The Skoda manual states' Check the level after the engine has been off for 3 minutes'.The Haynes manual states'Check the level after the engine has been off for 5 minutes'.

I have found if you leave the car overnight the oil level raises to a level ,which equates to approximately 1/2 litre,In other words if you were to top the level up after 5 minutes to the highest dip stick mark,next morning it will be 1/2 litre over the top mark!. What is the Official way of getting the correct level please?. I cant see garages or owners waiting till the next morning to get the correct level !!

To check oil.

Car on level ground

Engine off for at least 5 minutes

or from cold.

Modern oils can 'climb' the dipstick as they cool, especially the long life variable service oils. On my Mk7 Polo the oil would be inches above the max mark from cold, before wiping the dipstick and checking level, when it would be spot on.

I have always checked the oil level when the car has been parked overnight and is on a horizontal surface, wiping the dipstick clean first before 'redipping' to check the level. That said, I did check both my Octavia and Fabia to see if I get a different oil level reading using the Owner's Manual method, ie park on a horizontal surface; switch the engine off; and wait a few minutes before pulling out the dipstick, cleaning it, and then redipping to check the oil level. I didn't find any significant difference in results between the 2 methods which would lead me to change what I have been doing for some considerable time.