A4Driver

I just received my dipstick from ECS Tuning. I want to thank them for delivering it so quickly.

1. The dipstick is supposed to read slightly less than the proper level. With the dipstick fully inserted, my oil comes up to the MAX line. Does that mean that my crankcase is overfilled?

2. Can I keep this dipstick in the engine tube at all times, even while driving, or should I only use it when measuring my oil level?

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Prof

With my A4 being now over 2 years old, I truly am impressed with the automobile. One vexing issue is the lack of a dipstick. What were they thinking? The electronic meter works well (especially at a rest stop on a road trip) but I like to measure the oil with the engine cool, usually when I am cleaning. I have the dipstick that you refer to; it reads very well as compared to the MMI, it also reads very accurately when I change my oil and add exactly the amount of oil called for in the manual.

I do not keep the dipstick in the engine. I keep it hanging on the wall in the garage. You never know -- there could be a reason (save a few pennies of profit) that Audi did not include it with the car. So I use the dipstick to measure the oil level a couple times a month. Then I replace the cap and hang the dipstick on the wall.

gunsmoker

This dipstick currently shows the max level whereas the oil meter shows half full on my car. Someone said on the AZ forums that the full level of the oil meter corresponds to the A character of the MAX writing on the dipstick.

This engine was designed to not have a dipstick and I don't keep mine in. I only bought it because I freaked out when my oil meter started to drop. Reading horror stories or stories about 2.0T engines not consuming a drop of oil makes you think that it may have to do with how you broke in the car or it's just luck. In either case waiting to find out if yours will be an oil burner or not can be disturbing and make you buy a dipstick hoping to prove the oil meter wrong.

From what I can tell, it seems that adding one quart between the 10k oil changes is the norm and you are not going to change that with or without a dipstick. So enjoy the car and don't think about that, except if you are planning a long trip around the 5k milestones. Then take a look at the oil meter and decide if you should add the quart before or after your trip.

hyperionguy

I'm not sure why everyone is so crazy about their car lacking an oil dipstick and thinking it is the end of the world. There is no trust at all, yet no reason to mistrust.

I don't have a brake fluid dipstick or pressure gauge, yet the system is totally reliable based on sensors... I don't have a wiper fluid dipstick, the sensor works reliably... I don't have a fuel level dipstick or fuel line and common rail pressure gauge, yet we all run around without concern because the fuel level indicator generally works reliably without question.

Everyone accepts these other sensors without concern, and braking is the most safety related of all... so what's the big deal?

i don't get it at all...

Turbo Freak

I have my oil changed by my mechanic in between dealer maintenance done once a year. Without a dipstick, the electronic gauge takes forever to show the oil level when you replace it. A dipstick makes things a lot easier and does not force you to go to the dealer.

I just bought the dipstick at the dealer about a month ago and it shows that my mechanic probably put a little too much oil as it shows the oil an hair over the MAX line, but the electronic gauge does not complain about too much oil, so it must be within acceptable limits. If I would have had the dipstick at the time of the oil change, it might have been better.

I left the dipstick in the engine and I do not see why it would be an issue...

ItsDubC

Ya, the lack of a dipstick wouldn't be so much of an issue if the MMI gave an oil readout instantaneously.

I use the Audi oil measuring tool from Assenmacher, so there's no guesswork for me.

Turbo Freak

What I understand is that this is exactly what it is supposed to do: if the oil in the motor lines up with the MAX line on the dipstick, it would mean that there is slightly less oil than there should be, this is why they say that the dipstick shows less oil and that it is a good thing because it would prevent you from overfilling if you respect the MAX line.

This also means that if the oil is at the proper level it will show a little bit over the MAX line, as someone mentioned that on Audizine, it was said that it would line up with the A of the MAX...

A4Driver

I see posts from ECS here all the time; why are they being so quiet now? I was hoping they could answer my original two questions.

Meanwhile, I hate to be so distrusting, but how else will you know that the dealership changed your oil unless you can at least see the condition of it? Dealerships know that without a dipstick, people can't see their oil ... unless, of course, you want to siphon it or drain it out.

Also, like others have pointed out, I don't want to wait for the whims of an electronic system to tell me when I can and cannot check my oil. With a dipstick, I can easily check it instantly, at any time.
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Reggie

You might want to email them the question

Pete@ECSTuning

It will not hurt anything keeping it in the engine.

If you have any doubts I would just keep it in the glove box so its always in the car if you need to check the oil manually.

Pete