[batfink]

The dealer told me there is no need to check the oil manually, just rely on the indicator light - when it is orange it means you need to top up, when it is red - stop!

Question came about as I am not able to read the dipstick - call me stupid - it is the most unfriendly to read, pourous, yellow color.....even the dealer could not read the level.

What is the go here? the dipstick readability sucks. I dont want to wait for a 'light' to tell me it's too late.

Thanks!

[Widgey]

I wouldn't want to wait until a light came on to tell me the oil was low
If you are having trouble seeing the level on the dipstick then I'd go to an opticians and get some spectacles
Really strong ones

[faster,Tobias!]

You may a bit of trouble if the oil is brand new, but after a bit and the oil darkens it should be much easier to read (??) I haven't had a problem myself.
As for the MA telling you that cr@p - I wouldn't be relying on that twits advice ever again. You could serious damage your engine even running it low on oil.

[Capsaisin]

Hey, that's funny. I have to remove my spectacles to see the level on the dipstick
No problems seeing it then!!!

[supa-dupa-cooper]

I darent check the oil in my new car.....not after the last episode

http://www.mini2.com/forum/faults-fi...pened-you.html

[SteveM3]

If you do a search you'll find a lot of people, including me, agreeing with you .It is a
design for marketing sakes so they can say it is different. Doesn't work half as well
as a standard flattened metal dipstick with 2 grooves cut in it.

[batfink]

Well, it looks like what I was first told was correct, although it is not really mentioned in the manual that I can find.

Yellow light = you are at minimum level and should top up.
Red light = stop you have a problem.

The dipstick is still provided as a matter of safety for the moment, I was told that the new engines for the BMW's will not even have a dipstick in future and rely on this type of 'warning' system alone.

I am having the dealer confirm this again to be sure.

Mine is an October 2005 build, not sure how long this has been the case.

[KPKalle]

I wouldn't rely on the indicator light. We had a member on here who trashed his engine because his was faulty and didn't come on to tell him the level was low

[SalemMINIDriver]

I also would not rely on a warning light for this. To my knowledge, the warning light detects a drop in oil pressure rather than a low oil level (has this changed for '05+ cars?). Barring a mechanical failure, you should never get to the point of oil pressure loss if oil level is maintained above minimum.

I would regularly check oil level. We went through over a quart in between 1st and 2nd scheduled service visits. I'm told that this is not uncommon for a new MCS engine.

Yes, the dipstick is useless. Tough to get an accurate reading, especially when warm, due to the fact that the convoluted three dimensional shape of the plastic portion at the end makes clearing the end difficult. Especially difficult with synthetic oils, which do not seem to darken significantly until they are of great antiquity.

[batfink]

hmmm...I guess there are two things...what the dealer knows (or what he has himself been told)...and then there is the truth....

[snuffy]

If I remember though, the member that trashed the engine did track days or something? Normal and even "spirited" driving shouldn't use too much oil should it? My oil never seems to drop a bit :s

[Tigger, Eeyore & Roo]

Quote: Originally Posted by batfink

The dealer told me there is no need to check the oil manually, just rely on the indicator light - when it is orange it means you need to top up, when it is red - stop!

Question came about as I am not able to read the dipstick - call me stupid - it is the most unfriendly to read, pourous, yellow color.....even the dealer could not read the level.

What is the go here? the dipstick readability sucks. I dont want to wait for a 'light' to tell me it's too late.

Thanks!

That has to qualify as one of the worst pieces of advice I've ever heard; if an oil warning light (orange or red) comes on that is not the time to think about putting more oil in, it's the last ditch attempt by your car to tell you that distaster is about to strike.

The oil on your dipstick is probably difficult to read because it is so new and clean. The 10 and 15,000 mile oil change intervals will soon ensure that the oil is knackered and as black as tar for most of the time; it will then be much easier to read

In the meantime, leave the oil a minute to settle to the sump and then remove the dipstick, wipe it with a cloth and then reinsert it. When you remove it this time you should see the curve of the oil clining on at the highest point it reaches on the dipstick.

Tigger.

