When is the best time to check oil???

[ahmed e bhamjee]

Hey

When exactly is the best time to check oil????

Cold or Hot?????:thinking:

Have read many things regarding this but some say vehicle must be COLD and some say vehicle must be HOT!!!!:banghead:

What will give the most accurate reading????

Thanks

 

[Peejay]

I always check in the morning before I start the car. Not sure if this is right. My thinking is that after being parked in the garage over night most of oil settles at the bottom of the engine and the dip stick should read more accurate.

 

[hennie]

does not really matter but the car must be on a level surface and motor off for at least 5 min
as long as its not more than 1mm under the full mark you're ok over the mark is bad news

 

[DonovanPorter]

i normaly check before i travel in the car or on a sunday when i wash my cars

 

[ambroseg1]

for most cars it takes much longer than just five minutes for the oil to move from the head to the sump, so I always say about 1 hour+ after you have switched off the engine.

 

[zaleonardz]

Best time is before you start the car, on a level surface.

Best time to change the oil though is when its hot, you clear out more crap that way.

 

[ahmed e bhamjee]

Hey Guys

Thanks for all the replies.

I also like to check in the morning.Its just that when i first pull the dipstick out,the oil is between the min and max mark,so thats cool.I put the dipstick back after wiping it off and then pull it out again and then it shows its just about on MINIMUM!!!!

Don't want to overfill.

Anymore info would be highly appreciated.

Thanks guys

 

[P1000]

The second reading after wiping is more accurate.

 

[Tumo]

The second reading after wiping is more accurate.

I concur. You have to read at least twice. First reading is never accurate.

That means you have got to fill up!

 

[ahmed e bhamjee]

The second reading after wiping is more accurate.

Hey

Thanks as i also feel that the second reading should be more accurate.Just feel that it should be checked only when its cold!!!

Thanks again

 

[e46 guy]

yip i check in the morning after car has been left over night
I once checked at the petrol station while hot and there was no oil on the dipstick??? the attendant showed me this and i knew for a fact there was oil in when i left the house. i told him to leave it car drove fine and when i checked the next morning oil was between min and max PHEW, checking oil while engine is hot could be misleading.

 

[DonovanPorter]

i never let the guys at the petrol stations check my oil or water , they are just human and could not put the dip stick in properly or the tighten the oil or water caps properly.
i prefer to do it myself

 

[zaleonardz]

The other problem with checking oil at a fuel station, by the time you stop (usually not even on a level surface) all of your oil is in the top of the motor, not in the sump where you take your measurements from.

So it will look like your "short", and you then overfill, which is just as dangerous as too little oil.

Also, you have no control as to what they put in there, very few people know what oil their car actually takes, and then there is the whole synthetic vs mineral mixing discussion.

Oil at a fuel station is not the best thing you can do for your car. If you really suspect the oil is low, pull it onto level ground and leave it off for..... erm.... 30 minutes ???? and then recheck.

Then we dont even talk about the cap replacement either..

 

[Sankekur]

I never let the guys at the filling stations do anything apart from filling up with petrol, as was mentioned they will put any old crap oil in, and as for water they'll put tap water in which is also a big no-no, should be a 50/50 mixture of BMW coolant and distilled water. Apart from that it I have seen on many occasions where they would top up the water of a car with a hot engine, spilling water everywhere in the engine bay. If you care about your car, then you do these kinds of things yourself.

 

[DonovanPorter]

if i could fill my own petrol i would they works so rough with the cars they dont care , the worst i have ever seen is a guys car was overheating big time , serious steam all over and the petrol attendant took a hose pipe and was sparying cold water over the engine to cool it down. i almost fell on my back

 

[Sankekur]

if i could fill my own petrol i would they works so rough with the cars they dont care , the worst i have ever seen is a guys car was overheating big time , serious steam all over and the petrol attendant took a hose pipe and was sparying cold water over the engine to cool it down. i almost fell on my back

I agree, back when I drove my opel they had to use the keys to unlock the filler cap and they would keep banging the keys against the bodywork, no matter how many times you would tell them not to do it, every time its the same thing. I am just glad the bmw's one open remotely, else I might have lost it on a number of times

I have also seen this pouring of water on engines to cool it down, but what amazes me the most is that the owners just stand and watch. Yeah its not that bad that the engine overheated and that you might have a warped head you also want a cracked block.

 

[DonovanPorter]

true i always open the petrol cap by myself and stand there till they are done.

 

[moranor@axis]

i check my oil, water and tires when the car has been standing over night about once a week... there is no point getting it done at the petrol station because they should all be checked cold

 

[Coisman]

imp:
Here's one for you...

My car was serviced 2,600km ago, on 89,400, now on 92,000,
so my oil light came on, checked and the level was so low I had to add a full liter of oil.(castrol slz i think.... :thinking: )
I called up bmw to ask what the hell, but was told and I quote: " It's normal for an E46 to use up to a pint of oil every 1,000km driven" :dropjaw:
Listen man, I drive a bmw, not a flippen ford, how the hell can be ok to use 500ml over 1000km????? :thinking:
So the mechanic told me, it's just so, I told him in 3 and a half years I have NEVER had to add oil to my car between services,
now just 2,600km after the last service my car has used a liter of oil??? :cursin:
I was then told that I must remember that my car has done 90,000km and it's normal... WTF !!!!!

 

[moranor@axis]

normal my ass i dont lose any oil and my car has done 170k

imp:
Here's one for you...

My car was serviced 2,600km ago, on 89,400, now on 92,000,
so my oil light came on, checked and the level was so low I had to add a full liter of oil.(castrol slz i think.... :thinking: )
I called up bmw to ask what the hell, but was told and I quote: " It's normal for an E46 to use up to a pint of oil every 1,000km driven" :dropjaw:
Listen man, I drive a bmw, not a flippen ford, how the hell can be ok to use 500ml over 1000km????? :thinking:
So the mechanic told me, it's just so, I told him in 3 and a half years I have NEVER had to add oil to my car between services,
now just 2,600km after the last service my car has used a liter of oil??? :cursin:
I was then told that I must remember that my car has done 90,000km and it's normal... WTF !!!!!