What Happened to My Dipstick?

Checking your vehicle’s oil levels is actually easier than you think.

Posted March 1, 2023

Are you one of the people who’s been asked to open your hood and you’re like, “How do I do that?” Don’t worry; you’re not alone. Understanding common vehicle maintenance isn’t on the top of most people’s priority list. That’s why the experts at Integra Tire are here to help. We can even pop your hood for you!

If you are interested in learning a common vehicle maintenance technique, then keep reading!

One vehicle maintenance technique that’s very easy to learn how to do is how to check your oil. Now, if we’ve just freaked you out, take a deep breath. We’ll spell out the steps very simply and trust us – it’s easy!

First, make sure that your car is parked on a flat surface. If you live in the mountains, then we know it might be difficult to find a flat surface to park on, but there must be a mall parking lot nearby or somewhere flat to park. Believe us that parking on a flat surface is an important part of this procedure.

Next, open your hood. If you don’t know where the hood release mechanism is in your vehicle, check your owner’s manual or Google it. The button should have an image of a car with an open hood on it, like below.

hood release button

Once you’ve opened the hood, you may get intimidated; there’s a lot of stuff under there. Again, deep breath.

Now look for a stick with a big loop on the end of it. This is the dipstick. It looks like the image below.

oil dipstick

Grab hold of the dipstick and pull it out of the reservoir. It will be covered in oil. Yes, it’s a bit gross so get a clean rag and wipe it off. This is done for an actual purpose, not just for the purpose of you being less revolted by it.

Now put the dipstick back in the reservoir and pull it out again. This time you need to look at the oil. Yes, leave the oil on the dipstick.

If you look closely at the end of the dipstick you will see little lines. These lines indicate your maximum and minimum fill levels. If the oil on the dipstick is between the top line and the bottom line, then your vehicle has enough oil. If it is below the bottom line, then you need to add more oil to your reservoir.

See below for an image of a full oil reservoir.

oil level indicator on dipstick

See wasn’t that easy?

If your oil is low, and this task already has you sweating, then bring your car into your local Integra Tire location, and we’ll happily put the correct oil in your reservoir and check to make sure that there are no leaks causing your oil levels to run low.

Now you can pat yourself on the back because you’ve done some vehicle maintenance and your vehicle will thank you for it!

Whoo-Hoo!

Questions? Our Advisors are Happy to Help!

If you have questions about anything you've read in this resource page, contact your nearest dealer for more information. We are passionate in assisting our customers make the best choices to keep their vehicles in tip-top shape and keep their families safe.