i remember advice from my old garage that if the oil light comes on on newer skoda/vw damage is being done as its based on oil pressure not oil level. You should stop engine and check oillevel immediatley as oil level could be critically low On older cars you had an oil level sensor and oil pressure so you get a bit more warning when level was low. My old volvo 940 used to ping up warning if I took corners too hard.

Alasdair

Same warning light comes on yellow to indicate low level, as read by sensor in sump.

Some older engines may not have level/temperature sender in sump, but most do.

Any that can be set to variable/longlife service schedule will have it.

On 27/10/2026 at 17:57, Breezy_Pete said:

It's mounted high up on the engine facing downwards into a vertical threaded hole , so it wouldn't surprise me if oil drained away from it after engine shutdown.

Yes, this is still confusing me.

I would expect some residual oil if it "drained away". Normally oil is difficult to disperse, but this sensor was totally dry. It led me to think it isn't operated directly by oil at all, but by a plunger inside the head.

I've thought some more about this since my last post, and I think it's worth doing as above suggestion, i.e. unscrewing it and running the engine - at the weekend, I'm busy working until then ... Luckily I can use a different car.

Don't be surprised if it squirts quite high.