Originally Posted By: zerosoma
I know people say to follow the manual, but when you get used to your vehicle you kind of know what to add - second nature almost.
I think my Prius manual says 4.5 quarts. I would NEVER add that much oil to it. 3 to 3.5 is my norm, and once I did 4 quarts and it read vastly overfull.
Hyundai says 5 quarts. I add 5 quarts and the reading is too high for my comfort level. 4.5 is about right.
Doesn't matter what lighting, what time of day, or hot or cold. Manual specs on both of my vehicles read too high on the dipstick. Go with what you know.
Same here. Each car model will be different and oil draining method will affect how much oil gets out. In my Mazda 3 the spec is 4.3 liters and 4 liters gets me to the full mark. I don't have to look at the dipstick anymore, although I still check it as a good practice, but the level is always at full mark when I add 4 liters. Also, 4 liters always drains out.
I don't really know what my Focus ZX5 specs, but 4 quarts always drains out and 4 quarts gets me to the full mark.