Knowing how to check oil levels it an important part of basic car maintenance. As part of our hire terms, you’re responsible for daily checks of the vehicle while it’s under your care. In this blog post, we’re going to share with you the best way to check oil levels.
The best way to check oil
Advice differs about the best way to check oil in your car, van, Luton or minibus, but we’re going to walk you through the basic process of checking the oil level.
- Make sure the vehicle is parked on level ground and that the oil is cold. Some people recommend checking while the oil is warm after you’ve been driving for a while, but you’re at risk of burning yourself on a hot engine part if you do.
- Open up the bonnet of your Meashams vehicle and make sure it’s securely fastened and isn’t going to fall shut while you’re checking out the oil.
- You’ll then need to locate the oil dipstick – with a front wheel drive, this should be somewhere near the front of the engine.
- Once you’ve found it, pull it out of the engine. Wipe it clean of any residual oil on an old cloth or some paper towels and put it back into the pipe. If you find it sticks out, try rotating the angle you’ve put it in at, some pipes have a curve to them, and your dipstick will have been made to fit.
- You can also take a look at the colour. If it’s brown or black it’s fine. If it’s got a lighter more milky appearance, you’ll need to let us know because there could be a leak.
- Once it’s been fully inserted, bring it back out. Take a close look at the bottom of the stick where the fresh oil will now be. Depending on the model, you’ll see different indicators on the dipstick to tell you if there’s the right amount. All dipsticks will have two markers on the end that the oil mark should sit between. If the oil line is between the two markers, you’re good to go.
Get in touch
Is the oil line is resting below the line closest to the bottom of the stick? Then it’s going to need topping up. Get in touch with the Meashams team and we’ll be able to help.
Want to know more about the basic check you need to carry out on your Meashams hire? Take a look at our advice for checking tyre pressure and water levels.