Are you saying that this is the first time in 6k miles since the oil change
that you have checked? If so, I would respectfully suggest that you are
taking very big risks with the longevity of your engine.

As far as I am aware, the only dash warning light is for oil *pressure*, not
level. By the time that illuminates whilst driving, the engine is likely to
be terminally damaged.

Could it be that you changed the oil, checked the level before starting it,
and never checked it later? If so that would account for the level being
low as the filter needs to be filled by virtue of the engine running at
first start after an oil change. This would drop the dipstick level from
the full mark to near the low limit.

My Focus is coming up to 7 years old and is on 80k miles. I have never
needed to top up between changes. I still check it fortnightly in case a
leak has developed, in the same way that I check the tyre pressures at the
same time in case I have had a small puncture.

As a point of interest this is the 3rd Zetec engined car I have owned going
back to 1994. I have never needed to top up any of them, so in answer to
your question regarding oil consumption I would say that no, they normally
don't use oil.

Even if your car had covered 2 or 3 times the indicated milage it is
unlikely that the oil level would fall from full to empty in 6k miles
providing it had been properly looked after.

HTH

Chris

I have a 1.6i with slightly less mileage but practically zero oil
consumption.

Are you now checking the level with the car on a level road/driveway?

When you changed the oil/filter did you check the oil level after you
had run the engine for a short time?  The oil filter needs to fill with
oil before you check the final level..

Very Very unusual for any of the Zetec's (E, S , SE, whatever) to use any
measurable amount of oil at all, even between 12.5k changes (I change mine
at 6k intervals)

There was a spate of the 1.6 having problems with oil rings breaking up when
the car is driven hard from cold.

I'd keep a very close eye on the 'stick and for any odd noises at cold start
/ warm up.

Tim..

Jeff, one lesson to learn from this, regardless of the ultimate reason for
the current low oil:  never trust that a service garage will have carried
out the oil change correctly. I always take 30 seconds to check the oil as
soon as I find the car in the lot, after service. Short of that, you don't
have any more than a speculative arm-waving case against your service guy.
Also, some of these guys have been known to put crap oil in and keep the
good oil you brought in -  as they like to use it on *their* cars. This is
an extremely hard crime to detect, even with good supervision at the shop.