Is it just me that has difficulty working out how to read the dipstick oil level on the (2.0 diesel) engine? :confused:

They seem to have designed it to be as hard as possible.... :thumbdwn:

Why make the bit you have to 'read' black when that's the colour of the oil (after it's been in for a few miles anyway) - the only way I can seem to make it easier to read is to pull out the dipstick and lay it on a clean bit of kitchen towel and see where the oil marks it but surely if the dipstick was silver all the way down (like most cars in the old days) or even white it would make reading it a whole lot easier - especially in a dimly lit area like under the bonnet on a dull cloudy July summer's day :(

Any tips, or do you all just wait for the low oil level light to come on at 70mph in the outside lane of a motorway, pull over to the hard shoulder and then bung a litre in

Look at the dipstick side-on?

Just a thought...

:sofahide:

I find it difficult to, black oil on a black dipstick, I wonder whos idea that was. Looking at it side on does help though. At least on my mk1 vrs the end was an orange colour so it was easy to check.

Yep I agree it's far from the easiest to check. It got easier as the engine oil got darker, initially the oil was quite clear and hard to see, but it's getting better.

I generally, give the stick a thorough clean when I first pull it out, pop it back in, pull it out again and look for where you can see plastic wet with oil, as it's dull when dry.

Yep couldn't agree more -yet when Skoda service guy checked oil in front of me (on sunny day) he jsut gave me one of those looks, after I'd added half a litre top up of oil nmeedlessly cos i'd misread the dipstick on a couldy day... was peeved asi'd jus tput a deposit on a VRS...

Will ask for an alternate dipstick before I sign on the dotte dline...wonder if that will work...

I agree. It is not just that the dipstick is black, most I have had are, but it is the different blobs and hatchings that confuse. A traditional flat 'blade' of metal is much easier to look at.

Just a thought though; how about painting the tip with some touch up paint, maybe red, amber, green for the different levels? Or would that come off in time and contaminate the oil? Nail varish perhaps? Thats mostly red.

I'm glad you said that. I thought I was doing something wrong. It is a nightmare to read.

Yep absolutely agree its the worst dip stick I have ever come across in 46 years of motoring, the blobs make it worse a flat blade would have been better. I just can not see where the oil is, but the tip about drying it then putting it back is sound as the oil should show up against the dry stick providing it doesnt get wet as you put it back.

dave

You should always dry the stick and put it back in, with any engine. Otherwise the oil can have splashed on the stick.

It's a bit of a relief reading this, i thought i was just being incompetent not being able to read the dipstick properly, what's wrong with a bit of flat metal/plastic, i don't think a stylised dip stick is strickly necessary.

It's a bit of a relief reading this, i thought i was just being incompetent not being able to read the dipstick properly, what's wrong with a bit of flat metal/plastic, i don't think a stylised dip stick is strickly necessary.

Hi,

My name is Steve.

And I'm a........

....poor dip stick reader as well.

The best stick I have had was a flat blade with atwo drilled holes so you could tell very easily if the oil level was too high or too low.

Steve

That's interesting - I suppose you could do that with any dipstick including Skoda's, just put a small hole through the centre of the level marks.

I was toying with the idea of running a junior hacksaw very lightly across the level lines to see if they go "silver" [i.e. bare metal] which ought to show up well through the oil.

Hi,

The best stick I have had was a flat blade with atwo drilled holes so you could tell very easily if the oil level was too high or too low.

Steve

The dipstick on my Citroen had two little 'bitemarks' out of one edge for MAX and MIN - very easy to read. But not as easy to read as the one on my Renault, which was made of bright orange plastic! (It was only about 6" long, though, so you had to reach deep into the engine bay to get it. Can't win... )

That's interesting - I suppose you could do that with any dipstick including Skoda's, just put a small hole through the centre of the level marks.

I was toying with the idea of running a junior hacksaw very lightly across the level lines to see if they go "silver" [i.e. bare metal] which ought to show up well through the oil.

Don't think that would work as the blobs at the tip of the dipstick are, as best I kinow, plastic.

Well thanks for all the replies guys, that's a relief as it's not just me after all....

I do dry the dipstick thoroughly before 'dipping for level' but it's still tricky to see the oil glisten on a dull day! :confused: Plus I've got this problem on both our tintops as my wife has the same engine in her Golf

PS: thanks for the hug Steve but you're not my type :P