Hello channel. I have a 2012 Subaru Legacy, 90k miles, 2.5l 4-cylinder, automatic, almost 100% city driving. It's burning about one-half quart of oil every 3,000 miles or so, so I've been topping it off between oil changes. No leaks visible in the engine compartment, no oil on the ground, the appearance of the oil itself is normal (not cloudy, etc.), no smoke from the exhaust and no other symptoms. Is this normal for a car that's getting older or some type of potential problem?
That's about a quart every 6000 miles. That amount of oil burning is not very bad. For warranty purposes a lot of manufacturers consider a quart every 1000 miles to be "normal". You could change your PCV valve and see if that helps.
That car was built around the time that some Subaru engines had oil burning problems due to a supplier providing faulty piston rings. I think though if your engine were among those affected you'd be burning a lot more.
Thanks for the response!