New Cars Don't All Come With Dipsticks Anymore, Here's Why

New cars absolutely do have dipsticks; they're the ones designing them.

Notwithstanding the potential for software bugs or other issues inherent with monitoring oil levels only digitally, monitoring just the oil level is not the sole purpose of the dipstick. Being able to physically see a sample of the engine oil is a vital diagnostic tool and can alert an owner or mechanic to a head gasket problem or other oil contamination issue, or if something is grinding metal shavings into the oil, etc.

For what it's worth I have yet to actually physically see a new vehicle without an oil dipstick. I guess they're out there, but so far I've been lucky. But I have already had quite a few automatic transmission equipped cars without a transmission dipstick cross my path, and that's already enough of a pain in the ass. If you're lucky there's a side plug in the transmission case you can use to check the fluid condition and level (after crawling under the vehicle...) but in a lot of cases there isn't even that -- your only recourse is to drop the transmission pan off entirely, which causes you to lose all the fluid in the process. And you'll probably also have to replace the gasket while you're at it. Needless to say, this is an incredibly moronic design decision.

I thought it was hilarious when I saw that Briggs and Stratton has been selling small engines featuring "no oil changes needed" (or possible). They advertise that it's "oiled for the life of the engine" ... well, by definition, yes, that's like saying "if you light a man on fire he'll be warm for the rest of his life". These companies are so predatory and transparently trying to turn durable products into disposable replacement services, it's unbelievable.
- Can confirm; I used to manage a hardware store with an attached small engine repair shop. There's a reason Briggs and Stratton abbreviates so readily to "BS."
  They've been trying to do the absolute bare minimum possible to maximize profits and making their machines flimsy and deliberately uneconomical to repair for several decades, now. All I can say is that we ought to be thankful for aftermarket parts.
For what it's worth I have yet to actually physically see a new vehicle without an oil dipstick.
It seems to be mostly a euro thing. BMW stopped using oil dipsticks nearly 2 decades ago. Land Rover also somewhere in the late 00's.
But I agree it's a moronic idea. Not only does it prevent you from checking oil condition like you said; if it's after an oil change, it takes about 15min just to check the level (and another 15 if you messed it up). At $150+/hr shop rates, that adds up.
- It seems to be mostly a euro thing. BMW stopped using oil dipsticks nearly 2 decades ago.
  I was about to make this joke: "That's just not true. My 2008 BMW had a... holy shit, that car is nearly 2 decades old now." Then I went to confirm, and that car did NOT have a dipstick. The car came with 5 years of "free" service and never gave me a day of trouble, so I never realized it didn't have a dipstick. That's probably a major reason it was removed, since even a DIYer like me who likes to work on things myself never even tried to use the dipstick in 4 years.
- I used to be a lube tech in a different life 15 years ago and would occasionally see vehicles without dipsticks. Like you said the German brands like BMW and Mercedes but also Chrysler vehicles like the 300 and Magnum had a tube for the transmission dipstick but no dipstick inside of it just a cap on the tube.
- Isn’t that the point? The service department makes more money.
My wife has a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The AC condenser got a leak in it and it was going to be over $2k to fix in a shop. I took it on myself to save money. The condenser mounts to the back of the radiator, so I had to get at it by removing the bumper and everything between that and the engine block. Also attached part of the radiator is the transmission cooler. Unhooking everything meant that I was going to lose some fluids, but that was fine, I'd top them off and pay to have refrigerant added.
After I reassembled, I when to check the trans fluid levels, and couldn't find the dipstick. It turns out, like you said, if you crawl under the vehicle, on the back of the trans pan is a bolt you can remove, and if you have a special dipstick that you buy separately for this sole purpose, you can stick it in there to check levels. There's not way to add fluid without pumping it in there, but at least you can see how much you have.
Since I only lost less than a quart, I took it into the shop, explained what's up, and asked for it to be topped off. The shop guy calls back later, and told me that to do the trans fluid, the filter is only sold with a whole new pan, and because Chrysler, the fluid cost like $40 a qt, and I needed like 15 to fill it. It still cost more than $800 to just do that, then more than $500 for the refrigerant. I still saved about $500-1k in parts and labor for what I did, but, the lack of dipstick and fill tube was an extremely inconvenient and expensive thing.
- if you crawl under the vehicle, on the back of the trans pan is a bolt you can remove, and if you have a special dipstick that you buy separately for this sole purpose, you can stick it in there to check levels.
  You don't need a disptick, you just fill it until it starts coming out of the hole. Lots of heavy equipment works this way.
- Also attached part of the radiator is the transmission cooler.
  I love this design, this way when your radiator starts to fail you get water in your transmission and destroy it with the strawberry milkshake of doom.
- Well the good news is your trans should last a little longer now that some of the fluid has been replaced.
Your first line made me laugh out loud!
And yes, the enshitification is real.
Why would you put a dipstick in a EV? Sounds like a good design decision to me.
- Just to fuck with people I'd put one on the blinkers
- I think we can all safely assume that EV's are not relevant to this discussion.

