I took my car to a local auto service center to get my oil changed. I always bring my own oil and filter for them to use. I brought an new unopened 5 quart jug. My car only requires 3.7 quarts when changing oil and filter. I noticed after going home that I didn't have the 5 quart jub with the remaining oil in my car. When I checked my oil level it was above the max line on dipstick. I went back to the service center and told the manager that the technician poured the entire 5 quart jug of oil into my car. The manager used an oil extractor machine to suck some of the oil out. Before I knew this, I drove my car about 30 miles before the manager sucked the excess oil out. My car seems to be driving fine and never saw any lights appear on my dashboard. Did driving my car with 1.3 more quarts of oil for 30 miles caused any internal damage? I appreciate the time/replies/help in advance.
For that short period of time and miles it should not have hurt anything. If left overfilled for a long time it can result in damaging seals.
We don't know the age, model, or mileage of your vehicle since you did not provide any of the information asked for in the site posting instructions. However if you are not seeing any oil seepage or dripping beyond what you may have had before I wouldn't worry about it.
Hi Chuck. Thanks for the reply. I apologize for not adding the info you stated in my original inquiry. This was my first post. It is a 2017 Honda Civic EX-T automatic 10k miles. I will check if I see any oil spots on the street for the next few weeks to make sure everything seems fine. Thanks.
@jls If you are getting your oil changes at a quick lube joint you might want to look elsewhere. (A good independent mechanic is best.) While anyone can make a mistake, quick lubes are legendary for the horror stories that come out of them. (I know of an incident where a quick lube drained the car's transmission fluid and dumped 4 quarts more oil into the engine!) Also these days they frequently "drain" the oil via suction through the dipstick tube, which does not get all the contaminants out.
Overfilling engine oil can damage and destroy your engine's oil seals. If you catastrophically overfill it, the engine's crankshaft can froth up the oil and make it bubbly. Oil doesn't lubricate when it's full of micro-sized air bubbles. Lucky you noticed the overfill.
I'm surprised they let you bring your own oil and filter to a 5-minute oil change joint.
