After B service Engine oil level showing only half??

[MercA]

I did B service on my W213 Diesel 2 days ago and after service it is still engine oil level shows half only (Half way between min & Max). is this as expected after B service (once in 2 years) that costs £550. still engine oil level is not showing full...? Should I complain to dealer..? I can service cost shows 6L engine Oil seems to have added. My worry is middle of this year I might start getting engine oil warnings. thanks.

 

[nickgar]

This is correct. The oil level should ideally be between the min and max.

 

[markjay]

Dealers make a point of under-filling engine oil. They err on the side of caution because exccessive oil level can cause signifacnt damage to Diesel engines.

According to the book oil level should be (anywhere) between min and max at normal operating temperature i.e. when the oil is hot.

So as as long as the level is above the min and below the max it is within spec.

Being old school, personally I prefer the level to be a smidgen below the max when the oil is hot. But realistically even if it's half way you have no reason to complain.

Said that..... I had a 'discussion' with the service advisor some years ago, the oil quantity specifies for the M271 engine is 5.5L, and the invoice showed 5.5.L at £15.00+VAT per L.

My point was that they charge by the book quantity and not by the actual quantity if oil used.... i.e. the dipstick was showing half way between the min and max, which is exactly 1L, so I should have been charged only for 4.5L... needless to say I did not win that argument.

 

[whitenemesis]

Said that..... I had a 'discussion' with the service advisor some years ago, the oil quantity specifies for the M271 engine is 5.5L, and the invoice showed 5.5.L at £15.00+VAT per L.

My point was that they charge by the book quantity and not by the actual quantity if oil used.... i.e. the dipstick was showing half way between the min and max, which is exactly 1L, so I should have been charged only for 4.5L... needless to say I did not win that argument.

Perhaps the 5.5L is is the quantity to half way between the marks?

 

[Petrol Pete]

And to add insult to injury they charge £15.00 + VAT /L when they buy it in bulk for around £2.50/L. You pay their price at a filling station a 2 a.m for a single bottle in an emergency.

Yes I know they have to 'make a buck' , But they are taking the Pi$$. Cest la vie , I guess.

 

[snipez999]

Yes but the dealer mechanics have to wash their hands in mermaid tears before touching your car. Don’t come cheap them!

 

[nickpb]

I recently had my B service done and my oil level is the same. Must admit that I felt cheated as well. We'll see whether it needs a top-up before the next service. If so I will say something then.
About 3 months after I bought the car it flashed up a message telling me to top up the oil at my next fuel stop. I was in France at the time and I had to put a litre in then. Trying to get the dealer to understand what I wanted was interesting. Even when I showed them the handbook they scratched their heads. When I got back home I did consider complaining to the MB dealer I bought it from, but they were all talk and no trousers when I bought it, so just took the hit.

 

[TonyBrown]

When I bought my W213 the oil was nicely full. However, the electronic gauge is so variable, it then periodically complained about high oil level. At service, they took a little out, and it was then fine.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

“Max” means maximum, not full. Half way between maximum and meanimum means it’s not not too much nor too little, or said another way just right. It’s the Goldilocks of oil levels. Check your oil level regularly, or take action when the warning light comes on and you’ll be fine.

 

[Deleted member 6183]

I feel old.

 

[markjay]

When I bought my W213 the oil was nicely full. However, the electronic gauge is so variable, it then periodically complained about high oil level. At service, they took a little out, and it was then fine.

This is the main reason why MB dealers are very careful not to fill up with oil above the half-way mark.

It's less of an issue for petrol engines (and this also why many petrol engines still have manual dipstick and not electronic oil quantity sensor), but the dealers just do this as standard on all cars.

 

[markjay]

Personally... I like the oil level to be a smidgen below Max when the oil is hot.

And this is how my car was on the ocassition when it was serviced by Olly PCS and Terry at WG.

 

[190]

Other than getting your monies worth at a service I agree that there is no need for oil level to be run absolutely at the max point. Actually you never get your monies worth at a service but that's another story. The only benefit of running oil at or near the max is the additives won't be depleted as fast as if it was run at Min and even that's only an advantage for high miles between oil changes. Slight advantage of running oil lower towards min is it will warm up faster.

I used to be a spot on max man until I thought about it. Now I'm a not much above min man. I only do 4000 miles/year so it never needs topping up between services and there is no risk of the oil level getting too low. What I do in practice, purely for convenience is use 5L of oil instead of the specified 5.5

 

[markjay]

Other than getting your monies worth at a service I agree that there is no need for oil level to be run absolutely at the max point....

Given that half-way between min and max is 1L, and that the dealers retail 1L of engine oil at around ~£15...

It would be fairer if they left a small bottle of oil in the car to make for the shortfall between the full oil capacity as listed in the book and the actual oil quantity used in the service. Or at least if they offered it - understandably not everyone cares about having a bottle of engine oil in the boot.

 

[Deleted member 6183]

As I understand it:

There are 3 marks on the dipstick, Min, Mid and Max.

Mid is the optimum.

There is 1 litre between Mid and Max also Mid and Min.

 

[whitenemesis]

Given that half-way between min and max is 1L, and that the dealers retail 1L of engine oil at around ~£15...

It would be fairer if they left a small bottle of oil in the car to make for the shortfall between the full oil capacity as listed in the book and the actual oil quantity used in the service. Or at least if they offered it - understandably not everyone cares about having a bottle of engine oil in the boot.

As I posted before, could it be the Mid point is actually a 5.5ltrs fill?

 

[markjay]

As I posted before, could it be the Mid point is actually a 5.5ltrs fill?

I don't actually know... would be interesting to know what MB says about this.