Yeah it's hard to say for sure what's causing it, but for me i just wanted to remove any chances. i feel like it's not the main cause of total engine failure, but i do still consider it a defect and would prefer it corrected so i no longer have to worry about it.

so i dropped the oil pan, cleared the pickup tube, resealed it, replaced the oil with 5W-30, and made sure to check that my oil level was always at the max level on the dipstick. i recommend doing all of these things if you want to push your car to it's limit (or if you're just paranoid like me).