Dealer left dipstick hanging out after service - how bad?
Discussion
Just got my prestige german estate car back from an oil service at the main dealer, a week ago. I can't actually remember if it is a BMW/Audi/Merc/Skoda/VW, I forgot to check what overly stylised shape the tail lights are this week. One of them anyway... another 2 litre turbodiesel that claims 70mpg combined and returns 39, you know the sort.
However, and back to the point, my daughter is studying electricity at school and I wanted to show her the alternator (look! coils of wire and a spinny thing!), so I did a rare thing - I opened the bonnet.
And yes, I had a fat chance of finding the alternator, but I did discover that there was oil sprayed all around the RHS of the engine bay - and the dipstick was sitting out about 6 inches.
Question is perhaps less of a rant against 'stealers' (actually they have been great otherwise, as have my dealings with other main dealers in general, and we are all human, live and let live I say) - but I am wondering how much harm this could potentially cause? Would enough oil escape when hot/under pressure to cause significant loss and risk damage? Maybe on a long hot motorway trip? A fire maybe, a la 991GT3?
Just so I know how wry to be on the phone to them, to maximise the chance of free stuff, obvz.
Cheers!
(Edit for Education fans: I had a 2CV alternator kicking about in the garage, so the lesson was a success after all!)
However, and back to the point, my daughter is studying electricity at school and I wanted to show her the alternator (look! coils of wire and a spinny thing!), so I did a rare thing - I opened the bonnet.
And yes, I had a fat chance of finding the alternator, but I did discover that there was oil sprayed all around the RHS of the engine bay - and the dipstick was sitting out about 6 inches.
Question is perhaps less of a rant against 'stealers' (actually they have been great otherwise, as have my dealings with other main dealers in general, and we are all human, live and let live I say) - but I am wondering how much harm this could potentially cause? Would enough oil escape when hot/under pressure to cause significant loss and risk damage? Maybe on a long hot motorway trip? A fire maybe, a la 991GT3?
Just so I know how wry to be on the phone to them, to maximise the chance of free stuff, obvz.
Cheers!
(Edit for Education fans: I had a 2CV alternator kicking about in the garage, so the lesson was a success after all!)
Edited by Johnny G Pipe on Wednesday 29th October 10:24
Wow people, you managed insulting and patronising in just 10 minutes. Thanks!
In 25 years of messing with cars - doing most of the work myself - I have never had a dip stick pop up all by itself. I have left oil caps off, I have had a oilbath filter canister leaking, it was horrible and smokey in both these cases, and the latter caused the oil pressure light to appear, presumably with the next step being seizure of the motor. So I simply wondered if it was the same with the dipstick tube. I check the oil on my dry sump Porsches with the engine running, and so I know enough not to panic, even though some of you seemed to think I was. I am not worried it has caused damage, but if I hadnt noticed, and done 1000 miles around europe? I thought I was clear on that, never mind.
The fact that BMW changed the oil in this car literally last week and I find the stick sitting out 6 inches, yes raises the possibility of sudden, humungously coincidental, abnormal raise in crankcase pressure, pushing the 'stick out..or on the other hand, the guy changing the oil forgot to push it back in. Hmm, which is more likely, sports fans?
Anyway, thanks for everything, and, mmm, do I know how to check the oil in a car? LOL, and GFY.
In 25 years of messing with cars - doing most of the work myself - I have never had a dip stick pop up all by itself. I have left oil caps off, I have had a oilbath filter canister leaking, it was horrible and smokey in both these cases, and the latter caused the oil pressure light to appear, presumably with the next step being seizure of the motor. So I simply wondered if it was the same with the dipstick tube. I check the oil on my dry sump Porsches with the engine running, and so I know enough not to panic, even though some of you seemed to think I was. I am not worried it has caused damage, but if I hadnt noticed, and done 1000 miles around europe? I thought I was clear on that, never mind.
The fact that BMW changed the oil in this car literally last week and I find the stick sitting out 6 inches, yes raises the possibility of sudden, humungously coincidental, abnormal raise in crankcase pressure, pushing the 'stick out..or on the other hand, the guy changing the oil forgot to push it back in. Hmm, which is more likely, sports fans?
Anyway, thanks for everything, and, mmm, do I know how to check the oil in a car? LOL, and GFY.
Edited by Johnny G Pipe on Wednesday 29th October 11:05
I'm not worried about the current oil level, and I know how to check it should I be. Really.
I am sorry, I WAS trying to be funny, and I was fully intending not to get the receptionist shot, because I like main dealers and we are all human. Sorry, did I already say that? Perhaps I did. I'm sure I almost certainly did.
I also mentioned that I was intending to be 'wry' over the phone, but really to let them know it happened and feed back that otherwise the front of shop experience we (my wife) had was very good.
wry (r)
adj. wri·er (rr) or wry·er, wri·est (rst) or wry·est
1. Dryly humorous, often with a touch of irony.
In my attempt to add banter to my post, I think I maybe did on reflection overdo the irony a little (e.g. 'to get free stuff, obz') and should have been a little more straightforward in my question. I am a proper bellend for not doing that. I also fly-tip, kick pigeons and switch on my fog lights when it is only a little bit foggy.
So, in an attempt to make everything better, here's my question:
If you leave the dipstick out of an average 2 litre diesel engine, and do a long motorway drive, could enough oil come out of the dipstick tube to cause engine damage? Yes a low oil warn light would come on but sometimes that could be too late?
Thanks in advance.
I am sorry, I WAS trying to be funny, and I was fully intending not to get the receptionist shot, because I like main dealers and we are all human. Sorry, did I already say that? Perhaps I did. I'm sure I almost certainly did.
I also mentioned that I was intending to be 'wry' over the phone, but really to let them know it happened and feed back that otherwise the front of shop experience we (my wife) had was very good.
wry (r)
adj. wri·er (rr) or wry·er, wri·est (rst) or wry·est
1. Dryly humorous, often with a touch of irony.
In my attempt to add banter to my post, I think I maybe did on reflection overdo the irony a little (e.g. 'to get free stuff, obz') and should have been a little more straightforward in my question. I am a proper bellend for not doing that. I also fly-tip, kick pigeons and switch on my fog lights when it is only a little bit foggy.
So, in an attempt to make everything better, here's my question:
If you leave the dipstick out of an average 2 litre diesel engine, and do a long motorway drive, could enough oil come out of the dipstick tube to cause engine damage? Yes a low oil warn light would come on but sometimes that could be too late?
Thanks in advance.
Edited by Johnny G Pipe on Wednesday 29th October 15:19
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