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Every auto manufactuerer with plastic dipstick ...

Featured Replies

die in a fire. Especially Honda for the 2018 Accord.  The metal dipstick with 2 holes worked fine for almost 100 year so they added a plastic tip with grooves so you have zero ability to actually see the oil after changing it. And made the plastic tip orange just for fun....  The surface of the tip retains oil which surges when you start the car so it is literally impossible to determine the oil level. Even placing the stick on a towel fails since the oil flows in the grooves of the plastic tip - even when held level.

12 minutes ago, AUinHsv said:

die in a fire. Especially Honda for the 2018 Accord.  The metal dipstick with 2 holes worked fine for almost 100 year so they added a plastic tip with grooves so you have zero ability to actually see the oil after changing it. And made the plastic tip orange just for fun....  The surface of the tip retains oil which surges when you start the car so it is literally impossible to determine the oil level. Even placing the stick on a towel fails since the oil flows in the grooves of the plastic tip - even when held level.

Add in plastic valve covers 

Add in plastic valve covers 
I would like to add plastic intake manifolds. Looking at you Ford.
6 minutes ago, Pato del Muerto said:

Is this being driven by CAFE or just cheaper, or a happy marriage of both?

Both I'm sure, but the profit margin is the real driver.

  • Author

I can't imagine why it is cheaper or CAFE. CAFE is driving 0W-20 oil which is really thin and hard to see in general but Honda already had the metal dipstick. It has to be more cost to stick the plastic piece of junk on the end. I just rechanged the oil and this time only put 3 quarts in since I kept the filter. It is impossible to see an oil mark even in bright sun. Laying it flat on paper gives a good guess that I am between the marks. The other issue is they carved an oval in the plastic and put the two marks at each end. 0W-20 isn't thick so as soon as you hold the stick level it fills the oval up.  Just a really stupid design all around. Going to drive it a day and let the oil darken and see what I can see.  Also I guess CAFE related but just saw 0W-16 ( yes 16) at the store. Maybe an oil engineer can explain why a 16 weight is worth manufacturing versus a 0W-20.

On 7/26/2020 at 4:13 PM, AUinHsv said:

I can't imagine why it is cheaper or CAFE. CAFE is driving 0W-20 oil which is really thin and hard to see in general but Honda already had the metal dipstick. It has to be more cost to stick the plastic piece of junk on the end. I just rechanged the oil and this time only put 3 quarts in since I kept the filter. It is impossible to see an oil mark even in bright sun. Laying it flat on paper gives a good guess that I am between the marks. The other issue is they carved an oval in the plastic and put the two marks at each end. 0W-20 isn't thick so as soon as you hold the stick level it fills the oval up.  Just a really stupid design all around. Going to drive it a day and let the oil darken and see what I can see.  Also I guess CAFE related but just saw 0W-16 ( yes 16) at the store. Maybe an oil engineer can explain why a 16 weight is worth manufacturing versus a 0W-20.

Cheaper to manufacture, weighs less, which equates to less shipping fees, fuel consupmtion fees,  Car companies chase a nickel on each unit because they make hundreds of thousands of each model.

That's because you calculate the Porsche oil level by measuring the slick on the garage floor.    

3 minutes ago, smuggs said:

That's because you calculate the Porsche oil level by measuring the slick on the garage floor.    

Heeeeeey ohhhhhhhhhhhh......  My love affair with Porche ended many years ago.

11 hours ago, pepper brooks said:

Porsche doesn’t even put dip sticks in the cars anymore and hasn’t for a long time. 

The dipsticks put themselves in a Porsche. 

On 7/26/2020 at 9:08 AM, AUinHsv said:

die in a fire. Especially Honda for the 2018 Accord.  The metal dipstick with 2 holes worked fine for almost 100 year so they added a plastic tip with grooves so you have zero ability to actually see the oil after changing it. And made the plastic tip orange just for fun....  The surface of the tip retains oil which surges when you start the car so it is literally impossible to determine the oil level. Even placing the stick on a towel fails since the oil flows in the grooves of the plastic tip - even when held level.

 

On 7/26/2020 at 3:13 PM, AUinHsv said:

I can't imagine why it is cheaper or CAFE. CAFE is driving 0W-20 oil which is really thin and hard to see in general but Honda already had the metal dipstick. It has to be more cost to stick the plastic piece of junk on the end. I just rechanged the oil and this time only put 3 quarts in since I kept the filter. It is impossible to see an oil mark even in bright sun. Laying it flat on paper gives a good guess that I am between the marks. The other issue is they carved an oval in the plastic and put the two marks at each end. 0W-20 isn't thick so as soon as you hold the stick level it fills the oval up.  Just a really stupid design all around. Going to drive it a day and let the oil darken and see what I can see.  Also I guess CAFE related but just saw 0W-16 ( yes 16) at the store. Maybe an oil engineer can explain why a 16 weight is worth manufacturing versus a 0W-20.

 

On 7/27/2020 at 5:08 PM, Sbbruin said:

And what's the deal with airline food?

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13 minutes ago, ImissWallyPryor said:

The dipsticks put themselves in a Porsche. 

Ohhhhh....... that's gooooooood.......

7 hours ago, ImissWallyPryor said:

The dipsticks put themselves in a Porsche. 

zing

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