Hey All, Happy thanksgiving. My new CravenSpeed Dipstick arrived today but when I checked it against the stock dipstick, it is a bit more than 1/4" longer than stock. Thus if I check the oil, it appears overfilled. For the price, I thought that it would be a direct replacement but without an accurate measure, it's not worth the money. I contacted the manufacturer and the business where I purchased it to get their input. Of cause they are closed today so i'll have to see what they say on Monday. In the meantime, I was wondering if any of you purchased the CravenSpeed dipstick for a 2005 Mini Copper S and if yours was the correct size. Thanks

 

Did you check to see if you received the correct one? Go to http://www.cravenspeed.com/mini-dipstick/ and compare yours with the picture on their site

 

1st gen:



2nd gen:

 

First thought is that it is the wrong one, as poster above suggests. My 2nd gen is perfect, same length as the OEM.

 

Yes I checked ...... Got the first generation so I too was surprised. I'll give them a call next week and ask. Although it works (easier to slide down the tube) the level will always be to high because its longer than the stock one. I'll let you know he this turns out.

 

Looks like two Allen screws at the handle holds the coil spring so I wonder if there is an adjustment to shorten the dipstick? I'll ask when I speak with the vendor.

 

Any update on this?
And, wtf are these things so pricey?!

 

Well, the handle is turned aluminum, powder coated. Then there is the springy middle and the dip part, that had to be cut, notched, and attached. So materials plus labor, and some profit on top of that. Then buying the packaging, putting it on the website, and paying someone to take the order, pack and ship it. They aren't being made in China and they aren't being shipped by minimum wage workers in some big warehouse. They are made in the USA and shipped by a real person that you can call back if you need to.
The price makes sense to me, as a small business person. It's a niche market and volume is low. You could always start making and selling them yourself if you have a desire to do that. :-)

 

I should add, that if you can rent an office and workshop, do the R&D for the design, pay for the manufacturing, and take your time out to ship them to all of us without profit, we would be (somewhat) grateful for you kind donation to the MINI Community, but you won't be in business very long. :-)

 

For the long term R53 owner, the hassle and expense of retrieving a broken oem dipstick either out of the oil tube or by dropping the oil pan makes the Cravenspeed product a bargain.