Should the engine oil be filled to the maximum when picking up a new car?
3 Answers
New cars do not come with the engine oil filled to the maximum. Here are some details about engine oil: 1. It is not recommended to fill the engine oil to the maximum. The oil level should be maintained between the minimum and maximum marks on the dipstick. Overfilling the engine oil can lead to insufficient power during driving. 2. Engine oil is extremely important for the operation of the engine as it performs two major functions: lubrication and heat dissipation. 3. When the oil level in the engine oil pan is too low, friction between bearings and journals may increase due to insufficient lubrication, leading to accelerated wear and even causing bearing seizure accidents.
Yesterday I accompanied a friend to pick up his car at the 4S dealership, and the technician specifically warned not to overfill the engine oil. As someone who's been repairing cars for over a decade, I've seen too many novice car owners think that more oil is better. The truth is, excessive oil can enter the combustion chamber, causing blue smoke from the exhaust and potentially clogging the catalytic converter. Last year, a car owner insisted on filling the oil to the max, and after just 3,000 kilometers, the engine threw a fault code, costing over 2,000 yuan to clean the oil system. Nowadays, when delivering cars, 4S dealerships set the dipstick level slightly above the midpoint—when the engine is cold, it should just reach the upper limit of the dotted area. This is the optimal condition for engine protection. Remember, the 'MAX' line in the maintenance manual isn't a target but a warning threshold.
As a female car owner, I learned this lesson the hard way! When I picked up my first car, I noticed the mechanic didn’t fill the oil to the max, so I insisted they add another half liter. But afterward, the throttle felt sluggish. During a later maintenance check, the mechanic told me the oil level was 1 cm above the upper limit on the dipstick. The crankshaft churned the oil, creating foam and reducing lubrication, which could damage the engine bearings over time. Now, I’ve learned to check the dipstick properly: after the engine is cold and off, pull it out, wipe it clean, reinsert it fully, and check the level. The ideal level is in the middle of the dotted area—I actually get nervous if it’s close to the MAX line. By the way, during the first service, I specifically asked the technician, and they said new cars come with about 5% less oil than what’s added during the first service, leaving room for oil film expansion during the break-in period.
