During my PDI, (I would call it the PDII) I found the car had not really been cleaned well, mainly the dashboard and insides of the wheels, and there were also smudges on the headliner I didn't notice until I got home. Not a huge deal, I had planned to wash and wax it right away anyway, but the WRX I traded in was cleaner inside and out.

- The car had 11 miles on it before I drove it; I'm not pointing fingers, but I start to wonder a bit when I see all the postings by people whose cars had less than five miles on the clock.

- I forgot to question the $50.00 "Dealer Fee" I read about in this forum. Oh well, my fault.

- More importantly, after getting home, I parked the RX-8 in the garage, waited about 10 minutes, and checked the oil. Approximately two inches above the "full" mark on the dipstick! Alarmed, I called the dealer immediately, and asked what I should do. I wanted to drain some oil off myself, but I thought I should get the situation documented, in case complications from the issue arose in the future. The assistant service director said it would be ok to drive it in, (the dealer is about 6.5 miles from my house) after checking with a mechanic. When I arrived, the car had a total of about 34 miles on the odometer, 23 of which I had put on, driving carefully and under 4000 RPM.

I explained the situation to the assistant service director, and said I wanted to get it documented. A mechanic looked at the car, and confirmed it looked to be overfilled. I was asked if I wanted some oil drained off, and I decided to have him do it, so it would be documented, and I wouldn't have to drive it farther in that condition.

The mechanic, after finishing the procedure, said he drained about a quart, to bring the level a little below the "full" mark. (I don't know if he actually measured the amount he drained, or if he guessed) Before I left, the assistant service director printed out a $31.00 credit I could use for parts or service, and told me something to the effect that the issue wouldn't go on Mazda's records.

The credit was a nice gesture, but mainly, I wanted this situation to go on the car's warranty history record, in case the overfilling could cause a problem that would show up later in the cars life! I ended up writing Mazda a letter, something I'm sure the dealer won't appreciate, but I feel it was justified.

Hard to say when and where the overfilling occurred, but it should have been put right before the car left the dealer. Has anyone else had any such issues?

I think most of the cars do have mileage around the 10 mark. One reason I was told was that they had to run them when they did the port mods.

Takes a lot of talent to add an appearance package to a moving vehicle! :D

Originally posted by Magnesium
I think most of the cars do have mileage around the 10 mark. One reason I was told was that they had to run them when they did the port mods.
I have App Pkg with only 4 miles at delivery.

Stupid question: Just what does overfilling an engine with oil do to it? Specifics i mean.

Too much oil pressure?

I don't really know what effect overfilling would have on a rotary. Possibly too much pressure against oil seals, potentially damaging them? I know the eccentric shaft and rotors don't slosh around in the oil, (as pistons, crank, etc. could do in a piston engine if it was overfilled) but oil sloshes around inside the rotor, and maybe too much oil could cause foaming or excessive pressure. I don't claim to know for sure.

I know the owners manual says do not overfill, possible engine damage could occur.

KKMmaniac,

That extra quart of oil didn't hurt it for the amount of miles you drove. Especially if you kept it at a reasonable "break-in" RPM's.

By the way, my car had about 3 miles on it before the PDI, about 8 after. I think my dealer putting on 5 miles during the PDI was no big deal, especially with my NAV which called for taking it for an inspection/calibration drive.

I wouldn't be worried , if I was you, about the 11 miles you "inherited" on your car.

Originally posted by RotoRooter
Stupid question: Just what does overfilling an engine with oil do to it? Specifics i mean.

Too much oil can contaminate a catalytic converter and or the oxygen sensor. This will cause it to overheat and eventually fail.

The cat is covered by a healthy warranty mandated by the government for emissions, the O2 is covered by your bumper to bumper warranty.

I would hold onto the work order for having the oil removed. In all likelyhood the minimal driving you did is not a problem, but if for some reason there was one, the proof will come in handy.

My car had the appearance package also and only 1.2 miles prior to dealer PDI -- 3.1 miles after PDI.

Eeek, I checked my oil today for the first time. The car now has 700Km on it and the oil is about oh I don't know 1/4" over the full line.

Is this BAD?

At least it is not 2 inches that is insane!

By the way, I did write Mazda a letter. I received a phone call at work a few days later. The representative told me she discussed the situation with the technical staff, and they said, "just drive it. The extra oil will burn off in a thousand miles or so. Mazda rotaries will burn some oil" (apparently she ignored my explanation in the letter that said I brought it to the dealer right away and had the oil level brought down to just below full)

I made a comment something to the effect that my '85 RX-7 uses about a quart every 1800 miles, and the Renesis is supposed to use less oil.

Who is this Technical Department with whom she spoke? (and I did get a letter saying the situation won't cause damage, and was documented.)