Checking the oil, I see it reads low, except if I rotate the stick, there is a line of oil on one side that reads nearly full. This is repeatable. Since tracking oil consumption is important, how do I get a reliable reading?



It was easier to see outside, but difficult to photograph...

Thanks for advice.

 

The stock dipstick is pretty crappy. If you do a search you can find a lot of tips on improving the reading, but it never worked well for me.

Many of us, myself included, have upgraded to the Cravenspeed dipstick. It's not cheap but it actually works as a dipstick.

 

I have always just folded a paper towel, lay it flat on my palm and lay the dipstick on it (even roll it back and forth). This gives me an accurate reading and tells me if my oil is dirty.

Thanks,

Rick

 

I pull it out, wipe it off, put it back in and give it a spin or 2, then pull it out and check. Works for me every time.

 

I would go by the reading in the second picture, and probably add some oil.

 

Ended up I needed a quart. The confusion was I don't drive it a lot, and I added a half quart not too long ago, maybe 2 months.

 

The CravenSpeed dipstick is nice but definitely expensive. I found a similar product on Amazon for under 20 bux. I did have to trim the spring to the correct length, which took me about 5 minutes. Just measure using your stock dipstick, Loosen but don't remove the set screw, cut the spring to length, reinsert and tighten the set screw and take your readings..

 

Ditto. Wipe the dipstick clean with one papeer towel. Insert the dipstick back into the engine -- make certain it's in all the way. Pull out the dipstick and lay it on a clean pape towel -- that shows you the oil level.

 

Lots of of threads on this question. This dipstick is hard to read due to its shiny finish and the S shaped dipstick
tube smearing the dipstick with oil any time to put it back in and remove it. However there's a work-around to it:

- use sandpaper to remove the shiny finish for a matte finish and thorougly clean it (use brake cleaner)
- park the car on a level surface in the evening before
- remove dipstick and place a towel onto the dispstick tube to protect it from dust
- place something appropriate onto your steering wheel to serve as a reminder or just leave hood open since no dipstick
- clean dipstick and check oil the next morning, ideally read it in direct sunlight
- your very first attempt will be the best (but only this first one will be necessary anyway)

I can guarantee you this will yield to a clear result.

There is no further modification to the dipstick required, no expensive dipsticks, no magic at all. Realize what's the
cause for the issue, then you'll easily get to the solution. It's the dipstick tube smearing your dipstick and the finish
of the dipstick. Only a matte finish will give a good contrast to the shiny oil. If both are shiny it'll inevitably be hard to
read. The oil will just slowly drain from the dipstick tube. That's why you want it to sit over night. Waiting a couple of
hours while you're on the job will likely serve the same purpose if there's a level surface. Give it a try it at least once.

.

 

leave it to a mini owner to make checking the oil way harder than need be. Jesus, that’s a lot above for just checking oil. Seriously all you need to do is pull the dipstick out and wipe it off, put it back in and give it a spin or two. Pull out and bam easy reading. Takes me less than a minute to check my oil so I check it anytime I let her sit for a few days. Hell I’ve even checked it everyday before driving, after my first oil change, just to make sure I had everything torque to spec.

 

Thanks Jason. I'll try that.

 

I creeped on your profile to find your intro post. With 75k+ on the N18 engine in your MINI, you will want to stay on top of the oil. These engines tend to consume oil, even when running fine.

My spouse's Countryman (same engine, 2014 model year) has about 65k on it and takes a quart top-up every two or three thousand miles. I change the oil no more than every 6k, and aim for 5k intervals. That's kind of frequent for a modern engine but it seems like the engine warrants it. The oil always comes out nearly black.

 

It actually doesn't take more than a minute. Half a minute to remove the dipstick, half a minute to read the dipstick the next morning. It's best (easiest to get an exact result) for anyone complaining about this hard to read dipstick. If you don't have any issues just pass on it.

I do it once a month. This minute is well spent.

 

hey, can you link me up with that dipstick?
Pls and thx

 

Link

 

The sandpaper trick made it a lot easier. Glossy surface +shiny oil= hard to read

 

this one is for r53.

i also modified mine a bit, with a fret saw, made 3 small indentations between max and min levels. Now, oil sticks in those marks.