I have checked my oil recently, and had a shock.... seems it was on the bottom of my dipstick.... (in the garage at work, after driving there, engine hot.. maybe 10 mins after engine shut off.) ....

thought hhmmm maybe put a bit of oil in then.... (eventually seems my car has used some oil! lol...) put in half a litre, as wasn't prepared to drive it with the oil reading below min..... this brought it up above min.. but not up to half way.... i was satisfied that it was above min)

checked it yesterday (a few days and a few hundred miles later) same conditions, after a 20 mile drive engine hot ect ect ... no difference apart from being on my drive, (both places dead level) an lo and behold, its right up at maximum (magically finding at least half a litre of oil from somewhere)..

seems I needn't have filled it up at all.......... last time I checked previously (before castle combe ) it was bang on half way between min and max....

ergo if it was at the bottom, and I didn't check it at work, then had a look back on my driveway , it would ( lo and behold) have been back , bang on between min and max!!!!

*sigh.... shouldn't have given in to paranioa...

SUGGESTION: do you people think its possible that alot of the people with oil issues, are just getting spurious readings on the dipstick, checking it every 5 minutes, then over filling, just to get the extra burned away again? maybe if they left it (as long as it was above minimum) they wouldnt have half as much oil usage? because if theirs acts like mine, it can magically find at least half a litre depending on the mood its in

discuss

note: not overly concerned, as would have been fine without the top up it seems (and it gets serviced again in 500 miles) so still effectively didnt need to top up in the last 40k... but if it has used half a litre in the last 10k, I am happy that its acceptable levels

if you're getting free oil, you'll make a fortune

PMSL maybe minty could be a "donor car" lol...

Best way is to check cold and level. Stuff the stupid hot readings that can't be gauged easily.

Best way is to check cold and level. Stuff the stupid hot readings that can't be gauged easily.

I am sure George will have something to say about this

I have to agree, oil dipping is a fine art with the Fabia.

The Dipstick of Horror strikes again!

I arrived at the simlar conclusion (after I dropped the oil and refilled) that dipstick readings are wrong in the sense that manual is provding incorrect advice. The correct level is I'd say 3/4 up the hatched area. THis is where mine was after I put 3.6 ltrs of fresh oil back in. Funny enough, Geroge's link in my Oil Test thread discussed the oil level and oil change intricacies. It stated there that up 20% of old oil stays in the engine still after the hot oil was dropped - I got small sacalding when I dropped mine.

I tend to check 7.5 hrs after I switch the motor off - cold oil reads beter on the stick anyways You also have to assume the perfect "Hunting Crane" position while bending into the engine bay to preerve the delicate balance of energies. Otherwise the reading will be spooked.

My oil alsways read the same hot and cold anyways... making oil however is a terminal failure sign of the engine so check a few times in the same conditions to make sure this doesn't occure. How much waranty have you got left shark?

warrenty until sept Jab, but new car been on order since Feb I dont think 1/2 litre that probably wasn't needed in 40k is a big issue for my engine though :p

Nope, me neither. It iwll burn it off it it was too much anyway.

I once did a reading about ten minutes after switching off which showed the level halfway up the cross-hatched section, which was a large drop from the week before. "Not good," I thought, but decided to wait five minutes, and surprise surprise, the level was close to the top of the cross-hatched section...

The whole thing needs a redesign IMO, gIven how hard it is to read these things on an engine that needs to watched so often and so carefully...

I'd never normally advocate this but with the vRS there is a good case for the "leave it well alone and just top up when the orange warning light is on" approach. The dipstick system on the vrs is just woefully not fit for purpose IMHO.

I can easily see how people get sucked into thinking they have an oil issue when they don't.

I did a 'Cold Dip' before i set off on a 150 mile trip.

Just the usual, not able to read on the 'Dipstick scale' as the oil is at the bottom of the Top Orange Marker.

So i know there is oil in, and i know how much that is, since i put it in.

If i dip later when hot it should be where i set it as a Hot Level on the Dipstick, 'Top of the Crosshatch'.

Thats good enough for me.

Always interested where others with 'CAVE' Engines 'Cold Dip' level is, as so many different cars seem to sit at different levels.

The only important thing really is that they run at a good Indicated Oil temp usually in normal use,

not getting hotter than necessary because there is 20-25% under capacity of oil in the engine,

and Uses not too much oil for the way the car is being used.

george

The need to dip the oil when hot is just daft to me as surely there will be massive variation on what shows on the dipstick depending on a multitude of factors such as oil temp reached, current oil vol, time parked up before checking, rate of cooling of oil, ambient temp etc etc.

If the manual just said "dip when cold and on flat" and that gave a reading in range on the dipstick then I don't think there would be so many issues!

Agreed.

The Skoda Manual i am looking at does not say CLEARLY about 'Operating Temperature, that is the VW one that says that.

PAGE 168 'Skoda'

** "We recomend maintaining the oil level within range 'A' if the engine has been operating at high loads, for example during a lenghty motorway trip during the summer months, towing a trailer or nagotiating a high mountain pass, BUT NOT ABOVE THIS."**

'CAUTION.'

"Always check the oil level on the vehicles with engine 1.2 ltr/44kw when the engine is cold,

on other vehicles when the engine is warm.

