[dekee]

I recently brought my car in for an oil change and now the ‘oil low’ light is on. I checked the oil and it does not even register on the stick. Should I bring it back to the same dealer that was suppose to change the oil or should I bring it to another dealer to assist possible damage?

[DaveC113]

Don't drive the car if possible. Get oil and add it until it shows on the dipstick. Doesn't matter much exactly what, I'd go with a cheap 5w30 just to get it to the dealer.

Call the dealer's service manager and explain what happened and ask them to change the oil again and determine if it's damaged.

Even if it's not damaged now, you never know. Typically, GM will extend your powertrain warranty. You may need to talk to GM to get this done.

This is why a lot of folks don't like bringing in the cars for oil changes. Usually, the newest, youngest and most inexperienced guy at the shop does oil changes. Apparently, they sometimes can't be bothered to look up how much oil goes in your car or check the dipstick.

One thing you can do in the future is check the dipstick before taking your car back. Good luck, I hope it's ok.

[thescreensavers]

If the low oil light came on it might be very low on oil, I'd have it towed to the dealer. Do not turn the engine on at all.

[HackSaw]

your invoice for the oil change should list how many quarts of oil they put in

[dekee]

I had to put 4.5 quarts of oil in the car for it to register. I end up bringing it to another dealership to access damage. I'm just not convinced that I didn't ruin parts driving it so low on oil :(.

[Subcool]

Wow that is low! I would definitely make sure the original dealer that changed your oil knows this. Document what they say, Hope your car isn’t damaged, that sucks

[Gunmetalmissle]

Originally Posted by dekee

I had to put 4.5 quarts of oil in the car for it to register. I end up bringing it to another dealership to access damage. I'm just not convinced that I didn't ruin parts driving it so low on oil :(.

Maybe they used the old small block standard of 5.5 quarts. As long as you kept the revs down and didn’t hear any strange noises I don’t think there will be any damage. Also not sure how a dealer is going to assess any damage. If the car runs fine, they are going to just say it’s fine.

I’ve always had great experiences at local small mechanics and almost always terrible service at dealerships.

[Chazzz]

Sadly this isn’t the first time that I have seen this happening to a forum member. The last time the owner called the dealer service department and complained and they sent someone out to fill the oil to the proper level. Kinda Sad.....