Should a new Downtown 350i consume/burn oil?

[Forbes1964]

Sounds like the best idea yet!

True. Although it MAY not make a difference, I always believe in following the manufacturer’s guidelines concerning any fluids, especially during the warranty period. And I’d definitely make sure whatever weight oil I use is on their list and is appropriate for the conditions I expect to operate it.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[KymcoRockr]

There is such a wealth of misinformation here. Where to begin...

First of all, drain the oil out of the bike and put in the amount that the manual calls for. Ride it about twenty minutes, and then check the level on the dipstick in whatever manner you choose to do so. Then you will know how the correct amount of oil is going to look on your dipstick.

If you are adding too much oil to it, it will keep spitting the oil out through the valve in the valve cover until it is at the right level. People who constantly check their oil usually do keep enthusiastically overfilling it. If you don't believe this, stop adding oil and see if it goes down to nothing.

If you get really enthusiastic adding oil, you can cause something called cavitation in your crankcase. This is not good for a lot of parts.

If you ride an oversquare single cylinder at high rpms all  the time, it does use oil.

The issue with oil usage with 5-40 is not caused by the 40, it's caused by the 5. If you want to eliminate viscosity breakdown or ring slip as a factor in oil use, use a 15-50 or 20-50 synthetic.

People who think you should not use synthetic oil to break in an engine, or that the oil in your new scooter is break-in or transit oil, probably have less than a current understanding of the way this works.  Most high end autos and bikes are shipped from the factory with synthetic oil now, and it works fine. The problems you read about in forums are things people dug up in the early 1970s and have been posting online since the internet was invented.

Your bike is probably fine, and if you keep filling it with oil, you are more likely to shorten it's life than if you put in the correct amouont of oil and leave it alone. 

If you decide to act out in front of a dealership, most of the customers will think you are an idiot or loser. The dealer is more than likely to tell them something that makes you look even dumber, but it doesn't deter customers. The other employees will point you out to customers and laugh. The customers will laugh too. Any press you get will be along the lines of, "crazy person wants something free from local business." Is any Kymco customer going to get back on his scooter and ride up the block to the next kymco dealer? Do you think the dealer will ever go out of their way to help you in the future? In most States, scooters and motorcycles are not covered by the Lemon Law.

[Vision4]

Hey, first of all, thanks for this comment!

First of all, drain the oil out of the bike and put in the amount that the manual calls for.

I am seriously thinking about doing that, the thing is i need to get some stuff like a measuring container, oil drain container and a tourqe wrench i think (According to the users manual the oil drain plug should be tightend with a very speciefic tourqe).

then you will know how the correct amount of oil is going to look on your dipstick.

Interesting idea. So youre saying the dealer might have filled too much oil at the first service, and then the oil was decreasing towards the correct level and should have stopped there? The thing is tho - the oil level reached very close to the lowest level on the dipstick. Do you think the perfect oil amount will show on that very low level and keep stable? if it will, than that sounds like a defect. How am i suppose to know then if the oil pressure is dangerously low? If the perfect amount is already represented by just a few milimeters above the lowest point? that can't be right. 

And one more thing, durning the first 1000km the oil level was fixed, on the higest level on the dipstick. how does that settle with your theory?

If you get really enthusiastic adding oil..... Your bike is probably fine, and if you keep filling it with oil, you are more likely to shorten it's life than if you put in the correct amouont of oil and leave it alone.......

I have not filled one drop of oil, not once. When i went to the dealer after 1800km they filled like 100-200cc and that was it.

if you ride an oversquare single cylinder at high rpms all  the time, it does use oil.

I do not ride on high RPMs at all. Quite the contrary. Most of my rides are within the city.

most of the customers will think you are an idiot or loser. The dealer is more than likely to tell them something that makes you look even dumber, but it doesn't deter customers. The other employees will point you out to customers and laugh. The customers will laugh too

That's plain wrong. The dealer did not tell any customer anything about me, No one was dissrespectfull or laughed, and some customers i talked to after i argued with the mechanic actually agreed with me. Actually every other custumer i talked to. and every other Downtown owner iv'e had the chance to ask.

Do you think the dealer will ever go out of their way to help you in the future?

You got that very wrong as well. I think they will definetly go out of their way to avoid helping me. That's why i'm thinking about making them(in court). But that "Natural oil consumption" stuff complicates things. So I'm really just trying to figure out for sure if there's a problem, or is it indeed natural and normal.

In most States, scooters and motorcycles are not covered by the Lemon Law.

I'm not from the states nor do i know what this "Lemon law" is.

[KymcoRockr]

In terms of acting out, I was referring more to people who think you should get a sign and picket in front of the dealership.
As far as your other ideas regarding how things should be, keep in mind that you are under the impression you need a torque wrench to change the oil.
Kymcos usually have a tube with a plug in it coming off the air box. What comes out if it? 

[CROSSBOLT]

In terms of acting out, I was referring more to people who think you should get a sign and picket in front of the dealership.
As far as your other ideas regarding how things should be, keep in mind that you are under the impression you need a torque wrench to change the oil.
Kymcos usually have a tube with a plug in it coming off the air box. What comes out if it?

That last sentence, are you asking Vision to see what answer he will give? Or are you asking looking for an answer? Sorry for asking two questions, I cannot break myself from doing that!

[KymcoRockr]

I want to know what comes out when he opens it. That will give him a better idea of what's happening in his engine.

