Does your car have a dipstick?

I've just taken my 19 year old in for it's MOT, flew through - as usual, with a comment of it's in remarkable condition underneath. The one in before, had failed on a ball joint, that was only just hanging together, the tester was on about it's owner considering, continue to drive it in that condition. Last year he'd had one presented for MOT, with a front brake disk so worn through, it had become detached from the hub. I do wonder how owners fail to notice these obvious faults.

I consider it a serious omission on my part, if I fail to notice a potential advisory, during my pre-MOT inspection.
 
Harry Bloomfield said:
I consider it a serious omission on my part, if I fail to notice a potential advisory, during my pre-MOT ininspection.
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That's good, but not everybody is capable, able or even willing to check their car, or even notice issues arising. Which is really, the point of the MOT.

But what is bad, is ignoring an advisory at last years test and being surprised its a failure on the new test
 
Mottie said:
Newsflash: Things have moved on in 40 years!
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And electrical systems still develop faults. :idea: Especially ones exposed to moisture in soggy UK. Thing with something like an electronic oil level monitoring system, it can be fine one day and develop a fault giving eroneous readings the next - and you wouldn't know. By the time you find out, that engine may be in need of ruinously expensive repair. Not sounding so great now, is it? Tales of tyre pressure sensors either not working or giving wrong readings are legion. A dipstick never goes wrong or gives false readings.

However I suppose some form of oil monitoring is better than nothing, for the dullards who just put fuel in their cars and never bother with anything else. In fact, for these people it should go one better and display oil readings on their dumb phones to spare them the effort of looking at their dashboards. Lifting a bonnet and wiping a stick would be way beyond such people.
 
ReganAndCarter said:
A dipstick never goes wrong or gives false readings.
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Mine does! The stick fits in a tube, run the engine and the oil drains below the tube bottom, because the top is sealed, the oil cannot flow back in. You have to pull the stick, then re-dip, to get the true level.

The point of a dip stick, is that you can check it before you drive, when you can do something about a low level. A warning light is just too late.
 
Had a desiel car that the fuel gauge 'reported' on the oil level whilst the glow plugs were heating / before the starter motor was operated. Once engine running it reported on fuel level.
 
carmanmemoranda said:
That's good, but not everybody is capable, able or even willing to check their car, or even notice issues arising. Which is really, the point of the MOT.
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The point of an MOT is to check a cars condition, at that moment.
Your car could fail the MOT 1 hour later.

It is totally incumbent on the driver, to regularly check the cars condition throughout the year.
 
Harry Bloomfield said:
Mine does! The stick fits in a tube, run the engine and the oil drains below the tube bottom, because the top is sealed, the oil cannot flow back in. You have to pull the stick, then re-dip, to get the true level.
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Maybe I've got the wrong end of the stick :) but don't you always need to remove stick, wipe then put back in for a true reading? Obviously making sure the engine hasn't been reun recently to allow all oil to return to the sump before testing?

Hang on, I've just realised after typing the above this is all too much for millennial generation phone zombies. Screw it! Give them electric sensors linked to their iPhones. They're always staring at them so can't fail to notice low level warnings. When the system inevitably goes wrong, just get daddy to fund a new engine/car. :idea:
 
trazor said:
The point of an MOT is to check a cars condition, at that moment.
Your car could fail the MOT 1 hour later.

It is totally incumbent on the driver, to regularly check the cars condition throughout the year.
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Yes, the mot is only a check at that time. But if you get an advise on tyre wear, or steering items wear, or ball joint/rubber condition, is it right to ignore it if you don't understand or can't sort it? It makes sense to plan the work over the timescale advised.

To see if fail next year and be surprised is my point.

A good mot will pass or fail as necessary, but advise on items that are approaching the need for attention.
 
trazor said:
The point of an MOT is to check a cars condition, at that moment.
Your car could fail the MOT 1 hour later.
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Or even less…….

www.diynot.com

This is EXACTLY why an MOT is only valid at the time of test.

I took my mates car down for an MOT for him today. The testing station will do me no favours (well, not many:whistle:), but they know me and won’t have me over. The car passed, with no problems - brakes fine, efficiency fine. They printed the ticket out and literally on my way out of the...
www.diynot.com www.diynot.com
 
carmanmemoranda said:
That's good, but not everybody is capable, able or even willing to check their car, or even notice issues arising.
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Apparently, 17 percent of women and 6 percent of men don't even know how to open the bonnet o the car

www.dailymail.co.uk

On the road to trouble: Four million British motorists 'don't know how to open a car bonnet'

A new study has found that 17 per cent of women and six per cent of men are so clueless when it comes to car maintenance that they do not even know how to lift the bonnet of their vehicle.
www.dailymail.co.uk

Basic maintenance questions and items have been introduced to the test in recent years but I'd be surprised if the numbers from that ten year old study haven't risen tbh
 
noseall said:
Do you check your fuel with a dipstick or rely on the sensor?
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What would you do if you suffered an oil leak ? And yes, they do happen. Not unknown for oil filter seals to fail/ leak .

Run the engine to check how much oil is needed ?

And I've had cars with dodgy fuel gauges. Fil the tank and go by mileage
 
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