So, I'm no car expert, actually I'm quite the opposite, but in the past I've always been able to check my own oil. This of course was a 12 year old saturn stationwagon which was fed whatever conventional oil was lying around, and burned it regularly. End result, it was very easy to see on the dipstick . Now, with my nice new 2006 Prius, I've been a bit more generous, and just had them do my second oil change with Mobil 1 Extended. (I know, I don't need extended, but it cost me a whopping $1 more). Just like my last oil change, I brought it home and wanted to check the oil level to make sure it wasn't overfilled, and just like last time, I couldn't tell. Seriously - I can't see the stuff. And it's so thin, any that does collect on the dipstick seems to run down it to the end faster than I can bring the stick level to view it. Any tips? Tricks of the trade? Something I'm doing wrong? Not only can I not tell if they overfilled it or not, I couldn't honestly swear there was oil in there at all. I'm certainly not going to sweat it - but I really would like to be able to check my own oil levels.... Thanks, -Ken
Paper towel in hand when you pull the stick and wrap it around the end of the dip stick. The oil on the stick will bleed into the paper towel and show how much oil is on the stick. Do not forget to pull the stick first and wipe it clean before checking the oil level by putting the stick in fully and removing right away.
I remember an early post on this subject where someone had drilled a small hole just below the full mark to aid in checking the oil level. The hole will fill with oil if it is up to that level.
Look at the dip stick on an angle with light, the oil will be easy to see this way, no matter how clear it is.
