Posted on 05/21/2025 4:42:50 PM PDT by where's_the_Outrage?
Ever wondered when your last oil change was and needed to check the oil level? Most of us don't have this problem — when we take a car in for an oil change, the mechanic will usually put a sticker on the windshield to let us know when's the next time to come in for a visit. But let's say we don't have a sticker or any kind of maintenance reminder. So we pop open the hood and look for the dipstick. Wait ... where did it go?!
Once, dipsticks were the go-to method for checking oil levels and finding out if your oil has gone bad. But as odd as it may sound, many cars don't come with dipsticks anymore. Some sources say it's because automakers don't trust us to use them, so why make them? (That's kind of along the lines of rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it, right?) Or maybe it's some kind of conspiracy to keep drivers coming in for oil changes more often. But in actuality, it's because a lot of things are going digital.
"With digital oil level measurement, customers can easily monitor their vehicle's oil level in their vehicle's driver display and receive timely alerts if oil level is outside normal limits," Mercedes-Benz spokesperson Andrew Brudnicki told Automotive News Canada in 2024 (via SlashGear). "This proactive approach helps to avert potential engine damage."
It may just be us, but technology doesn't fix everything. Sometimes, one solution can undo all others. Using the dipstick was fast and easy. Some cars even had dipsticks for checking transmission fluid. Now, drivers are left to rely on a touchscreen to know if their car needs oil.
(Excerpt) Read more at jalopnik.com ...
Yeah, one more sensor to break and neeed replacing.
Our 1997 Chevy Silverado, even though it is a truck, has nearly 200,000 miles on it. It has never let us down. And it is far more comfortable than our 2015 Outback and our total piece of crap Ford F150 pickup. The Chevy is such a pleasure to drive.
My 1952 Dodge is well worn, and does give trouble, but is much more fun to drive than any of the above.
Bobbyvotes wrote: “Haha I get those emails too often. If I followed them, I will be spending a fortune on oil changes.”
That’s one of their objectives, to make the service center more profitable.
I found that if I check the engine computer it often disagrees with the email. The email will say I need an oil change but the computer may say I have a very large amount of life left in the oil. (We drive a lot less than the average person.)
I would not leave home without the app connected to car’s large screen. It talks to me on long drives with warnings about disabled vehicles on side ahead, cops ahead, railroad crossing ahead, traffic obstruction ahead etc, and will re-route me to avoid accidents and traffic jams. It is phenomenally useful. What ads you are talking about? There are no ads on my cars screen. And the app uses my junk email which I seldom look at. You are wrong on every point.
???
The app uses your phone number and even your phone ID, not just your e-mail address. Your phone carrier is selling your data as well. Waze (Google) uses your data for many things, including what ads show up every time you connect to the internet.
Honestly, I have not been bothered with Ads on phone, or my regular emails. I use a junk email for all non-business contacts. Once every quarter I delete all accumulated emails in that junk email.
Like I said the benefits from the GPS App are something I can’t live without. Guiding me on long interstate drives is a phenomenal benefit.
The ads are also those that load on every web page you go to.
I see no Ads on my PC. I have a good Ad blocker.
I recently bought a truck that has the oil monitored by a sensor. I plan to change the oil every 5,000 miles regardless. Cheap insurance IMHO.
Think your 1952 truck could do that? Not a chance. At 200k miles you would have rebuilt the engine at least 3 times and every other part of it would have been replaced. And when they started using heavy salt on the roads back in the late 60s, you could watch them rust away.
Nostalgia is nice. But the reality is those 1950s and 60s cars every one wants to fondly remember we’re built to last 10 years at max. Todays cars are far superior and long lasting.
Yes, yes, they do. They’re just not under the hood.
I thought I forgot something. Then there is moving the battery to a place like under the windshield wipers.
But thank God we even have such.
Winning post.
I think you may be referring to post 20 of 111
The average cost for a Hyundai Genesis Oil Pressure Sensor Replacement is between $254 and $302. Labor costs are estimated between $103 and $151 while parts are typically priced around $151. This range does not include taxes and fees, and does not factor in your unique location.
“And these gauges in many cars notoriously fail forcing owners to practically go broke nickel and divming themselves to death with endless trips to the garage for diagnostics and repairs that never seem to work.”
I am 78. Never had a gauge fail.
Yes, but oil bath air cleaners were being faded out.
But I agree. In the era of no air conditioning, that vent window could be opened a little or a lot and angled in such a way to do much cooling of the driver and passenger. I really miss them.
Yes, plus clearing the windshield of fog quickly.
Now let’s really go back, what about the cowl vent? That little lever below the middle of the dash you pushed down and the vent just ahead of the window opened up and fresh air came in.
Yes, I forgot those, rare as they were when I drove.
The simple stuff of yester-year made cars more fun to drive. And they were quite comfortable.
And with bench seats!
And you could tell the difference between a Ford and Chevy a block away. Today they all look alike.
Much true.
Exactly... fully agree.
You are overlooking why that 97 Silverado, and many others of the era as well as new vehicles, can get over 200,000 miles.
As a mechanic I recall rebuilding those engines of the 50’s and 60’s. The cylinder heads and the exhaust valves had very hard brown carbon on them. To clean this stuff by hand, a chisel often had to be used. This stuff would break off during combustion in the form of very fine particles and make it past the piston into the oil. On it’s way to the oil it wore out the piston and cylinder wall. Once in the oil it would wear out the bearings. That hard carbon was caused by leaded gasoline.
When unleaded came out that hard carbon disappeared. It was replaced with a black sooty carbon, much like diesel engines have always had. Early diesels could easily get 200,000 on them. This black sooty carbon is not hard and does not act like sand paper like the leaded gas carbon did.
My 97 Chevy has always had unleaded gas and a very high grade synthetic motor oil. When I pull the dipstick 5,000 after an oil change, the oil is still clean enough to see the markings on the dipstick.
If I rebuilt my 52 Dodge back to original standards with new parts, used only unleaded gas and high grade synthetic oil, I bet I could easily get 200,000 miles out of it.
I have 3 vehicles with oil bath air cleaners. I really like them.
Another goodie few people know about is step on starters. You know, that little plunger you step on that right above the accelerator pedal? Last winter I put it into a commercial storage shed. The owner of the shed looked at it and couldn’t figure out how to start it. I had to laugh. With a manual choke, stick shift and step on starter it’s practically theft free.
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