Has my oil been overfilled by Toyota?

the dipstick can be tough to read, can you post pics both sides?

don't go by the streak, measure where the streak starts.

that being said, yes, most dealers overfill.

i'm shocked they use valvoline.

 

Remove and wipe the dipstick, wait at least 5 minutes, then reinsert and check again. The guide tube is notorious for drawing up oil when you remove the dipstick, making it near impossible to read the true level. The wait will allow time for the oil to drain back down, give you a definite/clear level. It could well be you're overfilled, but try this method first, see what you get.

If you want to check again, wait at least another 5 minutes. Check your tire pressures or something, to pass the time.

And yeah: check both sides, the side nearest the front of the car tends to be a little clearer I think.

I wouldn't worry too much about the Valvoline. FWIW, at my dealership the Toyota 0W20 is around $6 per litre bottle, a little cheaper for bulk. They also offer Mobil One, bottled, for around $11~12 per litre.

 

That’s what Eddys toyota in Wichita used.

Since they were the only toyota outfit within 45 miles, there were plenty of Toyotas running valvoline .

 

Sure you know this, but the folks working the Express Lane at the Dealerships are the same type "turn and burns" that work at the Quick Lube down the street. The slight 1/2L overfill will not hurt your engine...although many of the "retentives" here will tell you about how they loose 1-3 mpg. Synthetic Valvoline, Mobil 1 or Toyota "Branded" synthetic...they all work about the same...but I still change my oil and filter every 5,000 miles on our 2010 Prius, 2015 Prius and the 2017 RAV4 Hybrid.

 

Maybe dealerships using bottled oil are more prone to overfill, they don't want left over partial bottles? Our local dealership uses calibrated pitchers filled by metered bulk oil dispensers: no muss, no fuss.

 

Everything I've read or researched suggests an overfilled engine is absolutely not good, and potentially damaging.

But bottom line? You paid to have it done right. Which means NOT overfilled. I'd politely, calmly and sanely point it out, but I'd expect it to be fixed. Just like any other service I pay for, if I discover something wrong. Showing the dealership that the oil is overfilled, might lead them to apply higher standards in the future.

It would bother me. I'd want the oil below the top fill dot.

 

You are correct that by definition "over-filling" is bad and it should have been addressed "before leaving" the Dealership...but...1/2 liter will not hurt the GEN III engine at all. It's the letting it get to low because folks don't check and not changing it enough that causes Prius problems.

 

With all due respect, I personally don't know the "overfill" point where it goes beyond being safely overfilled and becomes potentially damaging. -I do know Toyota put a MAX mark on the dip stick and recommends you "Do Not Overfill".

I also know if you simply google the terms, Engine Oil Overfill, you will find a plethora of posts, videos, blogs and information all suggesting that with today's engines overfilling oil can be as bad for your engine as running it bone dry. I couldn't find one post or link that suggested that running a modern engine overfilled was a benign situation.

Most dipsticks read, low and MAX...I'm going to respect that MAX means MAX and anything above that is indeed above the maximum recommendation and thus overfilled.

Therefore my advice, is to go get it fixed. Correct level, trumps- "betting" that being overfilled is OK.

I also am speaking from experience here. When I had my Gen 3, the dealership did overfill the oil. I bought a siphon, small hose and removed the overfill and my MPG did improve. There are threads within Prius Chat that support the idea that overfilled engine oil does affect the efficiency of the engine. I don't feel it was my imagination, when my engine oil was overfilled my MPG dropped.

I continue this philosophy with my vehicle today.
I think with all modern engines today, overfilled oil is not a good thing. It's not a situation I'm going to accept in the operation of my vehicle.

 

I mostly agree and I respect your view "The Electric Me". This was not an attempt to engage you, or any party, in an argument justifying any paid service done incorrectly. I was just letting the OP know that it will be OK...and it will.

However...you will not find any documented proof where the occasional extra 1/2 liter of oil poured into a Gen III Prius "alone" has EVER caused any damage to that engine...and it won't.

 

Our previous Civic Hybrid was spec'd 3.2 liters (with filter change) and as far as I can tell the dealership routinely dumped in four liter bottles every #*##*$#@ time, till I finally fired them and went back to DIY. It survived.

@Bgustafson appears to be awake, hopefully will do a follow up level check with the pull dipstick and wait 5 minutes before checking method, and report.

 

Yep.

 

Don't understand "notch". How much above top dot, an 1/8", 1/4"?

Maybe 2013 dipstick is a little different? Here's ours:



BTW, the distance between the two marks is 1.5 quarts (roughly, actually 1.5 litres) and measures 1.5", so each 1/2" represents about a pint (~2 cups, 500 cc's).

 

Would you say the point I've marked with an arrow is the level? That's minor overfill: I've roughly marked "pint" marks on the pic, that looks to be about 1 cup overfill.

Interesting that they've revised the dipstick, maybe in a (mostly vain) attempt to make it less prone to smearing?

 

Anybody know what year the dipstick got changed? I've never seen the dipstick that Bgustafson has.

 

When you change your own, you know you got the Mobil1 0w20 that you bought for $22 at Walmart (5 quarts -- you use less that the full 5 quarts), and that you changed the oil filter (Genuine Toyota) from Amazon for $4 and that the amount is right (not overfilled) all for less than the time it took you to drive to the stealership. Overfilling is common and could damage your car. I do all my own maintenance for peace of mind and the health of the Hip National Bank.