Otherwise the measuring result is incorrect und oil could be incorrectly replenished-risk of engine damage!" (UND is their typo)

"The oil level must on no account extend beyond range 'A' Danger of damaging the catalytic converter."

If you read the Skoda Fabia Owners manual & the one from VW Polo.

You will see on the A,B,C marker bit, where they use different words in the Translation for 'May', 'It is ideal' etc.

Skoda UK Customer Services & a Technical Department person from VAG,

told me a Year Ago that there was going to be changes in the Manuals & technical advice to Dealerships..

Page 14 Skoda.

A, Engine Oil must NOT be refilled.

B. Engine Oil CAN be refilled.

C. Engine OIl MUST be refilled.

Page 167

Checking the oil level.

Ensure the vehicle is positioned on a level surface.

Switch the Engine off. etc etc

'OIl Level within range A.

You must NOT top up the oil.

'Oil level within range B

You MAY top up the oil, It is possible that the oil level may be within range 'A' after doing this.

'Oil level within range C

You MUST top up the oil, It is ideal, once this is done, to keep the oil level within range B.

george

I'd never normally advocate this but with the vRS there is a good case for the "leave it well alone and just top up when the orange warning light is on" approach. The dipstick system on the vrs is just woefully not fit for purpose IMHO.

I can easily see how people get sucked into thinking they have an oil issue when they don't.

Light comes on, add a litre.

Not used any in my new engine, I don't think? Light hasn't come on, anyway..

EDIT: I tell a lie; I did check it after a couple of thousand miles; was in the hatched area so gave it a couple hundred ml or so, just to be nice.

Edited 8 May, 201313 yr by philhoward

That should be OK,

as long as you are sure that the engine was only filled with the correct amount of Oil in the first place.

If i owned and had to pay for my own car or a car was out of Warranty or going out of Manufacturers Warranty.

Running with 1 litre too low from 3.6 litre capacity is more than 25% less oil than designed to run.

Not something i would be doing with an engine on any vehicle..

george

Picture pinched from another members thread.

Bump.

What? Are you just trying to stir the oil usage debate? Let people bump their own threads.

grapo,

I bumped it so the new member could see about checking oil.

I could not link it to his thread.

Are you ever interested in helping people in this section.or just there as a critic?

george

I think there has been more than enough about checking oil levels to last a lifetime,available to anyone should they use the search facility.

The problem is it's full of conflicting opinions with no clear resolution.

It's about time Skoda amended their obscure handbook instructions and gave an appropriate level for a COLD check which should always give a consistent reading.

Not everyone posting their first question on a forum knows about Search Functions and whats gone before.

IMHO Its amazing on this forum that Members are always saying what should be posted while they are free to post what they like.

(eg How many 'What colour paint to touch up my wheels' posts are required in one Briskoda section.)

You might start to wonder why there are any new Post or questions,

everyone can just go back and read what went before!

Not that many CTHE questions yet on this forum,

and there are starting to be more coming in from owners that have CAVE cars with new engines fitted.

http://www.briskoda....oil-consumption

george

Not everyone posting their first question on a forum knows about Search Functions and whats gone before.

IMHO Its amazing on this forum that Members are always saying what should be posted while they are free to post what they like.

(eg How many 'What colour paint to touch up my wheels' posts are required in one Briskoda section.)

You might start to wonder why there are any new Post or questions,

everyone can just go back and read what went before!

Not that many CTHE questions yet on this forum,

and there are starting to be more coming in from owners that have CAVE cars with new engines fitted.

http://www.briskoda....oil-consumption

george

Feel this might be a little dig at me here. Just for your info I did try searching the Internet and this forum for answers regarding wheel paint and couldn't find any conclusive answers so I asked the experts on here...

It is not a dig at you.

Just using as an example.

It is a dig at those that keep getting digs in about what should and should not be posted.

Not happy at the same thing being gone over and over without any 'clear resolution'

&

then Post Replies with an answer including in it with the like of 'I think'

which is not really a 'Resolution to the question being asked'.

No definitive answer given, type thing.

Just the kind of answer many of us give,

if we know the Answer to things that are regularly asked then it could maybe get 'Pinned',

so that its there for all to see.

I do not know the answer to the Paint Code for Black Gigaro wheels.

I did a google, not even the Briskoda search & this came up.

Paint code 'FL8'. no idea if correct.

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/218491-gigaro-black-alloy-wheels

george

I will let you on a secret. WIth cold engine switch the motor on, then switch it off straight away and check oil - let me know what you find

Wonderful.

Cold at the bottom of the top orange marker.

Start the engine and stop at once.

Top of the cross hatch.

take it for 1/2 a mile run and stop and wait 5 minutes,

Below the top of the Cross hatch.

Take it for 8 miles and get the oil to 80*oC indicated,

stop and wait 5 minutes.

Top of the Cross Hatch, same as your suggested first way.

thank you.

george

Ha, you see, I have something completely different!

Stome cold is on the cross hatch in mine. Turn it on and switch off immediately and dipstick is completely dry!

Hot check - the same level as cold check

Weird or what???

I have done hundreds of dips on several twinchargers but never really ever in that way.

So waiting for it to get cold again to try.

Best bit is i know the oil that is in, and its the correct amount for me. 3.7 litres.

Your suggested way makes the Oil so easy to see on the dipstick.

wunderbar.