The area between the bulges equals 1 quart. When you're at the bottom bulge, add 1 full quart. Half-way between, ad a half quart, etc.

I'm going to try sanding a flat edge onto mine and then creating my own crosshatch pattern with a razor blade. Worst case, I spend the $75 for the Craven Speed dipstick anyway.

 

If you folks don't stop playing with your dipsticks so much you may just go blind...

 

With the current dipstick, we might as well be blind!

 

I posted this in another thread, but here goes too...

Sorry that this is long, but...
I have a slightly ****-retentive method for checking the oil level.
I remove the dipstick, wipe down, re-insert it most, but not all of the way, remove, wipe, re-insert, and do this a few times.
In effect, what is being done is getting out the oil that was deposited in the tube when you first removed the dipstick.
After this process results in a clean/dry dipstick, only then do I fully insert the dipstick and remove it to check the oil level.
I understand that this seems excessive, but it does work.
First time I tried this, I checked the oil level in my usual manner of removing the dipstick, wiping, reinserting, pulling out and checking the level.
Oil level was all of the way to the top of the measurement area on the dipstick.
Next, went through the process I described above and found the level to be in the middle of the measurement area.

 

Interesting method....I never heard of it. I just changed the oil on my Mini on Saturday, filled it up with 5 quarts of oil. So I'm not sure if the readings will be any different. But I'll try this method on my truck and see if it makes any difference.

 

Im going to have to try this. My MINI was in the shop for its first service and I had them look at the car for the cold start rattle issue the N14 engines have. They said the noise was down to a low oil level. I checked the level 3 days before I dropped it off and it looked fine....

 

My point is that none of the various methodologies (some would call them hoops to jump through) that people have for reading the dipstick (your method of inserting and removing multiple times, the paper towel transfer, leaving the dipstick unseated overnight and checking in the morning, buying a $75 after market dipstick, cutting a triangular grid into the dipstick, etc, etc, etc.) should be completely unnecessary. Is it really that hard to provide a dipstick that can be easily and accurately read? I've owned more cars than I can count over the years and I have never had one with a dipstick that left you wondering after checking the oil. I don't know how well the aftermarket dipstick will work once it's available, but if it works, that's the one that the car should be shipped with. Period. End of story.

 

I have to agree with this ^^!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFDP7cwZLeo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFswP-bWFH8

I just spent about 30 min checking the oil in the 2012 Mini Copper, then even more time. First I had to guess that it needed oil. The stick had oil on the top bump and on the cone at the bottom but the "oil zone" had texture showing over most of it but still with some wetness. I measured the oil on the stick 3 days before (cold oil) and found it was about 1/4 low (in the cold state). This time (today) I attempted to use the Method outlined by MINI (warm oil). The motor needed oil (I think) so I added some dealer approved Mini branded oil. Then I checked the stick after adding 1/2 quart. I had no idea if I over filled it or if it needed more oil. The stick had oil on the top bump every time I checked but the "oil zone" was all over the place (very wet and near dry but not completely dry in spots). I added some more oil and checked and checked and checked. Then I just quit, set the car on jacks made sure the car was level (even used a level tool), pulled the dipstick out, cleaned the dipstick, set it in a clean place, put a plug over the dipstick tube hole, and went for a walk with my wife.

Two hours later I went back to the car to check the cold oil level. The oil level was in the "good zone" and no oil was on the top bump after preparing the car for cold oil measuring.

To put things in perspective, Earlier today I changed the oil in two of my (non Mini) cars, set the oil level perfectly, rotated the tires (both cars), cleaned the wheels and set the tire pressures in the same amount of time it took to add just over 5/8 of a quart of oil and check the level using the recommended process on a new Cooper S (but still I did not know if the oil level was OK in the Cooper). Then I spent more time after waiting and then cold oil checking.

The cooper S uses oil (looks like 1 quart every 3000 miles) and my other cars don't use any more than 1/32 per oil change. The amount of attention and effort required to keep track of the oil level on the Cooper is just nuts. I think Mini and BMW should take full responsibility for any oil related engine damage that may occur on any Cooper. At this point I don't believe it is possible to use the Mini recommended process to check the oil lever with the factory dipstick.

