I agree. The important thing is to do it consistently and according to the manual. For example, a previous car of mine (BMW 130i) had no dipstick, only a level sensor. This would only work when the engine was up to temperature and running. Another previous car (RX-8) had to have the oil checked every third fuel fill, after the engine had been stood for five minutes.

Most oil will have drained back to the sump in a few minutes after shut-down; waiting any longer will barely change the level. However, hot oil will measure more than cold due to thermal expansion (by a couple of percent).

Just checked the manual for the Yeti. It specifies that the engine is at working temperature and left for "a few minutes" before checking the level.

I'm guessing that if left, the oil eventually drains out of the filter back into the sump. So by checking within a few minutes of stopping the engine at working temperature, the canister will still be full but given how thin 5w30 is when hot, most of the rest of the oil in the engine will have drained back into the sump quite quickly.

Every (petrol) Yeti I've heard sounds horrible for the first few seconds when started from absolutely cold, until oil refills the filter & pressurises the top of the engine. Not just Yetis either, most modern VAG cars do likewise, though not as obtrusively as BMW Minis!

I can't tell if it's the same for Yeti diesels due to the racket they make anyway at startup!

As Weasley says, do it by the manual.

Hi all, I don't know if this helps but diesels of old could, in cold weather, get fuel running into the sump and thus rising the oil level.

I don't know if this is a possibility here.

Regarding reducing the oil level, I use a Pela oil pump. There are mixed views on these but many front line dealers use them including, I think, BMW and M-B.

It's clean and quick with a far reduced chance of spillage.

These are intended for boats and as a boat-owning friend of mine said, you can't get to the sump plug on a boat without either removing the engine(s) or turning the bat upside down.

John

Fuel dilution is a possibility, even more so these days with DPF-equipped diesels that use post-ignition fuel injection to regenerate the DPF. This is made worse if you do short journeys where the oil never warms up enough to boil off the fuel from the oil.