I recently had my service indicator come on at 7900 miles on my 08 CS so I felt it was time to get the first oil change...scheduled appointment with dealer and when I picked up the car --they had charged me for 10 quarts of Moblle 1 and the dipstick indicator was all the way full!!! I called only to have them say it was OK and that the oil level should decrease with time..well in 7 months I haven't had any change in the level (always between the arrows) and so I asked them to take some oil out..well I went to pick up the car and they had removed 1.5 quarts!! No apologies , no offer for credit etc...just a blank stare..
I went in for an oil change and 380-USD later I get a crappy job done--one expensive car wash!! I am not going to dealers again and instead I found a local Mom and Pop Porsche service repair that says he can do all maintanence on the Cayman.... Frustrating!!
I think they train in Germany for the 'BLANK STARE'!
AJ,Is that a
Spyder
Avatar?
After reading your post, I'm trying to understand what has made you upset... if they put 10 qts. of oil into your car and it filled it up to between the arrows, then it's where it should be. You say that after 7 months, it hasn't moved downward, and was "always between the arrows" then it's still where it should be. Here is a picture from page 110 f the '06 owner's manual showing a full oil display...
Why would you ask them to take oil out? And, why do you expect them to reimburse you for 1.5 quarts of dirty oil they took out of the car at your request?
If this was your first service, is changing the oil really the only thing they did? Or did they do all of the inspections, read-out the DME, top up fluids etc. as explained in your maintenance book. If the latter is the case, then you got a deal for $380 - many dealers charge a whole lot more for the first required service.
Having a good independent shop besides the dealer is a good thing, but I for one, don't understand your beef here.
brad
Having too much oil in the engine can adversly effect the engine. A dealership should know this and made sure that the oil was filled to the exact levels. My question to the original poster is can an independent get reimbursed for warranty work. I for one would consider taking my car to a private shop just for the difference in what they charge for oil changes and routine maintenance, and not stating that an oil change is anything more than that.
Atlantis4, I don't think I've ever heard of a "Mom and Pop" independent that could do paid for by Porsche warranty work, or that could check for the latest Porsche electronic updates or many that had the required
PIWIS
. Budget service during the warranty period is most likely "you get what you paid for". Unfortunately a lot of leased cars get that kind of treatment and just kick the can on down the road to the next person who probably will be a buyer.
I don't follow the oil fill issue described by the OP either. The dealer will and should charge for partial cans of oil used. And if the oil was between the arrows as described that is where it should be. Maybe something lost in the description? Most importantly the OP has the rarest
Cayman S
with a "DIPSTICK" to measure his oil......?
You've described contradictory scenarios. First you say it was all the way full, suggesting the level was above the top arrow. Then you say that in 7 months it's always been between the arrows.
Between the arrows is ideal. Though above the arrow is not ideal, because the oil level measuring equipment is not 100% consistent in operation (due to thermal expansion and contraction), and because the Cayman engine holds so much oil and has a quasi dry sump, 0.4 qts extra is really insignificant, which is why they told you not to worry about it.
No, only dealers can get paid to perform warranty work.
Dealers, and probably most worth while independents, will do much more than a simple oil change. Here is the check list that dealerships work off of:
As Santa Fe pointed out, some of these operations can make a real difference to the future of your car. Particularly checking for and applying Software Updates and Service Campaigns.
$380 is really a great value when you consider the cost of the oil, filter, pollen filter, etc....
I know it's easy to jump to the conclusion that your dealership is robbing you, so many other dealerships have set that stage. But in this case, I think you may be overreacting a bit.
Save yourself the headache. Read the oil change article on this site, roll up your sleeves , and do it yourself. The only thing I can see having a gripe with is the charge for oil. Doesn't the Cayman only use 8-8.5 quarts of oil? That's all I used when I did my change over the summer.
Sorry for not being as clear with my OP When I bought the car the oil level was between the arrows---consistently Ideal.... but when I picked up the car after the first oil change it was way over the top arrow (all bars filled ) WHen I questioned the service manager he said it would be OK and that it would go down over time---my (albeit short) experience with the car is the car doesnt burn a lot of oil --and I worry about the long term effects of overfilling....seals etc.
I complained to get them to take some out and they said they took about 1.5 qts out(IT was that overfilled!!) I was upset that they felt it was OK to overfill and charge me for the oil I never needed.. I understand they do more than just chnge oil and the list as far as I know of all the other things they performed that day was done...but it has become a confidence issue now and the belief that they will do a good job for the money...
Careful this thread might get shut down
:hilarious:
Same thing happened with my first oil change at the dealer. They charged me for 9 quarts, which is what I suspected they put in. The level indicator was above the top arrow. The little bar was filled in.
I took it back and they said it's fine, don't worry about it, we know what we are doing, blah blah blah. I didn't want to argue with them. I know what can happen with overfilled oil. My car smoked with the oil this full (you know, the oil separator deal), when it never smoked before.
I drained some oil out, and now it is between the two arrows. Two of the three big bars are filled in.
My car no longer smokes.
Unfortunately these cars dont have dip sticks like on earlier models.
A properly trained technician would always check a physical rather than an electronic read out.
