Now I'm probably one but where is the dipstick? How do I check the engine oil level or is it done automatically with a warning if low?
Dip Stick
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there is no dip stick, You use the menu to verify your level
Check your car's built-in owner's manual for that....and more!
Check your car's built-in owner's manual for that....and more!
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All electronic, though it does NOT automatically check for you. Continue to check your oil level every so often because it will only throw up a warning automatically if the oil is dangerously low.
To check your oil, from the main menu of your radio (Connected, XL, or base - it's the same), go to VEHICLE INFO, then to VEHICLE STATUS. There is an option to measure engine oil level. The engine has to be warmed up and you have to be parked, the measurement takes a minute, but your screen will display a gauge that will show how much oil you have.
To check your oil, from the main menu of your radio (Connected, XL, or base - it's the same), go to VEHICLE INFO, then to VEHICLE STATUS. There is an option to measure engine oil level. The engine has to be warmed up and you have to be parked, the measurement takes a minute, but your screen will display a gauge that will show how much oil you have.
I still prefer a manual dipstick, old motorheads don't adapt to electronic dipsticks! The F series is phenomenal, but not perfect. The electronics are great, but not perfect. Being a pilot I like redundancy and would like to have a manual dipstick for verification and in the event, however, unlikely of electronic failure. Trust but verify!
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I miss having "real gauges"...oil temp, oil pressure, amps...you actually can tell how well the engine is operating with gauges! I miss the dipstick as well.....something therapeutic about checking the oil on occasion and getting your hands dirty!
John
John
I ordered the F56 with the chrono pack in order to get analog oil pressure and boost pressure. I would rather have had oil or coolant temperature than the lap timer/stopwatch, but I took what I could get. Plus they look pretty cool on the dash. At speed it is difficult to see anything useful in the digital spaghetti behind the steering wheel and you have to punch the button on the end of the turn signal arm to scroll through whatever tiny information is presented in the instrument cluster. That's OK if you are stopped at a traffic light or something like that, but at speed in twisties it is sort of useless for me. However, I have found the engines in the R56 and F56 to be very reliable. I didn't order the heads up as I thought it was cheesy. They had them on the minis we drove at Indy and I didn't care for them.
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I really love my heads up display-lost now in any car without one! makes seeing the speed/nav /music so much safer. Like most i really mist the dipstick-not least because you can check the colour of the oil; black tar =time for a change! Cant do that anymore so i just do it yearly!
I know what you mean, its nice to keep an eye on things......but when was the last time you dipped your fuel tank to check the level???
We have it in the corvette, it is projected in the windscreen and you can move it up or down to your liking. It also has some track courses programmed into it. It is also connected to the GPS. You can program certain preferences into it, albeit limited. It is in the field of vision while you are watching the road/track and is useful.
Fuel gauge is not really necessary if you know your consumption rate. All things electronic and/or mechanical are subject to failure some more than others. I am anal about oil as it is the life blood of the engine and old habits die hard. If there was a practical way to retrofit a dipstick I would.
Thank you ?
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If you look at a Mini Challenge F56 race car you will see that they have a dipstick.what they have done is to remove the air inlet trunking from the front panel and they have used an aftermarket CAI system drawing air from around the headlamp area.
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That's odd as long as my car is warm it has always been fine but it needs a very good run. Our dacia had its first service yesterday and not that I don't trust them but I simply checked on the dipstick to see if the oil had been changed we can't do that on our petrol minis.
Very good point in deed I got back from service a few years back of my old BMW and they had only filled the oil to min level very poor never called the garage and never went back either their loss
Just ditched a Mini Cooper after nine months because of the dipstick and other issues. The digital gauge is difficult to use/understand (I say this after 34 years' motoring) the electrics are iffy - I got a low oil warning, stuck half a litre in then did a full check and it appeared full. The dealer wanted to charge me labour because they couldn't find a fault! If half a litre takes it from low to full, there's an issue somewhere....
Then there was the low battery charge warning, which wouldn't go off no matter how long I drove it. Until the morning after, when it appeared the battery had been mystically charged overnight, without human intervention. Dare not take it to the dealer, though, for fear of a charge request (while under warranty). The F56 should be a good car, but after tolerating Minis since 2002, with their rattling dashboards, rattling doors, squeaking door seals, noisy wiper blades, smeared side windows when they've been rolled down and back up, we found ALL these issued had been engineered into the new-from-the-ground-up F56. Almost like Mini taking the, er, mickey...
So we're now in a Mazda MX5. A revelation in many good ways and so liberating to be able to check the dipstick. And find it at the maximum mark.
No turbo to go wrong; sensible (shorter) service intervals to boot. I'm hopeful for the future with this one. With the number of pre-registered Minis on forecourts, I suspect things are not quite as they'd hoped. And with 18,000 mile service intervals I suspect the TLC pack will turn out to be anything but TLC for those who own the cars 80,000 miles down the road with turbochargers to care for.
Oh hum...
Then there was the low battery charge warning, which wouldn't go off no matter how long I drove it. Until the morning after, when it appeared the battery had been mystically charged overnight, without human intervention. Dare not take it to the dealer, though, for fear of a charge request (while under warranty). The F56 should be a good car, but after tolerating Minis since 2002, with their rattling dashboards, rattling doors, squeaking door seals, noisy wiper blades, smeared side windows when they've been rolled down and back up, we found ALL these issued had been engineered into the new-from-the-ground-up F56. Almost like Mini taking the, er, mickey...
So we're now in a Mazda MX5. A revelation in many good ways and so liberating to be able to check the dipstick. And find it at the maximum mark.
No turbo to go wrong; sensible (shorter) service intervals to boot. I'm hopeful for the future with this one. With the number of pre-registered Minis on forecourts, I suspect things are not quite as they'd hoped. And with 18,000 mile service intervals I suspect the TLC pack will turn out to be anything but TLC for those who own the cars 80,000 miles down the road with turbochargers to care for.
Oh hum...
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8,973 Posts
If you take the oil cap off you might see a teeny bit of oil on the cam lobes buts that's all.you're in the top of the engine. If your oil gauge shows low I'm sure the book says half litre is required hence your car was right Graham. I've not found a problem reading the oil level as yet but understand your worries 're electrics and charging. The Mazda isn't really a mini competitor although the roadster soon to be defunct is. We love our roadster s. Preferred it for rareity value and the engine. 0-60 in 7 s but 45 mpg. Totally reliable as yet but you can't fault Mazda for reliability they're great cars.and rwd so handling and steering feel great.. I agree the mx5 is a wonderful car but it's sadly underpowered and cries out for a turbo. I've always felt t h e mx 5 needed a higher power engine option(fine engines as are but just not doing full justice to the chassis) just like the Toyota gt86.Sorry. Oh yes fiat are about to sell it under their name with a turbo engine!
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Daydotz please don't try this you can't put anything down the oil cap to read the oil it needs to go into the sump. You could seriously damage the camshaft.
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