Merc oil level - oops

Hi.

I checked the oil level on our 2015 MB Sprinter and noticed the level was down a bit, half way between min and max indicators. So I thought that's odd as it has only done 600 miles since the last service. So I added another 1 litre which brought it up to the max level indicator on the dipstick. I then took it for a drive to make sure everything was ok and thats when the oil light on the dash started beeping. What???? So I then checked the oil level indicator on the dash and it said Hi. I then rang our MB service centre and hold them what I had done. They said to bring it out straight way to them.

The MB tech said that the correct level is half way between to the 2 indicators on the dipstick and then he sucked out 1 litre of oil and everthing was sweet again.

Lesson learned.

Lesson learned, but not by Messrs Mercedes it seems. 

What's the point of a maximum level indicator which actually indicates over full??? Seems pretty strange to me - or am I missing something??

My wife's Skoda Roomster ran for a year with twice the amount of oil in it when the service (main dealer) technician forgot to drain the old oil first. The next years service was carried out by a mobile mechanic on our drive both he and the drive were covered in oil as his catchment container over flowed, no harm to the car amazingly.

Sounds iffy to me. Never heard of such a ruling.

On my A class merc car, after it returned from a service by a MB dealer, I was driving on a motorway when a warning sounded, and the display panel read "Excess Oil". I dropped my speed and left the motorway and switched off. On restart, all was OK. Took it back to MB. They checked and were very embrarassed. There was a litre too much oil. Apparently there are 2 diesel engines in these cars, and one takes more oil than the other. They'd screwed up, albeit that the addition of oil is computer controlled.

Give me an old oil filler can with a spout!

I wonder if there's a parallel?

Cymro

Our new Bourton had the high oil level warning go off after about 1000 miles whilst we were in Scotland. Stopped switched off and then on again to reset the warning and it didn't come on again and hasn't for the last 800 miles. 

One thing that irked me was the AdBlue. Van had less than half a tank when I got round to seeing what came up on the computer display. When we got home from the Scottish trip the level had fallen to just over a quarter of a tank. Dealer said that we got the van with the fluids as supplied to Autosleeper by Mercedes. I find it very irksome that Mercedes don't supply a full tank. Anyway ordered 20 litres of the stuff as the tank is supposed to hold 18 litres and managed to get 15 litres of the stuff into the tank. The handbook says not to go below 5 litres so it appears that I was under by 2.

Hi

When I checked my oil level on my Volkswagen Topaz last year it was a bit low. So I thought will look in the vehicle manuel (as we do not do) it said check when engine is hot. So checked when hot did'nt look to bad then. All the cars I had in the past said check when cold.

Hi.

I checked the oil level multiple times before adding oil as I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Half way between min and max on dipstick. I checked it when it was cold.

The handbook says the amount of oil between min and max is 2 litres so I added 1 litre.

Depending on what MB Sprinter you have you will have either a Yellow dipstick or a Red dipstick. Red means you have to check oil when it is hot and Yellow when it is cold. Ours is Yellow.

Cheers

Hi
An early service on our sprinter was done by a MB agent. Picked up and got about 10 K,s and overfill warning light came on. Went back and was told probably over filled by about an egg cup full which would be enough to trigger warning.
Latest service last month at a different MB agent I mentioned the above comment to them. Their response was don't even bother lifting the bonnet unless you need to fill the windscreen washer bottle. There is more computer capacity in these things than there was to put a man on the moon and it will tell you when it needs
attention. Suits me I wouldn,t even know what colour dipstick is in mine but I will have to go and have a look now as I am intrigued
Cheers
Geoff

I can't remember when I last needed to put oil in a vehicle engine although I do check it. The last few vehicles we have had all had a computer to do the checking.

Interesting comment re the egg cup full - probably a diagnosis of my warning.

naki585 wrote:Hi.

I checked the oil level on our 2015 MB Sprinter and noticed the level was down a bit, half way between min and max indicators. So I thought that's odd as it has only done 600 miles since the last service. So I added another 1 litre which brought it up to the max level indicator on the dipstick. I then took it for a drive to make sure everything was ok and thats when the oil light on the dash started beeping. What???? So I then checked the oil level indicator on the dash and it said Hi. I then rang our MB service centre and hold them what I had done. They said to bring it out straight way to them.

The MB tech said that the correct level is half way between to the 2 indicators on the dipstick and then he sucked out 1 litre of oil and everthing was sweet again.

Lesson learned.

I did a similar thing, only put in about a cupful but the "Hi" indicator comes on from time to time; quite often on twisty roads, or if I have to brake going down a steep hill. Not sure that means anything as it's also come on driving along a flat motorway too!