van, T6.1 Startline (April 2020 edition), blissfully unaware of any such issues until my solar panel packed up and had to drive it 180 miles oop North to get that replaced under warranty. On the way to sunny 'North of Bradford' the dreaded 'oil too high' warning came on so I pulled over at the next services to trawl the web and so discovered the plight of many a T6.1 owner with the same issue (there are so many threads on here about 'oil too high-ness' - have a search). It could well be oil expansion or diesel mixed with oil following incomplete regenerations, when I returned home I purchased a syringe kit and pulled out half a litre of oil through the dipstick tube.
The warning came up once more, but after that it was gone. (Open and close the bonnet to make the nasty yellow warning triangle disappear for 60 miles)
To be sure I booked the van in for an oil change, just to be on the safe side.
I make sure my oil level is at half mast now, and my next service I asked them to fill to half way up the 'cross hatch' section on the dipstick.
I have condition known as 'dealerphobia', a phobia of main dealers and refuse to take my van to them, for me my local Indy is the future.
Especially at this time of year we do too many short journeys (taking the dog for a walk 3 miles up the road), I do drive around on the way back to get the oil temperature up to around 90 degrees, and religiously the regen kicks in at around 130 miles at which point I zero the 'trip' so I know when to expect the next regen. I have even trained my wife to look out for the idling revs to increase to 1000 rpm with a change in engine note at which point she or I will continue to drive it until the idle revs are back to 900, usually 6 or 7 minutes worth of wasted fuel!
I found Carista to be a useful tool to keep your eye on the soot levels, and even force a regen if you so desire.
Basically watch out for the regens, keep your oil level half way, have an oil analysis carried out for your own peace of mind.
I've had no issues now for nearly a year by being mindful of the quirks of the T6.1 and its ways!
I can't remember what the wife and I used to talk about before the van and this forum life! It has certainly changed us, mostly for the better, I would like to believe.... she may disagree, she frequently does!

You shouldn’t have to do that with a new vehicle…VW should do a recall to all impacted vehicles and sort the problem.

 

[Steve F]

I had a JLR product that I had to service every 6 months because of oil dilution, so not just VW’s. We gave up in the end, and embraced 1 x dealer service and 1 x non dealer oil change a year.

Really hope I don’t run into this with the 6.1 as well!

My warning light has been coming on every 2-4 months since I’ve had it…even after the update….it’s been taken apart by a master technician who said there is nothing wrong with it.

I’m really concerned about the long term impact this will have on the engine as I plan to keep it a long time….I've spent a lot of money getting the van the way I want it…night heater, leisure battery, external styling kit, wheels, bed. The plan was to keep it 7 plus years when I purchased it.

I would never have done the upgrades had I not been promised the update would be released and the issue would be resolved.

I really don’t think it’s fair that you had to pay for 2 oil changes a year with your JLR…these manufacturers have no shame….its all about profit

 

[TJH1985]

I load up a DPF monitor every journey now, the paranoia is that bad! Luckily my re gen’s seem to land on a weekend so far so I can just go the long way somewhere. No issues yet but only 7k on the clock.

We never got any warning lights on the JLR, just constant oil dilution from failed regeneration.

I feel like all manufacturers should provide some standard driver feedback to help with this. Just a % in one of the menu’s or a notice when it’s 95% full or such so you can take action.

 

[Skyliner33]

The problem is, and its not ust VW, if you stop the engine mid regen then that leaves some of the diesel fuel in the cylinders. This is injected during a regen so that undurnt fuel goes into the dpf and burns the soot build up.
The problem with stopping mid regen is then that excess fuel in the cylinders drains past the piston and into the oil.
There is not real fix available for this. Its really the emission regulations fault rather than VW and the other manufacturers.

 

[Steve F]

The problem is, and its not ust VW, if you stop the engine mid regen then that leaves some of the diesel fuel in the cylinders. This is injected during a regen so that undurnt fuel goes into the dpf and burns the soot build up.
The problem with stopping mid regen is then that excess fuel in the cylinders drains past the piston and into the oil.
There is not real fix available for this. It’s really the emission regulations fault rather than VW and the other manufacturers.

I understand it’s a problem cause by trying to meet new regulations…but that seems like a failure with the manufacturer not lobbying enough to say what they want isn’t possible to build then? But I have a feeling they thought this would be fine/would work and only discovered the problem after they had built and sold the van…surely they’ve not gone into production knowing they would have this problem???

