Recently the oil light on my Zafira (58 plate, 1.6 petrol, awesome bike wagon) has started coming on during longer runs, the first time during a heavily loaded 500 miler in France in 35 degree heat, but more recently in less challenging conditions on journeys over an hour or so. I’ve been regularly checking oil and coolant levels and not noticed anything untoward. It’s also just passed an MOT and had a major service.

I asked the garage to have a look at the same time as putting in for the service and they’ve quoted £100+ to do some kind of pressure test (i.e. further cost likely if it needs a new pump or something).

My questions are therefore: is this a reasonable price, or should I check with another garage? If it is reasonable, is it worth it? And what are the likely costs if they do identify something wrong?

should I check with another garage?

What have you got to lose? I would.

what are the likely costs

Ask the garage?

My guess was low oil pressure cuased either by old/incorrect oil, worn oil pump or just general wear on the engine.

A pressure test with a warm engine would probably be a good place to start if you’re happy that the oil isn’t contaminated or the incorrect viscosity.

It could also be a cooling issue causing the engine to run hot and thus the oil is getting too warm (no idea if the warning or your car is for oil temp as well as pressure).

I’d ask else where but £100 for a diagnosis probably isn’t too bad?

A pressure test with a warm engine would probably be a good place to start if you’re happy that the oil isn’t contaminated or the incorrect viscosity.

Thanks, that’s helpful. As I haven’t actually driven it since the service I’ll see if the oil & filter change has made any difference before getting it checked out further.

No way to know until a gauge has been installed and or a code reader, I had this and it cost me a new dash cluster plus programming on a Mercedes vito(pretty sure it was £700)

If it’s a worn engine I’d just get rid

As for the £100 maybe that’s an hours labour not sure

Oil pressure will drop as the pump and the engine wear and tolerances increase. However I wouldn’t expect that until the engine had done hundreds of thousands of miles, unless it’s been abused. First thing to check is that it has the correct grade of oil in it. Then check the oil pressure sender, then the pump and if pressure is still low, consider an overhaul. Also some engines (maybe all engines?) rely on a ball and spring in an oilway to create the pressure and open in relief if pressure gets too high and a tired or broken spring will also allow pressure to drop.

you may find with the air temperature dropping for a few months now it stops happening if it is a cooling type issue.

If it has an oil cooler then just check there’s nothing physically blocking it like a piece of loose trim.

£100 just to do a pressure test is expensive.

If the oil pressure was low enough to bring on the light at driving speeds, then the engine would of most likely of gone bang already, so I would try a new pressure switch to start with. If a pressure gauge was available, I’d stick that on first just to make sure there is good pressure, but a £10 switch is hardly an expensive possible fix, given the cost of the other potential causes.

It could be low oil pressure, but not likely given oil is up to operating temperature long before an hour. Given the timescale and time required, it’s more likely to be something electrical.

i had this on my van in france after cooking the oil on a long alpine climb stuck behind a clown in an espace intent on doing about 15mph and no where to pull over – watching the temperature gauge rising – then the oil pressure light came on……..by which time we were able to pull over in the side of a hairpin to let it cool.

Doing a filter and oil change on a campsite got some strange looks.

Stuff that came out smelt funky.

problem went away instantly – and hasnt done it again in 3 years.