Oil consumption problem?

[RandallNeighbour]

Don't freak out over "what if's". It take a loooooong time for all that oil to work its way back down to the car's oil pan, and that's probably why you're getting the low oil reading. You're reading the stick or the dash before it's time to take a reading.

Take a deep breath and try to not worry about catastrophic engine problems that aren't really happening! (Geez, you remind me of me!)

I have found the best time to check my oil is first thing in the morning. I turn the car's key to the "on" position and wait 5 seconds for the dash gauge to show something. This is the "cold oil amount. It will only get larger in volume from this point when the engine is hot (as heat expands the volume a bit), so this will give you a safe level from which to measure in the future when you check the engine oil cold.

I also check the engine hot by bringing the engine up to temp, parking the car for one hour and then turning the key to the on position and watching the dash measurement thing.

I no longer use my dipstick, and I see why Porsche doesn't even have a dipstick in the 987's. If you use the dash thingy properly, it's quite accurate. Each bar is about a cup of oil per what I read by our fearless Boxster Guru, Jeff (ToolPants).