[SSSHYBOY]

I'd have it towed to the dealer and have the owner or general manager ( prearranged) meet you with the service manager and make them document it...

[Bigdog9586]

Is it possible the wrong dip stick was out in at the factory. I would have the dealer install a known dipstick as your engine to check oil before draining any. Just to be safe. Since most dealers use bulk oil and set the thing for correct amount of oil and never check it

[dpevans]

I find it very difficult to get an accurate reading on these style dipsticks. I thought mine was overfilled but I changed it so I knew I had the correct amount. I continued to wipe it down and check it numerous times because I believe the cable and top of the reader pick up oil residue off the sides of the dip tube. After numerous pulls and wipes and twisting the stick in different directions i was able to get an accurate reading.

[nbryant]

Originally Posted by fastball

There are no stats for an overfilled engine because it's not engineered to have more than 10 quarts in it.

Common sense tells you if it takes 9-10 quarts to register in the full zone on the dip stick it takes more than a quart to go an inch over. He's saying 2.5 inches. That's at minimum 2 quarts overfill. That is FAR too much oil in the engine.

Common sense? Ok. Not sure how you add that up and it equates to 2qts but run with it. Only way he will know for certain is to drain and service it himself. As for getting the dealership to admit error, don't think it will happen.

[jwober]

A couple observations as a retired GM master mechanic / Service manager. Oil over fill only becomes harmful if the level is high enough for the crank hit the oil and whip it causing air bubbles in the oil, reducing lubrication. If you check the oil level shortly after shutting off the engine and see bubbles on the stick (cable) the engine should not be run again until the level is lowered. I would suggest you call the dealership, ask for the manager and ask him if he wants you to drive it to him or if he wants to have the car towed. If I was the manager I would appreciate the call and have the car towed. It is a warranty tow.

[jwober]

IMHO if there has been any damage from running the engine oil over full, the engine will not last for the warranty period.

[Dub9]

Originally Posted by dpevans

I find it very difficult to get an accurate reading on these style dipsticks. I thought mine was overfilled but I changed it so I knew I had the correct amount. I continued to wipe it down and check it numerous times because I believe the cable and top of the reader pick up oil residue off the sides of the dip tube. After numerous pulls and wipes and twisting the stick in different directions i was able to get an accurate reading.

I am wondering if it might be this. A lot of first mods for the MINI is a dipstick swap because the stock unit is difficult to read and a lot of transfer can occur from the tube.

[Chickenshift]

Originally Posted by jwober

A couple observations as a retired GM master mechanic / Service manager. Oil over fill only becomes harmful if the level is high enough for the crank hit the oil and whip it causing air bubbles in the oil, reducing lubrication. If you check the oil level shortly after shutting off the engine and see bubbles on the stick (cable) the engine should not be run again until the level is lowered. I would suggest you call the dealership, ask for the manager and ask him if he wants you to drive it to him or if he wants to have the car towed. If I was the manager I would appreciate the call and have the car towed. It is a warranty tow.

Y'all might be correct about the difficulty of getting an accurate reading with this dipstick. I have checked the level and wiped the stick up to 10 times when the engine was cold . There is always oil on the cable above the level indicator. However, it does seem to be at a variable level on the cable portion of the dipstick. It may be that the oil level is only slightly above the indicator portion of the dipstick and I am getting oil on the cable portion from the dipstick tube . I have never seen oil bubbles on the cable when I checked it with the engine warm. I am going to take the car to the dealer Wednesday when I have some time off and see what they say.

[SS 1LE]

I agree that the SS dipstick can be hard to read. I make sure that the car has sat at least 12 hours, and that I pull/clean/check the dipstick at least five or so times as it seems the dipstick can sometimes rub on the tube on its way out making it harder to get a perfect reading.

If I recall on the SS, the beginning to the end of the crosshatching is equal to 1 quart. So IMO as long as you are at least 25% up that area, you are good and I would not add any more oil. As you could add too much at that point.

Do others agree with this?

[Glen e]

The problem is that a lot of the New oils can stay pretty clear, or they go dark. But for the ones that stay clear, it is hard to read. However with a completely dry stick when you go to make the measurement, a small LED flashlight does a good job of illuminating the actual level when you pull it back out and inspect closely. I always go for the lower 25% of the hash area.

[RedHot16]

I have an issue with reading on mine. I pull the dipstick out wipe put it back in, pull it back out it reads half full but I twist it to the back side and it reads full ? I always check cold.

[ctrlz]

Before you go running to the dealer, here is an idea:

Remove your dipstick and wipe it down.
Put a piece of packing tape or electrical tape in such a position that the bottom of the tape acts as a new "shoulder" which limits how far you can insert the dipstick. If you are 2.5" overfilled I would try 2.75" below the existing shoulder.
Now insert the dipstick until the tape hits and see if the oil level falls in the hashed zone somewhere in the middle. Should be 1/4" from "full" if your measurements are accurate.
You should be able to play with the tape position and actually get the level to fall within the marks so you can clearly see where there is oil and no oil. I would not trust reading off that braided wire.

[LibertyHill]

I always pull it in the morning and read it once cold. No need to wipe, reinsert, or recheck. All you're doing then is transferring oil onto the dipstick above the actual level and making it harder to read.

[Chickenshift]

Originally Posted by ctrlz

Before you go running to the dealer, here is an idea:

Remove your dipstick and wipe it down.
Put a piece of packing tape or electrical tape in such a position that the bottom of the tape acts as a new "shoulder" which limits how far you can insert the dipstick. If you are 2.5" overfilled I would try 2.75" below the existing shoulder.
Now insert the dipstick until the tape hits and see if the oil level falls in the hashed zone somewhere in the middle. Should be 1/4" from "full" if your measurements are accurate.
You should be able to play with the tape position and actually get the level to fall within the marks so you can clearly see where there is oil and no oil. I would not trust reading off that braided wire.

I tried a slightly different version of what you suggested. Good idea. I checked the oil level again after letting it sit overnight and while it was cold. The oil was again several inches up the cable part of the dipstick on the initial pull. I then tried what you suggested by just sticking the dipstick in partially and seeing if the solid indicator part was completely covered with oil. The indicator part does not get completely coated with oil until at about the right level. It appears that the oil level is at the very top of the solid indicator level which is only slightly over full. I don't think that level will cause any problem. Someone needs to make a different dipstick that is easier to read accurately.