Oil Level
 

From the search, I see that this has been discussed before, but here we go again . . . For many, many years I changed the oil and filter myself and made sure that it was right on the full line. Lately, I've been paying to have it done. This last time I see that the oil is a half-inch above the last small hole/hatch marks on the dip stick. Is that too full, leading to problems down the road?

Too full is bad. What happens is, the crank shaft as it is rotating, splashes in the overfull oil pan. I know it doesn't seem like it would cause harm, but have you ever slapped water surface with your hand? And at the same time, its churning the oil as it goes into it causing bubbles.

Is it going past where it says FULL?
Ultimately you want it around where the F is in FULL, which is right past the end of the crosshatch marks, if the oil is not going past the last L in FULL I would not really worry, it is probably around a half quart too full, if was a whole quart too full I'd drain a little out, as it can be bad like Mike said.
For piece of mind you could loosen the drain plug till a little oil starts to come out, then tighten it back up, and recheck the oil level.

Do you have a way to take a pic of the oil level on the stick?
If so post the pic of it.

If its a little past full I wouldn't worry about. If its literally 1/2 in to 1 in. over full then yes Id drain some of it. Posting a pic of the dipstick would help.

Some engines, take a full 5 quarts.....some only 4.5.....thus the overfill of 1/2 quart....

Some of the garages advertise "5 quarts and filter for $--.--." They should check each car's specs, but I wonder if they just dump in 5 quarts and say you're good to go? If so, they're playing a risky game. (For the record, my Bonneville takes 4.5 quarts.)

Anyway, as suggested, here's a photo. New oil doesn't show up real well on the dipstick, but hopefully you can see how it goes above the hatch-marks about a half-inch. My owners manual states: "Notice: Do not add too much oil. If your engine has so much oil that the oil level gets above the cross-hatched area that shows the proper operating range, your engine could be damaged."

However, under Checking Engine Oil, it states: In order to get an accurate reading, the oil must be warm . . . Turn off the engine and give the oil several minutes to drain back into the oil pan. If you do not do this, the oil dipstick might not show the actual level." Wouldn't this show a lower level on the dipstick because the oil was only allowed to drain down for "several minutes" rather than overnight with a cold engine as I do it?

Looks like maybe a half a quart too much, it should not be anything to worry about, but if you are worried crack the drain plug and let a little drain out, I always fill mine to the full mark, which is almost where yours is at, just a tad under that.

With the fresh clear oil and the lighting, it's not easy to see in the photo, but the oil is a good half-inch above the full hatch line. I'll probably take it back to the shop and ask them to take some out.

I called the garage and explained about the overfull oil. The service manager said to bring it right out. In a half-hour when I got there, every service bay was full. The service manager, and then the mechanic that originally changed the oil, checked the level on the stick. Eventually, he got my car in and drained some oil. Checking the next morning, I saw that the oil level that had been a half-inch over-full was now a quarter-inch over. Close enough.

Glad they were able to get it drained to a suitable level, 1/4" over is nothing at all to worry about, it should be good to go.