I check my oil monitor on my 11 XF SC with about 3600 miles and it shows the bar about half way to full, but the indicator says "OK". Does this appear to be correct?

 

Yes. Oil need not be added until you can add a full quart. Most of us who use a dipstick to check oil like to see the oil at the "max" mark but this is actually unnecessary. The engine is designed to run all day flat out with the oil no higher than the "Min" mark.

In fact, more damage is done to engines that are overfilled than ever happens to engines with oil levels showing between the marks on the dipstick.

Modern engines use very little if any oil. In the old days we liked the sump to be full so we could at least get there without adding oil!

 

So the "bar" represents about a quart then? That would make sense. Is being down a half a quart with so few miles normal?

 

I don't know how the graphics are represented. I do know manufacturers won't take chances with oil levels. If they are using electronic senders they are confident they are reliable.

Yes, oil consumption during engine break in is very common. In fact, if the new engine uses no oil during break in you are probably babying it too much. Running in requires that the rings hone themselves into conformity with the cylinder bores. That generates a bit of heat. Oil seepage past the rings reduces this friction somewhat. Until the rings seat perfectly oil seeps past the rings. Once the engine is fully run in which with these Ford engines can take 10,000 to 15,000 miles in my experience, the engine oil consumption will decline and in some cases decline to effectively zero which mine has now done at 50,000 km (30,000 miles). This tells me I ran the engine in correctly.

 

My experience is that the indicator has several levels:

1. Shows full bar, reads Level OK
2. Shows half bar, reads Level OK (this not shown in manual)
3. Shows half bar, reads Add 0.5 liter

According to the manual there are other levels:

4. Shows small bar, reads add 1.0 liter
5. Shows no bar, reads See Handbook (which says add 1.5 liters, then recheck to see if it needs more)
6. Shows bar above full, reads See Handbook (this is the very worst one of all, it means the sump has been overfilled and the car absolutely cannot be driven until some has been drained out, unless you enjoy replacing head gaskets and other very expensive repairs)

 

Overfilling the sump causes oil thrashing when the crankpins cause the big ends to hit the oil surface, which can clog the PCV system. The usual failures are crank main seals and cam cover seals. Should not cause a head gasket issue.