I am pretty good about making sure my oil is topped off, but holy hell its hard to read the dipstick on these cars. My 09 Clubman JCW has the later cable type dipstick but when I pull it out, the entire plastic part is coated in oil from the dipstick tube. Is there an aftermarket dipstick thats easier to read or is there a spiffy little trick to checking it? I've never had a car that I had to check it about 5-6 times just to make sure I'm reading it correctly.

 

I know the Craven Speed dipstick is a popular choice for a replacement as the complaint about hard to read oil levels is all too common with MINI's. Good thread HERE.

 

Check it cold, on a level surface.

I check mine in the morning, after it has been sitting all night. I pull the dipstick and look at the level, that's all. Don't wipe it off, reinsert it and pull it out again to check it. That just pulls oil up the dipstick tube and obscures the reading.

 

Do you know how much the reading differs between a cold engine and a warm and rested engine? I usually check it cold but am always curious of the real difference, as Mini states to check it warm.

 

See! I knew there was some spiffy techniques on how to go about doing this! Thanks guys!

 

If you can't see the oil on the indicator, take a paper towel and after dipping the stick in the engine, lay it on the towel. Remove it and you'll see where the oil is on the indicator.

 

Looks to me like the entire thing is coated with a light coat of oil though. I will give that a try. Thanks

 

^First remove the dipstick and completely wipe it off. Then place it all the way down in the tube and try the paper towel trick to get a clean read.