My dealer overfilled the oil..

[SteveR]

A few weeks after a dealer oil change I had a track day. After a few sessions I checked the oil and it appeared to be about 2 qts over the max fill line. I cut the day short and called the dealer, and they sucked the extra oil out the next day. They assured me no harm was done, but I put several hundred miles on the car after it was over filled, not counting the track sessions. They also said the car is very tolerant of overfilling.

In retrospect, the car would blow smoke just after starting it once and a while, but I attributed it to the new exhaust (you can see the smoke in the first clip on my video). It did that once at the track and definitely smelled like oil that time. I assume the lateral forced exacerbated the problem.

Should I be concerned about anything but fouled plugs? Should the dealer inspect anything in particular? As far as I can tell they just checked for fault codes.

[drifting]

I would have expected them to take more care a V10 motor isn't going to be cheap to sort.

Its on of those things some people get a way with it others get problems. I would make sure that its recorded that the dealer over filled it and problems linking to that should then be rectified by them.

I'm getting sick of this if there is no fault code then is no problem rubbish I wish audi would use mechanics not just fitters.

Maybe I have this wrong but aren't the R8s supposed to be looked after by trained R8 technicians only? So doing it day in day out wouldn't you know how much oil goes in. Its not rocket science.

[maegeri]

Compared to Porsche service, these R8 techs have a long way to go. It's the difference between having a Porsche guy that has worked on the cars day in and day out for 20+ years and these newly certified R8 techs that primarily only know how to service the car and can repair almost nothing. They make an effort but there isn't any substitute for experience.

But overfilling is just carelessness. The guy wasn't counting.

[NVRL8R8]

R8 techs at my local dealer are quite good. And STaSIS certified dealer as well.

[gazza1]

That's poor form on such a basic of servicing.

You should be ok but obviously keep a look out for continued smoke or leaks under the car.

Not ideal to have in the back of your head when you are on the track.

If something unfortunately goes wrong..warranty will cover it aside from the inconvenience.

I would be conscious of who actually did the oil top up in the Workshop and make sure that person NEVER touches you car again.

If it was fully certified R8 mechanic..move on to another dealer.

The 2 that I have known over 3 years at my dealer are passionate car nuts and know every detail of a R8 including aftermarket parts that enhance(unofficially of course).

[R8Spyderman]

I always thought that overfilling would result in oil being sprayed all over the engine and elsewhere so I wonder why that didn't happen. Also, if I'm not mistaken, our cars have a dry sump so lateral forces won't affect oil distribution. Your car is in warranty and you've documented the problem so I wouldn't worry, if I were you.

[SteveR]

Thanks for the input guys, and yes, poor form indeed. I assume he either didn't completely empty the engine then put in the standard fill volume, or just miscounted as maegeri suggested. Either way, I've never done an oil change and not checked the level when I was done. They only have one certified R8 tech at this dealer, and this is the same guy that gave me a car with a non-working mirror motor after a side mirror housing swap. I thought he should have caught that one too.

Whether or not I trust them to do any more work for me I'll have to sort out later. He seems interested in working on these cars, but is probably sloppy by nature. Unfortunately the next nearest dealer is 45mi away.

Mainly I wondered if I should accept his fault code check as adequate.

[gazza1]

Unless someone else chimes in..I am in my dealer tomorrow to check on the delivery status of my coupe and will ask some questions re fault code check and of any potential consequences of a overfill on the R8.

45 miles is a nice drive for peace of mind going forward.

[Rit2]

Hi Steve,

I'm sorry to hear about the incompetent work done to your car.

I won't go into the specifics and consequences of an engine oil overfilling, but YES, it may lead to serious issues to the extent of an ENGINE DAMAGE AND/OR CATALYTIC CONVERTER DAMAGE.

I would have that workshop contact Audi AG to provide manufacturer's decision on the matter, and at the same time you'll have something in writing should you develop future issues as a result of the overfill.

"They assured me no harm was done, but I put several hundred miles on the car after it was over filled, not counting the track sessions. They also said the car is very tolerant of overfilling"

Would you continue to believe someone who has caused the problem in the first place?

Legal caveat aside, here's something from page 147 of the 2009 Audi R8 Owner's Manual,

(!) Caution
The oil level must never be above area (a), as this may result in
damage to the catalytic converter or to the engine. Contact a qualified
workshop to extract the engine oil if necessary.

Have them argue with that!

[SteveR]

Sounds like good advice. Will do.