[KPKalle]

Quote: Originally Posted by snuffy

If I remember though, the member that trashed the engine did track days or something? Normal and even "spirited" driving shouldn't use too much oil should it? My oil never seems to drop a bit :s

Not the one I was thinking of at least. He'd just been for a service and the dealer didn't refill the oil (completely) after changing it. So he drove for a few hundred kms assuming he wouldn't need to check the oil level before CRUNCH It wouldn't have been a problem if the light wasn't faulty, but .....

[dietcokeplease]

Quote: Originally Posted by batfink

The dealer told me there is no need to check the oil manually, just rely on the indicator light - when it is orange it means you need to top up, when it is red - stop!

Question came about as I am not able to read the dipstick - call me stupid - it is the most unfriendly to read, pourous, yellow color.....even the dealer could not read the level.

What is the go here? the dipstick readability sucks. I dont want to wait for a 'light' to tell me it's too late.

Thanks!

The dealer who told you this information is the real dipstick. Find another dealer pronto.

[dakini]

just a reminder to those that keep telling him to find another dealer: for some of us, it's not all that easy, as some of us have to travel several hours to get to *any* dealer or recognized service provider. just to remind people not all of us are from jolly old england or california where dealers are a lot more common. as long as my service department has a pulse, they're gonna have to do ...

batfink,

i agree the dipstick is harder to read than some. hopefully it's just going to be a matter of getting used to reading it. although, i have scheduled mine to go in for a free trip check before going on a long (2000 mile) trip because i want someone who is more used to reading these fluid levels to check it out so i don't thrash the engine.

[Paul]

I've delete Fred3's rude post and comments made to it. Please, if someone is being out of order, report the post, not escalate the situation.

[batfink]

I guess if you have dipstick it makes sense to check the oil, I was more annoyed with the design of the dipstick.

I went back to the dealer (the actual director....a good bloke IMHO..) with the various feedback made on this thread (didn't see the rude one ..), he repeated what was told to me regarding the warning lights and said it is true, as mentioned above he told me BMW engines will NOT have dipsticks very soon whatsoever.

Although he did agree he liked checking the oil manually himself.

He is going to check the official line.

[roland2003]

Hi Guys, always use the dipstick to monitor oil level. As a matter of course we always check the oil (dipstick) level when completing a GTT MCS Conversion.We are finding;-
1 in 3 cars needs topping up ,1 in 10 cars is near or just below minimum,and 1 in 20 is so low its off the bottom of the dipstick .Its difficult to check if the oil is clean, but make sure your not mistaking 'no oil' on the dipstick for what you think is 'clean oil'.
Best Regards Roland GTT

[Tigger, Eeyore & Roo]

Quote: Originally Posted by batfink

I guess if you have dipstick it makes sense to check the oil, I was more annoyed with the design of the dipstick.

I went back to the dealer (the actual director....a good bloke IMHO..) with the various feedback made on this thread (didn't see the rude one ..), he repeated what was told to me regarding the warning lights and said it is true, as mentioned above he told me BMW engines will NOT have dipsticks very soon whatsoever.

Although he did agree he liked checking the oil manually himself.

He is going to check the official line.

Even though dropping the idea of a dip stick and going to some king of electronic warning is unlikely to be as good I can see why BMW would do it.

There are so many users out there who never use the dip stick that a warning light is better than never checking the oil at all. In addition, if the car can sense the oil level and display it electronically, it should also be able to record and prove neglect. This would be very valuable in deciding if they should meet a warranty claim or not.

Tigger.

[insane*mini]

There was a person on NAM who just posted saying that the indicator light never came on. He just decided to check the oil and he was a whole quart low! I wouldn't trust waiting for the indicator light to come on. Just check it once a month or so.

Side question: Is there anyway of replacing the MCS factory dipstick for an aftermarket metal one? (or one from another vehicle)?

-Cody

Edit** And oh, what is up with all of this I'm hearing about MINI's not getting serviced until ~15,000 miles!? When I get my MINI I'm planning on running Mobile 1 Synsetic oil and changing it every 3,000 miles! Am I just stupid, or do other people do this as well?