Checking Engine Oil Level / Oil Consumption / Oil Light On

[brad]

What does that old fashioned thing called the dipstick tell you?

[elephino]

What does that old fashioned thing called the dipstick tell you?

That I have oil. Definitely not full, though.

[Maverick]

That I have oil. Definitely not full, though.

In that case the manual says you should top up the oil. Take the car into your dealer and ask them to top it up which they should do for free whilst you wait. Newer Mk V and all Mk VI's have a different oil sensor that measure the amount of oil to the nearest mm as part of the long life package (which is not turned on in this country) and you're probably sitting right on the warning point.

[elephino]

In that case the manual says you should top up the oil. Take the car into your dealer and ask them to top it up which they should do for free whilst you wait. Newer Mk V and all Mk VI's have a different oil sensor that measure the amount of oil to the nearest mm as part of the long life package (which is not turned on in this country) and you're probably sitting right on the warning point.

As I said, it's booked in (for Friday to be precise) and they can have a look. I'm still intrigued by how the low oil warning works as it's extremely inconsistent (this morning it didn't come on at all).

[Maverick]

As I said, it's booked in (for Friday to be precise) and they can have a look. I'm still intrigued by how the low oil warning works as it's extremely inconsistent (this morning it didn't come on at all).

The oil level will vary depending on the angle you park the car on and so forth. When the car is parked overnight the oil has a chance to drain back into the sump hence why the light does not come on.

The idea behind the low oil light is that you fill the oil ASAP and don't keep driving around. Once the car has reached the low oil level it has already lost a substantial amount of oil which should have been picked up prior to this by regular checking of the oil level using the dipstick.

BTW engine damage caused by lack of lubrication is NOT covered by warranty. A replacement engine is in the vicinity of $15,000.

[elephino]

The oil level will vary depending on the angle you park the car on and so forth. When the car is parked overnight the oil has a chance to drain back into the sump hence why the light does not come on.

The idea behind the low oil light is that you fill the oil ASAP and don't keep driving around. Once the car has reached the low oil level it has already lost a substantial amount of oil which should have been picked up prior to this by regular checking of the oil level using the dipstick.

BTW engine damage caused by lack of lubrication is NOT covered by warranty. A replacement engine is in the vicinity of $15,000.

If this were the case (how the oil light works, not the lack of lubrication), wouldn't the light consistently come on after an approximately consistent time period as the car is parked in the same location and the same direction each night? Plus, as I said, it comes and goes while driving including steady state driving.

I've also been informed that the short period of time between now and the check isn't a problem. Unless there's an oil leak, of course (no drips around where the car is parked, so unlikely)

[elephino]

Car is back and no real answer to why it used oil and also neither was there a reason why the low oil light was so inconsistent.

[Maverick]

Car is back and no real answer to why it used oil and also neither was there a reason why the low oil light was so inconsistent.

All engines use oil, some more than others and it's your responsibility to check the levels on a regular basis rather then relying on the idiot light. The low oil light is not inconsistent but it's set to trigger at a certain level as I explained, parking on a slightly different angle could see less oil drain back into the sump hence why it turns on sometimes. If you had left it a bit longer it would have stayed on all the time.

[elephino]

All engines use oil, some more than others and it's your responsibility to check the levels on a regular basis rather then relying on the idiot light. The low oil light is not inconsistent but it's set to trigger at a certain level as I explained, parking on a slightly different angle could see less oil drain back into the sump hence why it turns on sometimes. If you had left it a bit longer it would have stayed on all the time.

As I mentioned before, it should therefore have been reasonably consistent each morning as I park in the same place each night.

[MariusGT]

Im sure I read somewhere that the oil light goes off when you lift the hood...

Reset feature --> assuming you have gone into engine bay to top up oil?