Tired of the springy impossible to read dipstick. Talked to a local mechanic and he said the 2010 Mini's have a new design that's much better.

Anyone have a 2010 to confirm? Otherwise best after market ones?

 

I have a 2010 & don't find it easy to read. I haven't seen other years' to compare it to though...

 

2011 is impossible to read.

 

I read it cold - only way it's remotely readable.... Problem is finding it sitting long enough to have a cold engine.

 

I love my '10 MCS. The dipstick, though, is a total joke!

 

Hell coming from an R53, I think my 2011 R56 dipstick is a major improvement just because I can at least get it out and put it back pretty easily. I agree the 2011 dipstick is terrible to read, but I feared breaking the dipstick on my R53 every time I checked the oil. I believe there are some nightmare posts in the R53 forum where the dipstick acually did break and the bottome half was stuck in the engine.

I guess it's all relative, but I don't know why the design of such a simple thing is so bad. My other car is a Jeep and it's amazing how simple that dipstick is to remove & read.

 

Yep the 2011 dipstick is stupid to read

 

Rats. Oh well. I cannot believe such a great car has such a dumb dip stick.

 

Aftermarket.... Cravenspeed? Do they fit the 2011s?

 

Craven quit making them. Here's the end of a Duramax GM diesel dipstick, those notches trap the oil and make it easy to read the level. It's easily 3 or 4 times longer than the MINI dipstick - and clear in the back of the engine bay on a truck - I feel for the short guys in a lifted truck trying to check their oil.



Maybe MINI needs a mini version of this..............

 

yeah my 2011 is rediculous to read. You know today I tried checking my oil while the car was running(just started it up) and the car almost stalled???!!! anyone had this issue?

 

Why would you do that?

I really do not understand all the strum and drang over the stupid dipstick! I have no trouble at all reading the one in my '09 MCS. I cannot understand why so many folks can't do this.....

 

I guess I will have to go out and check mine to see if I have any difficulty reading it. I picked up my 2011 a few weeks ago, got about 1K on her now and have not checked a thing yet other than the seat of my pants cause I am having so much fun driving her!

 

Mine is hard to read right after an oil change, but once the oil gets darker in color, it stands out enough to read OK. I agree though, it could be better!

 

If the oil is older and darker I can usually read it by sight, but end up blotting it on a paper towel anyway to get an "accurate" read. When it is new, gotta use the towel.

I think the problem is that everyone else seems to be able to make a dipstick that is easy to read. My Lawnboy push mower has a dipstick that is easy to read in any light and you do not need to blot it on a paper towel to read it. My old Kia Rio had a great dipstick, and that car was $12k out the door. Now if the MINI was not supposed to burn oil and we were not really meant to check the oil is one thing, but we know that is not true (at least with the turbos).

 

Just check your oil at any rate, don't be 4 qrts low in a 4.4 qrt system like post #47 here.



Another 4 qrts low - no oil left thread here.

 

I used a hack saw blade and made little notches in mine to make it easier to read. It acts sort of like the bumps on the one in the picture from MCSfever above.

Of course a color change of the the end of the dipstick to white or another light color might help. Not sure what color all of yours are but mine is a dark red color.

 

I believe the OP's question was if the 2010-2011 dipstick's were improved from earlier versions, the answer based on the replies here is "NO".

I was not saying I am unable to read the dipstick, rather that relative to other engines the Mini's dipstick is a PITA. With all the engineering that went into the engine, one would expect something this critical be as simple as possible. Engines that are older and cheaper seem to be able to accomplish this, why can't Mini? The car certainly costs enough, that was my point.

+1 I agree completely! If "normal" oil consumption for the turbo (as I have seen people post here) is 1 quart per 1-2K miles and Mini reccomends oil changes at 15K, then accuracy of this reading becomes more critical than for an engine that is not expected to consume oil.

Somthing this critical on any car (but this engine in particular) should be as easy to read as possible IMHO. I regularly check the oil in both my cars, and it is much easier on my other car. Which one do you think is easier???

 

The one with the dirty oil?

My 2004 Audi has the same design dipstick as the my '09 MINI, could it be a better design? I suppose so, but I really don't see anything wrong with the one it has. If you can't see it easily in a dark garage or something, just walk a few steps out into some light....

 

'09 and '11 are the same in mine. The red one tht is kind of a pain. The paper towel trick is pretty good, but only "pretty" good.
I read about an aftermarket a few years ago but the price IMHO was a bit rediculous.

 

That is why you don't change the oil for 14K or 1 year - makes it much easier to read!

 

I just realized how difficult my '08 MCS dipstick was to read just the other day. I checked it (cold) and couldn't see where the oil starts and stops. Could only confirm that the stick had oil on it. Tried a few times and just gave up.

Funny that it's common enough to have its own thread. haha.

 

I have been driving British sports cars like MG's and Triumphs since the early 1970's - The discussion about quirks back then was much more serious, usually centered on something Lucas, and much more serious than a hard to read dipstick!

 

I don't think the 1 qt per 1-2k miles is normal. It is within an acceptable range though.

 

I have been going through a quart about every 4-5k on my MCS - but I am not easy on the pedal and I also autocross it - So I feel I am AOK with that! Last time I added oil was beginning of November before an autocross... just had it changed and it was still fine (although easier to read since it was no longer clear).