SL/R230: Oil warning light came on...oil level too high!
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 284
Likes: 1
From: San Francisco, The City By The Bay
2004 SL500R / 2003 BMW M5
Oil warning light came on...oil level too high!
Well, this was the first really long road trip for the SL. 1000 miles from SF to San Diego and back. So, we are about 5 hours into the drive and all is well. Cruising at 85 and one run to 130. The Central Valley is getting pretty warm, around 105 degrees. All of a sudden, I hear a ding and look at the display on the dash. It reads something like "oil level too high, reduce level"...what!? How do I suck out when I'm in the Central Valley and it's 100+ degrees? So I back the car off to 75 and the light goes out and I pull off for gas. Everything seems fine and we are back on the road. 45 minutes later, ding! Same warning. Back off and the light goes off. Does it one more time. Reach San Diego and was driving 3 hours without another incident. I next call RAB Motors in Marin and the totally useless service advisor says there is too much oil in the car...THEY did the last oil change! Then the advisor says the SL may have been serviced by an independent...NOT! I told them they were the only people who changed the oil! So, the SA tells me to get the oil changed in San Diego which I did this morning. Driving the 500 return miles will see it this was the problem. What irratates me is the SA tries to blame the problem on ME, bringing the car to an independent which is absurd. Essentially, THEY overfilled the oil and won't admit to any wrong doing. Sorry, had to vent.
Member
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 91
Likes: 1
03 SL500
Something doesn't make sense.
Most times the complaints I've heard, are where they forget to put in oil.
Dealerships generally don't mess up by overfilling because they familiar with the cars.
You should have had whoever you had the oil change done at in SD measure how much oil got sucked/drained out. This would have eliminated whether it is a sensor problem or if in fact it was too much oil. I would make the RAB pay for the oil change if was too much because I would have the proof of the volume drained.
Out of curiosity how long ago was the oil change done(date and mileage) and what is the current mileage?
Most times the complaints I've heard, are where they forget to put in oil.
Dealerships generally don't mess up by overfilling because they familiar with the cars.
You should have had whoever you had the oil change done at in SD measure how much oil got sucked/drained out. This would have eliminated whether it is a sensor problem or if in fact it was too much oil. I would make the RAB pay for the oil change if was too much because I would have the proof of the volume drained.
Out of curiosity how long ago was the oil change done(date and mileage) and what is the current mileage?
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 259
Likes: 1
2003 SL500
Had the same problem 3 times so far. Each time after having the car serviced and oil changed by MB. Even after telling them to watch how much oil they put, they slightly overfilled causing the light to come after driving at highway speeds. Got home sucked some back out throught the dipstick hole and solved the problem. When cold the display will read level is OK but it might still be too high when hot.
Glenn
Glenn
Senior Member
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 443
Likes: 0
From: N.Y.C.
05' sl 500
had the same problem on my 2800+ mile road trip. it only happened when i was cruising around 90 or so and it scared the crap out of me. i posted a thread about it recently and the members here where pretty helpful telling me either it was too much oil put in or a sensor.
i have the feeling it was too much oil as well because it hasn't happened since and it only happened when it was running hot. i think a faulty sensor would go off more often. but i will have it checked out the next time i visit the dealer
i have the feeling it was too much oil as well because it hasn't happened since and it only happened when it was running hot. i think a faulty sensor would go off more often. but i will have it checked out the next time i visit the dealer
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 284
Likes: 1
From: San Francisco, The City By The Bay
2004 SL500R / 2003 BMW M5
Changed the oil at the dealer and they checked the sensor and said it was fine. The sa said the monitors are very precise and just a little too much oil can result in a warning light. So, as a side note, the trip home was fun. One pull to 135, 3 or 4 runs to 120 and a few sustained runs at 100. The SL is extremely stable and pulls strong from 80+. A great deal of the trip on I-5 in the Central Valley was a sustained 85....at night of course. Thanks for the feedback. It's good to know I'm not alone with the overfilled oil problem.
Last edited by Dragoncoach; Jul 5, 2009 at 03:44 PM.
Junior Member
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 24
Likes: 0
SL500
Have had my car for 4 months and 4000 miles. I have had the oil too high alarm come on about 8 times total. 4 times in the past week though. Not sure if ambient temperature is an issue but its been about 100 degrees the past week. Every time it happens while I'm on the highway doing about 70-80. I've just come to ignore it now.
Trending Topics
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 284
Likes: 1
From: San Francisco, The City By The Bay
2004 SL500R / 2003 BMW M5
Have had my car for 4 months and 4000 miles. I have had the oil too high alarm come on about 8 times total. 4 times in the past week though. Not sure if ambient temperature is an issue but its been about 100 degrees the past week. Every time it happens while I'm on the highway doing about 70-80. I've just come to ignore it now.
MB World Stories
The Best of Mercedes & AMG
Manual Mercedes? 6 Times Sindelfingen Let Drivers Have All The Fun
Verdad Gallardo
Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 S Is Extremely Rare Example Modified by McLaren
Verdad Gallardo
8 Classic Boxy Mercedes Designs That Have Aged Like Fine Wine
Verdad Gallardo
Flawlessly Restored Mercedes 190E Evo II Heads to Auction
Verdad Gallardo
Electric Mercedes C-Class Unveiled: 11 Things You Need to Know
Verdad Gallardo
Mercedes EQS Gets A Major Update: Everything You Need to Know
Verdad Gallardo
5 Underrated Mercedes-Benz Models That Don't Get the Love They Deserve
Verdad Gallardo
Mercedes 300D Has Pushed Well Past 1 Million Miles and It Ain't Stopping
Verdad Gallardo
10 Most Reliable Mercedes-Benz Models You Can Buy Used
Verdad Gallardo
Newbie
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
2003 SL500
Happened to me. Since then, I change my own oil. When refilling, I start at a quart less than recommended full, ask the car if it's satisfied with the current level. When it says "oil level ok", I stop filling. Problem hasn't returned.
