How to check your car's oil levels

Checking your car's oil is one of the simplest things you can do to ensure your car runs smoothly and safely, but research constantly shows that drivers are not paying enough attention to the oil levels in their cars.

Poor engine maintenance reportedly accounts for one in 20 of all breakdowns, costing an average of £1300. With this in mind it's especially important to perform this simple check on a regular basis to ensure your car continues to run smoothly.

The guide will take you step-by-step through a generic oil check, but may need to refer to your owner's manual to determine what grade of oil is required, and how to open your bonnet, locate the dipstick and find the oil-filler cap.

Checking your car's oil

• Check oil when the engine is warm, but not within an hour of the engine being turned off. It's the engine's hot you could burn yourself.

• Ensure the car is parked on a level surface. If it is not you may not get an accurate reading.

• Release the bonnet catch - this may be under the dashboard - and release the latch underneath the lip of the bonnet.

• Locate the dipstick. It will have a loop at the top of it and is likely to be near the spark plugs. Your manual should show you its location. Make sure you remember where it goes - it can be tricky to locate the opening when replacing the dipstick.

• Pull the dipstick out, wipe the oil off with a rag and replace, making sure the dipstick goes as far in as it can.

• Draw out the dipstick again and hold it horizontally in front of you.

• Check the level. There are likely to be two maximum and minimum lines towards the bottom of the dipstick. The oil should be halfway between these lines.

• If the oil is below this mark, add a small amount of oil using a funnel. The oil filler cap will be situated on top of the engine.

• Wait for ten minutes before checking the level again. Over this time the oil should have settled. Do not exceed the maximum mark - it's much harder to drain oil from the tank than add it.

• Replace the filler cap and dipstick securely.

Oil check tips and notes

• Your owner's manual will tell you what grade of oil your engine requires. Otherwise most places you can buy oil will have a chart telling you what oil you require. Make sure you use the right kind of oil in your car's engine.

• The numbers on the grade of oil refer to the viscosity of the oil at different temperatures.

• If your oil seems consistently low it is likely that there is a leak, requiring repair.

• You will need to change your oil and replace the oil filter at regular intervals. Your manual will tell you often this is required.

• Make sure the engien area is well-lit when checking your oil. It'll be significantly harder if you can't see what you're doing!

Misfuelling FAQs

Around 400 people a day risk damaging their car by misfuelling. Our guide gives you advice on what to do next.

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Petrol Retailers Association buys BigOil.net

The Petrol Retailers Association (PRA) has bought BigOil.net.

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