USMC_DS1

Sometimes it pays to DIY... an oil change is easy and less time consuming compared to taking it to the p-dealer or indy multiple times before they get it right.

Spoddle

Local Indy shop just overfilled my car... taking it back first thing tomorrow morning to have the filter pulled. Great thread with great advice and commentary.

I can't believe I paid a premium to avoid the hassle of doing a DIY and ended up with this issue. Even if it's only "slightly" overfilled I would expect the tech to pay better attention to exactly how much oil the car should have put in it. Especially since they are a shop who specializes in Porsches.

Spokane5150

I see so many complaints on this forum about how the dealership screws things up and my own experience tells me the same. Last trip to the dealer they didn't attach my fascia properly and left wire hanging out almost touching the ground. It's better to try and do at least the basic stuff yourself in my opinion.

Dangers of Overfilling

While it may not seem like a big deal to overfill the oil in your car, it can cause major malfunctions and potentially cost you thousands of dollars.
When too much engine oil fills the crankshaft in your car, the oil becomes aerated and is whipped into foam. This is caused by the high rotation of the crankshaft. Foamy oil cannot lubricate your car well, and in many cases it will cause oil flow to halt completely, overheating your oil and causing loss of oil pressure. The engine then becomes starved for lubrication and may potentially lock up.



Read more: What to Do If I Overfilled a Car With Oil | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/way_5908704_do-o...#ixzz25RcefXkN

Spoddle

^ Completely agree... If I didn't live in a highrise the DIY option would be a lot easier.

San Rensho

Wrong. 1 quart overfill will never hurt an M96 motor. The problem with these motors comes from oil starvation, not opverfill. If you corner hard for a long time, like on the track, the oil pickup goes dry and kaboom. This is exacerbated by running at high rpms, where the scavenge pumps can't get the oil out of the heads an into the sump.

always keep the oil completely full, err on the side of a little more.

USMC_DS1

The issue with an overfill is that you cannot tell if it's overfilled by one quart, two, or three quarts especially if someone else did the oil change... the e-gauge will only show one bar over full regardless of how much the p-dealer or indy overfilled it by.

Spoddle

So this begs the question. Completely full when cold or at running temperature? Mine reads ovefull after sitting overnight, ie. cold.

PHX 911

Depends on your car. A 997.2 will only allow an oil level be measured when the car is warmed up to operating temp.
Slight overfill is not a big deal, but the problem is, as USMC stated, is once you reach the top bar, you don't know how much over you are.
One bar on the gauge is about 1/2 qt., IIRC, so add it prudently if it needs topping off, and remember you have a lot of oil in the system- 8 or 9 qts. or so, so a quart low isn't the end of the world.

USMC_DS1

One way to ensure that the p-dealer or indy doesn't overfill is to insist that they fill it to 1 bar below full. This would be fine for street driving and force them to pay attention to how much they're filling... you can add the last bit later to get it to the level you want.

BTW it takes more time to fill up the oil properly. Some p-dealers/indy's will fill until the e-gauge reads full w/o letting the oil settle 1st as that would take time... time=money or profit for them. When I change my oil... I'll typically fill with 8 quarts, let it settle for 30mins or sometimes even overnight then fill with 1/2 quarts... let it settle, repeat as required, etc.