First Service Visit

[Jamie James]

I took my FR-S with 1,500 miles to the dealership for hard shifting into 2nd gear. I also had the engine oil changed. After driving about 160 miles, I was in stop and go traffic... and could smell burning oil.
The next morning, I checked my oil stick... it was 5/8 of an inch over the full mark. Wondering if I have engine damage from too much oil added at the dealership.
Thanx Toyota for this 27 thousand dollar nightmare... that just gets worse. Please check the dip stick you IDIOTS!

[R.S-HawK]

I had a dealership put 7.5qts of motor oil in my engine during the 15,000 maintenance.

Never am I setting foot in one of those again.

Take the car back to them and hold them responsible.

[N1rve]

Originally Posted by Jamie James

I took my FR-S with 1,500 miles to the dealership for hard shifting into 2nd gear. I also had the engine oil changed. After driving about 160 miles, I was in stop and go traffic... and could smell burning oil.
The next morning, I checked my oil stick... it was 5/8 of an inch over the full mark. Wondering if I have engine damage from too much oil added at the dealership.
Thanx Toyota for this 27 thousand dollar nightmare... that just gets worse. Please check the dip stick you IDIOTS!

5/8th of an inch is barely over half an inch.... if you did a search someone else asked the same question. I used to work in service and we would slightly overfill cars because the oil filter usually holds the oil. If it is filled exactly, customer will complain that we did not put enough oil in the car because the oil is held in the filter.

You can just chillax.

A slight overfill will not harm anything. But 7.5 Quarts, that's WAY too much oil. That for sure will cause a frothy oil, and also not only damage, it also costs the company more money than it should.

[FirestormFRS]

Start it and circulate the oil without getting it to hot. Check it. Probably be on the full mark. Dipsticks are not the most accurate of measuring devices on the best day.

[Jamie James]

Wrong answer... When the car smells like burning oil... THAT IS A PROBLEM. The full mark is not there so you go past it. Too much oil will blow the main crank seal Mr. Oil Changer.
If you read the owners manual... the car holds 5.8 Quarts of oil with a filter change. and 5.5 quarts when only changing the oil. That is assuming you drained all of the oil out to start with.
You need to read page 242, and 245 in your owners manual... which instructs you to check the oil level at operating temp, after waiting 5 minutes. It also states NOT TO FILL OVER THE FULL MARK on the Dip Stick.

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by Jamie James

Wrong answer... When the car smells like burning oil... THAT IS A PROBLEM. The full mark is not there so you go past it. Too much oil will blow the main crank seal Mr. Oil Changer.

Hello Jamie James and welcome to our forum......

If your car smells like burning oil, after an oil change, there is a chance it's because some oil was spilled on the engine.

The folks up above were just tyring to be helpful; who are you striking out at ..... the posters, or the dude that changed your car's oil .. ??

Personally, I wouldn't worry about a half inch over on the dipstick ..... with our funky dipsticks, that may be within the margin of reading error.

If it really bothers you, I suggest you drain some out .... so you can get on enjoying the holidays.

Happy Holidays!

humfrz

[Jamie James]

Let me further Explain... The smell was not there when I returned from the Dealership (15) miles. The smell started after drive up, and down a canyon road... 160 miles post oil change.
I am not here to lash out at anyone... but to find other people who have information that I can use. Like changing Transmission with Synthetic oil to help a widely posted shifting problem.
I am a Marine Diesel Mechanic... so I kinda have an idea on Engines.

[N1rve]

Originally Posted by Jamie James

Wrong answer... When the car smells like burning oil... THAT IS A PROBLEM. The full mark is not there so you go past it. Too much oil will blow the main crank seal Mr. Oil Changer.
If you read the owners manual... the car holds 5.8 Quarts of oil with a filter change. and 5.5 quarts when only changing the oil. That is assuming you drained all of the oil out to start with.
You need to read page 242, and 245 in your owners manual... which instructs you to check the oil level at operating temp, after waiting 5 minutes. It also states NOT TO FILL OVER THE FULL MARK on the Dip Stick.

Not my title, but I've never heard of too much blowing a seal.

Did you read this part of your manual?

When checking the oil, look at both sides of the dipstick and use the
lower measurement to determine the level of oil

[R.S-HawK]

Originally Posted by Jamie James

Let me further Explain... The smell was not there when I returned from the Dealership (15) miles. The smell started after drive up, and down a canyon road... 160 miles post oil change.
I am not here to lash out at anyone... but to find other people who have information that I can use. Like changing Transmission with Synthetic oil to help a widely posted shifting problem.
I am a Marine Diesel Mechanic... so I kinda have an idea on Engines.

I'm gonna help you out here, and tell you what I did.

With a bit of luck, your incident you should be well-resolved if you go through the right channels as I've detailed below.

First
Gather all the physical evidence you can that doesn't involve touching the car (I know, it sounds idiotic, work with me here). Images will be your best option here. Oil leaking, dip-stick, whatever.

Second
Find a trusted, well-known, licensed business or mechanic, and take the car to them. Stay away from dealerships.

