Well, I’m beginning to think I should have left well enough alone. I went to have my tires rotated (free) and oil/filter changed early ($124(!)) at the local MB Dealership - at 5,500 miles, even though it can go to 13k (admittedly, I’m a fanatic about maintenance). Upon arriving home, I let the car sit for ½ hour, and then checked the oil with the dipstick (no ‘electronic’ checking on a 2006 E350W like they used to have) and, lo and behold, the level is all the way past the top of the red plastic part and actually on the 'wire' of the dipstick! – I’m guess what, 6 to 7 mm over the ‘full’ mark. Geez.

Now the manual has all of these dire warnings about overfilling…and remember, I was doing this early and on my dime for peace of mind.

I know I am kind of **** about maintenance and car-care but Geez - can't they pour the liquid so it's between the two lines on the dipstick?!?

They just drove a new loaner car out and picked up my car. They came out pretty darn quick - I'm guessing that they sensed I wasn't happy on the phone. I now have a C230 loaner in my garage, and I'm very curious as to what the dealership will say when they return my E - I'm guessing they will downplay the situation.

So, professionals out there: how much is too much oil? Is there damge, or loss of performance, that I can't see? I am very depressed about my beautiful Platinum Blue E (the color of my youngest daughter's eyes - seriously).

Signed,

Depressed in Greensboro



[IMG]local://upfiles/9157/10C98331FDA24879A3BB36313E57492C.jpg[/IMG]

 

First of all go to your doctor and get some Prozac and then return to your dealer, and find out what reading is accurate the electronic or the dipstick, It is possible the wrong dipstick is in the car. Did you check the elecrtonic reading and what did is say? low, OK or high?

 

some chinese restaurants would spit on your food if you complain and send your food back for correction.

likewise, i heard, some shops pour sand into the engine if you complain on their work.

sand in your engine wont show damage right away. but it gives u a permanent and long term damage.

 

Wizard - the 2006 E350 does not have electronic indication of oil level (nor FSS anymore, either). It does still exist in the 2006 E500, E320 CDI and E55...but not in the E350. The dipstick is all there is, and the picture of same is quite identical (and in color) in the owners manual. Plus, when the tech showed up at my house to take the car back, I did the oil level in front of him and his eyes got like saucers. My vehicle is, indeed, ovefilled with oil by at least one quart. Again, given the dire warnings in the manual, I remain deeply concerned.

Thanks for the post, though.

Now, any mechanics or dealers out there with direct experince with this issue? Can any one give me the real 'skinny'? Please?

Signed,

Still Depressed in Greensboro

P.S. I prefer Zoloft.

 

Fly_Major, now there's a cheery thought! Sand in the engine...well, being a lease, ultimately the joke would be on them. Hopefully the delership thinks of Customer's with a Complaint as an asset...pointing out issues they would otherwise not know even existed.

I Remain,

Depressed in Greensboro

P.S. After Fly_Major's comment, maybe I will go for the Prozac you suggested Wizard...

 

I don't think you can damage anything mechanically in the engine by overfilling.
If the engine wouldn't like it, it would blow the excess thru the breather tube (happened to me on overfilled transmission in the car I just bough -after reaching freeway speed I had huge cloud of smoke coming from under the car for 1/4 mile. Scarred me to death, but nothing more actually happened".
What I might worry about is electronic sensors. They might malfunction later on, so you better get some confirmation in writing, that that was dealer's error.
Filling the oil level to the top is not recommended way anyway. Oils have detergents and other additives, that wear out. As well as chemical antidotes to balance the chemistry. Since those things age and wear out, new oils is having them in the excess. In another words fresh oil is bad for the engine.
If you fill new oil to 10 mm above the minimum mark, than after few thousands miles you'll have a chance to "refresh" the oil with fresh cup, or quart. That doesn't apply to the engine, that burns oil and you have to keep "refreshing" it anyway.
So in conclusion yours being "fanatic about maintenance" might be actually bad for the car. Nothing that you'd really have to worry about. From my experience, either you change the oil every 3000 miles, or not change it at all (know 1 guy, who did it on Nissan) the engines last for minimum of 150,000 miles anyway.

 

no dealer ever takes complaints as a valuable asset. they only look at you as a cry-baby.

for example...i pointed out to many Benz dealers that their parts database is giving out a wrong wheel bolt for w202 body. i even gave them a diagram showing the right part and the wrong part side to side.

days passed, weeks passed, months passed, and years passed.

MB parts-database still has that part wrong.

i am sure they hate me for keep complaining. IMAGINE!

 

All you need to do is drain a quart out. The world may end tomorrow, but not because an extra quart of oil was put in your engine. I'm surprised the dealer didn't just send a suction device out instead of a loaner and just take care of it on the spot.

If the oil is extremely overfilled, there's added stress on rubber engine seals. Oil leakage can result. A quart over doesn't qualify as extreme.

If a quart over is enough such that the crankshaft has to splash through the oil pooled in the oil pan, then the engine will be sluggish performancewise.

Hold off on the Prozac. Just take some deep breaths and relax. The engine will be fine... unless there's sand in it.

 

hehe. i couldn't have said it better. LUGNUT: "UNLESS THERE'S SAND IN IT!"

they could have sucked out the extra oil at your residence. why didn't they? because they can't put sand infront of you.

( yes, oil change job at the dealership nowadays DOES NOT drain oil out anymore. they suck. )

 

Lugnut, as usual, has it right on the money.

Don't sweat it, your engine will be fine.

It's good you caught it early. because it will do exactly what Lugnut explained above.

The longer you drive it over full, the greater chance of developing an oil leak from an overstressed gasket.

And, if it was MY shop, I'd definitely want to know about, as someone would be getting a good reaming.


Cheers

PS: And don't worry about the sand, we only do that to people that really whine. LOL J/K