The OEM dipstick works well, provided your car doesn't have an oil consumption problem.

 

This is where I'm coming from, sure the Craven dipstick isn't needed for those with no oil consumption, however if you check you oil often (twice a week) then getting one doesn't seem like much of a deal. I check my oil a lot and I think that's why some don't understand why we pay so much for an upgraded dipstick. My MCS drinks oil.

 

Since I have had head redone I check oil daily.
But if I remove dipstick first in the morning, just pull it out & see 3 sides are 3/4 & one side is 1/4?
So which do I believe?

 

If you can leave the dipstick out completely overnight and then insert and remove just once in the AM. That should give you a consistent reading. Worth a shot at least once to see if that method works for you. It works perfectly well for me.

 

It very well sounds like you pulled extra oil up into the dipstick tube and having it splash part of the reading area which is why you get a false reading. I never want to be in a position to have to guess if the oil is at 1/4 or 3/4 full, it is for this reason people buy an aftermarket dipstick because the OEM has been known for false readings! That's why I don't understand why people say there's nothing wrong with the OEM dipstick and that's it my prescription eye glasses.

It's a Mini enough said.

 

To get a correct reading it is imperative that you get all excess oils out of the tube before taking the final reading and to achieve this, even if it's sat all night, is to re-insert the dipstick without going far enough to get oil from the oil pan on it and clean it of excess oil. You will have to repeat this process several times before the tube is cleansed of oil enough to get a clean reading

 

Systemlord, I'm with you...the Cravenspeed dipstick works perfectly anywhere anytime and worth the $75 I paid for it. And I've purchased one for each of the 3 MINI's in my stable.

 

I'd never expect anyone who spent $75 to replace a perfectly good dipstick to say anything else. $225 now that's some dipsticks.

 

What if we all chipped in and sent you $75 to buy a dipstick, would that get you to move on from your stick envy?

 

$how me the money. No I won't waste it on replacing my dipstick.

 

I repeated this process several times () with the OEM dipstick and I was able to read it perfectly, problem is I wanted a dipstick that performed just like every other car or truck I have owned in the last 25 years so I purchased the Craven. I'm not going to play around with my dipstick and perform some repeated ritual several times, I have better things to do with my time than play around with my dipstick.

 

Good one!

Dave

 

Me to but it's in the top five!

 

I tried that seemed to work about half way.
As I added a 1/2 quart 1500 miles before?

 

Maybe I'll go make a how to video later.

 

Especially if done in public

 

True, the OEM dipsticks are a pain in the a** to use.

 

Dipstick fight

 

Okay just additional two cents on the subject...

I really wanted to try the technic mentioned before just to see what people were talking about. I recently did it but just following some principles mentioned here without going over board, and truly I was actually amazed how clean of a reading I got. In a way it was even better than any readings I got on any other car. I'll probably do that with any other dipstick from now one.
It did not take any special effort. All it took is a little patience and no sweat, if patience is even applicable here since I did not have to practically wait at all.

I parked the car in the garage. Had dinner etc, just to make sure the car was cooled enough. Nothing different than any other recommended procedure here. I never like to pull the dipstick with a hot engine and maybe next time I'll try it right away.

I went back to the car pulled the dipstick out. Wiped it. I put the dip stick away from dust (here all I did is used a little sandwich bag to cover it, super easy)
I left the car over night in the garage with the hood open as a reminder.
I came back in the morning. Put the dip stick back in then out slowly and bang perfect reading. It literally did not take any time.

I'm not going to say don't buy the Cravenspeed dipstick. I totally understand the sentiment of immediacy, though to me it's overrated when you think about it in this particular context.

I'll just say in the grand scheme of things for an oil level check in most cases it's all "I" really need. And literally all it took of me is for me to remember to do it an evening. The reading was so clean I didn't feel the need to check twice which I've always done with any other car.
Anyway, I understand patience is relative to each individual but for me this works great . . . And for those concerned with filling up oil and checking if they've done it right, at some point one has to realize it is not a dipstick problem but the fact one does not know completely what he's doing. Is it fine to spend extra money to help you out. Of course, everyone's doing it all the time. Many people don't know how to change their brake pads. They'll pay someone to do it. Same thing...


Keep fitting, for me I've closed the subject

 

I used OEM, then the Cravenspeed, and finally ended up doing a variation of the "BlackIce Mod" (<--link) on the OEM dipstick with horizontal slots instead of holes. It has maximized my satisfaction.

For general reference, here is the best all-time historical NAM post on oil dipstick reading:

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ml#post3639300

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Good job! Excellent write up...

When I first got my MCS... I was at a lost... in reading the oil level. With the OEM dipstick, read all kinds of threads on how to read it and even upgraded to Cravenspeed that most of folks use. Nice, right? Needless to say IMO the CRVSP is hyped up. I could see exactly what the oil level is and how much oil to add if needed. All it took was for me to check the oil 3 times a week until I developed a ¨trained eye¨ to identify it. Like you said, patience is key.

With the right lighting and angle on how I hold the dipstick up - the oil level is pretty obvious to me now.