TDi 110 oil levels

[Lenny the Leon]

My other half collected her new Leon 110 Tdi SE from Motorhouse2000 in Cannock on Wednesday last. The price was good (under 12K on the road), as was the spec (2003 MY, full UK spec plus single CD and trip computer) and best of all, they had a yellow one in stock so she didn't have to wait for delivery. She's always wanted another yellow car (she had a yellow MGB when we first met) and our daughter, who is a BIG Norwich City fan, is over the moon!.

It's our first SEAT, and this is my first posting on this site (which is soooo much livelier than the Volvo Owners Club site - our other car's a V70 TDi). I haven't got the hang of the smiley faces yet - I'll have to get the kids to show me how to use them!

Anyway, to get back to the point, the people at Motorhouse couldn't find the Manual, service book or spare key, and as it was getting late and the missus had to drive back from Cannock to the wilds of East Anglia, she left without them. They have given her a written undertaking to send them on, but I'll believe it when I see it/them!

On checking the fluid levels today, I think that the oil level may be too high, but without the Manual I'm not sure whether or not I should be soiling myself. The dipstick has an indented and hatched area near the end which would normally indicate the max and min levels, but it seems very narrow to me (only 1 cm in length). The oil level is currently around 2cm above the top of the indented area.

There is a sticker under the bonnet giving dire warnings of the dangers of overfilling the oil. Should I drain some of the oil off to avoid damaging the cat, or is this level within tolerances?

Hope someone out there can put my mind at rest.

Thanks

Gareth

[Brian27]

Hi Gareth and welcome to the site.

Others may correct me but I think if nothing has happened during the long drive home, then it's not going to.

New engines can use a fair amount of oil early in their life so having a bit extra in it may compensate!

BTW, one important thing to check is the tyre pressures. Leon's are transported with 45psi and should be reduced to the correct pressures when PDI'd, this is often not done! :eek:

Enjoy the site and your car.

:cheers:

[prc]

Hi Gareth welcome on board.
I would definitely not run with that much oil in the car. On TDI's it's OF EXTREME IMPORTANCE not to run over the indented part of the dip stick. At the moment I can't remember why, but was told by a trillion mechanics that you can run serious risk of engine damage.
Brian is right, the car will use quite a bit from new, but you must keep it below the indents.

[muddyboots]

Gareth

Don't take this as an insult, but....

Was the car on level ground, with the engine stopped for at least a few minutes?
Did you wipe the dipstick clean before re-checking ?

Obvious points, but you never know :)

2cm is quite a long way over the max.

[aceman]

Just checked my oil level after reading this thread and my 130PD engine (two & half week old) is showing just at the top of the indentation after being stood for 4-5 hours. Looks like yours is way overfilled so I would contact your dealer ASAP and complain that it hasn't been PDI'd properly.

:eek:

P.S. Welcome to the site, hope you find as useful as myself.

[prc]

Originally posted by Brian27

BTW, one important thing to check is the tyre pressures. Leon's are transported with 45psi and should be reduced to the correct pressures when PDI'd, this is often not done! :eek:

Enjoy the site and your car.

:cheers:

I think all car's come this way.
Gareth, you won't be able to drain the oil, it's usually sucked up via the top of the motor. The sump has a plastic cover over it so doing it via the sump means removing the plastic cover, which is a b#tch to do.