Hi,

I took my car in for it's 3rd service at an authorised ford dealer, who over filled the oil by 7mm on the dipstick, they say that is about 0.25 litres. They also say that overfilling by that amount won't cause damage to the car - what are your opinions?

I have little faith in the dealer as they also failed to correct the oil level, and used the wrong grade oil, 5w20 rather than the recommended 5w30.

Most dealers meter in the oil, which (assuming the old oil was properly drained out) is more accurate than the dipstick.

5w20 is one of the recommended grades for your engine.

Nothing to worry about.

I personally don't think the oil was drained properly because it was immediately too dark, to the point they suggested this is what happens to all diesel - even though my engine is petrol

Could be, could be.  How would you prove it without spending a load of cash on oil analysis though? Perhaps a dealer to avoid in the future?

5w20 is the only recomended oil for your engine now. as for draining, there is approx 0.8 litre of old engine in that wont drain out in various parts of engine. this black oil mixes with the new quickly.