Oil overfilled by the manufacturer?

[Mauibound]

About two weeks ago I took delivery of a 2006 Prius #3. I checked the oil and it's overfilled. The car had 3 miles on it when I got it. Don't they put the oil in where the car is manufactured? If so, that means that the Toyota manufacturing plant overfilled my oil. Could that be right?

I plan on taking it back to the dealer to have some other issues taken care of so I'm going to ask them to fix the oil level while it's there too.

[etyler88]

In regard to reading about concerns about oil overfills in many threads, has anyone actully had too much oil cause a problem?

[aaf709]

Mine also arrived that way. When I did my 5,000 I took my own oil in and asked them to put in the correct amount. They put in all 4 quarts. When I complained they told me that was normal.

[Charles Suitt]

<_< At 20,000 trouble-free miles, I provide exactly 3½ qts. of Mobil-1 5W30 oil when having my Prius serviced thus avoiding overfill. The Dealer provides the oil filter and the oil level after service is about ¼" or less below the "full" mark. My Dealer honors my requests including setting tire pressures at 40 psi front and 38 psi rear when rotating the tires.

When taking my Prius in for service, I always provide a detailed "by the numbers" printed list specifying exactly what I want done.

[Drifter]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(etyler88 @ Jul 31 2006, 10:17 AM) [snapback]295096[/snapback]</div>

In regard to reading about concerns about oil overfills in many threads, has anyone actully had too much oil cause a problem?
[/b]

Yes. About two months after my dad bought his prius he went to start it in the morning and got a full array of warning lights. He tried to restart it a couple times, but then had it towed to the dealership. They must have also tried starting it several times, or done something else because they managed to discharge the hybrid battery enough to call in one of the few hybrid battery chargers in the us (luckily located nearby to his dealership). After a couple days of talking to Toyota they figured out that all of this was due to excess oil clogging some intakes. That was from the factory oil overfill. Maybe his got more oil in the factory than the typical overfill, maybe not since he didn't check it when he got the car. But it took 2 months for the problem to occur, and his car has been trouble free for the last 20,000 miles since he started using only 3 quarts of oil.

[Springtime]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(JasonCon @ Jul 31 2006, 11:08 AM) [snapback]295092[/snapback]</div>

About two weeks ago I took delivery of a 2006 Prius #3. I checked the oil and it's overfilled. The car had 3 miles on it when I got it. Don't they put the oil in where the car is manufactured? If so, that means that the Toyota manufacturing plant overfilled my oil. Could that be right?

I plan on taking it back to the dealer to have some other issues taken care of so I'm going to ask them to fix the oil level while it's there too.
[/b]

I am beginning to think that the problem may be with Toyota's specification on the correct amount of oil and not the dealership itself that may be causing a problem.

I went in to have my first 5000 mile oil change and I specifically asked the servie department manager to be sure the correct amount of oil be used so the oil did not go above the full mark. I checked the oil when I got home and sure enough it was between 1/4 to 1/3 of an inch above the full mark. I called imediately and the service manager told me that because of my request they had specifically measured the correct amount to be added before hand and they filled it based upon Toyota's specifications. If I recall correctly I think Toyota calls for 3.9 quarts?

So, if this is happening at multiple dealers, perhaps it is Toyota's specifications as to how much oil the Pruis takes to reach the full mark that is the real problem.

Springtime

[richard schumacher]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Springtime @ Jul 31 2006, 12:13 PM) [snapback]295168[/snapback]</div>

I am beginning to think that the problem may be with Toyota's specification on the correct amount of oil and not the dealership itself that may be causing a problem.
[/b]

Surprisingly enough that does appear to be the case. If the owner's manual is accurate, then the *dry* capacity of the oil system including filter is 3.9 US quarts. The problem is that some oil always remains inside the system during an oil change, so if one adds 3.9 quarts, it will be overfilled. After multiple oil changes I find that adding exactly 3 US quarts leaves the level about halfway between ADD and FULL, which is perfect. (It's also very convenient for those who supply their own oil for changes; convincing the tech who does the change not to add another 0.9 quarts per the shop service manual can be a challenge...)

But why the oil should be overfilled when coming from Toyota is still a mystery. Why don't they know how much oil to put into their own car?

[bps]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(JasonCon @ Jul 31 2006, 10:08 AM) [snapback]295092[/snapback]</div>

Don't they put the oil in where the car is manufactured? If so, that means that the Toyota manufacturing plant overfilled my oil. Could that be right? [/b]

I took delivery of my Prius one month ago today. I traveled out of state to pick up my Prius, and got so excited after arriving that I forgot to check the oil before leaving the lot. I remembered when I got home and found it grossly overfilled. I called the dealership where I picked up the car and spoke w/ the service manager and he made arrnagements for me to take it to my local Toyota dealer to have the problem fixed.

The dealership had to remove 1 3/4 quarts just to get it to the 2nd line (the don't go past this point line).



Bryan

[Jack Straw]

zzz

[bulldog]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Jack Straw @ Jul 31 2006, 06:35 PM) [snapback]295451[/snapback]</div>

FWIW, I just picked up my 2006 Sat. and the oil level is slightly over full mark on the dipstick. I'd say about 1/8". Certainly not enough to worry about.
[/b]

x2 mine was a tick over the full mark