Oil Overfill

[AndyM]

So on my brand new BX 25D I decided to have the dealer do the 50hr service, primarily to make sure nothing was missed. The tech did the service (which I watched) and assumed (yes I know) all was well. After the first use (about 6 hours of box bladeing) I checked the oil to find it was overfilled by 28 oz (3 1/2 cups!).

Needless to say I was and am major Pixxed about it. The real question is how likely is it something got damaged, which will drive how much fuss I make with the dealer. While I want good relations I also want some accountability.

Tractor does not show any obvious signs of problems (no leaks I see or excessive smoking) after I drained it back to "full".

Appreciate advice.

 

[D2Cat]

Andy, a way to see how accountable your dealer is would be to call them (talk to the service mgr) and let them know you had them service your tractor and the results you found.

Remember Columbo? Act like him, ask questions (like you're dumbfounded). What should I do? How will I get just part of the oil out without loosing all the oil? Has it hurt my engine? (Just act like you don't know anything mechanical)

But your engine is fine.

 

[AndyM]

Thanks D2. Good advice and I am relieved to hear you think the engine should be OK. I learn from all the very knowledgeable folks on this site.

 

[D2Cat]

About a year ago I took my dodge Dakota to the dealer to get the oil changed. I waited, when I got home I checked the oil after the truck set overnight. It was 1 qt. over. I took it back to them and had them remove it.

Ya, it was a pain in the butt to drive back to town and wait, but I wanted them to see their incompetence.

How do you train anything with a brain? Make the right thing easy and the wrong thing difficult!

That being my philosophy, I had to make it somewhat difficult for them, so hopefully they would learn from it.

 

[Lil Foot]

Back when my F350 6.0l was young, I took it to Sanderson Ford for it's 30,000 mile service. Left for Idaho the next morning, where I found that instead of draining the old oil (15 1/2 qts) out, they just added 15 1/2 qts of new oil in on top. Blew every seal, gasket, & o-ring in the engine. They took several attempts & 6 weeks for them to seal it, and their half-a$$ed work lasted about a week beyond the warranty. Just recently paid big bucks to have it all re-sealed again. I hate dealerships.

 

[AndyM]

Unfortunately this kind of stuff in not limited to dealerships. I have taken to servicing anything and everything I can myself to prevent the hassle of following up on screw ups. I made an exception with the new BX primarily to keep dealer happy in case of warranty issues does the road.

And yes the last time I had the truck oil changed by a fast lube place (we were moving) they underfilled it. Luckily I had checked it right away.

 

[Lil Foot]

Unfortunately this kind of stuff in not limited to dealerships.

Agreed, but dealerships will occupy a special place in hell if I have anything to say about it.

Stopped at Keesee Motor Company, the Ford dealership in Cortez, CO for an oil change, told them the above oil change saga, & they assured me that they don't do those kinds of things. A few minutes later, they put the truck on a lift, and placed one of the lift pads under my 60 gal aftermarket fuel tank, putting a 3"x5" hole in it. (I had just filled it) They then refused to replace the tank with anything but a stock 29gal tank. After much discussing, yelling, threatening, & involving the police, they finally agreed to replace my tank- but in the time they wasted arguing about it, they missed the Friday shipping deadline & we had to wait until Monday. (We were due back in Phoenix Monday for work, and they had to pay for four days of hotel & a rental car) On Monday, they had to order a new tank, (almost $2K) then have it overnighted. (almost $2K) After installing it, they then refused to put more than 5 gals of diesel in it. More arguing, but we finally won.

On the trip we just returned from, needed an oil change, so I stopped at Bill Summers Ford in North Platte, NE. (been there once before) I also had an upper shock bushing on passenger side front shock go bad, so I asked them to replace it. Oil change was slow, but no problems. Then they came back with an work order for me to sign to replace all (4) shocks. No, I explained, shocks are fine, just put in one bushing. They claimed it's all one piece, bushing pressed in, can't change it, BS, BS, BS..
After expounding on their monumental level of stupidity & dishonesty, I drove down the road to an O'Reilly's, bought a bushing & a socket, and changed it myself in about 3 minutes.

I could go on & on, but suffice to say I hate dealerships.

 

[AndyM]

Bill, that's the good thing about this site - after hearing your horror stories, mine don't seem quite so bad!

Andy

 

[OlFerguson]

Being 3 hours from civiliation in all 4 directions , I generally do my own oil changes and service even if it is warranty. With that said all of the guys at the dealership are fantastic when it comes to ordering parts, helping with advice and lending service manuals. If you're running any kind of farm operation may I suggest purchasing an automatic oil dispenser for lubricants. They are around 300$, but fairly accurate for dispensing engine oils, hydraulic/transmission fluids. If you do not want to spend the money , you can do it the old fashioned way and use a measuring cup. Don't forget your filters! Hope this helps.

 

[OlFerguson]

You can't take back what you put in so just double check, or you may be draining only to refill

 

[Bcamos]

I've mostly always serviced my own stuff unless it's a job so big that it's worth it to pay a shop. General maintenance though, always on my own. I figure the chances of me caring more about my engines far outweigh the convenience of paying someone else.

A buddy of mine used to work with a commercial plumbing company. He had to take one of their service F450's to get serviced at a local shop and when he left he made it about 5 blocks before the engine seized a bearing. They never put the drain plug back in, not a single drop of oil in the engine. The truck was nearly brand new.

My dad was having a shop put tires on his truck and he was watching them from the shop window in the lobby. He watched the guy toss the wheel back on the truck and loosely shove the lug nuts back on the studs, then he grabbed the impact gun and went to town. Luckily he only got 2 torqued down by the time my dad made it out there because the very next one was cross threaded on the stud.

A lot of these shops are about volume, not quality. They want your vehicle in and out as fast as possible so the next one can come in. A lot of times that means skipping steps.

 

[Bcamos]

Agreed, but dealerships will occupy a special place in hell if I have anything to say about it.

Stopped at Keesee Motor Company, the Ford dealership in Cortez, CO for an oil change, told them the above oil change saga, & they assured me that they don't do those kinds of things. A few minutes later, they put the truck on a lift, and placed one of the lift pads under my 60 gal aftermarket fuel tank, putting a 3"x5" hole in it. (I had just filled it) They then refused to replace the tank with anything but a stock 29gal tank. After much discussing, yelling, threatening, & involving the police, they finally agreed to replace my tank- but in the time they wasted arguing about it, they missed the Friday shipping deadline & we had to wait until Monday. (We were due back in Phoenix Monday for work, and they had to pay for four days of hotel & a rental car) On Monday, they had to order a new tank, (almost $2K) then have it overnighted. (almost $2K) After installing it, they then refused to put more than 5 gals of diesel in it. More arguing, but we finally won.

On the trip we just returned from, needed an oil change, so I stopped at Bill Summers Ford in North Platte, NE. (been there once before) I also had an upper shock bushing on passenger side front shock go bad, so I asked them to replace it. Oil change was slow, but no problems. Then they came back with an work order for me to sign to replace all (4) shocks. No, I explained, shocks are fine, just put in one bushing. They claimed it's all one piece, bushing pressed in, can't change it, BS, BS, BS..
After expounding on their monumental level of stupidity & dishonesty, I drove down the road to an O'Reilly's, bought a bushing & a socket, and changed it myself in about 3 minutes.

I could go on & on, but suffice to say I hate dealerships.

Oh...wow. That's rough man. Those TITAN tanks aren't cheap at all!

 

[chip]

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