Discussion
I recently bought a BMW I series with the 2 litre engine and have noticed that it does not have a dipstick, relying on electronic measurement of engine oil level.
I am very old school and it's very reassuring to be able to check the oil level rather than relying on the car telling you to put oil in.
Why do manufacturers do this - is it a cost saving and how accurate are the electronic measurements??
I am very old school and it's very reassuring to be able to check the oil level rather than relying on the car telling you to put oil in.
Why do manufacturers do this - is it a cost saving and how accurate are the electronic measurements??
gvij said:
Why don't they fit a dipstick though?? Is it to save the 15 or 20 quid in labour and parts fitting one? Its simple, accurate, reliable, everything an electronic system isn't. From an engineering standpoint an electronic dipstick is poor form.
Probably because people don't bother to check these days. They are used to the car notifying them when something is required/wrong.gvij said:
Why don't they fit a dipstick though?? Is it to save the 15 or 20 quid in labour and parts fitting one? Its simple, accurate, reliable, everything an electronic system isn't. From an engineering standpoint an electronic dipstick is poor form.
I'd be amazed if it costs anything like £15, £1.50 is pushing it.Regardless, everything is cut to the bone costs wise, so why bother having one if no-one will use it. Sadly people who even know how to check their oil are a minority nowadays.
It gets worse.
A cousin visited a couple of years back, with just 1200 kilometers on his new Audi, sense his first service. He is non mechanical & was really worried that the thing was demanding he check the oil.
With the nearest dealer a few hundred kilometers away, he asked me to do it. The book showed how to read the dipstick, but not where it was. It also did not mention an electronic oil gauge system, or of course how to access it. After wasting half an hour looking for the dipstick shown, we rang the dealer, who advised my cousin there was no dipstick, & he would have the car into his workshop.
This was about 200 kilometers out of his way on his 900 kilometer trip home.
From his language after this call, I doubt he will ever buy another Audi.
A cousin visited a couple of years back, with just 1200 kilometers on his new Audi, sense his first service. He is non mechanical & was really worried that the thing was demanding he check the oil.
With the nearest dealer a few hundred kilometers away, he asked me to do it. The book showed how to read the dipstick, but not where it was. It also did not mention an electronic oil gauge system, or of course how to access it. After wasting half an hour looking for the dipstick shown, we rang the dealer, who advised my cousin there was no dipstick, & he would have the car into his workshop.
This was about 200 kilometers out of his way on his 900 kilometer trip home.
From his language after this call, I doubt he will ever buy another Audi.
f1nn said:
it's simple surely, why fit something that most people won't use?
Simple principle as the spare tyre.
Sad fact is that the majority of today's drivers will not bother to check the oils in between (the car telling them they need one) services.
Because I would no more buy a new car without a dipstick than I would buy one without a spare. I also avoid anything unreliable, where dealers have it sown up due to service complexities. If I cant service it myself I would regard it as useless. And that's even if its 30 grand.Simple principle as the spare tyre.
Sad fact is that the majority of today's drivers will not bother to check the oils in between (the car telling them they need one) services.
20 years ago 
I was working on a farm that hired a lot of tractors. On one occasion they hired what were the run out models of a 1980's Fiat, these were brand new. I'm quite OCD about checking oil especially on machines I don't know. You can only imagine the concern a sightly iffy switch on an Italian dash board presents when you want to check the oil. It gave no indication of level other than green = ok.
I was working on a farm that hired a lot of tractors. On one occasion they hired what were the run out models of a 1980's Fiat, these were brand new. I'm quite OCD about checking oil especially on machines I don't know. You can only imagine the concern a sightly iffy switch on an Italian dash board presents when you want to check the oil. It gave no indication of level other than green = ok. Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff