Dealer overfilled oil... again

[CanAutM3]

So I got an oil change at the dealer this week. Today I noticed the oil level is >MAX .

This is the second time this happens at this dealer on this car. Third time if I count the time another dealer overfilled my E46 .

Why can't they get something as basic as an oil change right .

I'll have to bring it in on Monday to have them fix it. It is a good thing I have the whole day tomorrow to calm down . I'm pissed!

[Mr C]

My dealer ALWAYS under-fills it a bit.

Even the Master Tech, that works on my cars states that it is not good to overfill an M3.

When I'm a quart low, I add just under the quart.

[py0413]

happend to me 75% (3 out of 4) in the past. All 3 times I had to show them the owner's manual and pointed it out the mistake they had done. I don't think they deserve to charge me $345+tax for an oil change after the warranty/service plan expires, so M3 was gone.

[GIdriver]

Incredible!

[jphughan]

Same happened to me. I've read true dangerous overfills trigger actual warnings (yellow triangle, etc.) It also doesn't help anyone that the indicator is notoriously unreliable; people have seen it bounce from full to half to add 1 qt back to full. I'm going to leave it as-is since I've already made several trips to the dealer recently for various reasons.

I agree it's irritating though, and I'm sure the techs wish just as much as we do that these cars had normal dipsticks. This stupid electronic sensor can't possibly have been a cheaper solution in terms of parts (never mind the over-engineering and R&D that undoubtedly went into it), and it sure as hell isn't a better solution. Or give us both! One to trigger warnings on the dash and one bulletproof method to confirm.

[PrimoM3]

How hard is it to completely drain the car and fill to the spec amount? If this is done properly, the tech shouldn't need to rely on the e-dipstick for anything other than to confirm it is working properly and shows what was poured in.

One question- do the dealerships fill from a drum with a gun/gauge on it, or do they just crack open quart-sized bottles? Either way, no excuse in my opinion.

I'd go back and bitch to the Service Manager. If it continues to happen, switch dealers or negotiate with the Service Manager to provide you with the oil change kit, receipt, an go do it yourself.

[ec_E92]

At least they put the oil cap back on correctly. A previous dealership I'll never visit again couldn't get that "technique" correct and by the time I was home I had oil all over my engine bay.

This car is actually very easy to change oil on, you just have to get it up in the air and level and I can DIY for under $100 (I use LubriMoly 10W60) and an hour of my time.

[Brainofjjj]

Guys I've had my oil changed 3 times and it always shows overfill on the gauge. I talked to the lead tech and he told me they always follow BMW spec and some cars show an overfill. Mine always does. I dont see how a little extra is a bit deal. Mine always goes back to normal after 100 miles.

I'm not that precise in my race cars and they run 24 hours straight with no failures. I had one car burn a quart an hour due to bad rings and I just kept dumping oil in it. At some point the oil can get aerated and froth but that has to be extra quart normally.

[CanAutM3]

Originally Posted by Brainofjjj

Guys I've had my oil changed 3 times and it always shows overfill on the gauge. I talked to the lead tech and he told me they always follow BMW spec and some cars show an overfill. Mine always does. I dont see how a little extra is a bit deal. Mine always goes back to normal after 100 miles.

Good to know. I'll drive it around a bit and see if it comes down.

[BMRLVR]

Check your work order and see the quantity of oil that was billed. The TWS only comes by the liter so it should read 9 or 10 L on the work order.

I have changed my oil 4 times and each time I had to put in about 9-9.5 L to get the car to show full. I am sure the car is not much over full..... If you don't mind crawling under it you could just drain the front sump. It holds between 1/2 & 3/4 of a liter.

[Race_Doc11]

I'm sorry I'm not buying that, mine was overfilled and I didn't notice it until 3 weeks later (level was at the correct level when I left the dealer). The car developed a nasty grind after start up and they replaced the vanos tensioners.. I think it is related ....

Originally Posted by Brainofjjj

Guys I've had my oil changed 3 times and it always shows overfill on the gauge. I talked to the lead tech and he told me they always follow BMW spec and some cars show an overfill. Mine always does. I dont see how a little extra is a bit deal. Mine always goes back to normal after 100 miles.

[jphughan]

Originally Posted by racedoc11

I'm sorry I'm not buying that, mine was overfilled and I didn't notice it until 3 weeks later (level was at the correct level when I left the dealer). The car developed a nasty grind after start up and they replaced the vanos tensioners.. I think it is related ....

It's possible that those issues are related, but if it was correct when you left the dealer and later showed as overfilled, how can one know what the actual level was? Unless you added oil yourself, I think it's fair to assume that more oil didn't end up in the system (if anything, the opposite would've happened), so once again we're back to the irritation of inaccurate sensors.

[Race_Doc11]

I didn't add even one drop of oil. It was the sensor which didn't detect the high level when I left. These sensor can read low one day and high the next. To make it worst I never had a warning message at the idrive either. Now the grinding issue improved but it is still there...

Originally Posted by jphughan

It's possible that those issues are related, but if it was correct when you left the dealer and later showed as overfilled, how can one know what the actual level was? Unless you added oil yourself, I think it's fair to assume that more oil didn't end up in the system (if anything, the opposite would've happened), so once again we're back to the irritation of inaccurate sensors.

