Which oil light? There's one to warn of low oil pressure and many cars now have something to let you know it's due for an oil change. I'm not aware of any cars that have a light to warn of low oil level.
I can't remember how many kilometers are in a mile, but most manufacturers recommend changing the oil every 3,000 miles. 12,000 kilometers seems way too long to go between oil changes. If I'm right, your oil consumption is not excessive. If you mean the car has 12,000 kilometers now, it's still going to use some oil.
Most engines today use some oil so to address the many complaints about that usage, all dipsticks are marked now with "min" and "max" instead of "add" and "full". If your oil was only filled to the "min" mark at the last oil change, it definitely will be below that now.
One liter low should not be enough to cause low oil pressure. I would check the level right after the next oil change, then check it again half way to the next one to see how much it dropped. If it starts out near the "max" mark and drops below the "min" mark before the next oil change, document the usage and show the numbers to the dealer. Years ago engines often used excessive oil until they were broken in, but with better machining processes, that really isn't a problem any more. While a little oil consumption is normal, excessive consumption generally won't improve over time.
Saturday, June 2nd, 2012 AT 7:27 AM
