There’s been a few posts of late here about the owner being surprised that the engine is low on oil, 3500 miles after the last oil change. The experts here of course reply, saying that’s normal oil usage, especially in newer cars where the manufacturers are doing all they can to improve mpg. I’ve been pondering this question a bit, why car owners seem reluctant to occasionally inspect the oil dipstick? It can’t be the time it takes to do the job can it? How long does it take to look at the oil dipstick, pop the hood, pull the dipstick? 2 minutes max?
After giving this puzzler some thought, my theory is that the owner doesn’t want to look under the hood, not b/c they don’t want to look at the oil dipstick, but for fear something else will discovered that needs to be addressed. In these modern times our schedule seems to be always fully booked and we just don’t any extra time to fit in a visit to the mechanic. So if we just don’t look at the oil dipstick, don’t ever pop the hood, then out of sight, out of mind is the solution.
What do you think?