This proactive approach helps to avert potential engine damage

Ah yes, the old "you're too stupid to do anything by yourself, so we kindly prevent you from trying"

I would argue that it adds a new failure point, and a catastrophic one at that.
Yes, many hunans don't monitor their oil properly. I've seen some destroy engines because they thought the low oil light could be ignored for a week.
Even if you still had the dipstick, owners would become reliant on the sensor and grenade the engine when it gets it wrong. Remember how Teslas had hoods that flew open while driving? The problem wasn't the latch. The problem was owners relying on a crappy sensor.
I mean, I honestly don't have a problem with a notification telling me I need to top off my oil, or telling me I've driven enough that it is time for the scheduled maintenance. I just also want to be able to manually check the oil level with a dip stick.
This is why it was removed from auto transmissions, people would overfill their transmissions and it would froth up and burn out the clutches.
To be fair, when you drive a dangerous vehicle on a public road, you're not only putting yourself in danger...
I'm not saying that we shouldn't ever trust people to do their own repairs, but just thought i'd play devil's advocate
- I mean, yeah, most people probably don't know what they're doing but does that mean that no one should be able to fix their own stuff any more?

The article is really lazy about citing its sources.

many cars don't come with dipsticks anymore. Some sources say

Are these some sources in the room with us?

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.

This is like an eighth grader padding out a book report.

But in actuality, it's because a lot of things are going digital.

Tl;dr: Here's a higher quality source: Why the Reliable Dipstick is Sliding into Obsolescence

The customer has to pop the hood. They might get their hands dirty. It’s not the modern way of doing things
I have a better source:
MONEY

My wife’s electric car doesn’t have a dipstick.

Unless you're sitting in it. ;)

Why the clickbait? Just put why in the title or post description

New Cars Don't All Come With Dipsticks Anymore Because Of Digital Oil Level Measurement
- Let me guess, this Digital Measurement is only availible to CeRtIfIeD tEcHnIcIaNs iNtO wHoSe aSsHoLe we pUsHeD oUr fInGeR at lEAsT 30 Cm?

I don't like it because:

I want to look at the oil and smell it, not just check the level.
I don't know the failure modes for the sensor, so I can't trust that the absence of a complaint from it means the oil level is correct.

Exactly
Right now there is no better detection system than in
- Seeing the oil level
- seeing the oil color
- smelling the oil content
- feeling the oil viscosity and any contamination

I've had a car with where the oil pressure sensor failed; combine that with an oil leak, and you quickly have a major problem. So, what happens when the sensor telling you the oil level fails? A dipstick is extremely unlikely to ever fail to work correctly, so...?

