Borntorun04/17

Ok I know there is a lot of threads on this subject. Reading them have made me nervous. Made appointment at dealer for later this coming week for my 500 mile oil change.

CHECK LIST
1 Called dealer asked which oil they use . I was told Mobil 1

2 Installed permanent jacking pucks.

3 Do I ask them to NOT to fill all the way and top off when I get home or let them fill . If they fill is 9.6 quarts or what is correct amount.

Thanks Dave

footba4672

I have a 2017 GS. It took 9.8 quarts. My mechanic used about 9.5 quarts, followed the procedure to check the oil and then topped it off to 9.8. I would hope the dealer knows the correct procedure

Good luck

JerryU

The "correct amount" is defined as:
1) run the car for 10 minutes to get the oil hot
2) after 5 minutes of the engine being shut off, check the level
3) adjust to what is desired!
4) But don't wait more than 10 minutes to check as oil runs back into the pan through the scavenge pump and you'll get a false low reading.

Many dealers will not take the time to do all that!

FWIW:
The 2014 Service Manual states: Page 1-39, "All capacities (in table) are approximate. When adding, be sure to fill to the appropriate level. Recheck fluid level after filling."

Wet or dry sump it is the level that is important! Been doing that for 60+ years. When I was ~12 and helping Pop with an oil change, if I told him I put in X quarts, he'd ask, "What is the level!"

Your solution? Do what some others do. Have them put in 9 quarts and give you the 10th. Check when you get home. Few dealers and certainly not Jiffy Lub, will take the time to put an exhaust extractor(s) so the CO doesn't get the other mechanics up in arms! Standard C7 needs 4 to run the engine for 10 minutes in the shop! You will heat it up driving home. Info is all in the Owner's Manual, you need to learn how to check the level anyway! Note, many of us fill 1/2 quart above MIN-1/2 quart below MAX, your car your choice.

A poster mentioned they were told "they can not do that!" I'd be very suspicious that they were using the dexos approved oil blend they have in the Oil Change Bay in 55 gallon drums! If they have Mobil 1 in 55 gallon drums (some do but 99% of the cars they work on can use a dexos oil blend so they typically don't) IMO worth the cost of a quart if they won't give you one!

Patman

I am glad for two things about my upcoming C7, one, it's going to be a wet sump and two, I'm never going to take it to the dealer for oil changes. At oil change time I'm going to drain it and then dump exactly 7 quarts of oil into it and be done with it. I'm not even going to bother checking the dipstick when I'm done either (because honestly, even if it's a 1/2 of a quart over or a 1/2 of a quart low it's not going to hurt a thing)

corvetteflier

Wet sump is checked cold, dry sump hot, per manual. Have 4 free changes for my '18, and my Dealer always did a good job with my '13's free changes, so have no problem with them doing it, although I do prefer to do it myself. Will get the first around 750, then around 2000. Won't be putting the mileage on the car, so will time it to get all 4.

yeller z06

It's a shame that something as basic and simple as an oil change causes so many owners distress.

And yes, I've gone ahead and bought the jack pucks too. No point in taking chances.

VetteDrmr

FYI, GM's Dexos oil changed over to a full synthetic earlier this year, probably around April. So that main problem will go away as old inventory stocks do.

Have a good one,
Mike

Hopper12

We've had multiple oil changes done at our dealer on our Z51 and GS. No problem ever. They use the pucks, and put 9 qts in and give us the 10th and I top if off after I get home and check it. Put an extra .5 in and call it good.

DickieDoo

Just be sure your GM dealer has a certified corvette tech and insist that he does the oil changes, then you have nothing to worry about.

Borntorun04/17

Thanks for all the responses. I going to ask them to fill 9 qts and give me the 10th and I will top off when I get home. I did check they do have a certified Corvettes techs. I agree about not taking a chance regarding pucks that's why I got the permanent didn't what to chance them not having them or not using temp pucks. Time to get this oil change done with !Dave

speedlink

Pretty hard to get the GM Certified Tech to do the oil change. Usually the $15/hour kid does that. It could happen though.

glava2876

Probably different dealer to dealer, but my dealer has a certified Corvette tech and he is the ONLY one that changes the oil in the Corvettes - I know because they have a 1/2 block wall and I can go out and watch him do it. Also talked to him, which is when he gave me credit for installing lift pucks and a catch can.

smajicek

I always tell the dealer to put 9 quarts only into my Z51 and it is right on the correct level every-time.

