lewdog Posted July 3, 2007 Share Posted July 3, 2007 I just had a 30k mile service done to my 04 auto. Forester. There are two problems that I'm wondering about--are they serious? Do they mean trouble for my car? I can not afford bigtime problems... 1. Too much oil. The range between low and full on the dipstick is about 3/4 of an inch or so. The oil level is at least 3 inches above the full mark. 2. Had new shoes or pads or whatever put on my front breaks and the rotors turned. The breaks now squeal quite frequently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RallyKeith Posted July 3, 2007 Share Posted July 3, 2007 I just had a 30k mile service done to my 04 auto. Forester. There are two problems that I'm wondering about--are they serious? Do they mean trouble for my car? I can not afford bigtime problems... 1. Too much oil. The range between low and full on the dipstick is about 3/4 of an inch or so. The oil level is at least 3 inches above the full mark. 2. Had new shoes or pads or whatever put on my front breaks and the rotors turned. The breaks now squeal quite frequently. 1. You parked the car on a level surface, shut the engine off and let it sit for 5 minutes, pulled the dipstick out, wiped it off, put it back in, pulled it back out and read the left side of the dipstick? If I shut of my engine and just pull the dipstick out it will look like what you described. 2. Drive your car, get is up to 35-40 mph, brake rapidly to 10mph. Repeat 4 times. Drive the car for another 5-10 minutes with out sudden or hard stopping. This is a general brake bedding procedure. (It's been awhile so people feel free to correct me if I'm wrong) Once the pads are bedded in the squeeling should stop. Keith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewdog Posted July 3, 2007 Author Share Posted July 3, 2007 My engine was shut down for about an hour when I checked the dipstick and it was on the level in my garage. I followed the procedure you described exactly, except for the left side thing. Am I screwed? I'll try the brakes thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WoodsWagon Posted July 3, 2007 Share Posted July 3, 2007 No, your not screwed untill the dealer refuses to do anything about it. Avoid driving with it overfilled, the oil get's whipped up by the crank and gets filled full of air bubbles. These bubbles get sucked up by the oil pump and pumped through the engine, and well, air doesn't lubricate very well. The tech's can put brake grease on the backs of the pads to help reduce squeel. If the turned the rotors but didn't put a non-directional finish on them afterward, that will cause squeel. Most of the on-car brake lathes have a built in wobble that helps give a non-directional finish. Take it back to the dealer and start bichin at the service writer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tcspeer Posted July 3, 2007 Share Posted July 3, 2007 I dont think that amount of oil will hurt, but I would drain it out soon. Squealing brakes will not hurt anything but your ears but I would do as suggested above and take it back and make them fix it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dude Posted July 3, 2007 Share Posted July 3, 2007 The dipstick is non-linear, exactly like a Subaru gas gauge. A very small excess amount of oil results in a very large change on the dipstick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RallyKeith Posted July 3, 2007 Share Posted July 3, 2007 The left side of the dip stick thing is because the dip stick goes in on a bit of an angle, and you get a wicking effect on the "bottom" side or right side of the stick. So it's usually best to pull it straight out and read from the left side, or the side that faces "up" when in the pan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edrach Posted July 3, 2007 Share Posted July 3, 2007 I just had a 30k mile service done to my 04 auto. Forester. Had new shoes or pads or whatever put on my front breaks and the rotors turned. The breaks now squeal quite frequently.New pads and turned rotors at 30K miles? What's wrong with your brakes? I've gone 70K since the last pad change and still have plenty of pad left. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtdash Posted July 3, 2007 Share Posted July 3, 2007 Our Co. car was an '03 Forester and the dealer did the brakes @ 32k (2005) for free....said it was part of the warranty? I was totally surprised/happy as I always thought after 12K it was considered 'owner maintenance'. Any chance your '04 qualified for this, too? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewdog Posted July 3, 2007 Author Share Posted July 3, 2007 Our Co. car was an '03 Forester and the dealer did the brakes @ 32k (2005) for free....said it was part of the warranty? I was totally surprised/happy as I always thought after 12K it was considered 'owner maintenance'. Any chance your '04 qualified for this, too? Damn. Not since I took it to a local mechanic and not the stealership. Would have been good to know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewdog Posted July 3, 2007 Author Share Posted July 3, 2007 I definitely will be giving them a call today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDW25gt Posted July 4, 2007 Share Posted July 4, 2007 The left side of the dip stick thing is because the dip stick goes in on a bit of an angle, and you get a wicking effect on the "bottom" side or right side of the stick. So it's usually best to pull it straight out and read from the left side, or the side that faces "up" when in the pan. I suggest looking at both sides. The lowest level is correct. I would confirm if the oil is high. Three inchs is pretty high! If high, drain some to proper level. Dont mess with the mechanic. Just dont go back! Its a stretch to call someone a mechanic if they can't change the oil correctly. The brakes. Try the bed in procedure. Check the www.Stoptech.com site for the procedure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schwinnbob Posted July 4, 2007 Share Posted July 4, 2007 I could never get a correct reading on my oil until I did what someone suggested which was pull the dipstick out preferably engine cold walk away. Come back 10 minutes later and then check it. Mine always looked way high until doing it this way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schlit Posted July 4, 2007 Share Posted July 4, 2007 I've had trouble with dipstick oil levels too. I wouldnt be too worried unless you tried checking it several different ways at several different car positions. Mine showed the same 3" too high, then the next day showed normal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brus brother Posted July 5, 2007 Share Posted July 5, 2007 Unless of course a non Subie tech actually drained the AT fluid and unwittingly overfilled the oil. I don't recall if you specified manual or auto transmission. If automatic, for peace of mind, check the AT fluid. If it is only a case of overfilled oil, I have also had Subie techs overfill my oil (generous fellows) and simply took it back for them to adjust. Lesson learned... check your car after service. As to a brake job at 30K, some drivers ride the brake and can result in early wear however, before I started doing my own brakes, I had "aggressive" mechanics sell me brake jobs long before actually necessary. Lesson learned... learn to do whatever you feel comfortable with and you'll have no one to blame but yourself. I dont think that amount of oil will hurt, but I would drain it out soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
torxxx Posted July 8, 2007 Share Posted July 8, 2007 The oil thing, it depends on if you've ran your car or not. The oil is going to read higher when the oil is warm due to expansion. It wont raise it 3 inches, but it will make a difference. And another thing these are flat engines (which a lot of mechanics arent used to) so they could have added 4.5 quarts and then started it to finish filling the oil filter (granted they primed the filter before installing it). Now the oil has pumped out to the cams and sits. You figure the cam cases and valve covers are going to hold 1/2 a quart or so. When they checked the oil after 60 seconds of running, it could have shown down 1/2 a quart so they added to top it off at the full mark. Now your car is a 1/2 quart full which will show drastically at the dipstick. The lil extra bit of oil isnt going to hurt the engine. I've had soobs brought to me with oil 5 inches up past full. Thing ran fine, it just had some oil blowby. Dont shoot the mechanic just yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.