Running a car

How to check your oil

Car maintenance - not my bag. I'm good at many things but making machines go is not one of them.

So, I recently spent a sunny afternoon learning how to check and fill up my car's fluids. Because I'm a loser like that and had nothing better to do on a Saturday. You're WELCOME.

A stress-free guide to topping up your oil

   

Here's the steps:

Just before you start, check your car’s owner’s manual for the kind of oil you need for your car - then buy it and cry at the price.

1. Make sure your engine's cold and you're parked on level ground. Find your dipstick - that's where you check the level
2. Pull out the dipstick and wipe the end with a cloth, then put it back in
3. Pull it out again and look at where the oil mark comes up to between the MIN and MAX
4. If it's looking low, find your oil cap (it'll have a can on it) and unscrew it
5. Pour in some oil but don't go mad - overfilling is a bad idea and you can always check your oil level again if you want to go gradually. Don’t forget to screw the cap back on and wipe up any spills.