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 check your car’s oil level easily in 1 min. Look :
Click here to easily print 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 and with the engine cold. Indeed, when the engine is well cooled, the oil goes back down in the tank, 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 is a metal rod that plunges into the oil tank. To spot it, it’s easy, because it is 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 dipstick clean and without spillage in the oil tank of your engine, 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.
And there you are, you are 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 warning light is orange, it is a sign that your engine is low on oil. Redo the level as soon as possible.
– If the oil level warning light 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 one 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!
Do you like this trick ? Click here to save it on Pinterest or click here to share it with your friends on Facebook.
Also to discover:
20 Engineering Tips For Your Car.
Finally a Tip To Remove Oil Stains from the Garage Floor.
