Oil level dropped to 86% from full - a week after collection
 

OK so we picked up our new petrol 2021 volvo xc40 t3 (approx 18k miles) approx 2 weeks ago, when we test drove the car we noticed that the oil level was showing full, no issues.

On the day the car was collected it had been serviced by the dealership, so I presume the oil level checked and if necessary, topped up.

Approx a week later, I was looking for something else on the settings and noticed that the oil level had dropped 12 bars, we contacted the dealership straight away being under warranty who advised us to take it to an independent garage, and check for leaks. We did this and the mechanic said that he could see no evidence of external leaks but could not rule out an internal one, albeit seeing no obvious signs.

Weve taken the car back to the dealership and their mechanic confirmed oil had been lost and it was now 86%, but again on inspection can't find any obvious defects. I believe they are going to test drive the car tomorrow.

I am looking for advice, if the dealership can't find any obvious fault, and the level hasn't dropped following their test drive, is it still a concern? Would you push / suggest for us to get a diagnosis directly with volvo? I don't know if it is safe to drive.

Is this a common fault? Can anyone think of any reason that could have caused it?

Thank you for any advice,

Dealerships don't always pay due care and attention to servicing work and it's possible that they didn't fully replenish the oil when they did the service prior to you collecting the car. You say you didn't check the level at the time and presumed it would be full (not unreasonable). The mechanic saying now that oil has been lost isn't surprising - he/she won't want to admit to not properly filling the engine in the first place. It's just possible that there isn't any fault.

You need to eliminate this possibility, so why not top up the engine oil to the full mark now and keep a close eye on it? You need to be certain that it is actually losing oil, and how much, before remedial action can be considered. I would only trust my own measurements, not the dealership's mechanic, who might be making assumptions.

Stan.

Did the mechanic top the oil up to full and did it register as such immediately afterwards ? If so (any any time your dealer is involved) I would take a photo as evidence of readings.
At this stage my money would be on the fact that it wasn't full at service.
I hate the way Volvo don't believe a dipstick is a good idea.

Below should now read 2023 XC40 Ultimate

By the looks a non volvo dealer serviced the car. The digital gauge should be reset when the oil is changed. Chances are the oil was changed and the gauge not reset. After 20 miles the gauge has registered the new level. A Volvo dealer would reset the gauge so the actual level and digital level match.

I would not be to concerned at this point, you have two options, monitor it at its current level or I would simply top up with 100ml and drive and recheck. Do this until the level reaches the maximum and monitor. Do not top up any more than 100ml a time to avoid over filling.

If the gage was showing full before the service (a week before which we saw when we viewed the car) and they've added more oil, why would the meter go down? I am a complete car novice, but I presume they wouldn't extract all the oil before replenishing it?

Annoyingly we didn't look at the oil level when we collected the car. It was only a week later I noticed it was 80% full. I have driven it circa 5 miles since noticing, I have just had a look on the photographs I have taken and actually it went up one bar over the last 4 days, now I really am confused!


Thank you all for your very helpful responses

What ever happens you need to start from a known base line and monitor. Drain the oil and filter and fill with 5 litres of volvo spec oil and reset the oil level gauge and keep an eye on it... That is what the supplying dealer should do for you.

If it was serviced the dealership (Volvo?) should have drained all the oil out, fitted a new filter and refilled with new oil. Just topping up is not a service. What does the paperwork say they did and has the service book been stamped?
Usually, buying from a dealership you get a multi point check list, ticked with what they have done, even if the car wasn't due a service. Just check it daily till you are confident it's ok.