Should the engine oil be filled to the maximum when picking up a new car?

[SaraLynn]

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.

[MacMatteo]

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.

[AdelineRose]

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.

[GraceLynn]

A decade of modifying cars has taught me a painful lesson: engine oil is like making soup—more isn't always better. Overfilling oil can cause crankcase pressure to skyrocket, leading to oil seal leaks at best, or in severe cases, piston ring failure and cylinder scoring. At a recent track day, I saw a heavily modified Civic suffer from an extra 0.8 liters of oil, causing oil to flood the intake manifold during high-G cornering, triggering the ECU's fuel cut-off protection. My advice? Use your phone to snap a photo of the dipstick level when you pick up the car and compare it before the first service. Remember, engine oil expands by 7% at 90°C, so leaving room for thermal expansion when cold is the way to go.

[StBrandon]

A practical tip from someone who just had the first maintenance: When picking up a new car, the oil dipstick level at 3/4 between the upper and lower limits is the safest. Last week during maintenance, I specifically noticed only 4.2 liters of old oil was drained (the manual states a capacity of 4.5 liters), but after half a year of driving, the dipstick level barely dropped. The technician explained that new engines have tight clearances, and excess oil increases crankshaft rotation resistance, potentially raising fuel consumption by 0.5L/100km. Adding oil should be like pouring beer—let it flow slowly down the inner wall to adhere properly; dumping it all in at once reduces effectiveness. Remember to check the dipstick every 500 km, and schedule maintenance when the level drops to the lower half of the dotted area.

[LeSophie]

I've talked to the after-sales manager at the 4S dealership about this, and they're most afraid of two types of customers: those who insist on overfilling the engine oil, and those who randomly add oil themselves before the first service. During the break-in period of a new car's engine, it generates tiny metal particles. Leaving some space allows the oil to circulate properly and carry away these impurities. I've seen a case where a customer brought their own oil and added 200ml on the day of pickup, only to have the engine warning light come on after two months. Inspection revealed flocculent substances floating in the oil pan – turns out excessive oil caused insufficient oil temperature, allowing impurities to settle and coagulate. Here's a pro tip: check the dipstick ten minutes after parking and turning off the engine. The ideal oil level is in the upper third between the minimum and maximum marks, ensuring both cold-start lubrication and leaving room for thermal expansion.