[CanAutM3]

Originally Posted by IamLegend

Why don't you fill your own oil so that you don't have to deal with dealerships? All it takes is a jack really which I'm sure one of your friends have if you don't want to buy one yourself.

Free maintenance...

Now that the car is off warranty, I will most likely will

[Brainofjjj]

The dealers are supposed to follow BMW procedures when filling so if it's overfull its one of 2 things in my mind.
Either they aren't following procedures and use another liter which will be on your receipt.
OR
Your sensor is off and it's showing an overfill. In this case follow the procedure for an accurate reading. You cannot just read the gauge as your driving down the road. There are a ton of posts on this.

I refuse to believe though that a little extra oil can break something, that's ridiculous.

[CanAutM3]

Originally Posted by Brainofjjj

The dealers are supposed to follow BMW procedures when filling so if it's overfull its one of 2 things in my mind.
Either they aren't following procedures and use another liter which will be on your receipt.
OR
Your sensor is off and it's showing an overfill. In this case follow the procedure for an accurate reading. You cannot just read the gauge as your driving down the road. There are a ton of posts on this.

I refuse to believe though that a little extra oil can break something, that's ridiculous.

I agree, a little extra oil shouldn't do any harm. That's the thing with the stupid e-dipstick, you don't know by how much it is over.

I however had a pretty bad experience with a dealer overfilling my E46 :

On the highway, driving back home from the dealer after the oil change, I suddenly saw a huge cloud of smoke behind the car. I immediately pressed the clutch, shut down the engine and stopped on the shoulder. When I opened the hood, there was oil all over the place . When I pulled the dip stick, I saw that the oil level was about half an inch above the max mark (at least you can trust a dip stick ). I did not know what went wrong, so I had the car towed back to the dealer.

I was told that the pressure release plug in head let go due to an over pressure in the oil sump caused by the oil overfill. The plug was replaced and the car returned to me.

After that, the car did not drive as well. I swore I could hear pinging sounds in the mid RPM range. After 6 months of complaining and multiple visits to dealer to be told nothing was wrong with the car , I insisted on getting the most experienced tech and stayed in the shop with him. We finally diagnosed the problem, the head gasket had cracked due to the over pressure and caused a leak between two cylinders. Head gasket replaced and car was fine after that.

So yes, overfilling can cause pretty bad damage .

This could be the reason I am now a bit oversensitive to overfilling .

[elm3]

Overfilling an enigine with oil, especially our engines with 12:1 compression, is bad. You will ruin all of your seals with too much pressure. The pressure has to go somewhere. I will never overfill an engine with oil. That is why when my car asks for a qt. of oil, I will always put half a qt. and call it a day. It will read almost at the top line when I do that.

[tbonem3]

just noticed my oil is over the max as well. it was at the dealer last week for a crank seal leak, and they supposedly replaced the seal and had to add oil in the process... Picked the car up yesterday and oil level was normal from what I recall, but not 100% sure I paid 100% attention.

Just took the M on a short spin this afternoon, and noticed the oil level/warning in yellow is beyond the second arrow on top?!

I mean WTF, car has 2200 Mi, am I going to live a normal life and start going to work on time and enjoy life and enjoy this car, or am I going to start hanging out and dropping off and picking up at the dealer???!

should I drive it for a few extra miles to see if the oil level warning changes, or should i take it to the dealer straight in the morning? wtf man..

[elm3]

Originally Posted by tbonem3

just noticed my oil is over the max as well. it was at the dealer last week for a crank seal leak, and they supposedly replaced the seal and had to add oil in the process... Picked the car up yesterday and oil level was normal from what I recall, but not 100% sure I paid 100% attention.

Just took the M on a short spin this afternoon, and noticed the oil level/warning in yellow is beyond the second arrow on top?!

I mean WTF, car has 2200 Mi, am I going to live a normal life and start going to work on time and enjoy life and enjoy this car, or am I going to start hanging out and dropping off and picking up at the dealer???!

should I drive it for a few extra miles to see if the oil level warning changes, or should i take it to the dealer straight in the morning? wtf man..

I would measure it again on a level (as you can) floor. If it does read MAX, I would drain a little from the front sump drain plug. Then start the car and measure it. It should be good.

Eric

[tbonem3]

i will see what the oil level is in the morning. I will probably do a reset also. Mind you I only driven about 30 miles since picking up the car from dealer yesterday, where they added some oil.

I know I just got this car, so haven't gotten around to do my own oil change yet. I know the DIY section probably talks about the sump drain plug procedure, but is that something I can do without jacking the car up and reaching in there? Is the bolt easy to find? thanks again.

[elm3]

Originally Posted by tbonem3

i will see what the oil level is in the morning. I will probably do a reset also. Mind you I only driven about 30 miles since picking up the car from dealer yesterday, where they added some oil.

I know I just got this car, so haven't gotten around to do my own oil change yet. I know the DIY section probably talks about the sump drain plug procedure, but is that something I can do without jacking the car up and reaching in there? Is the bolt easy to find? thanks again.

It depends on how much room you have between drain plug and floor. Remember that you have to have room for the tool you are going to use to loosen up the drain plug and a drain pan. I would raise the car a bit to have room and really watch what you are doing. Let me know if you need more help, I can give you my number and I can answer more.

Eric

[Leonardo629]

Take it to the dealer if you don't have all the proper tools. Maybe a fellow member can help you out?

I've done the oil change myself, it's almost impossible without putting at least the front on some jack/ramp