Dry Dipstick - How much Oil do you get through?

[blackertracker]

Don’t keep starting the car until the oil situation is resolved, you risk destroying the engine.

[d-ash]

... in position 1 I see the battery, engine warning lights and EPC, they all disappear though when I start the car. Is that normal?

Yes, that's normal.

Check the oil level now the car's been idle for some time. If the oil is clean it can be difficult to see on the dipstick; make sure you look carefully for the level on the dipstick (and if you recheck, wipe with a cloth before dipping it again)

[Xopher]

Update (final one hopefully). I checked the oil this morning and it was perfect. I am truly baffled. Maybe I didn't click the dipstick in the full way. Maybe I'm the dipstick. Anyway the advice I got here has been superb. Thank you all I appreciated it so much.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[RUM4MO]

Good!

I agree with the posting that said that these 1.4 16V 86PS petrol engines normally do not need the oil topped up between services - but that should not stop you from giving all the fluids a weekly check.

Have you asked your uncle if your aunt had any issues with the battery before they handed that car over to you, it would have been handy for you to know that, or if they did not have any problems then why has this started to happen especially just after a long run to leave this car with you?

[Xopher]

Good!

I agree with the posting that said that these 1.4 16V 86PS petrol engines normally do not need the oil topped up between services - but that should not stop you from giving all the fluids a weekly check.

Have you asked your uncle if your aunt had any issues with the battery before they handed that car over to you, it would have been handy for you to know that, or if they did not have any problems then why has this started to happen especially just after a long run to leave this car with you?

My auntie said that she has never had an issue with the car starting since she got it 4 years ago. She mainly just does a couple of short trips a week, so I am thinking that didn't help the battery. Also when i changed the battery it was clear it was the original so has been going for 7-8 years. Probably just coudln't hold its charge anymore and the long trip pretty much killed it.

[Xopher]

I have just been told that you should always check oil with the ignition on and not off - is that true? I checked it this morning and it was fine but didn't start the car.

[Andy Beats]

I have just been told that you should always check oil with the ignition on and not off - is that true? I checked it this morning and it was fine but didn't start the car.

Engine off.
Ignition on/off shouldn't make any difference.

[RUM4MO]

I have just been told that you should always check oil with the ignition on and not off - is that true? I checked it this morning and it was fine but didn't start the car.

Best plan would be to remember who told you that, then ignore everything else they tell you about cars, and maybe other things.

[Andy Beats]

Best plan would be to remember who told you that, then ignore everything else they tell you about cars, and maybe other things.

Ha, quality....

[Xopher]

I have just been told that you should always check oil with the ignition on and not off - is that true? I checked it this morning and it was fine but didn't start the car.

Best plan would be to remember who told you that, then ignore everything else they tell you about cars, and maybe other things.

Consider it done.

[RUM4MO]

Excellent, I’m glad a very small attempt at humour does not cause offence!

Edit:- I am still struggling to understand why that battery got upset/finished off by that possibly first long run. Nine years old yes, but I would have thought that it’s previous use would have reduced its effective capacity enough to cause trouble while your aunt used it for short journeys. Seeing is believing though.

[Willni]

Excellent, I’m glad a very small attempt at humour does not cause offence!

Edit:- I am still struggling to understand why that battery got upset/finished off by that possibly first long run. Nine years old yes, but I would have thought that it’s previous use would have reduced its effective capacity enough to cause trouble while your aunt used it for short journeys. Seeing is believing though.

My thoughts would be short journeys are awful for batteries, but the VW batteries can very easily last 10 years. But batteries that aren't charged to full capacity the cells die and can't be recovered. So if I'd say it was just the end of the battery coupled with cold winter months are hard on batteries regardless.

You can get a free battery health check at Halfords, I switched my battery out for a Yuasa Lifetime Guarantee battery when it was low on life. Expensive but cheap when you know you can move it to different cars or when you know you're never selling a certain car.

[RUM4MO]

Willni, I'd keep an eye on that Yuasa battery - I'm sure that I've read on another motoring forum that they are prone to early failure - which is not what I would have expected from a hopefully quality battery supplier.

I agree about VW Group car batteries fitted to cars at factory, I replaced my 2000 VW Passat 4Motion when it was 11 years old, that car tended to get used only every other week. The battery in my wife's previous 2002 Polo 1.4 lasted the 105K miles and 13 years we owned it and that car got used most days. The battery in my daughter's late 2009 Ibiza, which was not used much while I looked after it for her was an Exide one and got replaced at 8 years as it was failing slightly and that car had a persistence battery draining problem - so it was one of the things I needed to replace after load testing it with a CTEK battery tester, I think that I bought that car a Bosch silver battery from Costco as it was a very good price.

My current car has an AGM battery and as that car only ever gets used for longer journeys, I bought a CTEK battery maintenance charger/conditioner/tester as it will cost quite a bit to replace - I test the batteries in both our cars at service time and so far that AGM s still "as new" - and surprisingly the EFB battery in my wife's August 2015 Polo which is used almost every day is also still "as new" - which is not what most people have been finding with their EFB battery in a VW Group car!