I know it's a weird question, but I looked at a new Mini (S model) today. It just landed at the dealer yesterday. One of the young salesmen made a casual comment that the car had no dip stick because the oil level is displayed on the dash. Can anyone confirm this? If this is true, does this mean changing your own oil is going to be complicated in some way? Filling with oil could mean jumping in and out to check oil level seems odd. Anybody know about this?

 

I can't confirm if this is true on mini but many new cars have gone this route..wouldn't surprise me

 

No dipstick in the new Mini is correct. BMW cars have had no dipstick for a few years.

 

@ 1:48 "... we've seen bad oil level sensors and customers added 3, 4, 5 even 6 more quarts of oil into an engine ... only way to truly check the level is physically drain the oil and measure it ..."

 

Great system as long as the sensor is good. Sometimes a mechanical device like the dipstick is just a more reliable system.

 

RealOEM shows an "oil levelling sensor":



And here's one for all the old farts - it looks like the oil filter is now a replaceable element inside a permanent filter housing - remember those?

 

Aren't they all replaceable elements in a permanent housing ?

 

Thanks for the responses. I was clueless about the dipstick thing.

 

That's a really good thing. Not everyone checks their car's dipstick frequently.

A recent long term test in a car magazine showed that the BMW in their test consumed a lot of oil (relatively) and BMW said that was normal. An owner who didn't use the dipstick frequently, could run his car out of oil.

 

Is this a joke? if so, my sense of humor is lacking this morning.

 

Oh good, something else to go wrong.

 

No place to really put one....lol.

 

WOW....that IS tight!!!
Guess for the 70% of folks who never check their dipstick...the sensor is a good thing..still wish it had a back-up....
But I bet MINI/BMW is SAVING $$$ on warranty costs due to oil issues by going this route...and the OWNER gets to PAY for it!! LOL.
Wonder how dumbed down things are gonna get in the future...
Tire PSI sensors....
Oil level sensors....
ABS, DSC....sure many are useful....but when they need fixing on a 5 year old car...gets $$$...anybody replacing a TPMS can vouch for that!

 

Could you dip a stick through the oil filler cap?

 

NOPE...cap is on top of the HEAD on most modern cars (every OHV car I know)....
Dipstick needs to go STRAIGHT to the PAN/SUMP

 

Wow, looks like the position of the filter may actually make it easy to change (after you get all the covers off).

 

(Hanging head in shame) I hadn't realized that, seeing as how I've gone all soft and don't change oil/filters myself anymore.

Where's the fun in removing a housing held on by a bolt? Real men changed replaceable filters by sticking an old screwdriver through the canister and then trying to get it off before all the oil dribbled down your arm....

 

AMEN TO THAT! I've had to do that a few times on my Volkswagens. What a mess!

 

I've had to do that on my old Volkswagen before, too.

 

I'm sure changing oil yourself can still be done, if you have drained the oil and replaced the filter, then all you need do is replace the Oil to what the "capacity" indicates in the owner's manual.

 

I can understand (but not agree) with the decision to replace the dip stick with a leveling sensor, but that only tells you how high the level is in the engine. You cannot assess what condition the oil is in that way...what if you have coolant contamination, for example?

 

Don't you just love it? You have to sit in the car with the motor running for about a minute (and only after it's come up to operating temp) to find out only the oil level. You can't smell it for burnt constituents. You can't feel it for adequate lubricity. And you can't look at it for color. All that for what? Save $0.22 on a strip of spring steel and some plastic. Oh yeah - one less hole for the robots to drill in the block. STUPID!

OK I feel better anyway - pardon the rant!

 

Presumably, the computer knows the condition of the oil based on the type of driving, temperatures and other factors.

 

Anything is better than the pos dipstick on my '12 R56s.

 

I doubt this engine has any kind of viscosimeter to measure the quality of the oil....if there's any sort of contamination you may not know about it until it's too late.....but come to think of it, deletion of the dipstick is just one more way manufacturers make it more difficult for owners to self-maintain their vehicles. Their business plan has no place for the guy who keeps a close eye on his car's vitals and keeps it running for 10 plus years with minimal dealer service post-warranty. If it breaks down catastrophically after warranty, it may just be time for a new car! That's what they're hoping, anyway....