I personally took the car to a Goodyear Service Center where I've had vehicles worked on in the past. All their facilities are staffed with ASE-Certified Mechanics. The dealership had a hard time calling bullshit.

Third
Have them drain the oil using a measured container, preferably, while you watch so that you can take both images and video. If they're against this, promise to stay out of their way, and that you won't give them much trouble. It helps if you're a regular or have a friend or two that work there.

If the results of the finding are excessive, which they have to be if you're sensing the smell of oil burning, have this business or person give you a timed and dated report, which includes the year, model, VIN number and mileage. Have them sign it as well.

Fourth
With these documents on hand, call Toyota Corporate (http://www.toyota.com/support/contact.html). Speak to a representative, file a report. They will ask for a variety of details including the VIN. Give the representative as many details as possible regarding the incident. They will ask you what you would like them to do for you, just say that for the moment, you want to have the incident on record. At this point, they should give you a reference number. Write it down.

If you end up with a blown engine, transmission, whatever, you filing this report can single-handedly win you a fight when it comes time to file a warranty claim. This will hopefully not be necessary.

Fifth
Take all the proof you have, images, videos, documentation and walk into the dealership. Dress, well. You don't want to look like you just came from a Jay-Z concert.

Don't bother speaking with the floor managers, in their minds, they don't believe they get paid enough to deal with your "petty complaints".

Ask to speak with the service director. Be polite and clear, be straight forward. Give them as many details as you can while keeping things short. Walking in with a torch and a pitchfork will work against you.

Up to this point, do not mention that you filed a report with corporate.

If you've gotten this far, the service manager will most likely, in embarrassment, try to work something out with you. Try to be rational, don't act too demanding.

IF, you cannot come to a rational understanding with the service director (by your own standards). Shake their hand, thank them for their time and explain to them that you will be in contact with Toyota Corporate. If you do not have his business card at this point, now might be a good time to ask for it (or take it). Remember, you have all the evidence in your favor. If he doesn't try to pull you back in, just walk away.

Sixth
Call Toyota Corporate again and give the representative the case number that you should have been given the last time you had called. Tell him that you spoke with the service director at the dealership (names are key) and they were not very cooperative in handling their mistake. Tell them that you want to escalate the issue. At this point, Toyota Corporate should, should be in contact with the dealership in a matter of days.

Expect a call back from them or from the dealership.

Seventh
If you have not heard from either party in 72 hours (or aren't happy with the response you received in the call back), it's time to speak to the dealership's managing director.

You might or might no have to make an appointment, call the dealership. You'll want to dress appropriately and have the documentation organized, preferably in a folder.

Again, be polite. Explain all the details as clearly and as straight-forward as possible. Answer any questions they might have. Try not to run them in circles.

At this point, he will most likely attempt to make it up to you and apologize for the trouble you've gone through. If the service director doesn't know one un-happy customer can cost him 100 future customers, this guy will.

Eight
In hope, you will never get this far. Call corporate once again and speak to a representative. Try to push the issue as far up the ladder as you possibly can. No matter who you're speaking with, remain rational, never angry. If you're not comfortable with how the issue has been handled, and you feel you're at risk of a financial loss, lawyer up at your discretion. You hopefully won't have to ever consider this option.

The End

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by R.S-HawK

I'm gonna help you out here, and tell you what I did.


The End

Oh, my ..... THAT was quite a write up .....

humfrz

[Jamie James]

Mr Hawk,
Your advise is greatly appreciated. I will use this information, and let you know the end result.
Thanks Again,
Jamie.

[Jamie James]

Boxer motors are like Porsche motors. Having horizontal opposing cylinders allows you to build a flat motor, compared to other motors. That is why the FR-S corners so well.... it has a low center of gravity.
The sensitive result is the oil has less vertical drop, as it is circulated. If you over fill... the oil has no space to return to the bottom pan. This can create crank case pressure, and blow out seals, among other issues.

[strat61caster]

Originally Posted by Jamie James

I am not here to lash out at anyone... but to find other people who have information that I can use.

But you are lashing out.

Fact is half an inch is what, half a quart over? This is an era far removed from the Porsches that would have oil sit in the heads and puff blue smoke out the back for the first five minutes, you don't have to explain boxer engines to us, there are some around here who have owned boxers for longer than my parents have been alive.

The simplest answer is drain the excess oil and realize that you always have to verify work that's been done on your vehicle, odds are there is zero damage (like the 7.5 qts.). It sucks balls, you have every right to be mad, but if you're mad at us you'll just get it right back. Best of luck following Hawk's advice.

Just to double check the way you're looking at the oil it's when the hole in the dipstick is filled with fluid correct? For your situation the second hole holds oil and there is a definitive line of fluid above that. Every time I pull my dipstick out I've got oil running up at least an inch above the dots (despite not being to the 'full' mark), that's just the way the design works.

[TheLaughingMan]

Originally Posted by R.S-HawK

If the results of the finding are excessive, which they have to be if you're hearing the smell of oil burning, have this business or person give you a timed and dated report, which includes the year, model, VIN number and mileage. Have them sign it as well.

wat