Owners manual lists incorrect sump capacity.

[jigen]

I just find it odd that this can get through without being noticed by VW. In the owners manual of my new vehicle it lists the oil capacity as being 5.8 qts with the filter. But according to the VW tech specs online it lists it as 4.9qts with a filter. Since my car was built on 07/2011 I decided to to change the FF at 1000 miles. After using a jug of M1 (5.1qts) the dipstick shows the oil at the very top of the "full" mark.

I just find it odd they can be off basically a full qt from what the manual says and what it states online.

 

[demarpaint]

There is a slim chance the dipstick is the wrong stick for the vehicle or calibrated wrong. It happens. Could be a typo in the OM, that happens too.

I had to cut the proper full line on one of my Ford dipsticks years back. I went to the dealer and pulled another dipstick from the same vehicle, tried that, and got the correct reading with that stick. I went home, and made a new full mark in mine, until Ford got me the right dipstick.

 

[Hermann]

2.7L 2nd gen Tacoma's have the same problem. Manual says 6.1 QT w/ filter change, but 5 1/3 qts will have it slightly above the full line on the stick. Its been a source of redundant threads since 2005 at TacomaWorld and ToyotaNation forums. Toyota's offical response is to go by the stick.

 

[boosted]

My alero says 4.5 qt. In the manual but 4 qts. On the dipstick is full? I just do 4.3 qt. To be safe.

 

[jorton]

Specs from Amsoil appear to match VW Tech Online.

5.1 quarts may be ok

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: jigen
I just find it odd that this can get through without being noticed by VW.

Sadly, printing incorrect oil capacities in owner's literature is more common than one would expect. For example, our C300 owner's manual overstates oil capacity by 1.1 qt. Sadly, MB's shop literature also contains the same error, so if an MB service center happens to change oil on it, it'll get overfilled, sometimes to the point where it'll show "check oil level" warning on the dashboard after extensive hwy driving. And despite me pointing out the error in literature to MB corporate, they've done nothing to correct it or to re-educate their service departments. Yet another reason to do your own oil changes.

 

[aquariuscsm]

My Z`s owner`s manual states 3.8! 4 quarts doesn`t even fill it up. 4.5 get it right to the full mark. 3.8 must be the minimum (as confirmed from people who`ve replaced oil pans on these cars). Factory fsm even states 4.5 for n/a and 4.8 for TT.

 

[Eddie]

My Mazda list the empty cap at 6.8 quarts and the refill at 6.0 quarts. The 6.8 is the factory first dry fill. The typical dry vs refill of .5-.75 quarts seems to fit the above discrepancies.

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: jigen
I just find it odd that this can get through without being noticed by VW. In the owners manual of my new vehicle it lists the oil capacity as being 5.8 qts with the filter.


I may not be able to explain the other instances in this thread. However, 4.9 imperial quarts is about 5.9 U.S. quarts. A sloppy Canadian or European editor could have easily made a mistake in conversion factors.

 

[Stephen_G]

on my 2003 sable, 5 quarts puts it right at the full mark, if not just slightly above it. 4.5 (as per owners manual)puts it below it by a little bit as well. So i just dump 5Q in there.

 

[jigen]

Originally Posted By: Garak
Originally Posted By: jigen
I just find it odd that this can get through without being noticed by VW. In the owners manual of my new vehicle it lists the oil capacity as being 5.8 qts with the filter.


I may not be able to explain the other instances in this thread. However, 4.9 imperial quarts is about 5.9 U.S. quarts. A sloppy Canadian or European editor could have easily made a mistake in conversion factors.


Makes sense to me!

 

[WMSmotorhead]

Originally Posted By: Stephen_G
on my 2003 sable, 5 quarts puts it right at the full mark, if not just slightly above it. 4.5 (as per owners manual)puts it below it by a little bit as well. So i just dump 5Q in there.


I get that on the Zetec focus... I just dump in 5 anymore.... don't even check the dipstick ... Line up 5 bottles, when they're empty, the car is full..

