Where's the dipstick?!?

IME, the dipstick can normally be located sitting in the driver's seat :-)

Sorry, couldn't resist.

Cheers

Dave P

you buy a kit of bits that includes a dipstick, about a 100 pounds

Gordon Bennet! At that price it must be a bargain :-) Mike.

Are you joking? You mean to say that if I bought a Merc, I wouldn't be able to check my own oil? Jesussss.........

I think he's referring to the auto trans fluid dipstick

I see. But that's something you'd want to check when you're checking the oil isnit?

The message from "Doki" contains these words:

You might think so, but the vast majority of the motoring public wouldn't agree.

You can't on the autos on many modern cars - they're 'sealed for life'. But unless your transmission is leaking, there's no reason to check the fluid level anyway - they're not like an engine which can burn oil.

Unlike an engine, a transmission won't normally use *any* oil, unless leaking. And careless checking of level via a dipstick can introduce dirt.

Or do you mean the nut that holds the steering wheel?

Rob Graham

On Mercedes lorries, they've not had dipsticks for a couple of years now. You check the oil level using the onboard computer/driver information panel. It'll tell you how much oil needs adding. I would've thought the cars would be the same. THe tamperproof cap definitely sounds familiar.

So how do you change the trans fluid? And when - not every 30k or so? And who does it - the dealer?

you don't

never

no.

It is recommended as a dealer only job. The filter, gaskets, distick anti tamper etc are all part of the 100 pound kit, I don't think it includes fluid though.

mrcheerful

BMW reckon it doesn't need doing ever - or at 100,000 miles, depending on who you ask.

Yea right!!! Whats the difference between 100% oil level and 150%. I bet it doesn't tell you its overfilled!!

Just their way of getting more gearboxes to fail .... giving them more repairs to do.

A bit like encouraging people to have coffee in the car,by fitting cup holders. But every now and then the coffee goes all over the dash screwing the electrics ... giving the garages more repairs to do!!!

Ford and Renault manage perfectly well to make their autos fail well before 100k even with regular fluid changes.

Auto gearbox fluid doesn't get contaminated in the same way as engine oil.

You don't. 250,000km service interval on the gearbox - on the lorries at least. Gerbox fault code tells you when something is up.