How to Check Your Oil

Your car’s oil is essential for the engine’s smooth running. Without oil, your car’s engine won’t last very long, making maintaining, topping up and replacing your oil essential. The good news is that it’s easy to do, so you can double-check your car’s oil levels at home.

In this article, we’ll take a closer look at how to change your car’s oil. As well as making sure you can keep your current car maintained, knowing how to change the oil will also mean that you can keep future cars in ship shape. If you’re looking to replace your current car with something newer, then check out Eden’s current range of vehicles from key brands such as Vauxhall, MG or Peugeot.

Under the bonnet

Nearly all cars will have their engine under the bonnet and to access this, you’ll need to pull a lever from within the cabin. Most vehicles have this situated to the right-hand side of the driver’s footwell, though some cars have it in the passenger footwell. Whichever one applies to your car, give it a firm pull and you should hear the bonnet ‘pop’ as it opens and unlocks.

If your bonnet fails to unlatch, then it could mean that the cable is worn out or stiff - this will need a repair by a mechanic to unstick and regrease it.

Dipstick

Right, here’s where the main access point to your oil levels lies. The dipstick is your main way of checking how much oil is in your car and, in most vehicles, it’s highlighted by a yellow handle which makes it easier to see. This handle can sometimes be a little dirty, so you may want to wear gloves when removing it or give it a quick clean-down beforehand.

To check the levels, you’ll need to remove the dipstick from the engine. Give the handle a firm pull - it should feel reasonably locked in, to begin with - and soon you’ll be able to remove the entire dipstick from the engine. Watch out for any oil that might come off the dipstick in the process.

Remove the dipstick entirely and then you’ll need to clean it down with a piece of paper towel or a rag - don’t use anything precious to clean it down. Once you’ve wiped down the dipstick entirely, return it to the engine and make sure it is ‘seated’ back where it was to begin with.

Levels

Now, you can remove the dipstick from the engine once more and you’ll be able to read the levels. Nearly all cars - including the ones you’ll find on sale here at Eden - feature a gauge on the dipstick itself, showing low, medium and high markers. It’s with these that you’ll be able to get a handle on how much oil your car has in it.

If you’re not quite sure what the reading shows, give the dipstick another clean and try the whole process again. You’ll get the most accurate reading from a cold engine, too, but you can test it on a warm engine if you really need to. However, make sure that you don’t remove the dipstick from a hot engine that has just been running - give it time to cool down.

Top up if required

From here, you might need to top up your car’s engine oil. If the dipstick test shows that the levels are low, then topping up with oil is essential to prevent any damage from occurring. Make sure that if you are replacing the oil, you find out which is the right one for your vehicle - you might be able to source this information from your car’s handbook, or via a car parts retailer which often has databases that you can use.

Once you’ve got the right oil for your car, top it up with the oil filler. Most cars have an oil filler cap with a bright yellow oil can logo on its top, so you should be able to find it relatively easily. Remove this, and then top up the oil in small increments, replacing the dipstick and re-checking the levels every time you add more oil. Then, once you’ve reached the right level, give return the dipstick and screw the oil cap back on - it should ‘click’ back into place, a little like your car’s fuel filler cap. Give the area around the oil cap a clean, just in case any excess oil has landed on it.

Further treatment

Routinely checking your car’s oil levels is a good habit to get into. However, if your vehicle is losing more oil than usual - or if you’ve noticed any oil spotting beneath the car after it has been parked - it’ll be a good idea to have it checked over by a trained professional.

If oil leaks are becoming more commonplace then it might be a good time to switch cars - which is where Eden can help. We’ve got many of the very latest vehicles from brands like Peugeot and MG, as well as used cars that have been carefully chosen and inspected by our team of experts. Get in touch today if you’d like to find out more.