Given that the Mini is a cute car it tends to attract many owners that are not going to think about the motor oil level. The car does not have an oil pressure or oil temp gauge so the typical driver has no feedback other than to try to check the oil during fuel (petrol) filings. I note that when the Cooper needs fuel the car flashes a warning triangle at the driver and the fuel lever lights turn RED and the car bonks at you as if you asked a computer to delete all the files on its hard drive. Checking the oil level is more difficult than it should be.

This is what makes checking the oil so confusing (See illustration). It looks like the motor has too much oil when it is low if you use the checking method outlined by Mini as seen in the second of the two videos I posted links to in this message. Even in the Mini video the oil level looks too high because the upper bump is wet. Then they tell you to just put in a quart if it is low. They don't say add the oil in small amounts checking the level at each step.

 

This is insane! Look at the MINI video (the second link in OceanMini2's posting). When the guy pulls out the dipstick, it appears to be wet all way up to and in fact over the top bump. Their own instructional video seems to show a false reading! Just look at this thread and the extraordinary efforts people are going to just to check their oil. It really is indefensible. This is just crappy engineering and design and if it wasn't about something as critical as oil level, it would be hilarious.

 

Hey guys and gals, the owners manual states to check your oil ~5 minutes after the car "has been running at normal operating temperature". Still it's no excuse for the horrible dipstick.

 

True and true but it takes more than 5 min for the oil to drain out of the tube. The tube oil collects on the top bump of the stick so a false reading (it looks like more oil is in the motor) is more of the norm (from my limited experience) if you do what Mini tells you to do.

 

It is true, we plan to have these ready to go soon. I added a email signup form to the page, we'll send out a coupon code to anyone who wants to be notified when they are released. We'll have the Gen 1 ready first but Gen 2 should not be far behind.

http://www.cravenspeed.com/mini-dipstick/

 

Is it just me? $75 seem a bit high. I understand you wanna make a buck but jeez.

 

Seems a bit much to me too.

Dave

 

Looking forward to the day I can check the oil level in my Mini without getting false feedback off the factory dipstick.

 

No, it's not just you. Seems very high to me. I can't help but feeling that the OEM dipstick is so bad that vendors feel like we'll pay just about anything to get rid of it.

 

They're not wrong...

 

That looks fantastic!!!!



This is what mine looks like:


What does this tell you?

 

Guys guys guys there is simply nothing wrong with the dipstick itself, in either the N14 or N18 engines, it is the passage through the timing chain slipping guide, that causes the problem, the passage way through the timing chain slipping guide, collects and holds oil, and this simply smears the oil on the dipstick, as you pull it out, in an attempt to gain a correct reading, so unless you allow for sufficient time, for the oil to run out of the timing chain slipping guide, then you will encounter a smeared inaccurate reading.

And the dipstick on the R53 W11 supercharged engine, does not pass through a timing chain slipping guide!

Here is an image showing the dipstick passage through the timing chain slipping guide.

 

I 100% agree that the tube is making it impossible to get a good reading when oil is on the inside tube surface.

I am sharing the oil checking results as tested on a 2012 Mini Copper S from dealer stock (not my car). This is a new car with nearly no miles on it. We (the Dealer SA, Dealer Salesman and myself) tested the oil level cold and warm. Each test documents the first three checks (check level, clean stick and recheck....) The 4th and 5th checks were not usable because oil had attached itself to the inside of the tube.

Cold oil check method: Orange = saturated oil on the stick, Red or orange dots = light oil with stick texture showing, Solid red = no oil.

1) Remove the dipstick and clean it. Do not put the dipstick back in the tube.
2) Let the car sit so the oil can drain out of the tube. (we waited 20 min on this test at the dealership) It is best to wait 2 hours or more.
3) Insert the dipstick into the tube and remove after 10 sec.
4) Inspect the oil on the stick. (check 1)
5) Clean it and insert the dipstick into the tube and remove after 10 sec.
6) Inspect the oil on the stick. (check 2)
7) Clean it and insert the dipstick into the tube and remove after 10 sec.
8) Inspect the oil on the stick. (check 3)



Warm oil check method: Orange = saturated oil on the stick, Red or orange dots = light oil with stick texture showing, Solid red = no oil.

