Great German Engineering - NO DIPSTICK!

[hammersley]

Yes that's right - my son bought a Mercedes Benz 230 with the turbo engine for his wife - and you're not going to believe what happened today. His wife told him that the car had a message that it was a quart low. So he tries to check the engine oil - and NO DIPSTICK. I Kid you not - THERE IS NO DIPSTICK - the manual tells you so! You have to go through an unbelieablly complicated procedure to get the car to check the Oil ELECTRONICALLY - and he couldn't get it to do it correctly! Now - How could anybody think this is an improvement?????

 

[MoparBob]

I hear ya... our Mercedees Benz Big trucks here in Iraq have the same deal... no dipstick. The computer tells you when to add and how much. Another problem is that it's easy to overfill and then your S. O. L. No way to suck the excess oil out without draining the pan. What were they thinking?

 

[steveinaz]

It's contamination control. In the future the typical drain plug and the fill cap will disappear also. You will have a "wiggins" fitting to drain it and you will refill thru the same port. A digital meter will tell you when its full. Some heavy equipment from Cat already use this system. Some haul trucks have a reserve sump and add oil as needed automatically. SteveinAZ

 

[Cummins Thunder]

I can agree to having both a dipstick and the electronic thing, but why only one!!???

 

[hammersley]

It's contamination control. In the future the typical drain plug and the fill cap will disappear also. You will have a "wiggins" fitting to drain it and you will refill thru the same port. A digital meter will tell you when its full. Some heavy equipment from Cat already use this system. Some haul trucks have a reserve sump and add oil as needed automatically. SteveinAZ

Wow - man am I showing my age - wht would I want that??????? I guess it's not what I want - well I guess it is - I simply won't have one... ... . keep my old 01 and fix it like the USAF does the BUF... ... .

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

Wow - man am I showing my age - wht would I want that??????? I guess it's not what I want - well I guess it is - I simply won't have one... ... . keep my old 01 and fix it like the USAF does the BUF... ... .

We can probably thank the EPA for that - and also soon expect a totally sealed engine in an effort to completely eliminate all atmospheric leakage of engine generated fumes and vapors. There will probably be a required engine vapor recycling system that puts the final nail in the coffin...

 

[TSterner]

You forgetting that most people don't check it anyway, this way the computer does it for you. My GF is a perfect example of this.

 

[klenger]

What? We're supposed to check the oil? :-laf

 

[JoshPeters]

That will be changing back soon, from what I was told before I left the Benz dealer. To many complaints exactly what your saying.



As I recall, the process isn't that difficult. (been a while, and I'd always use the scan tool)



Top off the oil, shut the key off, let it sit for a few min, and turn the key on. Check it with the buttons in the wheel.



The worst part of it is, you can't have the engine running for I belive 5 min before you check it.



Josh

 

[Rescue Ram]

You know, the slushbox on my '01 tdi is of a similar nature. There is no way to check the fluid. No computer to do it for you either...

 

[WDixon27]

bmws aint had a dipstick on the slushboxes since 92, one of my favorites is the 960 volvo transmission, it has a stick but you gotta check it from the bottom as it's too short to get from the top

 

[MKoth]

Unless things have changed recently. The Dodge Sprinter does not have a trans dipstick either.



I rember reading a report that the vast majority of all fluid contaminants enter through the dipstick tube.

 

[BarryG]

Yeah we have a couple sprinters here at work. When I was checking into them I noticed no trans dipstick and asked about it. The saleperson took me back to the shop and asked. They said same thing. Most contaminents enter through dipstick and the average joe doesnt check the fluid right anyway either making it over full or underfull. They do have a 70k mile transmission service maintenaance schedule though.

 

[Greenleaf]

There already is lobbying for the sealed engine. The crankcase vapor filter is on the market. It's just a matter of time untill it's the norm. There actually ARE emissions given off from the crankcase vent.



Some of you's guys know that it would be great if the vent wouln't blow oil out onto the rdiator. Nor soak the concrete at the house. I guess the "old sock recycling system" will be a thing of the past... .

 

[Got HO?]

BMW's new E90 3 series has no engine oil dipstick either. It uses an oil level sensor that has been pretty problematic. If the sensor reads low oil, the car won't start. Lots of them being towed in for replacement sensors... ... ...



Ain't technology great?