Wednesday 13th November 2002

Check Your Oil Today

Modern engines use oil - check yours today

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[v8thunder]

Just another thing to prove to hapless owners that cars, despite such treatment by numpty organisations, are not just maintainance-free white goods that sit humming in corners, break down out of warranty and get replaced when they become 'obsolete'.

[stedale]

Dipsticks!!

[beano1197]

"To help fleets address this growing problem, Lex is calling for more car makers to fit engine oil level indicators to their cars as a dashboard light indicates when the oil level is low and so the driver knows they have to top the engine up."

...and would any of the drivers take any more notice than if the front or rear fog light indicator was glowing away at them!

[135sport]

Top tip....

Let your engine develop a small oil leak that leaves a little black spot on the drive. This acts as a daily visual reminder to check the oil.

Plus, because you are regularly topping up the oil level you never need change the oil. Thus saving money on filters, and no longer need to curse when you drop the sump plug in the catch tray.

This works. The previous owner of my shed kindly fitted this feature and I see no reason to change it!

[sparkey]

My old Lotus has that feature and it works a treat. I believe Colin Chapman was once acosted by an angry customer complaining that his car leaked and burned oil, to which he replied "Why do you think we put an oil filler cap on top of the engine ?"

[MoJocvh]

My pug's got a cracking little gauge on the dash just for this-they only started to fit this system when they put the service interval up to 20k-EEK.

[hertsbiker]

MoJocvh said: My pug's got a cracking little gauge on the dash just for this-they only started to fit this system when they put the service interval up to 20k-EEK.

good innit! the one that has 5 or 6 blobs that go from left to right? what a top idea that was. I've never got below 3 before filling up.

[marki]

MoJocvh said: My pug's got a cracking little gauge on the dash just for this-they only started to fit this system when they put the service interval up to 20k-EEK.

Back in the dark past i had a Lancia Beta coupe of 1977 vintage ,great fun car by the way and this had some kind of oil level indicator thing built in the dash , trouble was it being Italian and they knowing less about these things than the "Prince of Darkness" i never did trust it

[wjlean]

What current fleet cars don't have an oil level indicator? I had an old 'bread & butter' vauxhall cavalier and that had both the oil pressure and oil level warning lights!

[marki]

wjlean said: What current fleet cars don't have an oil level indicator? I had an old 'bread & butter' vauxhall cavalier and that had both the oil pressure and oil level warning lights!

Oh yes the lights that tell you when its time to change the engine

[JohnL]

Funny thing is that I've owned some real heaps of junk, but the only car to have burned any significant oil at all is a Nissan Primera (which I still have) that I got with 17k on the clock and have maintained properly ever since (now at 75k miles) - it gets through about a litre every 2k-3k miles.

[RichB]

wjlean said: What current fleet cars don't have an oil level indicator? I had an old 'bread & butter' vauxhall cavalier and that had both the oil pressure and oil level warning lights!

My Mum once went into the local Vauxhall dealer to order a new dipstick for her car. The service guy said, "but Madam you haven't lost it...." "No" she said, "but it's worn out because it doesn't reach the oil anymore"... Ho hum!!

[wjlean]

marki said:

wjlean said: What current fleet cars don't have an oil level indicator? I had an old 'bread & butter' vauxhall cavalier and that had both the oil pressure and oil level warning lights!

Oh yes the lights that tell you when its time to change the engine

Yer, true for the pressure light. but luckily the oil level light gives you plenty of warning to topup and avoid big bills.

[S2 Giles]

Our company has had 2 Toyota Avensis (boats!) that have engine seized / blow up due to oil levels.

No warning light !

One guy drives 400 miles a day for 18 months and then 3 weeks after a service it seizes.... they claimed he never checked the oil... but at that rate he should of blown up 17 months ago if he hadnt checked it. Nice £3K bill now been submitted to the company !

[GregE240]

Let me guess Giles....were these 2 litre engines, perchance ?

My old company Avensis (long gone, thank God) used to sup about 4 litres every 10,000 miles - shocking. But there WAS an oil light that came on (umm, about every 2000 miles) so I just topped up when it came on.

I spoke to Toyota about this and got the old "they all do that, sir" nonsense. Apparently, this dealer serviced a private car that used a litre every 1000 miles - that's awful. If it was mine I'd have given the thing back, or sold it.