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: jigen
Makes sense to me!


I battle with that routinely up here. The manuals I've come across have generally been pretty accurate, but I definitely have to pay attention when buying oil up here. A small jug may have one litre, one U.S. quart, or, more rarely, one Imperial quart. A big jug can be an American gallon, an Imperial gallon, 5 U.S. quarts, or five litres.

SOPUS (and now Valvoline) seems to adore the 5 U.S. quart size (4.73 L) for their specials, which works dandy for me. They also sell the 5 L size all over the place. Imperial Oil (our XOM) loves the Imperial gallon, which works out to 4.4 L.

My Infiniti G specifies 4.9L, and a little higher or lower is no big deal. However, when buying for my friend's Cummins, one definitely has to pay attention to the difference in American, Imperial, and metric units, or one will be making another trip to the store, being over two quarts short.

 

[dave1251]

Originally Posted By: WMSmotorhead
Originally Posted By: Stephen_G
on my 2003 sable, 5 quarts puts it right at the full mark, if not just slightly above it. 4.5 (as per owners manual)puts it below it by a little bit as well. So i just dump 5Q in there.


I get that on the Zetec focus... I just dump in 5 anymore.... don't even check the dipstick ... Line up 5 bottles, when they're empty, the car is full..


Same here with a 2010 Focus. 5 quarts and call it a day.

 

[Whimsey]

Originally Posted By: dave1251
Originally Posted By: WMSmotorhead
Originally Posted By: Stephen_G
on my 2003 sable, 5 quarts puts it right at the full mark, if not just slightly above it. 4.5 (as per owners manual)puts it below it by a little bit as well. So i just dump 5Q in there.


I get that on the Zetec focus... I just dump in 5 anymore.... don't even check the dipstick ... Line up 5 bottles, when they're empty, the car is full..


Same here with a 2010 Focus. 5 quarts and call it a day.


My 1996 Zetec Contour spec's 4.5 quarts with filter change. This brings me to the full mark on the dipstick. I don't use any oil in my 8,500 mile OCI's so I'm happy.

Whimsey

 

[javacontour]

I was going to suggest something similar. Either bad conversions from liters to quarts, or imperial/US discrepancies.

The first change on any car I do, I try to measure what I get out of it, with some foreknowledge of what the dipstick indicates.

Barring that, add the rated capacity minus one quart and measure, topping up from there.

Originally Posted By: Garak
Originally Posted By: jigen
I just find it odd that this can get through without being noticed by VW. In the owners manual of my new vehicle it lists the oil capacity as being 5.8 qts with the filter.


I may not be able to explain the other instances in this thread. However, 4.9 imperial quarts is about 5.9 U.S. quarts. A sloppy Canadian or European editor could have easily made a mistake in conversion factors.

 

[artificialist]

My car has this problem. The manual calls for 5.1L/5.4QT.
The first oil change I put in a 5L/5.28QT container of oil in and the level was above the full mark.
The next oil change, I put in a 5.1QT container of oil in (Sold at Autozone) and the level was above the full mark.
Now I put in 5QT in at a time, the oil level is always above the full mark.

Who wrote this manual?

 

[TC]

I'm unsure why your Tiguan's manual is so divergent from the VW online data. If anything, I would have expected the manual to have the most accurate and vehicle-specific info, but the opposite happened. My 2008 2.0T Passat takes about a half-quart more than the manual cites (many VW owners will confirm this), but I believe that's more an interpretation than a mistake. Filling to the manual's quantity will get you to perhaps the middle of the "Fill to zone" (whatever they call it), whereas adding the extra half-quart will take you to the "Don't add more" mark, which is where most drivers would want to see it. Unless you don't trust your dipstick for some reason -- and there's probably little reason for that -- your dipstick should be the final umpire on the matter.

 

[steve20]

^^^^^
I don't trust my dipstick---if you were me, you wouldn't trust my dipstick either
Childish I know, but I couldn't resist