http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-MINI-Coo...-/141720518717

Just thought I'd share this link for those of you that might not want to spend $75 on a Craven dipstick that I've read is hard to read, and not accurate .

I paid about $40, including shipping, for the ebay one . It reads exactly the same as my oem dipstick, but since it's made from a metal cable it's never going to break.

The only downside is that it will take a couple weeks to get to you. The ad says it ships from the U.K. but the shipping label on mine said it came from Poland. Definitely worth the wait, especially if you are proactive about it and order it before yours snaps.

 

That does look good, and much cheaper than the craven speed dipstick that doesn't read the same as my oem.

 

Mmmm not for me. True, the Cravenspeed is very hard to read. But I can't read those plastic OE style tips at all. The metal cable is an improvement, but I'd still have no idea how much oil I have. At least with the Cravenspeed I kind of feel like I have a ballpark estimate.

Who knew a dipstick could be difficult? I thought we invented this wheel ages ago...

 

Which style of Craven are you folks comparing to? The newer one with the drilled holes is a no-brainer to read IMO. I think it used to have grooves...

 

looks like they just replaced the coated small wire for a larger one, handle and dip both look oem, definently a cheaper option

 

craven is 2/3 quart low on my car, I now know to overfill it but at least it wont break.

I am ordering one of these, thanks for the link!

 

I have one with grooves. I still have my oem dip stick and use it to check the oil sometimes. When my oem dipstick says the oil level is correct. The cravenspeed says that it's overfilled. I'd say both are hard to read with fresh synthetic oil, but that could just be my eyes getting old, but the craven speed dipstick is not accurate, so it's kind of a disappointment, though I am glad that I don't have to deal with the possibility of a broken dipstick. I've broken a fiberglass one before, but I was fortunate enough to be able to pull the broken part out without removing the dipstick tube and half the front end.

 

Mine is a year old with grooves and it's almost impossible to read and it reads wrong, I'm glad I caught that before I went to the track

 

If your dipstick is really reading incorrectly, we want to replace it. I was not aware of any defective ones, but I would love to find out what is going on with yours.
Send me a PM or an email and I will get you a new one out right away!
-=Kellen

 

This is pretty hard to photograph, but here's the Cravenspeed, OE MCS, and OE Cooper dipsticks:



So the bottom one, obviously, is fine. You have that much oil in your Justa. But if you're an S, that supy chargy thingy is in the way so you need a longer, bendier dipstick. It's too bad you have to lose the plain metal blade though.

The middle one is saying... uh?... 3/4 of the way from minimum to full? It kind of fades away without a definite line you'd see on the traditional dipstick. It gets worse:



This picture is after carefully drying it with a paper towel. The bottom half still looks dark. If I was bone dry, I'd almost think maybe it was the same reading as in the picture above, not having them side by side to compare. I'd never want an aftermarket dipstick with a plastic end like this. My Honda Fit comes with the same plastic tip. Hate it.

This photo puts the Cravenspeed in a little better light:



If you look really close, you can see the fourth hole from the left has no oil in it. In fact, the three on the left are (probably?) dry too. The cable goes in there so you have to look really sharp. Whereas the rightmost seven holes have oil. Which is the same reading as the OE dipstick above -- same car, checked seconds apart.

So (if I'm reading it right), the Cravenspeed is accurate. It's just really hard to see if there's oil in these holes or not. This is in bright light with a white piece of paper as a background. Without that, it's much harder -- at least compared to your basic metal blade. You think at first every hole has oil and you turn it in the light and squint until you start to be able to see through some of the holes. It takes a minute.

The Cravenspped looks badass. Ready to ride eternal, shiny and chrome. Weapons grade, I'd attest. Just not as practical as it could be. You just shouldn't have to put this much thought into whether you're down a half quart or not.

 

I agree on the visual aesthetics and manufacturing quality of the CravenSpeed, but in regard to real-world functionality, what the M/C/S lacks, and what we all really want, is an old-fashioned, flat-bladed, easy to decipher (low mark > full mark) dipstick.

If CravenSpeed just attached a metered flat blade segment to the end of their contraption rather than trying to re-invent the wheel with first the ridges, and now the oil-filled dots, it would be a no-brainer for me (and probably many others) to purchase one.