Dealer overfilled oil-question for the experts
 

Hello

i took my 997s into the dealer for an oil change at about the 500 mile mark.
I didnt think to check the level but tonight i noticed that the oil level indicator shows all bars filled, even the small bar above the fill level. This was after the car had stood on level ground for a few hours after driving.
I have put about 400 miles on the car since the change, should i take it back to have soem oil taken out? I noticed that the manual stated that under no circumstances should the oil be filled above the full level, could this have cuased damage to the engine.
Any advice from the experts would be very much appreciated.

Thanks

david

Start here:

https://rennlist.com/forums/997-forum/351868-do-i-need-to-add-oil.html

Since the gauge does not indicate exactly how much they overfilled by I would 1) have the dealer flatbed your car back to them and 2) have a manual oil level reading taken to determine how much they overfilled by, as a small amount won't do damage but a quart over will 3) have them remove the excess oil. If they happen to have over filled by a quart+ I'd 4)contact Porsche asap and have it all documented for your future protection. 5)I'd also insist on being present when they do the level check.

I wouldn't.

This was by a certified Porsche technician at a certified Porsche Service Center. I doubt they overfilled it by much. Probably similar to the condition I encountered in the above cited thread.

No need to alarm the poor fellow. ;)

I agree with OCBen!

Wasn't trying to alarm him at all as I mentioned anything less than a quart over won't do any harm and I suggested for him to get a reading to see exactly how much it was overfilled by. A flatbed to the dealership (and at their expense) would only give him added piece of mind so he won't have to drive the car any more while being overfilled and especially since current amount over is an unknown. If the amount over happens to be by a quart+/-, and I truly hope it's not, I would urge him to get it documented and contact Porsche as stated above. I had an oil issue with my E55 when new and MB sent out their roadside assist with a dip stick to check it out for me so the car would not have to be driven...that was excellent on MB's part.

David. The other possibility could be some condensation that's built up especially if the 400 miles since the change were short trips under lower rpm's which caused the level to jump up past the normal full mark.

I recently did an oil change at the dealer and told the Service Advisor to have the tech fill it one full bar below full. Hung out with the tech while he did the job, saw him fill it using a preset amount of Mobil 1 and it still showed one bar over top line. Tech drained what appeared to be a half to full quart, sealed it up and I rolled. I am now between one or two bars above the bottom hash mark.

If you plan on keeping the car for a while I wouldn't tolerate an overfill by the dealer and suggest you ask them to get it right.

Thank you all very much for your replies.
I will contact the service manager today. Since i have been driving it and the dealer is only about 10 miles away i think i will probably drive it in and ask them to do a manual check. If it is around a quart overfilled i will get that documented.
Thanks again, I will let you know how it goes.

cheers

david

I had the same thing happen to me on my first oil and filter change. I had them drain the oild filter, and the level dropped to the correct level the next morning. I suspect that the "preset" fill bring you to just over the top fill mark, as the filter doesn't hold a quart. I would have them check it.

Jerry

What Harm will it created from the overfilling?

Overfilling could cause serious problems. The crankshaft could churn the oil, causing aeration and possibly foaming the oil. Foamed oil is difficult (or impossible) to pump and could starve your engine - check your pressure gauge. Aerated oil also overheats (burns) easily. Neither of these is good for your Porsche engine. :crying:

Had the Porsche dealer do the same thing to my Boxster. Had to go somewhere and have some drained (splashed the guy in the face). A lot came out and when he put the drain plug back in I was at the perfect amount. There was over a quart more than needed. My lights noted the same thing on the dash, I confirmed it by the dip stick and then when I checked my invoice I was billed for 10 qts when It only takes 8.7 (8.0 fills it because of what's left in there still). Idiots. After that I swear my car had smoked on start up more than before (which was very little).

Interesting. I just got billed for 10 quarts from local dealer in OC 2 weeks ago for my 20k "service". Also noticed the full bars on oil measurement when I got home. Guess I'll need to take it back and have some drained. PITA and waste of my time. You'd think that when they charge you $800 for an oil change, they could get it right.

Relax.

They'll bill you for a full quart even if they only used a drop. Every opened quart bottle of oil must be charged to the customer. Doesn't mean they poured the whole thing in.

Your observation of full bars indicates just that - full condition. That's what they're trained to do - to fill it up to full.

You can take it back to Newport if you like. But you'll end up just wasting your time.

OK, I'm confused. There are dozens of posts here saying a gage showing full bars when motor is cold means over-filled condition, not "full" condition. Is this a problem or not?