R53 MCS burning oil - what do we reckon?

[Matt UK]

Hi all, I've got a 2005 R53. It seems healthy enough but it's using oil - about 1 ltr every 1,500 miles.

Car has 80k miles on the clock, is warmed up gently but then often used hard on my 25 mile empty b-road commute. Not thrashed or mechanically unsympathetic, but no baby'd either - the throttle and the rev range is used as God intended.

I've read that BMW say this is acceptable. I gave it a wash today and had a check around. No leaks under the car and engine bay clean. However the exhaust tips are very sooty and the boot/bumper feel almost gritty - closer inspection reveals oil deposits.

Also, I've noticed that at a hot idle it can sometimes get a bit of a 'chug' going on - not sure it this is related or not though.

Apart from that though it seems a happy little car - so terminal / easy fix / live with it and buy oil in bulk? I'd appreciate your thoughts / experiences.

[PinkRinse]

My R53 GP seems to have the same habit. Checking her before track days etc I find she is alarmingly low on oil. Before we went to the Ring last year, we changed the oil & measured what came out by pouring it back in to the fresh oil can after filling it up and barely 2.5L had come out!

It's had all it's servicing and checks and seems perfectly healthy so I just have to keep a mind on to check it. Little more often than my mk6 Fiesta ST