I have found that the most reliable way to check oil is to:

1. Let the car sit overnite(or at least several hours).
2. Remove the dipstick wipe clean and reinsert.
3. Repeat several times until a consistent level shows up.

It seems that the tube the dipstick travels through collects drops of oil somewhere. These drops seem to get deposited back on the dipstick, giving a false reading, until I repeat enough times to clear them out. Am I wrong? Seems goofy.

Is this how others do it?

 

Thanks for the tip but I would hope everyone is doing this already. If you don't repeat the process a few times, how would you know your reading is accurate? But I guess that's your point.

Amazing amount of discussion on how to check the oil...

 

Yes it shouldn't be this hard to read the dipstick but it really does NOT read very well. The last time I added oil to the engine I checked the level no less than 10 times allowing several minutes between checks until I got a consistent reading. Can be a pain in the a** sometimes!

 

You must not be as confused as the rest of us. I get a different reading each time on each side of the dipstick. This is a strange car...

 

Sometimes, the dipstick doesn't want to go back in, and I always get different readins on each side of the stick.

 

When checking the oil try not to let the stick touch the side of the 'tube' that it sits in. I have found I get a more accurate reading by being very careful, and pulling the stick sraight out. But yes, I still check it a least twice and I think it is a good habit to check, re-check, and check again. I hope everyone is doing this.

 

I've checked the oil right after stopping the engine. I actually hurried and opened the hood and checked as fast as I could to see the difference. I only got 0.5X lower than after sitting all night.

 

Geeze...thanks for the post. I was too embarassed to do so myself thinking I was doing something incorrect. The readings I get always seem to vary regardless of motor temp. My solution is to check every week and top off as necessary.

 

Yep, that's about right. I check mine in the morning. I also stick and wipe and stick and wipe. Soound kinda like the directions on a shampoo bottle.