1) Run car up to normal temperature. (note the lack of any temp gauge for oil or coolant)
2) Shut of the motor and open the hood.
3) Wait 5 min.
4) Pull out the dipstick, and then wipe the oil off the dopstick.
5) Put the stick back in without rotating the stick.
6) Wait 10 sec.
7) Then pull the stick out (check 1). look at the tip that is full of oil including the top ball (with the original oil set from the factory).
8) Clean it and insert the dipstick into the tube and remove after 10 sec.
9) Inspect the oil on the stick. (check 2) Look at the false negative and at the same time a false overfill reading.
10) Clean it and insert the dipstick into the tube and remove after 10 sec.
11) Inspect the oil on the stick. (check 3) Look at the false overfill reading.

Notice that in each set of tests the reading is slightly different. In some cases the reading shows a false over fill condition. The only repeatable way to check the oil (if the dipstick is used to check) is to check the oil cold as outlined in the cold method. Unfortunately only the first check will provide usable results. Any attempts after the first check are tainted from oil transfer from the tube.

Mini does not recommend the cold check method and stated the stick is not calibrated for cold checking.




The Mini manual I got with my 2012 shows the older dipstick design. This is not helpful for many people because it does not visually represent the real 2011 and 2012 oil checking experience. The 2012 dipstick has a textured measurement zone that is very difficult to see oil on because the plastic is red and the shape is a cylinder. A flat surface is much better for seeing oil adhesion with surface tension. The dipstick tip shape and color make it difficult see the (clean) oil but the shape of the tip adds another layer of confusion because the reading can be taken from 360 degrees. In my tests I have found that the oil level reads differently from different tangent points (0, 90, 180 degrees). The worst part is that no Mini documentation tells you how to interpret the amount of oil thickness that should be visible in this measurement zone. It is possible to use a shop towel and transfer the "misted" portions of oil from the measurement zone and think that it is telling you the level. Because the oil transfers to the tube and then to the stick and then back to the tube it is very typical to see an over fill reading (or a build up of oil on the upper portion of the stick). The upper ball and most of the stick above the upper ball will have oil on it if you use the approved Mini method for checking your oil. If you ever have to top off your oil you will never know when the oil level is set correctly. Keep in mind that the closer the oil level gets to the upper ball the more you have to wait between adding oil. Every time you check the level the reading is compromised and prone to provide misinformation. When the oil is low it is very easy to think that the level is OK because oil is covering many portions of the upper part of the dipstick tip. It appears that even if the oil level is 2 quarts low you can see oil at both ends of the dipstick if you check several times (I would like to see someone conduct a test to confirm this for me).


I called BMW / Mini in Ohio to attempt to get better clarity on checking the oil level on a 2012 Mini Cooper S. I told the customer relations person I was confused with the entire oil level reading and dipstick experience. They informed me that they have no technical personal on staff that are available to provide any help. They recommended that I tow the car to a dealership and have the dealer's service department look at the oil level for me. I can understand that it is risky to give advise to the general public over the phone. Everyone at Mini has been very friendly and has extended a willingness to help me but not able to really provide any real clear direction. I have not found anyone who can use the factory dipstick better than I can.

I hope some of this post will help you in some way. If you have done your homework and can provide additional insight I am very interested.

 

Very good write up, Thanks!

Dave

 

OceanMini2, thanks a million for the time it took to perform and document that!

 

Phew, Ive never seen such a process to check the oil!
That being said, I checked the oil in my 2012 MCS the other day, and was thouroughly confused and aggravated by the stick.
I mentioned it to the service writer when my car was in a couple of days ago, and he just shrugged and said its supposed to be in between the "Bumps"
Poorly designed for sure

 

When checking your oil becomes this detailed and involved something is wrong with the dipstick!

 

Is this an oil drain in the chain guide? (the red circled detail)