I recently had my 2010 DB9 serviced at the dealer.

When I purchased the car it came with a one year CPO warranty. So when it came time for the yearly service I went back and forth trying to decide whether to do it myself and save some $$$ or have the dealer do it.

In the end I decided to have the dealer do it before the warranty expired...just in case they found something I didn't know about. Also, I purchased the car at one dealer and was going to have it serviced at a different dealer that is closer to me -- figured it might be good to see if two different service departments agreed on the condition of the car. I also wanted the driver's door and both window modules reflashed which can only be done with AMDS. Lastly...I wanted another stamp in my owner's book

So service at the dealer went smoothly -- no faults, reflashed modules, fluids changed, inspection revealed car was in tip top shape and no recommendations for any parts or service. That felt good. But the bill...I mean I knew going in it would cost $1000...but it still hurt to pay that much for oil change, brake flush, and inspection.

Well guess what...it hurt a bit more a few weeks after the service too. I hadn't been driving much after the service because of spring rains, but eventually I finished a tank of gas and went to refill my tank -- at which point I checked my fluids.

Oil dipstick showed the oil level was a good bit beyond the maximum mark!!! I stood there fuming a bit knowing I've been driving with my oil overfilled and paid a lot for it too. Drove home, let car sit till cold on level surface, checked again, and it was clearly overfilled (see photo).

So I used a fluid syringe and plastic tubing to drain ~3/4 quart oil out via the dipstick tube to bring the oil level down below the maximum mark. So it was only overfilled by 1/2 to 3/4 quart. I know 3/4 quart over isn't going to destroy my engine - it wasn't frothy or burnt - but it makes me upset the dealer did this and that I trusted them and didn't check earlier.

My lesson learned: #1 I'll do my own service. #2 If I do need dealer service I'll verify everything before driving off the lot.

Hope this might help others.

 

Your oil level checking process of waiting all night till cold is not the Manufacturer specific way of checking the oil level correctly. Usually its operating temp and within 5-min. I'd be upset if it was below for sure.

 

Thanks J doubleU.

I was following the oil check procedure in my owner's manual -- did they issue an updated bulletin? Any way I checked it...hot, warm, cold...showed that it was overfilled.

 

There may be some confusion because some may not realize the method for checking the dry sump Vantage is different from the wet sump DB9.

 

I guy I know had his Vantage V8 serviced with the annual plus brake fluid his bill was $2400! That is what he said.
Remember servicing cars is what keeps the dealers open their profit is the sale of a new car. If you have 10 new Astons on the lot you have one hell of a floor plan to cover each month.

 

I know my annual service will be $2,000 on my V12S for a fluid change, but otherwise (if you keep on top of these guys) service at Morries Aston Martin (Minneapolis) overall is very good. Not perfect but I get in right away and they have a quick turn around. I figure it's the price to pay to have a local (2 miles from both home and office) dealer. They also told me to get the oil level just right on the V12 is not an easy task.

 

yeah its sooooo hard to put an exact quantity of something in a hole... give me a friggin break, its an oil change not putting a man on mars! They are feeding you a massive pile of BS so they can charge you $500+ for an oil change

But hey I get my oil changed at the dealer too, only because I lack the garage space for a proper lift and wouldn't trust an indy mechanic here to do the job properly either

 

They also told me to get the oil level just right on the V12 is not an easy task.[/QUOTE]

You would think that the amount of service and oil changes they could count how many quarts it takes to be within spec. But then again someone can manage to fit a V12 Vantage oil filter on a V8.........

 

Had my oil change done at the dealer. Spoke to them about where on the dipstick the oil level should be and referenced the owners manual on the recommended process for checking oil.

The answer? We put in the correct amount of oil. Period.

In other words they do not reference the dip stick at all.

 

Wow, that must have been a tight fit!

 

You'd think, for $500, they could bother to look at the dip stick.

 

I do all my own service .
If you know the car takes lets say 8 litres and you measure in 8 litres then why do need the dipstick .
FWIW ...her 2007 BMW Z4 doesnt have a dipstick . It has some electronic widget that checks the level .

 

I do most maintenance and repair on all my cars. One of the cars I've owned for over 25 years so I know it very well. There is almost never a time that I can think of where I filled the oil and didn't make some small adjustments to the level by checking the dip stick.

I've had the electronic check too, It's fine, I suppose, but it doesn't change anything as far as making oil level adjustments.

 

I have never owned a car that didn't take less oil than specified in the manual. You can never get all the oil out, so filling per the manual will result in an overfill. ALWAYS use the dipstick.

 

+1-more on under-filling a little and then topping off using the dipstick to measure. After you've done the oil a few times on a car you get a feel for how much oil you drain out and need to put back in.

You'd think a dealer service dept would have a pretty good idea how much oil would need to go back in so being over by 1/2 quart seems a little much, but I wouldn't have been too bothered by it. If the car burns a little oil then better a little over than under.