I have a 2005 Toyota Camry with 267,000 miles. I just took it to my local dealer to get it serviced and mentioned that I was concerned with the oil level being low. He told me when you check the oil after it's been sitting it will show that it is low. He told me to check the oil right after shutting off the car. He said the purpose was that Toyota has a shorter dip stick than other cars so it wouldn't interfere with any engine parts. I've never heard this before. Is this true?
Thanks
I haven't heard of this and I don't think this is correct. You should always check the oil level when the engine is cold and your car is on flat surface.
I've never heard of that before either and I'm a mechanic. I don't know everything, but it seems unlikely. The same rules apply to all engines: check the dipstick cold and it should be in range. His explanation is also a little fishy to me because even if that was the case you could still fill it to the bottom of the safe mark and just not put in that extra half a quart to get it to the top of the safe zone. Also, The only thing that would be in the way of an oil dipstick is a baffle in the pan and the oil pan in your car is NOT baffled.
@inthedetails
Thank you!
On another angle on your situation, after 267K miles, MOST engines will burn some oil between oil changes, and thus show a low oil level. You car is at the age/mileage where you should check and fill oil pretty regularly, yes, even if it is a Toyota.
Read your owners manual. I drive a 98 4Runner and mine manual says to check the oil after every fuel fill up. I always check mine the next morning. After it’s been sitting over night and all the oil has drained to the pan to insure an accurate reading.
@satter
I'm impressed!