Here's How To Check The Oil Level In Your Car In 1 Min.
The oil is used to lubricate all moving parts of the engine.
Be careful, because driving with too little oil can have serious consequences ...
Breakdown, wear and even breakage of the engine.
But how do you check the oil level in your car's engine? Rest assured, it's as easy as pie!
To help you, we have prepared this guide for you easily check your car's oil level in 1 minute. Look :
Click here to easily print this guide to PDF.
What you need
- an old rag
- a perfectly flat surface
- your car's engine must be cold
How to do
1. Check the oil level in the morning on level ground, with the engine cold. This is because when the engine has cooled down, the oil will flow back down to the reservoir, which makes the gauge much more precise. Don't check never the level on a hot engine, as you risk getting burned!
2. Open the hood and locate the dipstick. It's a metal rod that goes into the oil tank. It's easy to spot it, because it's always yellow! Prepare a rag and remove the dipstick from the reservoir.
3. Clean the dipstick with the rag and locate the two marks on the rod (as in the photo above):
- a "MIN" mark for the minimum oil level and
- a "MAX" mark for the maximum oil level.
4. Put the clean, non-spill dipstick back into your engine's oil tank to check the level.
5. Remove the dipstick again and check the oil level. The level must be between the MIN and MAX limits. If the oil level is near or below the MIN mark, it's time to do an oil change!
6. Put the dipstick back in the tank, screw it back on (if necessary) and close the bonnet.
There you go, you're ready to hit the road!
Additional advice
- When should you check the oil level in your car? It is advisable to check it every 2000 km or before a long journey.
- When checking the oil level, remember to put the gauge horizontally. Because if you tilt the level upwards, the oil can come down on the rod, which risks "distorting" the level and making you think that you have too much oil.
- Regularly check the lights on your dashboard where there is an oil level indicator:
- If the oil level indicator is orange, this is a sign that your engine is low on oil. Redo the level as soon as possible.
- If the oil level indicator is red,immediate stop! This means a lack or loss of engine oil pressure, which can lead to engine damage or destruction very quickly (within minutes).
- If you don't have a funnel like this to add oil to your engine, use a simple screwdriver as explained in this tip.
- Obviously this trick works on all models and brands of car: Volkswagen (Polo, Golf ...), Citroën (C3), Peugeot (308, 207 ...), Volvo, Mercedes ...
Your turn…
Have you tried this guide to check the oil level yourself? Tell us in the comments if it worked for you. We can't wait to hear from you!
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Also to discover:
20 Engineering Tips For Your Car.
Finally a Tip For Removing Oil Stains from the Garage Floor.
