Let the Thelen Auto Group Help You Learn How to Check Your Vehicle Engine Oil in Quick & Easy Steps

Learn How to Check Your Vehicle Engine Oil at Home

With something as important to your vehicle as engine oil, you want to make sure you know how to check it periodically. This way, you can be alerted if you need to schedule an appointment for an unexpected oil change or refill. The Thelen Auto Group of Bay City, MI, wants to help guide you through the steps it takes to properly check your oil. If you need an oil change or refill in the mid-Michigan region, you can count on one of our family of Service Centers to supply your vehicle with quality oil for peak performance and engine longevity.  

How to Check Your Vehicle’s Oil 

Make Sure The Vehicle Is Off – Whether you are checking your vehicle’s oil from a cold engine, or you recently had it running, please make sure the vehicle is off before you start handling anything under the hood. If the vehicle has recently been running as well, give it a few minutes to cool off. This will make sure you don’t burn yourself as you go through the rest of the steps. 

Have Appropriate Equipment Ready – Since checking the oil in your vehicle will require wiping existing oil off the dipstick, you will want to have a paper towel or a clean cloth ready. If you are doing this when the oil will be warm, we suggest using a cloth to prevent burning. 

Locate the Dipstick & Wipe Off Existing Oil – When you are ready to start, pop the hood of your vehicle and locate the dipstick. This is often signified with a yellow handle or another noticeable visual representation denoting it is for oil. Once you have found it, pull it out of its compartment and use the paper towel or cloth to wipe off any oil currently on the stick. The existing oil doesn’t provide an accurate representation of what is currently in the vehicle. Then, reinsert the dipstick into its compartment. 

Pull Out the Dipstick Again & Read the Results – After a couple of seconds, pull out the dipstick again and take a look. There will be notches or other ways to tell both top levels and low levels of oil. If the oil line rests comfortably within the two, you are good to go. However, you need to take immediate action if the level is at or below the bottom notch. This signifies you need a refill to prevent damage to your engine. 

(Photo Credit: iStock)

Tags: Bay City, Great Lakes Bay Region, Michigan, Mid-Michigan, Oil, Oil Change, Service, Service Center, Thelen Auto Group
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