CedarZ4

Weather is NJ is finally turning around for the better and I got to put some miles on the C7. What a blast! After an easy 500 miles, I went in to the dealership to get my oil changed so I can finally release the beast. As many on here know, not many Chevrolet dealerships are able to properly change the oil on the Z51 equipped car without overfilling. I went in to a well-regarded Chevy dealership that has a Vette showroom to get the 500 mile service completed, thinking it would be done right. When I got home, I checked the oil and it was grossly overfilled (up to the letter A that is on the dipstick). Following the manual's direction to check the oil level (heat up to 170 degrees, shut down car and wait 5-10 minutes and check via dipstick) I ended up removing 1.5 quarts. I gave the service manager a call and she told me a corvette specialist was the one who worked on my car and the oil change was done electronically via a pump that measures out exactly 9.8 quarts to be filled so it should be correct. If this is the case, the only explanation is 1) they didn't open up both drain plugs and not all the oil was drained out 2) I'm measuring the oil level incorrectly or 3) they're pulling my leg. I made sure to check the oil level on a cold engine before draining and it was exactly in the center of the hash marks, leading me to believe they filled it without knowing the proper protocol. The service manager did seem to know that the dry sump oil system requires a special procedure, although she did say the levels should be checked within 2.5-5 minutes of shut down (I've checked at different intervals and 2.5, 5, 7.5, and 10 minutes didn't seem to change the level too much) so I don't think this would have much effect. What am I missing? They want me to go back to double check the level to make sure I am not 1.5 quarts too low now that I drained 1.5 quarts out. Does an "electric pump that measures out exactly 9.8 quarts" even exist? I've checked the oil multiple times and the oil level seemed spot on every time, but now they are having me worried saying I could be driving with low engine oil, which would be bad. Thoughts?

veni vidi vert

Damn. I don't have an answer but want to tune in to this as the same thing happened to me.

The only difference was I didn't follow up with the dealership. I just drained the extra oil and will go somewhere else for my other free changes.

08G8V8

Do they have Mobil1 in drums there?

Sounds like they most likely didn't remove the 2nd drain plug, or maybe didn't remove the filter?

kaufmansm

I had my 500 mile oil changed this past Wednesday at a small chevy dealer near my home in NJ as well. I had them only put 9 qts in and give me the 10th to bring home. when I got home and followed the procedure in the owners manual, my level was right in the middle of the normal range. No additional oil needed to be added. I guess they didn't drain all the oil before refill.

veni vidi vert

When I noticed the level in mine, my first thought was that they probably didn't do a good drain, but like the OP mine was a good quart over.
I'll be sure and have them put in 9 qts moving forward and follow up myself.

mikez06

totally.
One really just has to be so proactive and unfortunately know MORE than the service depts.
OP, was your fill with Mobil 1 full synthetic, or the regular dexos semi-synthetic blend?
Mobil 1 is the oil of choice for Corvettes and dealerships get reimbursed.
I stick with only 9 quarts of MOBIL 1 ONLY, never needed more.

Dif

Seems like they didn't drain both plugs.
When I changed the oil at 500 miles on my Z51, one drain plug let out 1 to 1.5 quarts.
The second plug let out the remaining oil.
I left the plugs open to drip/drain for about 30 minutes and removed/replaced the oil filter and put the drain plugs back in.
I put in 9.8 Qts of oil, started the engine and let the oil reach operating temperature and shut off the engine.
Waited 5 minutes and checked the oil level and it was right at the top of the hash marks.
After 2000 miles when I checked the oil level the proper way, it's still at the top of the hash marks.
Just my experience for what it's worth

kaufmansm

+1 on mobil 1

drs

I do my own oil changes now. I know it's Mobil 1. I know the filter is actually changed, and not over-torqued. I know oil wasn't spilled everywhere, I know both drain plugs were pulled and put back correctly. I know the correct process was followed, and filled to the correct amount. Unfortunately, this is the only way to ensure the job is done correctly.

Congrats on enduring the break-in period...

bbcb

shameful ...and these same " experts " change tranny's and torque converters ....
had the oil changed on my base C7 ...I think it is overfilled ...but the owners manual and the the dipstick ...are very confusing ....all I know that the oil level is at the very top of the upper hash mark ...and that is a heck of a lot higher than when I bought the car new ...

mikez06

Do you ever take care of any of your complaints? You sure have a lot of them that don't need any followups!

halt00

My dad owned a service station back in the day, and even then, the had barrel pumps that you could dial in the number of quarts. I used to use it when I worked for him.

Gymbow

That's exactly what I did and also found the level afterwards to be in the middle of the hash marks. I agree with you that they most likely didn't remove both drain plugs. I'll watch that next time I get an oil change.

jumross

This sounds ideal to me. The only person you can truly trust is yourself. My question with this route is does it affect the warranty.

If/When considering resale, I would figure that half the people would be put off by self oil changes while the other half would prefer it.

BlueDevilZ51

KemahGT

^^^It is the ONLY way YOU can be sure that it was done correctly^^^

...unless you stand there and watch over their shoulder. But if you've got the time to do that you should be doing it yourself!

2ooo-C5

Keep the receipts and a log book. The buyers who don't like that it isn't done at a dealer will love the detail and believe you are good at changing the oil cause you can keep records.

You can get a car fax free account and record the oil changes just like the dealer.

JerryU

Sold my other 3 Vettes on my own to folks I did not know. No one asked for the records so I didn't bring it up. If they did they would see the records in my Owner's Manual for all the maintenance I have done, including oil/filter, dates for cabin filter change, clutch fluid change etc. Also threw in my C6 Service Manuals.

For the last, my C6, the fellow brought his fiancee and she asked the questions, i.e. was it every in an accident etc. When she saw my street rod all questions stopped!

CedarZ4

To be honest, one of the main reasons I brought it to the dealership is because of the service record. I'm sure some will not bother, but I know personally if I were buying a pre-owned vehicle, especially a performance vehicle, I'd want to make sure it was meticulously cared for. It doesn't matter if the car was driven hard if all the maintenance was done.

Anyway, back on topic. I just got home and checked the engine oil again. Spot on, right in the center of the hash where I left it. So I am not really worried about my car "running on 1.5 quart less oil than it should" as the manager warned me about unless I have a super faulty and inaccurate dipstick. It seems that they didn't pull both the drain plugs is the most likely explanation, although the manager insisted both were pulled when I inquired. My main concern now is the use of Mobil 1. 08G8V8 brought up a good point that unless they have a drum of Mobil 1 (which is unlikely as most Chevrolet just use Dextros), how could they have had used an electric pump? I did specify Mobil 1 and the service writer said, "yeah, full synthetic." If I recall correctly, my receipt says "MobilSynthetic" or something along those lines... have to grab it to double check. For those who know they were given Mobil 1, what does it say on your write up? I'm confident my oil level is correct, but I may stop by into the dealership just to make sure Mobil 1 was used.

joemessman

Mine reads: 5w-30 Mobile1 synthetic
PS. Mine is a wet sump and first oil change at 7500