But this doesnt make sense Juan Carlos. I understand your "theory" that crossing the next to the top segment line if by anything at all could somehow trigger an overfill indicator, but 1) that assumes that the sensor actually works that way and doesnt require more than just 0.01 over the line to be read (that doesnt make sense as it would also assume you could be low on oil and still read full), and 2) that our engines somehow have that much water in the oil from condensation (thats a lot of water!). If actually true it seems that every single one of us would get the overfilled indicator at some point by following Porsche's instructions of filling the oil level up to the next to last bar.
Never had these problems when I used a dipstick.
[sarcasm]Well, that dipstick is soo heavy that Porsche had to remove it for acceleration and fuel economy! [/sarcasm]Never had these problems when I used a dipstick.
The dipstick, as you probably know, was removed for emission reasons -- crankcase fumes escaped from it.
I opened the hatch and drove for about 30 mins and oil came back to normal with fill level to one bar from the top. I don't trust that this won't happen again
You didn't give any details, but did you do the oil change yourself? If so, when you added the oil back did you simply fill the oil until you got to the last bar before driving it or did you run the engine adding the final oil slowly when warmed until you reached the correct level?
I cant explain why the issue would only appear 2,000 miles later, but the manual clearly states that the engine must be run and warmed up to temp before checking oil level. You cant just fill up to the next to last bar when its been sitting for any time and the fresh oil hasn't been circulated into the engine first (and you would have needed to wait at least an our hour to drain). As stated, mine shows one bar low after sitting for some time, but reads full once warmed up and checked per the manual procedure, so I'm assuming you overfilled the engine to begin with. This would possibly explain why it reads full after sitting but over filled when driven.
You're perfectly fine, just like I predicted. Remember it's an ELECTRONIC gauge. That means you're at the very top of your 4th segment, which is perfectly acceptable. But if you use your car for short trips, the extra condensation on your oil can trigger an overfill warning. On the plus side, that means your engine is consuming no oil, which is great news. You can waste your time with a dealer, or draining some oil, if you want. But once you understand you're dealing with an electronic sensor, your worries should ease. It's like checking a dipstick that shows right at the top limit, which is coincidentally where I always like to have my vehicles. By the way, I poured 9 qts on my car after letting it drain completely, and it also shows all 4 segments full. And finally, remember the correct way to check the oil level is as it's described in the manual, not when the car throws it. I pay no attention to that myself. If I want to check the oil level, I do it as I described (how the manual describes it as well). Enjoy your car man, Unless you have a real issue with the sensor, leave it alone. They're not prone to failure. But many owners are prone to not understand it correctly. He he. Take care.
Your first sentence made it obvious it had nothing to do with condensation
. Anyway, oil sensors rely on heat (the more the better) to work correctly. Sometimes in winter you can get erroneous info from the sensor, but again, I'd pay no attention to that, and do a manual check the way it should be done: flat surface, oil temp at least 200ºF, shut engine off, and check oil level a minute later. If you get an erroneous reading, then, and only then, you can suspect a defective sensor. I check oil level on my vehicles once a month, whether they have dipsticks or electronic sensors. That way you always know more or less where oil level should be. And if you happen to get a warning like yours, you'd know it's wrong.
Agree with comments. Some have suggested that I boiled off 2 quarts of water on the 350 mile trip to Vegas and then had the low warning. That did not add up because I was able to drain 10 quarts when I got home and I am very familiar with what an oil/coolant mix looks like and that is not what I drained. Also I drove 10-15 miles that morning, no incident. Then about 11 we headed out from the hotel and got the warning. BTW, had three green bars to start the trip. It had been that way since new.Your first sentence made it obvious it had nothing to do with condensation