JerryU

Good approach! Understanding what the "mechanics helper" that often operates the oil change bay indicates why your approach is logical.

The service manger may buy whatever the least expensive dexos approved oil in 55 gallon drums he can, he's running his part of the business. 98+% of the cars they service can use that oil. To fill the car with that oil he just sets a dial on the pump, pulls a trigger and it fills to the "volume" he set. Easy enough in a wet sump, as 98+% of the cars he services are, to check the level and add a bit more where needed.

In many dealers, to use Mobil 1 they have to go to the parts department and check it out, then carry 10 quarts of oil back to their work station. Then open each bottle and pour it in. Running the engine until the oil is hot is a PIA. Using a watch to wait 5 minutes to check the level but no more than 10 means he's doing nothing else!

Easy enough to check the level when you get home and fill to the level you desire!

smajicek

I bring 9 quarts of mobil 1 from Costco, my own oil filter and tell them to drain and fill with my oil, Price $29.95 labor

JerryU

Funny story about Oil level vs Oil volume:

Assembled the 502/502 engine in my street rod from some 30 boxes that came in the crate from GM. Heads, rocker arms, lifters, push rods, manifold, carb, starter etc all separate.

After it was installed in my ProStreet '34 Sedan with Sanderson long tube headers was ready to fill with oil. Looked at the instructions and it said "fill to the oil level on the dip stick-NO estimated volume provided!"

Great but the dip stick tube that come with the engine would not fit around the long tube headers so used a Lokar billet aluminum short stub handle that fit flush with the engine! However it was a "calibrate the oil level yourself" buy trimming the top end of the Nylon dip stick to where you want the level to read, insert in handle and tighten a set screw!

Had to calculate how far in the supplied GM dip stick would go into the pan and set the Lokar accodingly!

histoy

Does anyone know the capacity of the wet sump itself? When I had my first oil change the bill said it took 9.2 qts and I was charged for 10, as I would expect. Our dealership has Mobil 1 in bulk, not in quarts. The oil level read correct when I got home, but I questioned in my mind if the tech actually drained the wet sump, because the total capacity is around 9.8 qts. as noted above.

JerryU

^^^
You can look in the Owner's Manual, good to do for a lot of reasons. Then read my post #3.

It's not volume that is important, wet sump or dry. Excess oil in a wet sump could put the oil level too close to the spinning crack and rods! Makes a good mixmaster and aerates the oil! Not good. Many cars state overfilling is worse than an underfill.

The Ower's Manual (page 231 in the PDF 2017 version) has a Caution. It says overfilling can damage the engine and excess above the hatched area should be removed! One quart down will not be a problem as that is when it says to add a quart when at the lower cross hatched area. So check when you get home if the mechanics helper who works the oil change bay won't take the time.

The Owners Manual also says for wet sumps wait 2 hours before checking. If you can't wait (read as mechcanic in oil change bay) wait at least 15 minutes. That is to let the oil drain down so you get a good reading. That is also the time it takes minimum for oil to fully drain from the engine. Want to bet the mechanic pulls it in and pulls the drain plug. Then if they incorrectly just fill by volume you'll have an overfill.

Wet sump owners should not feel so smug! If you can get past the cracked rocker panels it can still be overfilled!

PS: Page 312 of the PDF version of the 2017 Owner's Manual says a wet sump takes 7.0 quarts! If they really put in 9.2 quarts (what the table says is an "Estimate" for a dry sump) they overfilled by 2.2 quarts! If you're checking correctly then they just billed you for 3 quarts they didn't use! Hope it's just a billing error!

histoy

My mistake Jerry U. My car has a dry sump, not a wet sump. I had a severe case of "dumb ***" when I made this post.

I guess I was trying to figure out in my mind if the lube tech may have pulled only 1 of the drain plugs from the oil pan. I was trying to figure out why 0.6 qt. apparently was left in the engine during the oil change.

Red Mist Rulz

My manual says only this. Nothing about checking cold. That seems to be a change for 2017.