I have recently become addicted to YouTuber Mat Armstrong, who restores crashed damaged supercars. I've noticed that many of the cars he works on now don't have the simplicity of an oil dispstick, preferring a sealed system only accessible via a dash menu to find out oil level. Fine, if you have a 100% working car, but after severe damage, you'd really like to check the oil level before turning over a £50k+ engine!

It can't be for cost reasons, a £300,000 Lambo can surely afford to have an oil dipstick fitted.

I have also noted from posts here than some more mundane cars no longer have a simple dipstick.

Why is the oil disptick going the way of a starting handle?

42 minutes ago, StephenFord said:

Why is the oil disptick going the way of a starting handle?

Sadly I fear because 90% of drivers either don't know how to use one, or even the fact it exists. In this modern era where the current generation have be taught not to think for themself (education programme started by Tony Blair) unless the car tells them "I need oil" it wouldn't occur to them to 'think' and check it. 🙁

It's probably more to do with the access space around the engine rather than the cost of the dipstick.

A level sensor is only 3 inches long and can be fitted anywhere around the sump.  A dipstick needs to have a hole cast into the engine block and then have a tube that needs to wind it's way around manifolds and ancillaries to end up at the top of the engine in a location that's easily reachable for even a short driver.  On a V-shaped engine with twin heads that makes it even more difficult to design without a massive bend in it.  Modern dispticks are often unreliable due to the bend in the tube.  For example, 1.0 EcoBoosts get over-filled all the time because the dipstick can't be trusted.

I don't really see the relevance of checking oil after a crash though.  It should be pretty obvious is the sump has been smashed and oil has been lost.

17 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

I don't really see the relevance of checking oil after a crash though.  It should be pretty obvious is the sump has been smashed and oil has been lost.

I would agree if the 'repair' was taking place within a week of crash. Often these things are laid up 6 months to a year after crash, so even a small bit of unnoticed damage could drain the engine over that length of time. I'm just old, I tent to trust a stick  pushed into the sump than some electronic sensor, which can't even be accessed if the engine isn't actually 'working'. 😄

37 minutes ago, StephenFord said:

I tend to trust a stick  pushed into the sump than some electronic sensor, which can't even be accessed if the engine isn't actually 'working'. 😄

How long is it since you last used a stick to check the level in a fuel tank?

It's not just the level I check it is also the condition, especially if buying a new car.

I don't think the Condition Monitors are as good as our eyes and noses, a few weeks ago there was a Post on this Forum about a smell of Petrol in someone's Oil.

7 minutes ago, mjt said:

How long is it since you last used a stick to check the level in a fuel tank?

Actually, last week LOL My heating oil tank had the electronic 'watchmansonic' sensor go faulty, but my ancient 6ft bamboo stick worked perfectly! 🤣

I have one of those bamboo sticks for my oil tank works perfectly every time.

23 minutes ago, StephenFord said:

my ancient 6ft bamboo stick worked perfectly! 🤣

More Chinese rubbish!  Should be using a stick of British Hazel or Oak!  

Back in the early 90's we once visited a friend and he'd got the bonnet up on their car, he wasn't a very clever hands on person and not been driving long, but to save money he'd purchased an oil filter and a gallon of oil, changing it himself.... he'd removed the oil and changed the filter ok, making a right mess on the concrete drive in the process,  he was cursing it was taking ages to put the oil in, he had a small funnel in the dipstick hole and was filling it up from there, he said when the big bubbles pop up then oil can be added, then waiting for the big bubble to pop up 🤣🤣🤣 I told him you don't fill it from there you fool, removing a plastic engine cover that revealed the oil cap, removing the cap and pointing at the hole....''oil goes in there'' 😏 His face went bright red with embarrassment........No lie guys!!

Here's a pic of the emergency 'bamboo' stick at mums heating oil tank...

2 hours ago, mjt said:

How long is it since you last used a stick to check the level in a fuel tank?

According to my father, his first car, an old 2CV did not have a fuel gauge. it had an accurate dipstick in the fuel tank to measure the fuel level. It confused many fuel attendants who tried to fill the car up with the stick in the filler.  

https://www.franzose.de/en/Alle/Alle/fuel-system/ANR10555/

2 hours ago, StephenFord said:

Here's a pic of the emergency 'bamboo' stick at mums heating oil tank...

But the guage isn't electronic, electric or otherwise. It's probably a weight on a piece of cord that moves the dial. Simplicity itself. 

4 hours ago, iantt said:

a weight on a piece of cord that moves the dial

Therein lies the problem. The weight just falls to the bottom of the tank and stays there .

Some of you may remember that early VW beetles had the gauge (note spelling, Ian) driven by a Bowden cable directly from the float in the tank.

5 hours ago, iantt said:

But the guage isn't electronic, electric or otherwise. It's probably a weight on a piece of cord that moves the dial. Simplicity itself. 

No, her gauge isn't electronic (my one is, uses a battery operated ultrasonic sensor located at top of tank and uses a doppler system to  measure level & send signal remotely to a receiver in the house)) Hers is a simple 'float' which is incredibly inaccurate LOL It also has a 'sight' tube gauge on the side of tank which due to plastic ageing you can no longer see the oil level through it!

21 hours ago, Ian Lanc said:

Back in the early 90's we once visited a friend and he'd got the bonnet up on their car, he wasn't a very clever hands on person and not been driving long, but to save money he'd purchased an oil filter and a gallon of oil, changing it himself.... he'd removed the oil and changed the filter ok, making a right mess on the concrete drive in the process,  he was cursing it was taking ages to put the oil in, he had a small funnel in the dipstick hole and was filling it up from there, he said when the big bubbles pop up then oil can be added, then waiting for the big bubble to pop up 🤣🤣🤣 I told him you don't fill it from there you fool, removing a plastic engine cover that revealed the oil cap, removing the cap and pointing at the hole....''oil goes in there'' 😏 His face went bright red with embarrassment........No lie guys!!

Would that be the 710 cap? 🤔😀

9 minutes ago, Turvey said:

Would that be the 710 cap? 🤔😀

Usually discovered after using the 'parts computer' of the time... 🤣

16 hours ago, mjt said:

The weight just falls to the bottom of the tank and stays there

It works for 20-50, but not with new thinner oils !

 

1 hour ago, StephenFord said:

the 'parts computer' of the time...

You are showing your age !

On 5/14/2025 at 10:09 AM, StephenFord said:

Why is the oil disptick going the way of a starting handle?

In many cases they just seem to have moved it to behind the steering wheel............

On 5/14/2025 at 1:49 PM, Ian Lanc said:

Back in the early 90's we once visited a friend and he'd got the bonnet up...

As I started reading that I thought it was going to be that he had filled the engine up to the top of the valve cover.