Oil is used to lubricate all moving parts of the engine.
Be careful, because driving with too little oil can have serious consequences...
Breakdown, wear and even engine breakage.
But how do you check the oil level in your car's engine? Don't worry, it's easy as pie!
To help you, we have prepared this guide for you to check the oil level of your car easily in 1 min . Watch:
Click here to easily print this guide in PDF.
- an old rag
- a perfectly flat surface
- your car engine must becold
1. Check the oil level in the morning, on flat ground and with a cold engine .
Indeed, when the engine is well cooled, the oil goes back down into the tank, which makes the gauge much more precise.
Do never check the level on a hot engine, because you risk burning yourself!
2. Open the hood and locate the oil dipstick.
It is a metal rod that plunges into the oil tank.
To spot it, it's easy, because it's always yellow! Prepare a rag and remove the oil dipstick from the tank.
3. Clean the dipstick with the rag. And locate the two marks on the rod (as in the photo above):
- a "MIN" mark for the minimum oil level and
- a "MAX" mark for the maximum oil level.
4. Put the clean, drip-free dipstick back into your engine's oil tank to properly check the level.
5. Remove the dipstick again and check the oil level.
The level must be between the MIN and MAX limits . If the oil level is near or below the MIN mark, it's time for an oil change!
6. Replace the dipstick in the tank, screw it back on (if necessary) and close the hood.
There you go, you're ready to hit the road again!
- When should you check the oil level of your car? It is advisable to check it every 2,000 km or before a long trip.
- When checking the oil level, remember to put the dipstick horizontally .
Because if you tilt the level upwards, the oil can go down on the rod, which risks "distorting" the level and making you think that you have too much oil.
- Regularly check the lights on your dashboard where there is an oil level indicator:
- If the oil level indicator is orange , this is a sign that your engine is low on oil. Redo the level as soon as possible.
- If the oil level indicator is red , stop immediately!
This means a lack or loss of engine oil pressure, which can very quickly (within minutes) lead to engine damage or destruction.
- If you don't have a funnel like this to add oil to your engine, use a simple screwdriver as explained in this tip.
- Obviously this trick works on all car models and brands:Volkswagen (Polo, Golf...), Citroën (C3), Peugeot (308, 207...), Volvo, Mercedes...
You tried this guide to check the oil level yourself ? Let us know in the comments if it worked for you. We can't wait to read you!
