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600 Mile Service Dealer WAY overfilled oil

Zwniana

Member
I checked my engine oil today for the first after the dealer did 600-mile service (now has 1100 miles). The engine-level was WAY over. I managed to siphon 600ML to get it back to the MAX level while engine oil was warm and the motorcycle was level (don't have center stand so a friend held it center). Is there anything else I need to do? Could this overfill have caused any damage?

I always smelled something burning and the exhaust was always a bit cloudy.
 
Just curious, did they say how many/much oil you were charged for? I doubt there was any harm past the disappointment on the service.
I would check your owners manual to make sure the oil check sequence is the way the oil was checked.
Good luck.
OM
 
I checked my engine oil today for the first after the dealer did 600-mile service (now has 1100 miles). The engine-level was WAY over. I managed to siphon 600ML to get it back to the MAX level while engine oil was warm and the motorcycle was level (don't have center stand so a friend held it center). Is there anything else I need to do? Could this overfill have caused any damage?

I always smelled something burning and the exhaust was always a bit cloudy.

Is this on your F800GS?

If so, did you possibly screw the dipstick back in when checking the oil level?

In addition to engine being warm and bike level, the procedure is: Remove dipstick, wipe it clean, then re-insert but only rest it on top of the opening (without screwing it back in), remove and check indicated level on dipstick.

If you merely unscrewed the dipstick and read it, or screwed it back in to check the level after wiping it, you will get an erroneous “over-filled” reading.
 
A "new" (with 600 mile) - first service just done? When was last year for 800, 2018? If that's the case hope brake fluid has been changed too...and not over filled. :scratch:scratch
 
Thank you all. I have always serviced my own oil and brake fluid. This time i figured i would do the first service at the dealer (i bought a 2017 leftover... got a great deal with only 34 miles when i bought it) I had them change brake fluid when i bought the bike, but clearly when i went in for the 600 Mile service they topped it off with a different fluid which contaminated the brake fluid (cloudy substance) and had to go back for a brake flush. (service tech refused to awknowledge any wrong doing)

Now i find out they overfilled my engine oil by 600ML.

Here are the steps I took:
I checked the oil by turning motorcycle on until fan went on, waited 1 min, then turned it off. Having a friend hold it straight (no centerstand) on a level garage, unscrewed and cleaned dip stick, then dipped it in and checked (repeated a few times) initially the level was about 2 inches passed max. I drained 600ML. Repeated process a few times simply puting in dipstick (without screwing in Dip Stick) finally at the max level (all the steps which manual says too)

I am actually extremely dissapointed with the service. This is why i normally perform my own services... :( Maybe it was just one bad service tech.
 
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Mention of dealers name would be appropriate. We need to make each other aware of the potential weak links in our inadequate dealer network.
 
Thank you all. I have always serviced my own oil and brake fluid. This time i figured i would do the first service at the dealer (i bought a 2017 leftover... got a great deal with only 34 miles when i bought it) I had them change brake fluid when i bought the bike, but clearly when i went in for the 600 Mile service they topped it off with a different fluid which contaminated the brake fluid (cloudy substance) and had to go back for a brake flush. (service tech refused to awknowledge any wrong doing)

Now i find out they overfilled my engine oil by 600ML.

Here are the steps I took:
I checked the oil by turning motorcycle on until fan went on, waited 1 min, then turned it off. Having a friend hold it straight (no centerstand) on a level garage, unscrewed and cleaned dip stick, then dipped it in and checked (repeated a few times) initially the level was about 2 inches passed max. I drained 600ML. Repeated process a few times simply puting in dipstick (without screwing in Dip Stick) finally at the max level (all the steps which manual says too)

I am actually extremely dissapointed with the service. This is why i normally perform my own services... :( Maybe it was just one bad service tech.

It’s a 2.9-3.0 liter reservoir with a filter change. But in order to get all that out, you have to tilt the bike to the right for a minute or two, then put it back over on the sidestand and let it drain out some more. You get a fair bit of extra oil out by doing this.

