Thread: The cults is done it again

Originally Posted by Tombie

Very few Autos since about 2000 have one
Many engines of several makes no longer have one

Checking on the dash is easy - it takes very little time, it’s clean, no risk of contamination and the average punter doesn’t need to ‘get their hands dirty’ to give it a check.

It’s also far more accurate compared to how some people read a dipstick!

By the logic above - why don’t we have a crank handle still installed

Using a dipstick not only gives you an accurate reading of the oil level it also gives you an indication of the condition of the oil, Something a didgital readout cannot do.
Just because some auto gearbox manufacturers don't fit a dipstick to their gearboxes doesn't make it a Good idea and it makes the oil change of these gearboxes more expensive as well.
As far as those that cannot read a dipstick goes they would most likely Never look under the bonnet anyway.

Originally Posted by trout1105

Using a dipstick not only gives you an accurate reading of the oil level it also gives you an indication of the condition of the oil, Something a didgital readout cannot do.
Just because some auto gearbox manufacturers don't fit a dipstick to their gearboxes doesn't make it a Good idea and it makes the oil change of these gearboxes more expensive as well.
As far as those that cannot read a dipstick goes they would most likely Never look under the bonnet anyway.

You can tell the condition of an oil by eye? Who needs all that fancy testing then!

A dipstick does not necessarily give you an accurate reading. The VW golf 2005 dipstick is a woeful design and contaminates itself on each read. It’s flexy cable design to get into the sump leaves oil behind in the tube and then each subsequent attempt to read is worsened.

You can tell the condition of an oil by eye? Who needs all that fancy testing then!

You can get a Good indication of the oil condition by looking at the colour, the smell and feeling the texture of it.
Impossible to do looking at a readout on the dash.

Perhaps get rid of the fuel gauge? Put a dip stick on the tank? Works for my boat….

I never said to get rid of the oil level gauge on the dash, In fact I think that it is a good idea to have one.
My point is that why NOT have a dipstick fitted as well so just like on your boat you can physically check the level/condition as well.

With service reccomendations of 24000ks it would be benificial to be able to have a look at the oil in the sump occasionally don't you think

Originally Posted by trout1105

....
As far as those that cannot read a dipstick goes they would most likely Never look under the bonnet anyway.

Yeah/Nah!(traditional Aussie answer ... )

So, by this comment you're implying that you were born with the ability to read/understand/know every single aspect of looking under the bonnet?
Kudos to your parents!

Your comment disregards the most important point about wanting to learn. It singles out those who don't want to learn, and don't care .. and that they only react to the warning light, and don't understand basic preparation regarding some vehicles.

I see it differently, and some examples for you to consider:

I currently have access to a Peugeot 307 diesel. My partner knows nothing about cars, and doesn't want to know about pre checking some basics before a drive. She would be the type that simply takes car to service place and they enlighten her on the various issues once a year or so. Said Peugeot DOES have an indicator for the oil level(and from what I've noted recently seems to work) .. it shows small digital circles over the odometer for a short period before and after start up .. this way the driver "should" notice the level. It also does have a dipstick, so if the dash indicator only shows 4 of the usual 5 markings, one could then verify via the dipstick. My partner is the type NOT ... I think most definitely not the type to check dipstick, nor even notice the 4 marks rather than the usual 5 on the dash.

On the other hand, my nephew is a bit of a car nut. At 19, he simply doesn't have the experience to simply know everything about everything. He contemplated getting into mechanical stuff at one stage, but since got into a non technical/mechanical employment opportunity. That is, he will never officially be taught correct procedures about vehicle maintenance, so relies on others to show him. Last time I checked, he definitely wasn't born with the knowledge on how to check the oil level on a dipstick .. but was keen to do it. One time he did it wrong. Had he been the owner of the Peugeot, he may have seen at some point that the oil level was low at a start up point AFTER reading the dipstick wrongly tho.
What happened one day, he was checking the oil level on his little VW, and saw that the level was about right(near enough to the top). I explained to him that you don't check the dipstick with the car parked at the kerb on such an angle as it will almost always give a wrong reading. Took it onto the driveway, I had to explain to him, let it sit for a while(maybe half hour maybe less ... ). He took it all on board, so hope he can remember it all down the track, for his sake.
ps. it probably needed about half a Lt, but it was due for service soon, so we left it as is.

So like Tombie mentioned, the dash level type setup will have it own advantage as it will most probably monitor levels continuously, and either throw a warning or even shut down vehicle if critical .. something a dipstick certain could do.
The dipstick can be prone to errors, in that while it going to be accurate in the right circumstances, not everyone was born with the knowledge of how to be sure it is accurate(ie. my nephew).

Also on the topic of not ideal dipstick designs, the previously mentioned Pug diesel has an annoying dipstick type in that the oil reading section, has this annoying cross sectional hatch texture, which makes it annoying to wipe and get a second reading. Being diesel, it's pretty black, so the first dip stain remains on it, no matter when it was done(eg. just prior to oil change). When fresh oil is added, you simply can't see it's level .. the black stain of the old oil remains. Best way to see an accurate dipstick reading is to clean the oil measuring area with brake clean or similar after every dip .. it's quite stupid really.

Why these modern engineers can't just stick with tried and true practises never ceases to amaze me sometimes ... what's wrong with the good old plain flat shiny steel disptick with small cutouts to show min/max level points?

Originally Posted by AK83

what's wrong with the good old plain flat shiny steel disptick with small cutouts to show min/max level points?

I think it's to do with todays oils being like water when cold, and ethanol when hot. They just run off the dispstick, so they put some patterning on there to try and retain some.
The old 20w50 was ok when cold or hot. The new 0w30 or 0w20? Not so much.

Just my theory anyway.

Originally Posted by BradC

I think it's to do with todays oils being like water when cold, and ethanol when hot. They just run off the dispstick, so they put some patterning on there to try and retain some.
The old 20w50 was ok when cold or hot. The new 0w30 or 0w20? Not so much.

Just my theory anyway.

Yeah, good point. Also, steel is more expensive than plastic too .. anyhow .. another aspect of modernisation that seems to be backwards in some respects.

So, by this comment you're implying that you were born with the ability to read/understand/know every single aspect of looking under the bonnet?
Kudos to your parents!

It's NOT rocket science all you have to do is pull out the dipstick, wipe it then put it back in and pull it out and look at the oil on the end of it.
A trained monkey could do this

Seriously IF you can't read a simple dipstick then you have no buisness lifting the bonnet anyway.