I was told by the dealership that the newer models of the Vw can come with a button to manually do regens but this can’t be retro fitted. So there seems to be some kind of redesign going on to resolve the issue but I’m stuck with this van that every 2-4 months warns me to reduce oil levels.

If it told you it was doing a regen and gave a warning….’Don’t turn off engine’ while it was carrying out the regen then surely that would fix the problem? Why wouldn’t they put that in the design if they knew about the problem before the went into production?

So my opinion it is the manufacturer that needs to fix this problem

 

[Skyliner33]

I understand it’s a problem cause by trying to meet new regulations…but that seems like a failure with the manufacturer not lobbying enough to say what they want isn’t possible to build then? But I have a feeling they thought this would be fine/would work and only discovered the problem after they had built and sold the van…surely they’ve not gone into production knowing they would have this problem???

I was told by the dealership that the newer models of the Vw can come with a button to manually do regens but this can’t be retro fitted. So there seems to be some kind of redesign going on to resolve the issue but I’m stuck with this van that every 2-4 months warns me to reduce oil levels.

If it told you it was doing a regen and gave a warning….’Don’t turn off engine’ while it was carrying out the regen then surely that would fix the problem? Why wouldn’t they put that in the design if they knew about the problem before the went into production?

So my opinion it is the manufacturer that needs to fix this problem

I don't disagree with what you are saying. I doubt however much lobbying was done it wouldn't have been successful.
I would have thought, just a light on when doing a regen so you know not to stop would solve the issue. I also don't understand if it was so simple why lots of manufacturers are having the same issues, not just VW. I just try to look at the rev counter before switching off to see if its mid regen or not and dont switch off if it is, I try to drive a bit further if it is possible.
I believe that someone on here has retrofitted a light to indicate regen in process.
I have never seen or heard of a Transporter with that button. Never seen it mentioned anywhere before, which is strange, and make me doubt the dealer.

 

[Drive Wayne]

And if you haven't disabled the fantastic stop/start function (for whatever multiple reason) the engine won't stop if it is doing a regen. For me, the only good thing about stop/start.

 

[Skyliner33]

And if you haven't disabled the fantastic stop/start function (for whatever multiple reason) the engine won't stop if it is doing a regen. For me, the only good thing about stop/start.

I haven't disabled it and mine does stop mid regen. SO if doing regen and you turn off and take keys out the engine still runs?

 

[Drive Wayne]

I was under the impression that a regen was one of the 243 parameters that de-activate the stop/start function?

 

[Drive Wayne]

I haven't disabled it and mine does stop mid regen. SO if doing regen and you turn off and take keys out the engine still runs?

No, if you switch off with key it will stop immediately. Mine won't stop when I pull up on the drive (usually) feet off pedals and in neutral, when it is doing a regeneration, off for another drive...

 

[Skyliner33]

No, if you switch off with key it will stop immediately. Mine won't stop when I pull up on the drive (usually) feet off pedals and in neutral, when it is doing a regeneration, off for another drive...

Ah I see. Yes mine does that, but I tend to manually turn off the stop start. I have slo noticed the stop start doesnt turn off after a drive on the motorway, maybe something to do with not shutting off the engine when the turbos are hot, like people used to fit turbo times to their Scoobies etc.

 

[Drive Wayne]

Ah I see. Yes mine does that, but I tend to manually turn off the stop start. I have slo noticed the stop start doesnt turn off after a drive on the motorway, maybe something to do with not shutting off the engine when the turbos are hot, like people used to fit turbo times to their Scoobies etc.

You've lost me now, I never had a scoobie, various V8 and V6 but never a fast fast car, or bike for that matter, A Pan European was the fastest bike I had but certainly not a racer! I have a 'moped' now (400cc) as my daily commute which handles as well as the Pan did!

And the thread takes a turn..... apologies!

Love my van!

 

[Skyliner33]

You've lost me now, I never had a scoobie, various V8 and V6 but never a fast fast car, or bike for that matter, A Pan European was the fastest bike I had but certainly not a racer! I have a 'moped' now (400cc) as my daily commute which handles as well as the Pan did!

And the thread takes a turn..... apologies!

Love my van!

Subaru Impreza etc, they used to put a turbo timer on so if the turbos were hot then the engine ran for a certain time to let the turbos spin down and cool down a bit.

 

[drinfinity]

Regen when parked is an option you can specify, which is aimed at this issue for short journey vans. No consolation now though.

 

[Steve F]

Regen when parked is an option you can specify, which is aimed at this issue for short journey vans. No consolation now though.

Are you saying VW can change it so it doesn’t do regens unless you are parked up with the engine on?