Electronic engine oil dipstick

For years it was a simple task to dip the oil and check the level using a traditional dipstick. With every engine requiring a different amount of oil, using the dipstick meant that even if the correct quantity required was not known, it could be worked out by pouring in a couple of litres, then dipping and topping-up as required.

For some reason it is now difficult to get the correct oil quantities required for VAG vehicles using the oil companies’ websites. When this 2017 Audi A4 Avant TFSI came in for its first service, none of our usual sources could tell us the amount of oil required. As this A4 has no dipstick, it would have meant waiting for the onboard indicator to sense the oil level at each top-up until the correct limit was reached.

Fortunately, Autodata informed us that the correct quantity is 5.2 litres.

The onboard system will give you the oil level, but the vehicle needs to stand for a while after running before the system can read the level.