Gareth wrote:

BLFarrar wrote:

Robbie wrote:

Oil level sensor may be on the blink....

engines will & have to use a "bit" of oil...perfectly normal...not a high tech situation...old tech & quite usual...

this just goes to prove a point...

"Oil level sensor on the blink"...sorry to have to quote you (again) Robbie

1) so it says you need more oil...false low level.....you do the obvious thing & add more....too much oil is not good for an engine...engine damage...big costs
2) so it doesn't say you need more oil....false OK level...you do the obvious thing & thinking its OK dont add more oil.....too little oil definitely not good for an engine ....engine damage....big costs
3) one possible good point it does tell you if you have too much.... that is if ..(the big if) the sensor is operational & reporting properly...RISK

remember.....the system just isn't capable of giving you a fast check...unless the engine is cold or left for a period......that period is indeterminate...& when it does can't be trusted..if we now have the notion its system that can fail or tell lies...with a 50k vehicle the opposite to common sense

so how do you check the checking system ?
you have a variety of options:
A) do nothing & hope for the best........you may get the worst...engine damage
B) do what your instincts tell you to do...add oil...maybe the wrong thing ...engine damage
C) take it to the garage...which in itself could incur engine damage on its way there.....for the dealer if so equipped can check the system...he couples the vehicle to to the Computer & this fundamentally uses the same sensor - gives some sort of report...whatever happens after that has the propensity for engine damage...
so accepting the fact
D) the makers may have installed the wrong dipstick possible ?....likely ?.....either way easy to check & doesn't need a dealer computer ....common sense
or
E) the dipstick fails (breaks)...which is sort of obvious as part of it may have detached & is laying in the engine sump doing no harm..you have checked the checking system....either way easy to check & doesn't need a dealer computer....common sense at its best

I pray for the day that common sense eventually prevails & the simple dipstick is available as an extra or a realistic or no cost option...a fundamental instrument ...no moving parts...no calibration...K.I.S.S. (keep it stupidly simple) technology as opposed to complex technology that can't be relied on to fail safe...

Often we see it as a joke or silly when we look at 3rd world instances of a simple fix or system...
here we have accepted a fix to something that isn't & wasn't broken...what a load of ballocks

What your trying to say Bruce, is Bring back the dipstick

Quote:

TBH a little bit of consumption is normal in my opinion. Especially on a new engine. Its just the complexity of the measurement, and the obscurity of the oil that bothers me.

Perhaps the middle of Wales is not the best place to do an oil check

Gareth wrote:

TBH a little bit of consumption is normal in my opinion. Especially on a new engine. Its just the complexity of the measurement, and the obscurity of the oil that bothers me.