Two theories:

A) They did not change the filter due to the low miles, yet added the full 2.9L amount back in after the incomplete drain.

B) They changed the filter, but added 4-quarts of oil in the refill. The 2.9L capacity amounts to roughly 3.1 quarts. An inexperienced tech may have been handed 4-quarts of oil for the job and dumped it all in the crankcase. If you blew 100-200 ml out the tailpipe, plus the 600ml you extracted, that would get you to around 4 qts.

It seems like the most common screw ups with service are on the basic stuff. I always look under the hood and double check work even if it’s as simple as an oil change.
 
Indeed, we need and deserve to know who is messing up.

Condemning a dealership on one report seems kinda harsh.
It could have been a mistake by a Master Mechanic.
It could be the offender doesn’t even work there anymore.
“The only people that never make a mistake are the people that don’t do anything”.
OM
 
Condemning a dealership on one report seems kinda harsh.
It could have been a mistake by a Master Mechanic.
It could be the offender doesn’t even work there anymore.
“The only people that never make a mistake are the people that don’t do anything”.
OM

Get your point, but knowledge is not a bad thing...allows for more consideration, inquiry and hopefully, better decision making.
 
)

I am actually extremely dissapointed with the service. This is why i normally perform my own services... :( Maybe it was just one bad service tech.

Let the shop owner and service manager know what happened.
 
Thank you everyone for your advice. I did let everybody know at the dealership but it doesn’t seem that it was well received. It’s a shame that it’s the only dealership in the Philadelphia Suburb. I am sure I’ll be able to find other shops. Apparently one of the best BMW mechanic works nearby at another shop.
 
Thank you everyone for your advice. I did let everybody know at the dealership but it doesn’t seem that it was well received. It’s a shame that it’s the only dealership in the Philadelphia Suburb. I am sure I’ll be able to find other shops. Apparently one of the best BMW mechanic works nearby at another shop.

Okay, I'll remain aware of the Philly Suburb dealership.
 
This is a two-problem service for the OP—first an incorrect fluid added to the brake fluid and second the overfill on engine oil. Those are both rookie errors and not the sort of thing one should be seeing from a BMW franchise; the OP needs to be looking to associate with a different dealer.

On the brake fluid error- if the mistake was in mixing mineral oil (used in the hydraulic clutch system) with brake fluid then I hope a very thorough flush of the entire system was performed. The two fluids rely on different materials for seals and cross-contamination could result in a seal failure.

Best,
DeVern
 
Thank you everyone for your advice. I did let everybody know at the dealership but it doesn’t seem that it was well received. It’s a shame that it’s the only dealership in the Philadelphia Suburb. I am sure I’ll be able to find other shops. Apparently one of the best BMW mechanic works nearby at another shop.

Don’t know where in Philly suburbs you’re located, but you should consider Tom Cutter’s shop:

http://www.rubberchickenracinggarage.com/service.html
 
Ohhhh that looks good! Thank you!

Tom is as good a BMW technician as exists. Period! He was a technician trainer back when Butler and Smith was the importer. He was a tech rep for BMWNA. He has maintained a low-key independent shop for many years. He is over worked and underpaid and has more work than one person should try to handle. But if he takes your job it will be done right.
 
This is a two-problem service for the OP—first an incorrect fluid added to the brake fluid and second the overfill on engine oil. Those are both rookie errors and not the sort of thing one should be seeing from a BMW franchise; the OP needs to be looking to associate with a different dealer.

On the brake fluid error- if the mistake was in mixing mineral oil (used in the hydraulic clutch system) with brake fluid then I hope a very thorough flush of the entire system was performed. The two fluids rely on different materials for seals and cross-contamination could result in a seal failure.

Best,
DeVern

Cannot tell what kind of bike the OP has, but on MY F800GT the clutch is not hydraulic but cable actuated and "mixing fluids" should not even be a consideration. If indeed they put mineral oils into the brake system I strongly agree with DeVern... Flush, flush, flush or replace.
 
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