Do you prefer the old fashioned dipstick?

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I like having a dipstick to check the fluid level and condition without having to take stuff apart. Also a convenient place to fill without fancy pumps, and access to take samples without draining everything out.

That said, I would appreciate an electronic low oil level sensor as well in case something has quietly begun to leak while on a long trip.
 
broke off the the annoying orange plastic tip of my civic oil stick only to find a normal blade under the removed plastic...bliss.
 
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'06 SR5 has one nice trans..can't check it though and my service guy screams PIA when I order a F/F.
 
How I do it on my Farmall:

oilcheck.jpg
 
I prefer a dipstick AND an oil level sensor, although my last three cars have lacked a dipstick and the sensors have always worked flawlessly.
 
Originally Posted By: VeryNoisyPoet
I like having a dipstick to check the fluid level and condition without having to take stuff apart. Also a convenient place to fill without fancy pumps, and access to take samples without draining everything out.

That said, I would appreciate an electronic low oil level sensor as well in case something has quietly begun to leak while on a long trip.


I had that on my 1991 Ford Ranger 3.0.
 
The Buick has both -a really easy-to-read dipstick and a sensor that sends a "LOW OIL LEVEL" message when, I believe, ~1 quart low.
I still check my oil regularly, but it gives me some peace of mind to have the sensor in case I were to forget.
(It reads the level at each engine start.)
 
Stripping aware your DIY ability one step at a time. Wait for the self driving cars they'll drive them selves into the dealership once a month for a check up and needed service. Then you'll get a bill if you don't pay it your car will reposes itself!
 
What others have said here is probably the best option. Having both an oil level sensor and a dipstick. But if it came to one or the other, it would be the dipstick for me.

I'm not going to trust a sensor operating in such a harsh condition with the lubrication of my engine, I don't want to find out something's wrong when the low oil pressure light comes on either, that's insane. How much is it going to cost and how hard would it be to replace if it failed as well? Versus a stick that just sits there and lasts forever.

The only issue here is that people don't check it enough because doing so requires going under the hood of the car, that's a place that's increasingly becoming a place where people don't want to go. Just look at how they plastic wrap everything under the hood.

These days nobody knows anything about cars except old people, mechanics and people who care about cars like us. The young generation smart phoners could care less and probably couldn't name a single component under the hood, not even the engine. Having the access to oil level be inside the cabin through the infotainment system is what they perceive as being the future. Me? Get out of the [censored] car and check the dipstick.
 
Originally Posted By: JohnnyJohnson
Stripping aware your DIY ability one step at a time. Wait for the self driving cars they'll drive them selves into the dealership once a month for a check up and needed service. Then you'll get a bill if you don't pay it your car will reposes itself!



LOL so true
 
I asked a 25-year-old male co-worker his thoughts on the subject. His answer? No need for a dipstick because his car has an oil pressure warning light and an oil life monitor. He said that he watches the monitor for oil changes and beyond that, he doubts that the level will ever get low enough that the oil pressure warning light will come one but its there just in case.

He purchased his Corolla new, 5 years ago and has done nothing but oil changes at a quick-lube, tires at Discount Tires and he takes it through the carwash every week without fail and always leaves a 1 or 2 dollar tip. He never lets the quick-lube upsell him. It's Southern California. He parks in a garage at home and at work and prides himself on taking excellent care of his ride. It does look like a new car but I'm not sure he knows where the hood release might be.
 
Originally Posted By: OneEyeJack
I asked a 25-year-old male co-worker his thoughts on the subject. His answer? No need for a dipstick because his car has an oil pressure warning light and an oil life monitor. He said that he watches the monitor for oil changes and beyond that, he doubts that the level will ever get low enough that the oil pressure warning light will come one but its there just in case.

He purchased his Corolla new, 5 years ago and has done nothing but oil changes at a quick-lube, tires at Discount Tires and he takes it through the carwash every week without fail and always leaves a 1 or 2 dollar tip. He never lets the quick-lube upsell him. It's Southern California. He parks in a garage at home and at work and prides himself on taking excellent care of his ride. It does look like a new car but I'm not sure he knows where the hood release might be.


I'd love to see what happens when his battery dies and he needs a boost. I guess he'll buy one of those small rechargers that plug into the 110v outlet to recharge.
 
Scotty Kilmer has a video on YouTube all about those oil monitors and why you should not use them or trust them. Apparently he’s fixed and come across many trashed Engines over the years that didn’t get the message from the sensor and nobody ever checkd the oil. He doesn’t trust those things one bit and I don’t blame him. It’s nothing but a solution to a problem that never existed .
It amazes me the links that people will go to tall void a simple little task they can save them thousands of dollars and in the case of an old car completely destroy their car off for the sake of Avoiding opening a hood. If you’re that lazy I guess you shouldn’t be driving a car .
 
Electronic dipsticks are the worst thing to happen to newer vehicles. On BMWs, if I want to check the level, I need to drive it a few miles and let it sit while it does its count could take 10 mins or so. On Porsche, if the oil is cold and its not driven, it can take 45 mins to do a count, it cuts it down to 10 mins if the car is at operating temp. Whe I worked at BMW (06-08) we had an issue with the new oil level sensors they started with in 2006. They were calculating incorrectly, so they kept asking for more oil. One customer put 14 quarts in bc it was still asking for more oil, promptly blew the motor, and got a new one under warranty. And they are so sensitive to over full also, we put 8 liters into a cayenne instead of 8 quarts, and it actually picked up on they extra 12 ounces, so of course after he drove it 45 mins he had to come back and we had to take a half quart out. On a porsche, this turned into a half hour procedure, made us look bad, and caused frustration for something that wouldve caused no issues whatsoever.
 
I think the sensor is a good idea for people who don't know how to open the hood. They can simply check it while driving. In a sense it helps people who are not so "mechanically inclined" to use a dipstick.

Having only an oil level sensor is incredibly stupid though. It doesn't allow you to even look at the condition of the oil to check for coolant or water contamination without removing the filter.
 
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