What a dipstick!!

[jimgironde]

I had a mystery oil problem which now seems to have resolved itself but my dealer asked me to take the car back in for them to check the level.

So yesterday I went into the VW main dealer and the guy on service reception went to look for a mechanic to do the quick check. He obviously couldn't find a mechanic as I saw him walk across the car park and open the bonnet, so I walked out and as I got there he had taken the dipstick out and was looking at it.
He turns to me and says "how are you supposed to read this I can't fathom it out"
I think he is relatively new to the dealership, but it sums up the problem we have all moaned about....

[the surfer]

I had a mystery oil problem which now seems to have resolved itself but my dealer asked me to take the car back in for them to check the level.

So yesterday I went into the VW main dealer and the guy on service reception went to look for a mechanic to do the quick check. He obviously couldn't find a mechanic as I saw him walk across the car park and open the bonnet, so I walked out and as I got there he had taken the dipstick out and was looking at it.
He turns to me and says "how are you supposed to read this I can't fathom it out"
I think he is relatively new to the dealership, but it sums up the problem we have all moaned about....

Sorry, forgive me if I misunderstood your post, but are you simply saying that the dipstick is difficult to read?

If this is what you're saying then: yes, it's certainly not easy! If I was a VW designer I would make the dipstick any colour except black/dark grey! I took a quick glance at mine at the weekend and initially thought it was just under maximum; turns out it was just above minimum!

[jimgironde]

Surfer, if you look at previous threads over the last couple of years, the B6 dipstick has caused no end of problems, frustration and debate!!

[aperson]

Surfer, if you look at previous threads over the last couple of years, the B6 dipstick has caused no end of problems, frustration and debate!!

Don't worry Jimgironde I got where you were coming from

I take my Passat to an independant VW specialist when possible. The dealings I have had to date with the main dealer have not been great. With regards to the dip stick my 2006 Passat seems to have the same style of dipstick as my 1998 Polo and it is easy enough to read. Did VW change the design for dip stick because of this?

[the surfer]

Surfer, if you look at previous threads over the last couple of years, the B6 dipstick has caused no end of problems, frustration and debate!!

I haven't seen any previous threads regarding this. If you read what I wrote then you might realise that I'm agreeing with what you're saying, not denying it!

I didn't know if you were referring to some kind of "mystery oil problem" or whether you were simply saying the dipstick is of poor design.

[jimgironde]

Surfer, you need to read the forum more often!!! If you do a search just using the word "oil" you will find numerous threads, but not always with specific reference to dipstick in title, but certainly plenty of reference in the ensuing discussion.
I think everyone is astonished at how VW got this one so wrong, it is not just the colour of the dipstick but its "configuration" at the business end.
As for my mystery oil problem, it remains a mystery, not diagnosed but not recurring either. What happened was the low oil level light came on 3 times over a couple of days even though it had oil above mimimum and I kept topping up, no leaks etc. Just hope it is not the oil pump on the way out. I suggested that to the dealer and they said but the car is less than 2 years old with only 20k on clock, it wouldn't do that!!

[the surfer]

Surfer, you need to read the forum more often!!! If you do a search just using the word "oil" you will find numerous threads, but not always with specific reference to dipstick in title, but certainly plenty of reference in the ensuing discussion.
I think everyone is astonished at how VW got this one so wrong, it is not just the colour of the dipstick but its "configuration" at the business end.
As for my mystery oil problem, it remains a mystery, not diagnosed but not recurring either. What happened was the low oil level light came on 3 times over a couple of days even though it had oil above mimimum and I kept topping up, no leaks etc. Just hope it is not the oil pump on the way out. I suggested that to the dealer and they said but the car is less than 2 years old with only 20k on clock, it wouldn't do that!!

I don't "need to read the forum more often". I don't have time to read through years worth of threads. I wasn't denying there has been previous discussion regarding dipsticks, I just simply haven't personally read them. As I said previously, I was referring to this thread only and I was confused about the initial statement you made.

I now understand your "mystery oil problem" and how this possibly relates to the poorly designed dipstick. If it was me I'd be worried it was something more sinister, like you say - oil pump, than a mis-read dipstick.

[Quatrelle]

I had a mystery oil problem which now seems to have resolved itself ...

If it happens again, satisfy yourself that the oil level is ok and then disconnect/reconnect the battery perhaps?

Always worth keeping a note of these things for future reference in the event of any disagreement....

[jimgironde]

I completely agree with your good advice Quatrelle and it is totally logged with the VW dealer. I do truly believe that there was some sort of glitch with the oil circulation, after topping up 3 times it was showing below the minimum. This was not a misread of the dipstick as it was backed up by the warning light. And then later it was full??? To me this seems like the oil pump was not doing its job properly.
I now seem to be going back into a previous thread I started when my only intention was to highlight that a main VW dealer struggles just like we do with the dipstick.

[Quatrelle]

Which begs the question - where was the oil when it was showing low on the dipstick/warning light if it then later showed full?

I do even fewer miles than you, and it does make me wonder what's waiting in the wings...