How to check your vehicle’s oil level
To get the best out of your car and ensure its longevity, regular servicing by a competent and qualified technician, is imperative. While most vehicles require to be serviced every 10 000 to 20 000km, it is still wise to check the oil levels at least once a month.
You can ask the fuel attendant at your favourite fuel station to perform this task when you fill up. Or, you can do it yourself.
This is a fairly easy process to complete.
1. Ensure that your car is parked on a level surface.
2. Park brake engage and preferably while the engine is cold.
3. Pop the bonnet and locate the dipstick (B).
4. Have a piece of soft cloth available and then, as you pull the dipstick, clean it over and with the cloth
5. The dipstick will have two markings near it tip. The one nearest to the tip, will indicate the minimum oil level and the other the maximum oil level
6. The ideal would be to have the oil level, at least somewhere in the middle of these two markings but ideally, at the second marker from the tip.
7. Once cleaned, push the dipstick back all the way – allow a couple of seconds and then pull it out again and checked the level against the previously mentioned markings.
8. If the level is at minimum (1st marker) or lower, it will, among other things, increase friction in the engine and this will eventually cause mechanical malfunction if not checked.
9. For the oil level to be higher than the maximum, is not good either. It may eventually pop the oil seals or worse.
10. Should it be necessary to ad oil, locate the oil cap (A), remove it and use a funnel to add small (500ml) quantities of oil at a time. Allow time for added oil settle to down and repeat the dipstick check in between every addition of oil. Repeat until the required level has been achieved.
11. Ensure that the engine oil cap has been replaced, tightened and that the dipstick is pushed down all the way before you close the bonnet and drive off.
