Dealer Overfill Engine Oil, Should I Be Concerned?

Discussion in 'Gen 5 Prius Main Forum' started by Humble Bear, Oct 20, 2025 at 8:04 PM.

  1. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    1/2" is more than slightly... And I bet if you did statistical analysis on the lifespan of Prius engine the dummies that trust minimum wage workers to not overfill with motor oil owned a Prius for less time than people who made sure they always kept their oil at the exact amount recommended.
     
  2. Paul Gregory

    Paul Gregory Senior Member

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    Just sayin' I wouldn't worry about it at all.
     
  3. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    If a Toyota Stealership did something wrong it's essential to make the most of it... These folks destroy lives with outrageous repair charges that people can't afford.

    For example, when there's corrosion in a plug to a hybrid battery cooling fan (known Gen2 problem) they'll tell the customer they need a new hybrid battery and a new cooling fan for near $5K even though I can clean that plug in 5 minutes and never charge the Prius owner for that fix. And that's just one example. If we had legit consumer protection laws Toyota Stealerships would all be in Bankruptcy.
     
    #23 PriusCamper, Oct 20, 2025 at 11:08 PM
    Last edited: Oct 20, 2025 at 11:14 PM
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  4. CooCooCaChoo

    CooCooCaChoo Senior Member

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    I don't like promoting youtube channels, but this one actually takes a good look at what happens when you overfill your oil:

     
  5. VelvetFoot

    VelvetFoot Member

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    I've seen similar experiences with VW TDI's. Dealer tells them they need a new turbo, and all that needs to be done is clean out the EGR pollution (lol) from the turbo's vacuum control and lines.
     
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  6. PriusTech

    PriusTech Member

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    1/2" on the dipstick is about 1 quart, which is real close to the amount that will start to cause problems. Unless you are racing on a road course in which case you would intentionally run at that level for the high G starvation issues
     
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  7. William Redoubt

    William Redoubt Senior Member

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    Why do you let people you don't know touch your car? Change the oil yourself. You can do it in less time than it takes to drive to an oil change place.
     
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  8. Paul Gregory

    Paul Gregory Senior Member

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    a half inch is quite a lot more than what I was originally led to believe.
     
  9. Brian1954

    Brian1954 Senior Member

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    Did you read post #1?
    I guess you did, because you quoted post #1 in your reply in post #3.
     
  10. AzusaPrius

    AzusaPrius Senior Member

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    Wow....notice he posted and then was bombarded with nonsense.

    @Humble Bear
    At what point did you notice the oil level was high?

    At the dealership?

    At home when you got back?

    Both would get bad readings.

    You need to check the oil in the morning before you start the engine.

    That is the only way to get an accurate reading of the oil level.
     
  11. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    Thank you!!! It's so insane that something as simple as an oil change leaves people powerless and willing to accept a shorter lifespan of their vehicle they spent big money on because they can't even be bothered by the need to change their own oil...
     
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  12. Humble Bear

    Humble Bear Member

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    1) I normally change my own oil, but I am surprised that a lot of you don't know Toyota gives 2 free services in first 2 years which includes oil change @ 10K & 20K.

    2) @AzusaPrius, the owner's manual says check the oil when the car is in operating temperature but let car sit for 5 minutes so the oil will flow to the bottom.

    3) Owner's manual says from min to max mark on the dipstick is 1.5q and it's about an inch, so 1/2 inch is about .75q that's about 20% of the oil capacity which is way too much.

    4) I had my wife take it to the dealer and have them remove the excess oil and now it's 90% between the min & max which is great. Next service, I will tell the dealer not to overfill and I will check the level afterwards to make sure they do their job right!
     
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