28th Aug 2009, 20:53

My 2007 Buick LaCrosse CXL has 28724 miles. Not a lick of trouble yet. Running great and I don't have to add oil between changes.

2nd Sep 2009, 17:21

You have to understand the tremendous amount of brainwashing and outright deception that is done by Japanese car companies to bilk the U.S. citizenry into thinking that they are HELPING our economy.

Here are the FACTS: With regards to those LIVING IN THE U.S. who are employed in AUTO RELATED BUSINESSES, roughly 10% of those jobs are the result of Japanese companies, and even then, THE PROFITS GO TO JAPAN. When you buy a Honda or Toyota you HURT 90% of the people in THIS COUNTRY who work in auto-related jobs. In addition, U.S. industry gets NOT ONE PENNY of profit. It doesn't MATTER if GM or Ford build out of the U.S. and a handful of Japanese plants are on U.S. soil. THOSE ARE THE FIGURES: 90% versus 10%. If you want to stab 90% of your neighbors in the back, go buy that Toyota. Just note before you do that the Toyota Camrys reviewed on this site from 2000 through 2010 have a LESS THAN 50% APPROVAL RATING, and the 2006 Camry has a ZERO PERCENT approval rating. That's from ACTUAL OWNERS.

13th Sep 2009, 14:25

Excessive oil consumption is obviously a problem with the Lacrosse. Admit it people. There are (at the time of writing this) 2 different reviews stating they have a massive oil consumption problem. Obviously a defect. Sounds like a terrible motor worth avoiding. Oh yes, and this is the 3.8L that has been infamously bad for over a decade now. People claim it's a great motor. It was, once upon a time before GM starting modifying and fussing over it to a fault. They first ruined it by adding a plastic intake manifold, which resulted in premature self destruction. Now apparently they've fussed with the design again, causing chronic oil consumption issues. Good riddance. Ditch this motor GM!

28th Oct 2009, 19:19

My Grandpa and Memaw had a 2007 LaCrosse. They never have one problem with it at all as yet. It runs really, really, really, really, really good without a mistake for the moment.

16th Nov 2009, 21:50

The only vehicles we ever owned that used oil excessively were a Japanese built Mazda and a Japanese built Honda (before they started making them here). Our GM's are so good about not using ANYTHING that I never check the oil between changes, and generally never check any of the other fluids before 50,000 miles or so.

17th Nov 2009, 11:51

To he who posted this: "Ditch this motor GM!"

Why ditch it? Just start making the same version they made back in 1992 again. It would be better than any other modern motor.

17th Nov 2009, 16:10

I never check any fluids in my Honda either. The last Chevy I owned I never checked the fluids either, and boy did I regret that the day my odometer turned 41,000 miles and my engine seized because it lost all of its oil...

18th Nov 2009, 16:21

I watch my GM guages; no issues. Better than idiot lights on cheap models.

21st Nov 2009, 02:23

To poster 14:29: This motor is not infamously bad. It is infamously reliable. When a Buick, Oldsmobile, Chevrolet, or Pontiac with this engine breaks down, it's usually just a fault in the wiring. Overall, this is a good engine design that works well. The main problem these people are experiencing is dealer-related. I wish that it weren't true that a dealer would refuse a simple fix like this one, and I wish that it also weren't true that GM uses bargain-basement plastic, but that is the case.

18th Jan 2010, 18:23

First, do not go buy an Avalon... If you think the oil usage is not good in your LaCrosse, wait til the engine in the Avalon seizes at 36,548 miles; like ours did! We babied that thing, synthetic oil every 3,000 miles, yet it still seized. Not surprisingly Toyota blamed it on us even though we had ALL oil change receipts! Great quality if you ask me. Last Toyota we will ever buy.

And second, the reviewer never states excessive usage, they only say it uses some. EVERY car should use some oil. Yes some more than others, but EVERY car should. If it does not, you have more problems than if it does.

26th Mar 2010, 17:09

First, I totally AGREE with the comment about the Toyota Avalon. I have two friends who experienced similar issues with Toyota (and got a similar brush-off from their Toyota dealer).

I DON'T however, agree that all cars use oil. We drive Fords and GM's and none of them has ever required adding oil between changes (and we use full synthetic and go 7,000 miles between changes, as per the owner's manual recommendations). I routinely go 7,000 miles without even CHECKING my oil. There's no need to, as it is never low.

5th Sep 2010, 07:14

We've had Buick Centurys (1995-335,000 miles), 2002 (over 280,000 miles), 2004 (200,000 miles and still driving) and have never put a quart of oil in them between changes (changed between 4000 and 6000 Miles).

We now have a 2007 LaCrosse, and have to put a quart of oil in it about every 2000 to 2500 Miles. It now has 70,000 miles on it.

We also went from 32 to 35 mpg on gas on all the old ones to 26 mpg on the 2007. Not real happy with it.

17th Feb 2013, 13:59

I don't understand.

These car have a 3800S2 V6 pushrod engine.

These are tough engines, but they do need to be run-in, and while running-in, they will use some oil, as all the parts figure out where they are supposed to go, and and adopt their lowest entropy positions.

Other than that, no other faults are listed. Were there any?

20th Feb 2013, 07:53

Not checking oil is not wise. You can have a gasket leak. It's simple and free. If you are not doing that, you are likely not looking at the brake reservoir, coolant levels, power steering level. I check mine. Get a pin hole in a brake line and you may be thanking me. What's all this take to do? Maybe 3 minutes?

21st Feb 2013, 15:26

I have become spoiled since switching to only domestic vehicles in 1999. None of our domestics ever use a drop of oil or any other fluids, so I have stopped bothering to check anything. Our oldest car (a 10-year-old GM with well over 100,000 miles) never requires oil between the 10,000 mile change intervals, and has never had brake fluid, power steering fluid, transmission fluid or even freon for the A/C added.

I can't imagine why any late model GM car would use oil. The only possibility I can think of is a damaged or improperly seated ring, which is virtually unheard of in these cars, especially Buicks. Buick has long ranked at or near the top in quality and reliability.

22nd Feb 2013, 18:22

The Series III 3.8 is common for oil consumption. GM kept making this great engine with inherent flaws for some reason. The Series II is known for intake manifold leaks, which can cause severe damage. The Series I is probably the most reliable, but not as fuel efficient as the newer 2 versions.

6th Jun 2013, 16:06

I had a 1997 Buick Century for 12 years, 115,000 miles, and it never used any oil.

This 2007 Buick LaCrosse has only 60,000 miles on it and has used oil from day one. First it was 1 quart every 3,000 miles. Then 1 quart every 2,000 miles, and now 1 1/2 quarts every 1,000 miles.

I'm in the process of talking to GM. They keep telling me that is normal, so why does it keep getting worse? How many other people out there are having the same problem?

9th Mar 2014, 16:56

I have a 2007 Buick Lacrosse and it seems to drink oil. A quart every 2000 miles and it only has 42000 miles on it. Trying to work with dealership, but about over it. I've been a GM owner mostly, but if this doesn't get fixed, then this may be my last from them.