The problem with relying on the dipstick as a measuring device is that most of the manufacturers use the same dipstick across platforms, so you aren't going to know that when the dipstick is at this point that means it has that many ml of oil in the crankcase, and the vast majority of people who check their oil every chance they get and constantly top it off, do overfill it. That oil goes somewhere.
When I said to change the oil, I meant to drain it, and replace the filter, then fill it with the correct amount, as stated in the owners manual. Many manuals give you the quantity you need with an empty engine, and the quantity you need if you are refilling the crankcase on a working engine. What could be simpler. Then look at the dipstick and you will see how much should be in there. To do this, you need oil, the correct sockets and a filter. The amount that comes out is not important in this case, only what goes in, and you can use the measuring lines on the side of most oil containers. 

[Stig / Major Tom]

Vision 4,
I hope we have been able to shed some light on your original question.
Feel free to let us know what you do, and what the dealer does regarding your scooter.



The direction this thread is taking is not what we like to see on this forum.
The Moderator

[Vision4]

Vision 4,
I hope we have been able to shed some light on your original question.
Feel free to let us know what you do, and what the dealer does regarding your scooter.



The direction this thread is taking is not what we like to see on this forum.
The Moderator

This forum has been nothing but helpfull. Thank you very much.

I will update on what's going on

[Forbes1964]

This forum has been nothing but helpfull. Thank you very much.

I will update on what's going on

I always believe in starting with the simple before panicking. And the absolute simplest thing to do is to change the oil at the next oil change and put the EXACT oil in that’s recommended by Kymco for your operating conditions. Then drive normally and see what happens. The other things we may have suggested are VERY premature. Even the condemnation of the dealer based on their calling it “normal “ is premature. No need to make them your enemy before you know for certain if an actual problem exists, or if it’s simply a fluke.

As my mother often says when we worry prematurely and come up with worse case scenarios as a FIRST reaction, “Now don’t you go BORROWING TROUBLE “.  Lol.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Vision4]

I always believe in starting with the simple before panicking. And the absolute simplest thing to do is to change the oil at the next oil change and put the EXACT oil in that’s recommended by Kymco for your operating conditions. Then drive normally and see what happens. The other things we may have suggested are VERY premature. Even the condemnation of the dealer based on their calling it “normal “ is premature. No need to make them your enemy before you know for certain if an actual problem exists, or if it’s simply a fluke.

As my mother often says when we worry prematurely and come up with worse case scenarios as a FIRST reaction, “Now don’t you go BORROWING TROUBLE “.  Lol.

Thanks a whole lot:) that actually cheered me up.

I will change the oil the first chance i get. Right now i'm still hoping i get a response from Kymco.

Fingers crossed

[KymcoRockr]

If you were Kymco, and the dealership said there was nothing wrong with the scooter, what response do you think you'd  give?

[CROSSBOLT]

If you were Kymco, and the dealership said there was nothing wrong with the scooter, what response do you think you'd  give?

Excellent point! It is exactly, EXACTLY the point in nearly ALL the warranty issues such as Jordan Kaptan's problem in Greece. His new 2018 People S 150 ABS has an engine start problem and an unexplained engine failure problem. The dealer has been stringing him along for months. The importer is now bringing up the number of miles on the bike as a disqualifier for warranty. Kymco global only knows what the dealer and the importer tells them so they propose sending a new ECU for installation at the end of May! Boils down to the dealer tech is the "expert" and the customer is at the mercy of a man who just can't be bothered.

[pa-outdoorsman]

I don't know if this is the case with your bike, but one person earlier in this thread brought up the idea that manufacturers use the same dipstick for multiple models, and that "full" for your machine may or may not read as full on the dipstick. I just wanted to circle back to this because on my UXV 450i, when I received it brand new from the dealer about six weeks ago, the oil level on the dipstick was right in the middle of the acceptable range on the dipstick - not low, not high.

This past weekend, I did the first oil change. After refilling the engine with the amount of oil recommended in the owner's manual (2.5 quarts), guess where the oil level is on the dipstick? That's right; right in the middle of the run range. So, I would not see any reason to "top it off" by adding a little more oil, and I wonder if the engine would consume oil if I did until it returned to the current level.

At any rate, just thought I would share this, because I think the suggestion someone else gave regarding draining the oil, filling to exact manual specs and then monitoring is a good one. You may have already done that, but perhaps this will be helpful for someone else down the line. At any rate, I wish you the best of luck with your machine and hope you get your problem resolved soon.

[Stig / Major Tom]

The dipstick in each model is accurate for that model.
I asked at the Kymco dealer today -
"Of course they are, full is full, low is low!"
Not the most personable fellow.
Kymco is thrifty - but if a dipstick looks like one in another model - doesn't matter. The oil reservoir and the dipstick combo will give a proper reading on the stick when checked.
Of course the owner must check if the level is to be checked with the stick screwed fully in, or 'resting' on the lip of the oil fill.

Stig

[Forbes1964]

The dipstick in each model is accurate for that model.
I asked at the Kymco dealer today -
"Of course they are, full is full, low is low!"
Not the most personable fellow.
Kymco is thrifty - but if a dipstick looks like one in another model - doesn't matter. The oil reservoir and the dipstick combo will give a proper reading on the stick when checked.
Of course the owner must check if the level is to be checked with the stick screwed fully in, or 'resting' on the lip of the oil fill.

Stig

I truly want to know the outcome of this. I predict that this will end up as much ado about nothing. I believe additional break in and the actual recommended oil will bring oil consumption down to actual normal. ONE  bout of above normal oil consumption that began with that particular oil change should NOT be used to condemn an engine OR a dealership.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk