Have been doin my own oil changes on my 1.9 tdi. I have always been careful to fill to the point on the dipstick as per manual but it never took more than 3.75 litres. Now I see a thread that says it should take 4.5 litres!!

I think the dipstick is not the right one.On investigating, I found a scratch about 20 mm above the mark which I now believe to have been put there deliberately by the previous owner to mark the "real" level.

Can anyone tell me what length the dipstick should be please?

Edited 14 May, 201214 yr by gear

On my 2009 1.9 TDI (engine code BXE) the metal bit of the dipstick (i.e. not counting the plastic handle) is 18"/460mm long.

Do you suck out the old oil from the filter housing? If not, around 0.5 litres of the old oil can lurk in there.

Beware of overfilling. It can 'poison' the catalytic converter, and blow engine seals.

3.75L sounds like the right amount if you've not sucked out the oil from the cooler/filter housing.

To the 3.75 IME you can add 0.5L for the extra sucked out of the housing.

Don't forget that once you've filled the car, you should take it out for a drive, then on a flat surface check the level about an hour later.

Some of the oil you've put in the sump, will end up in the filter itself and after this first run, you'll usually find you've a bit of room on the top of the dipstick.

Is your dipstick black, with two bobbles on and an orange top?

I have the BXE engine as well. 4.5 litres is way too much. 3.8 is correct amount and that will fill until the top of the hatched area on the dipstick and NOT on the bend above it which is overfull.