Are all dealers overfilling engine oil?

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Gom

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I have had exactlly 2 oil changes done by someone else in all of the vehicles I have owned. In both cases they were overfilled.
When somone asks my why I still bother to change my own oil............
 

Doug Ram

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My own dealer screw up story: Dad was a Ford guy. He had 57 T-Bird before he was married, then a 1960 T-Bird when he was. Mom drove a '65 Mercury Villager Station Wagon. In 1969 and 1972 came two convertible Mustangs. Then came a 1973 Mercury Capri because he didn't like the gas mileage of the '72 V8. At first service the Mercury dealer noted that the differential was leaking, which Ford replaced under warranty. Three days later the rear diff seized at 60 mph. Dad ends up in ditch and rolls. Needless to say the car is totaled. Differential oil plug is missing from wreckage. I don't know who paid for it, but his new car was a manual transmission Mustang II, the first car I drove, and he never went back to the Mercury dealer.
 

JAT

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Dealer over filled my 1st 2 oil chanes by 1 quart. Took it back and had it corrected. Showed service mgr 3.6 took 5 quarts not 6. Service mgr said all 3.6 take 6 quarts, but noted in their computer to only put 5 in my Pacifica. no problems since then.
 

JAT

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Dealer over filled my 1st 2 oil chanes by 1 quart. Took it back and had it corrected. Showed service mgr 3.6 took 5 quarts not 6. Service mgr said all 3.6 take 6 quarts, but noted in their computer to only put 5 in my Pacifica. no problems since then.
 

About tree fiddy

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Yeah I don't trust anyone with my vehicle maintenance. When I bought my Ram 2500, the oil was good but the tires were all over 85psi. Proper psi is 60 and 65. I drove 3 hours on these tires without knowing.
 

DodgeDude99

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Yeah I don't trust anyone with my vehicle maintenance. When I bought my Ram 2500, the oil was good but the tires were all over 85psi. Proper psi is 60 and 65. I drove 3 hours on these tires without knowing.

my ‘14 2500 is 60 front 80 rear. At 85 psi that truck had to ride like a stagecoach.
 

Narg

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Most dealership service departments have gone to hell in a handbag in my opinion. I trusted one with my last truck, but the RAM is a different brand. They'd probably work on it too, though not sure about warranty work. I've heard they will try to warranty cover, but I've not had any need fortunately. I'm just about due my second oil change since purchase, might go about doing it myself this time.
 

SitKneelBend

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Over filling is just as bad as not having enough. When the crankcase gets over filled, the crank sloshes around the oil and aerates/cavitates it (you can do this with the Lucas gear displays at the auto parts stores).
You ask how caviation in oil is bad? Your oil pump can’t pump foam.
Dealer over filled my 1st 2 oil chanes by 1 quart. Took it back and had it corrected. Showed service mgr 3.6 took 5 quarts not 6. Service mgr said all 3.6 take 6 quarts, but noted in their computer to only put 5 in my Pacifica. no problems since then.
Next oil change you should see what the dipstick reads after 5 quarts. Many 3.6L left the factory with the wrong/bad dipsticks that read a quart low when full.

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Joseph Walker

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Guess I should check my oil. I had it changed last week. I've already made the decision to start changing the oil myself. The last two times I took it to the dealership they added too much air to my front tires. Supposedly need 60 in the front and 80 in the rear. They switch those every time! When I get home I check the pressure and sure enough they have 80 in the front and 60 in the rear. I can understand the mistake once, but twice? That borders on incompetence. I'll be checking my oil level today.
 

About tree fiddy

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my ‘14 2500 is 60 front 80 rear. At 85 psi that truck had to ride like a stagecoach.
Rode ok on the highway, not too much different than the ram 1500 I traded in for it.
Although it was jumpy when I took it on my dirty road but I thought that was just an HD truck thing.

I haven't driven it since airing the tires down since I'm waiting to put a Linex bed liner soon before putting stuff back there.
 

Dusty

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My girlfriend had several issues with the quick-change oil company stores on her '98 Chrysler Concorde. On one occasion they forgot to put in any oil and she drove a couple of miles with the oil light on. Took it right back.

Four times the engine was overfilled, but on the second occasion she called me to say the engine was making "a lot of noise and had no power." When I got there every hydraulic lifter was clattering and it was making a lot of exhaust smoke. Found there was so much oil in the crankcase that it was blowing back into the throttlebody. They did install oil that time, but just for got to drain the old stuff out first.

Regards,
Dusty
2019 Ram 1500 Billet Silver Laramie Quad Cab 2WD, 5.7 Hemi, 8HP75, 3.21 axle, 33 gallon fuel tank, factory dual exhaust, 18” wheels. Build date: 03 June 2018. Now at: 050555 miles.
 

tom0329

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Well my truck is 65 in the rear and 80 on the front.

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1stHEMI

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I worked at a dealer long ago, when I saw they were hiring kids to do LOFs who had zero experience is when I decided not to let someone else change my oil. Asked an oil change place to do it for me once - brought them the oil, the filter, the drainplug gasket and told them I'll pay their $19.99 special price (which included oil) so I wouldn't have to deal with the used oil. Got home and realized they swapped out my factory air filter for a dirty one (they showed me a dirty one, then put that one in when I didn't want to buy a new one). Have heard of others' stories about them not changing the filter, putting in a different grade of oil than you asked for... I do my own.
 

JS4024

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So here we go.... I never have a dealer or quick lube do any oil changes. tell the dealer to shove the free oil changes and knock 500.00 off the price. They use the cheapest filters and oil that would have a hard time passing as *****....
 
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KLook

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The only engine I have ever had fail had 4 "free" oil changes at a dealer in Chattanooga. 2012 mini hemi. I do my own. Peace of mind and I enjoy doing it. Just bought that valve thingy that makes the drain plug obsolete....
 

wolfpack

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Because the trained mechanics don’t want to do basic maintenance stuff so it gets handed to untrained hacks who will do stupid crap like use the impact wrench on an oil plug, not let it drain all the way, pump new oil in as fast as possible all in an attempt to get it done quick because dealerships are flat-rate shops as opposed to hourly so more jobs = more money. They are totally disincentivized to do even the most basic job right but instead motivated to cram as many in as possible during an 8 hour shift.

My opinion is you go to the stealership to buy the vehicle and then you NEVER go back.
 

EdGs

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Because the trained mechanics don’t want to do basic maintenance stuff so it gets handed to untrained hacks who will do stupid crap like use the impact wrench on an oil plug, not let it drain all the way, pump new oil in as fast as possible all in an attempt to get it done quick because dealerships are flat-rate shops as opposed to hourly so more jobs = more money. They are totally disincentivized to do even the most basic job right but instead motivated to cram as many in as possible during an 8 hour shift.

My opinion is you go to the stealership to buy the vehicle and then you NEVER go back.

I get the premise that the newest most untrained people are the ones doing the oil changes, but IMHO there is still absolutely no excuse for them not to be trained how to do it properly. It is probably the most basic and perhaps the most critical service as well.
 

JimmyO

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I was offered free oil changes with my Ram too when I purchased it. I turned it down and told the dealership they’d never see my truck in for an oil change. One of my previous vehicles had 3 years of free maintenance, but after only 2 trips in for scheduled oil changes, each taking over 2, nearly 3 hours of waiting for them to get finished with an appointment, I decided 25 minutes at home with a cold beverage in hand was much more rewarding. I’ve never over or under filled with oil.
 

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