You would think an engineer would understand this.... I assume this is a decision from management.
- "Grok told me this was the right thing. Nom nom, this superglue bathsalt pizza is delicious"
- The Engineer was also told they would get a bonus if they could make maintenance more common and more expensive under the guise of improved technology.
- Engineers are people like everyone else and some people have no qualms fucking over other people for money.

No, see, they just relocated the dipstick. You can locate it just behind the steering wheel, right above the driver's seat.

PEBKAC.
- PEBCAC (car and chair lol)

Back when I worked at a BMW store we had to, after changing the oil, start up the vehicle and get it up to temperature before it would give us a reading. Several times the vehicle caught on fire for some reason during this process. So fucking stupid.

The real reason is that owners would not reseat the dipstick properly, which would cause a vacuum leak and a lean fuel mixture that would trigger the CEL.

But you can't expect Jalopnik writers to know basic facts like this.

The real reason is that owners would not reseat the dipstick properly, which would cause a vacuum leak and a lean fuel mixture that would trigger the CEL.
That is absolutely piss-poor design. But definitely a BMW thing to do.
- I mean, easily catching fire is a thing since German tanks in WWII, so yes.

Because manufacturers are scummy, that's why.

If you can't check the oil, you can't complain to the dealer can you ? Once the warranty's over good luck proving anything.
They're not that dumb.

I've wondered this for a while and this seems like a good time to ask: Do electric cars use motor oil in the same way as an internal combustion vehicle? Like do you need to get oil changes in an all electric the same way and have a need for a dipstick?

Electric cars do have oil that will ultimately need changing but it's less exposed to contaminants than the engine oil in a internal combustion engine and therefore will last a lot longer. EVs typically have a reduction gearbox and differential and these will require oil changes in a similar fashion to a manual gearbox or differential in a ICE vehicle - i.e. barring exceptional circumstances it will last long enough to get out of warranty but don't believe it will never need changing.
Nope. The only fluid I worry about in my EV is windshield wiper fluid.
- No brake calipers or power steering onboard?
- Eventually, you'll have to top up your blinker fluid as well.
- And the blinker one right? EVs still have that afaik.
- Got my mechanic to replace the transmission fluid in mine after 80,000km, cost $90NZD
I'm not sure if this is universally true but I've never seen a fully electric vehicle that uses motor oil. Hybrid vehicles with an internal combustion engine and an electric drive train would still need it, of course.
Not having to take my car for oil changes is bliss.
It still has oil in the transmission. And yes, you are supposed to change it occasionally because its high slip friction oil that burns over time.
i have oil in the differential that needs occasional replacement

Oil is essential. However, those manufacturers that claim you have to change synthetic oil three times a year are full of shit.

Depends on how much you drive, and what the recommended interval is. If the interval is 7k miles, and you drive 18k in a year, yeah, you need to change the oil 3x/year.
It seems to me that counting the number of cycles each makes, and basing your intervals off that would make more sense than mileage. If I'm constantly running at high RPM, that should require more frequent oil changes in terms of mileage.
That chronological duration is more of an estimate based on how much the "average" car may be driven and is just to give someone an idea of the frequency.
The standard for cars built for synthetic ("conventional" cars may have a bit more susceptibility to contamination, so they normally have shorter durations) usually usually go for 10-15k miles (~16-24k km). So going 30-45k miles in a year isn't really unheard of. (Some cars are much less, while others like company cars/taxis can be more than double)
I know it can last longer than that, but I think there is a benefit to doing so even if it doesn't need changed that often. It's the same reason I have my mechanic do my oil changes instead of doing them myself. It's so that they can look at the rest of the car and let me know about problems before they become a much more expensive fix. Kinda like going to a doctor for a yearly checkup and blood work.
I can fix almost anything on a car if I know what the issue is and have the shop manual, but I don't work on cars enough to know all warning signs or quickly diagnose things.
However, I do realize how difficult it can be to find a mechanic that is trustworthy, competent, and reasonably priced. I'm generally not a fan of dealership mechanics or the places that are dedicated to cheap oil changes. Not saying none of them have good mechanics, but it can be hit or miss.

