Oil dipstick difficult to read

[vfwjed]

2000 X5 4.4i 85,000 Miles



I just purchased my X5 two months back, I love my awesome 2000 X5 4.4i but I do have a minor nit. I found that the oil dipstick is difficult to read precisely and with any precision. Given the X5 is new to me; I do want to monitor my oil carefully until I reach my comfort level.
I changed the oil after purchase, so the clean oil color is clear with a tint of brown. Unfortunately the end of the oil dipstick is a brown cylinder which seems to exacerbate the problem of reading the level because there no contrast. Even in bright daylight, it is problem reading the level.


To make this job easier and more precise, I cut a tight fitting white straw into segments and then I slip** one straw segment over the barrel of the measuring area on the dipstick.


*** First, I cut a slit down one side of the straw segment with a razor knife.


I only do this when the motor is cold. This solution works perfectly and I DO remove the plastic straw after measurement.


Anyone else annoyed with this?


I considered an alternative hi-temp white epoxy or enamel based paint on the end of the dipstick.



For now the straws are working fine.
Would a new dip stick solve the problem? Maybe my dip has discolored over the years?

[FSETH]

It is a little hard to read, imo. My e36 is a million times easier. I seem to get better results if I have really good lighting. I would just suggest have a worklight handy.

[o. l. t.]

I guess I have been reading german dipsticks for 15 years now and most of them BMW, a few mercedes. I reckon I have gotten used to them because I read them as easy as anything else out there. They are always the brownish red plastic so it's just a German car thing.

[Naz24]

I think they are easy to read. I had to try and read my friends nissan dipstick, talk about a ridiculously difficult thing to do. the dipstick itself was bent in weird ways, and i couldnt figure out where the damn line was!

[motordavid]

Ground Hog Day...
http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...hard-read.html

[amacman]

I lay the dipstick on a clean tissue .
the oil on the dipstick absorbs into the tissue showing the level .
also gives a clue to oil colour .

[TheGodfather]

Hmm, I have never had this problem. Mine is a pretty bright red.

EDIT:

But this is also coming from a guy who had to replace his engine due to low oil...FML

[chuckster]

Always has been a concern of mine. After wiping the dipstick clean I always make sure the sun is shining really bright so I can go outside and get an accurate measure of the oil level on the dipstick. Thought about something such as dusting the dipstick with baby powder to help in getting a more accurate reading!

[vfwjed]

I see the topic was previously discussed... someone painted the end yellow. I will paint mine too. Ah, the wonders of the KISS principle.

[NextGen]

I typically check my oil level every month. I got out of the habit of doing that and realized the other day that I had not checked it in 7 months! I typically put low miles on it. Only 6000 miles in that timeframe. I went to check the oil and I could not tell if it was full or empty. I decided that after 6000 miles it was probably a little low. So I decided to add a quart. Well it turns out I was wrong! It was still full. How is that possible?

The level now just about covers the whole dipstick.

Well today when I was leaving work I started the car (it had been sitting for 9 hours) and got a message on the dash to stop the engine because of oil pressure. Oh boy. I immediately turned it off. Waited a few minutes and turned it back on again. The warning light did not reappear and the engine reached normal temp. My drive home is about 40 minutes and the light never came on again and the temp stayed constant. I see from the owner's manual that too much oil WILL damage the engine. A quick Google search gave me more details. Needless to say I will not be driving it until I get that quart out.

I have learned my lesson when it comes to reading this goofy dipstick. No more guessing. Thanks to everyone for tips on how to read the stick.