when are you supposed to check the oil level? do you check it right after driving the car, a little after driving the car, or when the engine is cold? i want to know because i have heard so many things and i've tried every method finding different results each time...
MIke

 

Ideally, about 5-10 minutes after driving the car and allowing it to come up to temperature.

 

Me personally... I think that you will get the best reading when the motor has sat, because all of the oil will have had time to drain to the pan. I don't think that you're going to see a huge variance either way though. Just check it regularly and get an oil pressure sensor if you are worried about running low.

HTH

 

Yeah, dead cold is best...

 

I like to check mine about 20-30 minutes after the car has been shut off. I've tried many different methods aswell and came up with a couple conclusions. Your oil level will be a bit higher when the engine is warm (i guess because oil expands when hot??) and a bit lower when the car has been sitting (like overnight). It's pretty wierd because by then, u would expect all your oil to be drained off all the internal parts and the pump but it ends up being lower than if u were to check your oil let's say half hour after shutting off your engine.