This sounds like an old Mercedes problem: Why even having a dipstick when there isn't any drain bolt? The Mechanic sucks all the oil from the top using a vacuum. Grime buildup down in the oil pan? Ain't care! The car will break anyway, once it's out of warranty.

the vacuum oil change is a standard in watercraft, so its not that revolutionary
I hated raising my VW Jetta so I would oil change it with a hand pump vacuum, it worked great
Woah... I'd say it's time for a major modification... I wouldn't be able to deal with owning something so dumb.
many small motorbikes in southeast asia are like this. i do not understand the design

.

This is a reactionary response, you're just arguing, slow down a bit.
Do you see a value in a check engine light that tells you something is wrong in between full inspections? This is similar, this is telling you there isn't enough oil and damage is occurring before you get a chance to inspect the dipstick.
It's not planned obsolescence unless they also make it unreasonable to service. We already expect to routinely service engines, and they are already very complex and full of sensors, sure this is adding to the complexity but it's relatively pretty minor.
The argument being made, and I agree with it, is that the benefits of an additional long-serving sensor way outweigh the con of having one additional sensor in your car. You get early warning before damage occurs, you get built in fraud protection when you're changing your oil at a shady chain, you eliminate a direct access port for dirt to contaminate the oil.

I hate all these automatic sensors in new cars. I don't usually buy new cars, I get ones that are a few years used. Almost all of them have a light on the dash for a "tire error" because the stupid sensor has died and no one in their right mind wants to spend $300 to replace a thing that tells you your tire pressure is low. Plus, the things die in a few years anyway.

I just do the Homer Simpson solution and put a bit of black tape over the tire error light.

$300? A TPS sensor replacement should cost like $75 including the sensor itself.
- About $300 is what the mechanics in the area usually charge. The dealership is more.
- A tire pressure sensor sensor? And the tire pressure sensor sensor includes the sensor itself? 😉

My wife has a 2016 Honda Odyssey, and having grown up working on cars because my dad was a mechanic, I was shocked to learn that there is no transmission fluid dip stick. It's considered a closed system and never needs to have the fluid changed, allegedly.

It's a lifetime fluid! For the life of ur transmission! If it'll make it to 100k miles they could care less what happens after that. When your 16 odyssey needs a transmission at 130 are u gonna put 6k into it or go buy a other car?
The U660F transmission in my wife's 2015 Highlander doesn't have a dipstick. Luckily that transmission is solid and easy to service anyway, you just need a skinny funnel to fill it.

Knowing the exact oil level is very important for new cars. The piston rings are now made of softer metal to get a few more mpgs. If you overfill oil, you will get blow by, damage the rings, and start burning oil. Toyota now has an involved process of changing oil, running the engine, then topping off the oil while the engine is hot so as to not overfill. But not even my dealer follows that official procedure Toyota put in their manual.

If the dealer isn't doing that and you know about it what are we even talking about. Pretty casual well I'm paying them to fuck my engine oh well anyway

Just forcing more people towards mechanics. Can’t see levels or if there might be an issue with a lubricant, so if you burn up a transmission, guess you gotta buy a new one.

Sounds like a scam by big oil to sell more oil.

my 2008 BMW doesn't have a dipstick

My cyber truck doesn't have a dipstick and I'm mad as hell about it. I bought it to feel like more of a man and I feel like less of man without a dipstick.
- I thought the dipstick in a cybertruck is usually found behind the steering wheel
- it's still got at least one or two USB ports, you could still plug in Lil trythis
my 2008 BMW doesn't have a dipstick
Sure it does, it is in the driver's seat.
- it's a sweet silver E93 with no damage and still under 75k miles. It's a sweet transformer!
  It only cost $12k but looks and drives like a $50k car
- haha yea its a COCK for your ASS lmao
- Wrong. That's dipshit. Subtle difference.