partial- quart oil overfill... not bad? - The Unofficial BMW M5 Messageboard (m5board.com)

Brother Methias · 7th November 2003, 01:37

Again i had a dealer occurence which involved an oil change over the fill line by about 15% greater than the distance form the low to high level marks.

I talked to my SA who then talked to the mechanic. The word was since this was a 'partial quart overfill' it was not at all harmful to the engine and i shouldn't worry. Harm to the engine comes with more than a quart overfilled...

so what's the board's opinion on this one?

Lincoln · 7th November 2003, 18:06

On my car, if it's over the max line at all I see higher oil temps on the gauge. Mine usually runs just under the middle mark when properly filled and runs halfway between the middle and 3/4 mark when overfilled...doesn't seem to matter if it's a quart over or just slightly over I get the higher temps.

kwalls · 7th November 2003, 20:09

Your SA said
Quote:

The word was since this was a 'partial quart overfill' it was not at all harmful

Well he may know the correct answer then again if your dealer seems to have a problem knowing how much oil the M5 holds I take the answer only as something to appease you.

The real answer is it depends on if the over fill affects pressurization of the block and/or will the crank be dipping into the oil to create foam. Foam can't lub your engine.

If the SA is so certain of his answer then he should have a SB or document from BMW that says when too much is too much.

If he can't produce that then the proper thing would be to drain the excess out so the oil is at the proper level.
My euro worth.
Ken

MAVERICK · 7th November 2003, 21:31

I have dealt with this problem of partial overfilling by a mechanic on so many occasions it doesn't bother me anymore. While it is true that a partial overfill may not cause noticable damage to the engine, where do we, as enthusiasts, draw the line? How much overfill is too much? In my case, if I see 1/4 inch over the max. level I let it slide since the dipstick is not considered, according to automobile engineers, to be a highly accurate measure of engine oil level. In addition, that 1/4 inch overfill level will drop down to the correct level after a week's worth of hard driving in the case of my car. However, if the overfill is more than a 1/4 inch, I politely make them take it back and either drain it or refill it again. There's only so much overfill I can stomach before I drive myself crazy fretting about it.

Also, whenever I bring the car in for an oil change or any service, I do not drive off without checking under the hood to make sure all fluids are at the proper level, the oil cap is screwed on correctly, and there is no minor exterior body damage to the car.

In the case of an M5, I, personally, would tolerate zero overfill when I bring it in for an oil change. It isn't just another bimmer, it's an M5 fer cryin' out loud.

doug · 7th November 2003, 21:43

Well, not to sound flip, but the fact that you even have to ask should provide you with the response to your SA.

Technical aspects aside, I think you are receiving poor service from your SA. The correct response to you pointing out the over-fillage should not have been "let me ask the mechanic if it will hurt your engine". Rather, it should have been, "I'm sorry Mr. Methias, we'll take care of that immediately."

I can't say if a small over-fillage will do any harm, but it does make it pretty hard to judge your oil usage-- whereas if it's filled to the line it's easy.