Reading other posts and looking at other pics, I can't decipher the dipstick on my 2004 MINI Cooper S (manual).

My dipstick doesn't look like any other pic I've seen and the descriptions do not resemble my dipstick.

How do I read this thing?

 

There should be marks at either end of the blob, or some patterning on the blob. Normal level is at the shaft end of the blob. If its below the end of the blob its too low.

Edit: MINI has had an amazing variety of dipsticks. Here's Shawn's, the theory should be similar, there should be something that marks high and low.

 

I have the same dipstick!
I love how the manual, shows a completely different, yet easy to read dipstick.

I have NO CLUE as to how to read it. Even after a full oil change where I knew I put in the right amount of oil, the level was A) hard to read and B) not where I woulda assumed "full" to be.

I've been considering one of the aftermarket dipsticks for a while now...
Its just an asinine design, IMO.

 

I have the same one, and fill to the the small whole at the top odf the blob.

Pat

 

I have a '06 MCS and the dipstick is the same as yours. The hash mark is where the oil level should be. I think the tip is positioned at an angle in the oil pan so the four sides don't show the exact same level. As long as the the highest level is not above the hash mark and the lowest is within the hash mark, you're fine. Overfilling will allow the crankshaft to beat on the oil, which introduces air into the oil channels... not good.